Discusses thesauri as tools for multilingual information retrieval and cross-cultural communication. Considers the need for multilingual thesauri and the importance of explicit conceptual structures, and introduces a pilot thesaurus, InfoDEFT (Information Deutsch-English-Francais Thesaurus), as a possible model for new online thesauri which are…

Presents a morphological classification of languages from the information retrieval (IR) perspective. Discusses differences in inflection, derivation, and compounding; index of synthesis and index of fusion; cross-language retrieval research; the need for semantic and syntactic typologies; and the effects of morphology and stemming in IR.…

Presents the semantic information theory, formulated by the philosopher Fred Dretske, as a contribution to the discussion of metatheories and their practical implications in library and information science. Highlights include mathematical communication theory; digitization, perception, cognition, and concept formation; information and knowledge;…

Discussion of document ranking methods to calculate the conceptual distance between a Boolean query and a document focuses on the Knowledge-Based Extension Boolean Model which evaluates weighted queries and documents effectively and avoids problems of previous methods. Semantic networks are discussed, and is-a hierarchies are explained. (21…

Discusses the use of logical imaging in information retrieval. Topics include the use of nonclassical logic in information retrieval; imaging and possible worlds semantics; retrieval by imaging; evaluation processes; worlds mass and worlds distance; and future work. (LRW)

Discusses the basic elements of a global cognitive theory for information retrieval (IR) interaction from a cognitive point of view. Within this framework are outlined the principles underlying the concept of polyrepresentation applied simultaneously to the user's cognitive space and the information space of IR systems. Contains 95 references.…

Analyzes the theoretical and the epistemological assumptions of information science. Topics include users and cognition; subject analysis; methods of classification; composition, semantics, and retrieval; the meaning of information; the typology of documents; information selection and research evaluation; and information specialists and…

Discusses the design of interfaces for online systems and suggests requirements that must be met to offer maximum aid to inexperienced users. Highlights include the online search process, user data, query processing, database descriptors, semantic links, multilingual processing, search strategies, and distributed systems. A 20-page bibliography…