Considers the meaning of relevance and examines the role that relevance plays in information behavior. Literature on relevance is reviewed, cognitive and dynamic processing approaches to relevance are described, and 12 research questions are presented that address criteria users employ in evaluating information and suggest implications for system…

Description of a Canadian research and development project that involved the development of a library information system which would satisfy the needs of a variety of libraries focuses on the technological aspects of the system. Data manipulation is discussed, software is described, standards are considered, and customer requirements are examined.…

Presents an Intelligent Negotiating Neural Network Design Model for solving the problem of poor information retrieval in subject searches of online catalogs. The purpose of the network, its architecture, and three different sessions of the user interface are described. Nineteen figures showing screens of the three sessions are appended. (Contains…

Examines how informetric characteristics of information retrieval (IR) system databases can be used to help system designers decide what type of file structures would provide the best performance. The development of appropriate models describing database contents is highlighted in this first part of a two-part study. (30 references) (LRW)

This second report on a two-part study on the application of informetrics to information retrieval (IR) system design used models of database contents in a factorial simulation study at the University of Western Ontario. The study explored whether different file structures were better suited for different informetric environments. (32 references)…