The need, use, benefit and potential of e-portfolios have been analysed and discussed by a substantial body of researchers in the education community. However, the development and implementation approaches of e-portfolios to date have faced with various challenges and limitations. This paper presents a new approach of an e-portfolio system design…

This dissertation explores the use of geometric and graphical models for a variety of information search and filtering applications. These models serve to provide an intuitive understanding of the problem domains and as well as computational efficiencies to our solution approaches. We begin by considering a search and rescue scenario where both…

An unprecedented amount of information encompassing almost every facet of human activities across the world is generated daily in the form of zeros and ones, and that is often the only form in which such information is recorded. A good fraction of this information needs to be preserved for periods of time ranging from a few years to centuries.…

There is a common assumption that hypermedia navigation is influenced by a learner's style of thinking, so people who are inclined to apply sequential and analytical strategies (left-thinkers) are thought to browse hypermedia in a linear way, whereas those who prefer holistic and intuitive strategies (right-thinkers) tend towards non-linear paths.…

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)

This article examined the search functions for all individual EAD Web sites listed on the Library of Congress Web site in 2003. In particular, the type of search engine, search modes, options for searching, search results display, search feedback, and other features of the search systems were studied. The data analysis suggests that there have…

Compares six leading Web search engines (AltaVista, Excite, HotBot, Infoseek, Lycos, and Northern Light), looking at the breadth of their coverage, accuracy, and ease of use, and finds a clear favorite of the six. Includes tips that can improve search results. (AEF)

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…

Built using a distributed architecture, this prototype distributed information retrieval system uses statistical ranking techniques to provide better service to the end user. Distributed architecture was shown to be a feasible alternative to centralized or CD-ROM information retrieval, and user testing of the ranking methodology showed both…

Current search engines--even the constantly surprising Google--seem unable to leap the next big barrier in search: the trillions of bytes of dynamically generated data created by individual web sites around the world, or what some researchers call the "deep web." The challenge now is not information overload, but information overlook.…

Describes an integrated approach to similarity coefficients that allows multiple index dimensions to be integrated into a single, flexible navigation tool. Categorizes different types of similarity measures by the kinds of index terms they employ and describes the underlying similarity measures. (Author/AEF)

On April 6, 1998, the Digital Library Federation (DLF) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored a one-day workshop on ways to improve systems of managing access to digital information. The workshop was convened to provide input from research libraries with a focus on requirements for access management systems that can be designed and…

A survey of recent publications shows that frequent topics of Internet and information retrieval research are the effectiveness of search engines, information validation and quality, user studies, design of user interfaces, data structures and metadata, classification and vocabulary based aids, and indexing and search agents. The changing balance…

These Proceedings of the Third Internet Librarian Conference include the following papers: (1) "Networking the Network: What Information Technology Fluency Can Do for You" (Jose Aguinaga, Kitty Little, and C.D. McLean); (2) "Moving Out of HTML into Database Solutions for the Web" (Kristin Antelman); (3) "Creating Your Own…

This paper describes the results of our efforts with regard to the design and implementation of an educational digital video library using MPEG-4 and the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL). The aim of our work is to integrate MPEG-4 encoding, full text indexing, high-resolution streaming, and SMIL, not only for delivering on-line…