Discussion of terms and how they are used in queries in information retrieval focuses on a transaction log analysis of queries posed on an Internet search service that isolated basic query structure syntactic patterns. Describes a linguistic model that classified Web queries and suggests implications for information retrieval system design.…

Discusses access to nontextual documents in large multimedia document bases. A hybrid information retrieval model, using queries in a hypertext environment for location of browsing areas, is presented; and two experiments using cluster-based descriptions of content are reported. (23 references) (EA)

Describes a study of the UCLA ORION online catalog that was conducted to determine (1) how often lengthy subject headings occur in the database, and what the effects of compressing the subject headings would be; and (2) how often the display of a term and its subdivisions are interrupted by syntactical construction. (seven references) (LRW)

A study was conducted that used transaction logs to identify the characteristics of the most complex or problematic user queries. Enhancements are recommended in the design of online catalogs that use search trees to control system responses and to determine appropriate subject-searching terminology and technique. Contains 21 references and 12…

Discussion of problems with retrieval of records in library online public access catalogs (OPACs) focuses on an ongoing research project at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) that has been trying to improve subject retrieval vocabulary control using natural and thesaural language and on the design of a good graphical user interface.…

Describes enhancements made to a hypertext information retrieval system at the National Energy Research Supercomputer Center (NERSC) called DFT (Document, Find, and Theseus). The enrichment of DFT's entry vocabulary is described, DFT and other hypertext systems are compared, and problems that occur due to the need for frequent updates are…

Describes a study that examined subject searchers' use of a display of terms related to their topics as provided through online display of authority information from Library of Congress subject headings. The need to encourage searcher use of available syndetic structures is discussed. (17 references) (Author/CLB)

Discusses features of online public access catalogs: (1) demonstration of relationships between records; (2) provision of entry vocabularies; (3) arrangement of multiple entries on the screen; (4) provision of access points; (5) display of single records; and (6) division of catalogs into separate files or indexes. User studies and other research…

Investigated undergraduate art history majors' image retrieval tasks and image query modes. Discusses gender differences; prior information retrieval experience; significant differences between the number of search terms users planned to use and the number they actually used; and implications for image indexing tools, image retrieval system…

Describes two experiments that investigated the influence of textual factors on the perception of bibliographic records. Topics include index descriptors; term overlap; extent of semantic distance; direction of semantic distance; generic trees of descriptors; relevance perception; and implications for the design of information retrieval…

Describes a study that investigated subject retrieval in a group of humanities databases. Scatter by subject field and type of search term is discussed, the effectiveness of natural language and of controlled vocabulary are compared, and implications for system designers concerned with end-user searches in the humanities are suggested. (37…

Describes an analysis of transaction logs of the online catalog at the University of Missouri-Kansas City that examined patron use of both controlled and uncontrolled vocabulary subject access during the same search session. Hypotheses tested are discussed, and recommendations are made for library instruction and online catalog design. (six…

This article studies the performance of online catalog user queries involving personal names and recommends system improvements based on the results. It examines various personal name queries, the construction of bibliographic data, and subject headings. Testing done on an experimental online catalog found search tree designs to reduce system…

Examines how informetric characteristics of information retrieval (IR) system databases can be used to help system designers decide what type of file structures would provide the best performance. The development of appropriate models describing database contents is highlighted in this first part of a two-part study. (30 references) (LRW)

This second report on a two-part study on the application of informetrics to information retrieval (IR) system design used models of database contents in a factorial simulation study at the University of Western Ontario. The study explored whether different file structures were better suited for different informetric environments. (32 references)…