Explains three cognitive models of information and the information transfer process present in the literature of library and information science, based on a linguistic analysis of phrases incorporating the word "information" from a random sample of abstracts in the LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts) database. (17…

Discusses methods to be used in an adaptive filtering task, in which incoming documents are routed to users according to stored profiles. Highlights include decision thresholds to help in the retrieval decision; probability of relevance; calibration and logistic regression; feedback; and examples in the Okapi text retrieval system. (LRW)

Outlines the importance of chemical patents as an information source, highlighting the area of structural information and some of the special characteristics of the generic (Markush) type of description. Summarizes important research at Sheffield University (United Kingdom) performed from 1979 to 1995 by a team led by Mike Lynch. (PEN)

Parallels between subsistence foraging and scholarly information seeking are described in the context of the World Wide Web. Suggests that the prevailing information retrieval paradigm does not capture the complex of behavior and stimuli that drives scholars' quests for new ideas and insights. Research questions are suggested by extended use of…

Proposes an argumentation-based method for information retrieval that involves representing a scholarly article by means of rhetorical structure rather than by a semantic representation of content. Topics addressed include problems with indexing practices, the argumentative nature of articles, rhetoric as an information categorizing schema, and…

Discussion of the online information industry emphasizes the effects of non-price competition on its structure and the firms involved. Q-analysis is applied to data on medical databases and hosts, changes over a three-year period are identified, and an optimum structure for the industry based on economic theory is considered. (Author/LRW)

Describes the development of the ResIDe Electronic Library at the University of the West of England, Bristol. Analyzes potential of the system to increase economy, efficiency and effectiveness in library services and relates it to how the needs of sponsors and students can be met. (Author/LRW)

Describes the development of a method for the evaluation and comparison of interactive information retrieval systems, which are based on the concept of a simulated work-task situation and the involvement of real end users. Highlights include real and simulated information needs; relevance assessments; and the dynamic nature of information needs.…

Argues that indexing and classification schemes rely on an understanding of "subject" and discusses several different conceptions of subject as epistemological positions. It is further argued that a theory of subject must be based in a theory of knowledge, and a theory based on a realistic/materialistic epistemology is proposed. (39…

Investigates a mixed set of methods (group interviews, recollection of information needs and word association tests to collect data; content analysis and discourse analysis to analyze data) to evaluate whether these methods collected the data needed for work domain oriented thesaurus design. Findings showed the methods together provided domain…

Discussion of the use of selective dissemination of information (SDI) focuses on a study that proposed a model for evaluating the relationship between SDI and the number of publications authored by basic research scientists working in a corporate research and development (R&D) environment. Hypotheses and their findings are presented. (Seven…

Business process reengineering (or redesign) has achieved mixed results in business and industry, but it offers a futuristic approach to academic libraries in the digital age. This article outlines factors affecting academic libraries in the United Kingdom and proposes a strategy effecting a change from handling artifacts to handling electronic…

Describes the development of a thesaurus to aid in subject retrieval of information about daily living equipment for the disabled by the Disabled Living Foundation, a British charitable organization. The discussion covers the attempt to satisfy local needs and language while remaining aware of existing classifications and thesauri. (37 references)…

An understanding of where a user is in a research project (the research script) combined with an understanding of the discourse-level features of empirical abstracts (as revealed by lexical clues) can improve information retrieval. An information retrieval system which takes situational and linguistic factors into account is proposed. (47…

This review of the literature discusses theories of information with emphasis on the views of Dervin and Popper on subjectivity and objectivity as they relate to information use. Classification and indexing as applied in information retrieval systems and libraries are also discussed, and 78 references are provided. (LRW)