Shows how deductive data management techniques can be applied to the utilization of data value classifications in information retrieval. A representation of classifications which supports transitive computation is defined, and an operation-oriented deductive query language tailored for classification-based deductive information retrieval in fact…

Describes current features of the Research Libraries Information Network and ongoing research to enhance the system. Features discussed include access to the central bibliographic database, authority control, nonroman character set support, special databases for search only use, thesauri, videodisk interfaces, and file clustering. (CLB)

Important characteristics of lexical databases and their applications in information retrieval and natural language processing are explained. An ongoing project using various machine-readable sources to build a lexical database is described, and detailed designs of individual entries with examples are included. (Contains 66 references.) (EAM)

A definition of fiber art, its history, materials and techniques, vocabularies, and creators and users of those vocabularies offer background for understanding the problems in preparing surrogates of this relatively recent art form for text and image databases. Four examples of fiber image information systems are described. (32 references) (EAM)

Defines corporate family searching as the act of using computerized databases to identify a parent company and all of its related companies. Business databases available on Dialog that can be searched to trace a corporate family are identified and appropriate search strategies are described. (CLB)

At the reported meeting, the Group was informed of the increasing interest from Eastern and Central Europe in the work of the Council of Europe. There was a report of the study visit to EUDISED (European Documentation and Information System for Education) agencies in Vienna and The Hague by representatives from the national agencies of…

This brief review of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system is intended to make users more aware of (1) the system as a whole, (2) the process of indexing educational literature for the database, and (3) the role of the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors in the overall information dissemination process. An overview of the ERIC…

Describes the growth of the INSPEC database developed by the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Highlights include an historical background of its growth from "Science Abstracts"; production methods, including computerization; indexing, including controlled (thesaurus-based), uncontrolled, chemical, and numerical indexing; and the…

Traces the development of "The Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms" from its roots as a term list through six editions to a sophisticated searching and indexing tool, and describes the process for determining controlled vocabulary and forms of display. Features designed especially to assist novice users and nonpsychologists are also…

Describes MARS (Museum Archive Retrieval System), a research tool which enables organizations to exchange digital images and documents by means of a common thesaurus structure, and merge the descriptive data and metadata of their collections. Highlights include theoretical basis; searching the MARS database; and examples in European museums.…

Describes the development of a thesaurus for indexing the databases of Engineering Information, Inc., that improved the former precoordinate indexing vocabulary with postcoordinate descriptors and an appropriate set of thesaurus relationships. Problems of incompatibility with old indexing are addressed, and the use of an outside consultant versus…

Image processing technology allows libraries to include photographs, paintings, monograph title pages, and maps in their databases. This article examines problems of and solutions to image indexing and retrieval, focusing on thesaurus-based indexing systems, visual thesauri and related hybrid systems, picture description languages, and image…

Provides an overview of recent developments relating to the application of thesauri in information organization and retrieval on the World Wide Web. Discusses recent thesaurus projects; types of thesauri on the Web; thesauri integrated within databases and information retrieval systems; multiple thesaurus systems; standards for electronic…

Emphasizes class maintenance of National Library of Medicine's bibliographic retrieval file in which maintenance actions (replacement, deletion, addition) reflect yearly changes in Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). File maintenance of other authoritative information attached to headings, class maintenance failures, checking class maintenance,…

Describes a system based on a probabilistic inference network retrieval model that was used to study the retrieval effectiveness benefits of combining types of document and query information that are found in typical commercial databases and information services. Multiple document representations, multiple index representations, and multiple query…