The contributions in this volume represent a decade of OCLC's user behavior research findings that articulate the need for the design of future library services to be all about the user. Highlights include: (1) People associate the library with books and do not consider the library in relation to online resources or reference services; (2) People…

Presents a model that places Boolean database queries into conjunctive normal form, thereby allowing probabilistic ranking of documents and the incorporation of relevance feedback. Experimental results compare the performance of a sequential learning probabilistic retrieval model with the proposed integrated Boolean probabilistic model and a fuzzy…

Discusses the feasibility and advantages of developing an enhancement for document retrieval systems that would automatically impose Boolean syntax on an input set of search terms. An online specification for such an enhancement is presented, based on experimental results using the MEDLINE database. (13 references) (CLB)

Increasingly, machine learning is entertained as a mechanism for improving the efficiency of planning systems. Research in this area has generated an impressive battery of techniques and a growing body of empirical successes. Unfortunately the formal properties of these systems are not well understood. This is highlighted by a growing corpus of…

A theoretical framework used to derive a weighting mechanism for ranking output documents in Boolean retrieval systems is described in detail. A simple illustrative example is included, and the implications of such an approach are discussed. (64 references) (Author/CLB)

Discussion of user-relevance judgments in information retrieval focuses on findings from four separate studies of relevance judgments by 55 users conducting their initial online search on a particular information problem. Highlights include a theoretical framework, models of relevance, and implications for information-retrieval system design and…

Describes the three subsystems of an information retrieval system (document descriptions, queries, and matching algorithms) and argues that the interdependency of these subsystems requires adaptation for the system to perform when any component changes. An algorithm for redescribing documents, in response to changes in queries and retrieval rules,…

Describes a new Boolean retrieval environment in which an extended soft Boolean logic is used to automatically construct queries from original natural language formulations provided by users. Experimental results that compare the retrieval effectiveness of this method to conventional Boolean and vector processing are discussed. (27 references)…

Discusses the motivation for integrating information retrieval and database management systems, and proposes a probabilistic retrieval model in which records in a file may be composed of attributes (formatted data items) and descriptors (content indicators). The details and resolutions of difficulties involved in integrating such systems are…

An online retrieval test was conducted using an experimental online catalog that provided several different subject searching strategies. Analyses of test data suggest that users expected alphabetical searches to provide lists of assigned subject headings conceptually related to their topics. System designers can now respond to their expectations.…

The PRODIGY/EBL system [Minton88] was one of the first works to directly attack the problem of strategy utility. The problem of finding effective strategies was reduced to the problem of finding effective rules. However, this paper illustrates limitations of the approach. There are two basic difficulties. The first arises from the fact that the…

Provides an overview of methods for improving the effectiveness of Boolean retrieval systems, including document clustering, relevance feedback, weighted term searching, ranked output, and fuzzy set theory. The discussion of experimental studies with the SMART and SIRE systems focuses on the implementation and results of these methods. (69…

Presents a relational logical model to support a sophisticated document retrieval system in which flexible forms of inferential and associative searching can be performed, and provides examples of ad hoc inquiries. Several problems of particular importance to document retrieval are discussed in terms of this model. (27 references) (Author/CLB)

In machine learning there is considerable interest in techniques which improve planning ability. Initial investigations have identified a wide variety of techniques to address this issue. Progress has been hampered by the utility problem, a basic tradeoff between the benefit of learned knowledge and the cost to locate and apply relevant knowledge.…

A research project was designed to produce a new system for evaluating student teachers at the University of Washington. A literature search provided the basis for a conceptual framework for the development of an evaluation instrument. Conclusions derived from the literature were: (1) Rationales for teacher evaluation include…