Traditional themes of information science must be expanded to accommodate systematic understandings of ways to design effective documentary systems and anticipate their social consequences. The field of social informatics offers important concepts, theories, and methods that give this kind of inquiry a sound scientific basis. Social informatics…

Reviews the characteristics of electronic communications technologies and their role in knowledge utilization. The uses of various technologies, relationships among technologies, and success in the marketplace are addressed; and issues for knowledge utilization research are discussed. (17 references) (EA)

Presents a heuristic, attribute-based, noise-tolerant data mining program, HCV (Version 2.0) based on the newly-developed extension matrix approach. Outlines some techniques implemented in the HCV program for noise handling and discretization of continuous domains; an empirical comparison shows that rules generated by HCV are more compact than the…

Defines digital library collections and outlines two classes of collection metadata. Describes the Alexandria Digital Library (ADL) Project approach to collection metadata, including the ADL system architecture and collection guidelines and the format and use of the ADL collection metadata. Appendices include ADL collection metadata and example.…

Uses a simple model of an information retrieval (IR) technology to examine performance measures for IR systems. Shows that, if a user is employing a system optimally, then reasonable performance measures will tend to be relatively robust, or insensitive, to small variations in assumptions about the user's behavior. (AEF)

Examines the sociotechnological impact of introducing advanced information technology into the Spurlock Museum, a museum of world history and culture at the University of Illinois. Addresses implementation of such methodologies as computer-supported cooperative work and computer-mediated communication in the museum environment. Emphasizes the…

Explores an approach to analysis and modeling of computer-supported collaborative writing, which captures the structure of user behavior as they interact with a computer system. Shows that patterns of interactive behaviors of the users were influenced by the system design. Suggests that this approach is worth pursuing and may be integrated with…

Describes the incorporation of textile images into the University of Maryland Historic Textile Database by a computer user rather than a computer expert. Selection of a database management system is discussed, and PICTUREPOWER, a system that integrates photographic quality images with text and numeric information in databases, is described. (three…

Explains the technologies of electronic imaging as background for other articles in this section, focusing on technologies seen by the developer or user of electronic imaging applications. Topics discussed include image acquisition, storage, retrieval, compression, transmission, display, manipulation, and printing; standards and architectural…

Presents an approach to developing viable image computer-human interactions (CHI) involving user metaphors for comprehending image data and methods for locating, accessing, and displaying computer images. A medical-image radiology workstation application is used as an example, and feedback and evaluation methods are discussed. (41 references) (LRW)

Discusses the appropriateness of the newspaper metaphor for electronic news and highlights different approaches to the electronic delivery of news. Presents the editorial and presentational functionality of the Electronic News Delivery system project and provides an overview of the system architecture. Describes some of the prototype systems…

Describes the design of a prototype multiauthor multimedia document production (MAMMDP) system. Discusses the problems of finding an appropriate task analysis technique, and introduces background concepts. Examines how the system's tasks were analyzed and represented during the early stages of the design. (AEF)

Presents an overview of the growth of work in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) over the last 40 years. Notes formative influences and contributing disciplines and discusses technology, applied problems, and the design for usability. Outlines issues that pose problems for HCI in the near future. Seven figures show growth in media. (141 references)…