Web site usage statistics are a widely used tool for Web site development, but libraries are still learning how to use them successfully. This case study summarizes how Morris Library at Southern Illinois University Carbondale implemented Google Analytics on its Web site and used the reports to inform a site redesign. As the main campus library at…

Tests not only measure the contents of memory, they can also enhance learning and long-term retention. We report two experiments inspired by Tulving's (1967) pioneering work on the effects of testing on multitrial free recall. Subjects learned lists of words across multiple study and test trials and took a final recall test 1 week after learning.…

The frequency and other characteristics of Internet use of students studying at the Department of Information Management at Hacettep University in Ankara, Turkey, are examined. According to the findings, students prefer electronic media to printed media, they find the easy accessibility of the information more important than the other qualities,…

This paper examines the problems involved in subject retrieval from full-text databases of secondary materials in the humanities. Ten such databases were studied and their search functionality evaluated, focusing on factors such as Boolean operators, document surrogates, limiting by subject area, proximity operators, phrase searching, wildcards,…

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)