Describes a method of measuring the retrieval performance of book indexes which requires human searchers to base their searching strategies on actual passages from the book rather than on test queries. (FM)

The focus of Part Two of this series is on techniques for searching special applications in the behavioral sciences, such as grant sources, dissertation abstracts, audiovisual materials, and government publications. A sample search demonstrates the extent to which retrieval may be enhanced by exploring multiple databases for interdisciplinary…

Evaluates these two bibliographic databases for geosciences information in terms of their content coverage, search methodologies, user effort, and analysis of results. (SW)

Provides database descriptions of ABI/INFORM and Management Contents, two of the most heavily used files for current information on management practices and concepts, recent product development, and production and marketing statistics. Topics addressed include coverage of source publications and currency, indexing policies and practices, and…

Reviews some examples of library searches for both specified documents and specified subjects, and considers the distribution of library resources in relation to varying patterns of searches. (FM)

Data collected from analysis of the University of South Dakota's uninhibited database selection and use policy are evaluated as an aid in developing a cost-efficient database searching strategy. Statistics are presented which clarify the effectiveness of single and multiple database use. (SW)

Describes the Exceptional Child Education Resources (ECER) database of professional materials on the education of handicapped or gifted children and youth. Focusing on ECER as it's mounted on Bibliographic Retrieval Services (BRS), the article covers scope, related files, publication types, and searching and provides a searchguide and…

Examines advanced Internet search techniques, focusing on six search engines. Includes a chart comparison of nine search features: "include two words,""exclude one of two words,""exclude mature audience content,""two adjacent words,""exact match,""contains first and neither of two following…

Discussion of models for indexing and searching information resources on the Internet focuses on the results of a simple query on a number of existing search systems and on two proposed index metadata structures for indexing and supporting search and discovery: the Dublin Core Elements List and the Semantic Header. (52 references) (Author/LRW)

Describes online misinformation: incomplete, out-of-date, biased information; pranks; contradictions; improperly translated data; software incompatibilities; unauthorized revisions; factual errors; and scholarly misconduct. Suggests online searchers should be skeptical, establish prior knowledge, distinguish between fact and opinion, evaluate…

Examines the processes that occur when a searcher searches for documents in a reference database, and what relationships exist between psychological descriptions of these processes and models from the domain of information retrieval. Highlights include associational psychological modeling; empirical testing; and information science and psychology.…

Discussion of information-seeking strategies of domain experts and nondomain experts (undergraduates) focuses on a study at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor that investigated whether nondomain experts enlisted the strategies of domain experts when using information gateways on the library Web page; if so, how they learned about them; and…

Discusses the use of video in distance education. Topics include incorporating digital video in teaching and learning; the Open Video Project, an on-going effort to develop an open source digital video library, including search and browse capabilities, design and development directions, and the use of metadata; and capabilities that digital video…

Singingfish provides multimedia search services that enable Internet users to locate audio and video online. Over the last few years, the company has cataloged and indexed over 30 million streams and downloadable MP3s, with 150,000 to 250,000 more being added weekly. This article discusses a deal with Microsoft; the technology; improving the…

Describes a study that investigated document retrieval relevance based on document length in an experimental text collection. Topics include term weighting and document ranking, retrieval strategies such as the vector-space cosine match, and a modified technique called the pivoted cosine normalization. (LRW)