Considers information retrieval systems as a subset of information systems and examines the information spaces of systems and cognitive spaces of users. Presents a method for automatically generating information spaces from document collections that uses term cooccurrence, eigensystems analysis, and Principal Components Analysis, and discusses…

Patient H.M. can form new memories and maintain them for a few seconds before they fade away. From a neurobiological perspective, this amnesia is usually attributed to the absence of memory consolidation, that is, memory storage. An alternative view holds that this impairment reflects that the memory is present but cannot be retrieved. This debate…

This study explored the use of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach for teaching information and communication technology (ICT) skills to first-year students. Two questions were posed. The first addressed the ICT skill needs of 20 students enrolled in a first-year composition course. The second focused on the use of PBL to facilitate ICT skill…

Designed to provide students of information science with an introduction to British librarian Samuel Clement Bradford's 1934 findings about the scattering of information, this reader on Bradford's Law begins by discussing its use in calculating search procedures in printed bibliographies as well as in databases. The following additional materials…

This report describes the initial objectives and several modifications in a project to explore and map the research information, products, and strategies which have implications for educational policy. Three additional end products were projected: (1) Unscreened Priority Area Policy Interpretation Bibliographies, (2) Annotated Bibliographies of…

The purpose of this small scale study was to make a preliminary assessment of the potential value of the ERIC data base for educators in Britain. On-line searches of the ERIC data base were conducted for a sample of fourteen users who were asked to comment on the relevance of retrieved materials. Results indicate that ERIC can provide access to…

The stated goal of the project is "to accomplish the design and pilot test of a file of educational practices compatible with and complementary to ERIC." This summary of the phase I (design) documentation outlines product requirements, and describes activities and outcomes to complete those requirements. Eight products are discussed in the report:…

A selective dissemination of information service based on computer scanning of Nuclear Science Abstracts tapes has operated at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, England since October, 1968. The performance of the mechanized SDI service has been compared with that of the pre-existing current awareness service which is based on…

Examines some questions arising in connection with the application and usefulness of Bradford's Law, which describes the dispersion of articles on a particular subject among journal titles. (Author)

Presents a coordination level matching algorithm to be used in document retrieval systems that incorporate relevance feedback strategies. It is argued that this algorithm may eliminate the need for the frequent reevaluation of documents that is currently found in such systems, and conditions under which reranking is unnecessary are given.…

Discusses the probabilistic nature of information retrieval, and describes a front end system designed to permit searchers to attach probabilistically interpreted weights to query terms, which could be adapted for conventional information retrieval systems without requiring radical changes in current indexing procedures. (37 references) (CLB)

Describes the three subsystems of an information retrieval system (document descriptions, queries, and matching algorithms) and argues that the interdependency of these subsystems requires adaptation for the system to perform when any component changes. An algorithm for redescribing documents, in response to changes in queries and retrieval rules,…

Explores the concept of information retrieval and summarizes the development of information retrieval systems. The role of relevance judgments as a systems test is discussed, principles of what information systems can and cannot be expected to achieve are presented, and areas of research interest are identified. (43 references) (CLB)

Summarizes the similarities between classification systems for catalog selection and information retrieval systems, and discusses system characteristics that allow the use of measures such as recall and precision in system evaluation. (27 references) (Author/CLB)

Reports on the design and use of a computer system--SORT-AID--to assist bibliographic database searchers in the post-search, analysis phase of their work. Designed for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) installations, this system automatically determines the relevance of downloaded abstracts and provides facilities for editing…