Proposes a new method of text classification using stochastic decision lists, ordered sequences of IF-THEN-ELSE rules. The method can be viewed as a rule-based method for text classification having advantages of readability and refinability of acquired knowledge. Advantages of rule-based methods over non-rule-based ones are empirically verified.…

This examination of abstracting-indexing services for the field of history focuses on Historical Abstracts (HA) and America--History and Life (AHL), and their relationship to the American Bibliographical Center's Subject Profile Index (ABC-SPIndex). The history, scope, selection criteria, and classification arrangements of the two databases are…

The report is concerned with the implementation of an on-line information storage and retrieval system for the Rome Air Development Center. This system is to incorporate techniques of automatic document classification for a large document collection in an interactive environment. Following a review of the system design, the implementation of the…

The paper reports on a series of programs that have been developed at the Moore School to process data-bases, consisting of textual items, and to index and arrange the data items in accordance with an automatically generated classification system. The programs produce the directories and the rearranged data-base on microfilm, where it may be…

Using the financial industry as a context, this study addresses the issue of the classification of electronic bookmarks in a multi-user system by investigating the factors that influence how individuals develop categories for bookmarks and how they choose to classify bookmarks within those organizational categories. Sample participant…

Reports on two empirical studies that examined the nature and causes of information management indeterminism in an online research environment. A knowledge-based design for alleviating indeterminism which contains a system-generated thesaurus and an inferencing engine is proposed. (Contains 63 references.) (JLB)

Suggests new method of external distribution called tree partitioning that involves use of binary tree to split incoming file into successively smaller partitions for internal sorting. Number of disc accesses during a tree-partitioning sort were calculated in simulation using files extracted from British National Bibliography catalog files. (19…

Current awareness services at AT&T Bell Laboratories are described: bulletins announcing over 80,000 externally published items/year; production of four commercial machine-readable databases and camera-ready bulletin copy by Bell Laboratories Publication, Alerting, and Retrieval System (BELLPAR); photocopy service. Improvements in service are…

Standards for dealing with electronic records must be selected based on a careful analysis of user requirements. These requirements must take into account the long range goals of the larger community. For any particular museum this larger community could include archives and libraries, as well as other museums and the patrons of the museums.…

Suggests an alternative document representation method based on "exemplary documents," those that describe or exhibit the intellectual structure of a particular field of interest. Exemplary documents provide both an indexing vocabulary for that area and a narrative context in which the indexing terms have a clearer meaning. It is much…

This manual introduces the Interagency Research Information System (IRIS), a database dealing with federally-sponsored research and development efforts relating to children and youth, and outlines the general uses of the IRIS database. The classification for the subject description of materials covered by the database is described and the…

Two studies of the cognitive processes involved in online document-based information retrieval were conducted. These studies led to the development of five computational models of online document retrieval which were incorporated into the design of an "intelligent" document-based retrieval system. Both the system and the broader implications of…

This book deals with properties of vocabularies for indexing and searching document collections; the construction, organization, display, and maintenance of these vocabularies; and the vocabulary as a factor affecting the performance of retrieval systems. Most of the text is concerned with vocabularies for post-coordinate retrieval systems, with…

Articles highlight National Endowment for the Humanities Support for United States Newspaper Program; coordination of cataloging practices; on-site cataloging; Pennsylvania Newspaper Project; Newspaper Cataloging Manual and Anglo American Cataloging Rules (AACR2); national policy for cataloging microform reproductions; and intended audience terms.…

Presents typology of online search heuristics consisting of six main classes: philosophical attitudes and overall approach; language of problem description; record and file structure; concept formulation and reformulation; recall and precision; and cost efficiency. Heuristics in each of the six classes are listed and selected examples are briefly…