This study examined the contribution to retrieval effectiveness (measured by recall and precision) of adding content-bearing information such as abstracts and tables of contents to bibliographic records. It was found that the addition of content-bearing information improves overall retrieval effectiveness. Improvement was primarily in terms of…

Addresses the implications of the new Web metalanguage XML for searching on the World Wide Web and considers the future of XML on the Web. Compared to HTML, XML is more concerned with structure of data than documents, and these data structures should prove conducive to precise, context rich searching. (Author/LRW)

Discusses characteristics of typical online public access catalogs (OPACs) and examines patron use via printouts of transaction logs for three separate systems. Desirable features of OPACs (mnemonic search commands, boolean operators, forgiveness or automatic truncation, browsing a subject heading index, suggestive prompts) and need for…

Discusses how information technology and information retrieval may be used to build the virtual library, based on examples from Carnegie-Mellon University. Topics include information technology infrastructure, including distributed computing; Boolean searching; natural language processing; navigating the Internet; and prototypes and problems at…

Discusses the evolution of standards for bar codes (series of printed lines and spaces that represent numbers, symbols, and/or letters of alphabet) and describes the two types most frequently adopted by libraries--Code-A-Bar and CODE 39. Format of the codes is illustrated. Six references and definitions of terminology are appended. (EJS)

Explores factors in the history of the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) that have contributed to the positive response of the digital library and information community toward version 2 of the OAI Protocol for Metadata Harvesting. Factors include focus on a defined problem statement, an operational model in which strong leadership is balanced with…

Discussion of precision in information retrieval highlights a prototype online catalog, ILSA (Improving Library Subject Access), developed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania that uses subject clusters and classification. Topics addressed include problems with keyword searching, controlled vocabulary, and thesauri; natural language mapping…

This 14-item annotated literature review summarizes and analyzes scientific developments in and applications of optical and videodisc technology. Implications for information storage and retrieval, prospects for the optical disc in the office, preservation and the new technology, electronic document delivery, and the impact of technology on…

Summary of developments that have occurred in the past year in online news-retrieval services highlights the demise of the New York Times Information Service, Information Access Corporation's database additions and enhancements, full-text services, specialized databases with current events content, and microcomputer access to news. Twelve…

Discusses search and retrieval software for use with CD-ROM. Background trends, how data are made usable, supply and demand, data preparation services, and capabilities of search software are described. Vendors of significant information retrieval products are identified, and the characteristics of 12 packages are compared. (Author/EM)

Describes the development of a system to retrieve images for an international project that is producing a pictorial dictionary of classical mythology, the Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae. Applications to other types of information are discussed, two classification systems for Art History are described, and design principles for…

Reviews selected research on content-enriched access (including information components such as tables of contents and indexes) in information retrieval systems. It is concluded that well-selected content components and full-text materials in electronic systems must be linked with improved search methodologies, better interfaces, and greater…

Discusses the characteristics of information retrieval software and examines several capabilities of two systems, SIRE and ZyINDEX--creating a database, indexing the database, maintaining the database, and searching the database. Each system's strengths and weaknesses in bibliographic record and full text applications are analyzed. A glossary is…

Details distinction between digital and analog data, advantages of analog storage, and optical disc use to store analog data. Configuration and potential of three levels of laser disc systems are explained. Selection of display devices for use with laser disc systems and accessing audio data are addressed. (Continued in next issue.) (EJS)

Describes the grant proposal process followed by the Florida State University System to develop search and retrieval software adhering to the ANSI Z39.50 standard that would operate over the Open Systems Interconnection communications protocol on the local NOTIS system. Formation of the Z39.50 Implementation Group (ZIG) is also discussed.…