Discusses how to improve research and design more effective information retrieval systems. Topics include human-system interaction; knowledge integration; pluralistic research approaches; enhanced access to research data; more multidisciplinary integrative devices and conceptual mappings; establishing a greater mass of published research findings…

Examines the use of query reformulation and particularly the use of relevance feedback by users of the Excite Web search engine. Discusses results that show limited use of query reformulation and relevance feedback; identifies the most common pattern of searching; and discusses implications for Web search system design. (Contains 16 references.)…

Anticipating a possible future method of multimedia newspaper design and delivery, a study examined the interface among people, modality (paper, computer, multimedia), and three types of news story (news, sports, entertainment). Subjects, 55 undergraduate students enrolled in journalism classes and 20 university library employees considered as…

This paper reviews the current extent of, research into, and future expectations for the use of online bibliographic retrieval systems by untrained end users rather than by trained search intermediaries. Six sections cover: (1) studies of direct end user searching, done primarily with students or persons in highly technical fields; (2) problems to…

Discusses SOUCIT, a suite of programs designed by the Computer Unit of Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology in association with the Scottish Education Department Qualified Indexing Project to create a database of references to educational technological literature and link them in a meaningful way through qualified citation. The structure of the…

After three years of preparation, the Project Intrex research team has begun to subject parts of its augmented catalog system to interactions with users who were interested in the substance of the stored information and uncontaminated by prior association with the Intrex research effort. The experiences with users to date, as well as progress made…

This article analyzes the front end software marketplace and discusses some of the complex forces influencing it. Discussion covers intermediary market; end users (library customers, scientific and technical professionals, corporate business specialists, consumers); marketing strategies; a British front end development firm; competitive pressures;…

Four information retrieval packages that run on single user microcomputers--CAIRS, INMAGIC, Sci-Mate, SIRE--are examined based on following criteria: storage requirements; hardware requirements; search features (Boolean logic, comparison searching, set building, truncation, and wild card characters); system output; security; system maintenance…

Discusses major features and capabilities of gateway software--microcomputer software packages that act as interfaces between users and bibliographic retrieval systems they are searching--i.e., communication, interface, auxiliary programs. Four programs (In-Search, Universal Online Searcher, Search Helper, microDisclosure) are reviewed and…

Provides a brief overview of videotex systems currently in operation and discusses an analysis of those systems in which the various features of the videotex user-system interface were identified. System design considerations for videotex are outlined and the results of the feature analysis of existing systems are presented in three figures.…

This introduction to online numeric database systems describes the types of databases associated with such systems, shows the major functions which they can perform (retrieval, analysis, display), and identifies the major characteristics of user interfaces. Examples of numeric database use are appended. (EJS)

Describes the Commercial Update and Retrieval System (CURS), part of an instructional resource program implemented at Virginia Tech that enables students to locate, categorize, critique, or redesign any of 1,000 television commercials which were previously stored on 16mm film reels. The systems software and its instructional implications are…

The current status of MELVYL, the University of California's prototype online catalog, is described in a hypothetical conversation between the catalog and several users. Examples illustrate features of the two search modes available for this patron-accessed system: COMMAND for the novice, and the more sophisticated LOOKUP. (RBF)

Describes SHRIF, a System for Heuristic Retrieval of Information and Facts, and the medical knowledge base that was used in its development. Highlights include design decisions; the user-machine interface, including the language processor; and the organization of the knowledge base in an artificial intelligence (AI) project like this one. (57…

Identifies current trends in the automation of indexing, of information retrieval, and of interaction between the system and the users. Topics discussed include location, navigation, and indexing; digital libraries; matching documents to queries; weight of concepts; query structure, including fuzzy sets; algorithms; stemming; clustering; users'…