Describes the use of the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol as the basis for Infocal, a read-only, client/server-based campus information system. Technical considerations in adapting the protocol to nonbibliographic data, including semantic modules, dynamic attribute sets, and dynamic record syntax, are described in detail. (Contains 11…

Discussion of problems with retrieval of records in library online public access catalogs (OPACs) focuses on an ongoing research project at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) that has been trying to improve subject retrieval vocabulary control using natural and thesaural language and on the design of a good graphical user interface.…

Describes the development and implementation of a full-text image retrieval system at the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group. The conversion of card formats to a microcomputer-based system using HyperCard is described; the online system architecture is explained; and future plans are discussed, including conversion to digital images. (LRW)

Describes a study which investigated the general patterns and level of applicability of Anglo American Cataloging Rules (AACR2). It is suggested that designers and revisers of AACR2 should reduce the number of rules of very limited applicability levels and enhance the rule contents for application domains to expand the usefulness of AACR2. (SD)

Describes enhancements made to a hypertext information retrieval system at the National Energy Research Supercomputer Center (NERSC) called DFT (Document, Find, and Theseus). The enrichment of DFT's entry vocabulary is described, DFT and other hypertext systems are compared, and problems that occur due to the need for frequent updates are…

Describes the incorporation of textile images into the University of Maryland Historic Textile Database by a computer user rather than a computer expert. Selection of a database management system is discussed, and PICTUREPOWER, a system that integrates photographic quality images with text and numeric information in databases, is described. (three…

Coordinated index concepts are compound-index concepts that express a relationship between concepts that function as simple subject descriptors. The Condorcet Query Engine, a prototype query engine that can be run over the World Wide Web, demonstrates the feasibility of a query engine that can handle both simple and coordinated index concepts,…

Introduces an evaluative framework for metasearch engine performance and illustrates its use in two experiments. Results are used to characterize some properties of leading search engines (as of 1998). Significant interactions were observed between search engine and two other factors: time of day and Web domain. (Author/AEF)

Describes a method of full-text scanning for matches in a large dictionary. The method is suitable for selective dissemination of information systems, accommodating large dictionaries and typical digital data rates. It can be implemented on a single commercially-available board hosted by a personal computer or entirely in software. (Author/AEF)

Suggests an alternative document representation method based on "exemplary documents," those that describe or exhibit the intellectual structure of a particular field of interest. Exemplary documents provide both an indexing vocabulary for that area and a narrative context in which the indexing terms have a clearer meaning. It is much…

Presents an overview of the ways in which user/system interaction in interactive information-retrieval (IR) systems has been treated in IR research and practice over the years. Describes the characteristics of a number of IR systems, as well as proposals for IR systems, in light of challenges set for by John Bennett in 1971. Contains 82…

Reviews the characteristics of the Cheshire II system that is being used to implement full-text and fielded searching of bibliographic information for the University of California Berkeley Digital Library Initiative. Examines its performance when applied to a collection of large full-text documents in the TREC Interactive Retrieval Track and its…

Examines visual information needs as expressed in users' Web image queries; the data set consisted of 1,025,908 sequential queries from 211,058 users of EXCITE, a major Internet search service. Provides data on: image queries, image search sessions, and image terms. Discusses implications for the development of models for visual information…

Describes UKOLN's (United Kingdom Office for Library and Information Networking--a national center for support in network information management in the library/information communities) experimental system that allows digital object identifiers (DOIs) encoded as uniform resource names (URNs) to be resolved on behalf of Web browsers by Squid, a…

A hypermedia based UTICS (university transaction, information and communication system) is under development at the University of Auckland (New Zealand). This multi-platform system will provide alternatives to traditional forms of information retrieval and dissemination as well as public relations exercises. The UTICS will offer a virtual journey…