Describes an information retrieval system developed at Bell Laboratories to create and maintain a variety of different but interrelated databases, and to provide controlled access to these databases. The components discussed include the interfaces, indexing rules, display languages, response time, and updating procedures of the system. (6 notes…

Describes the development of a thesaurus to aid in subject retrieval of information about daily living equipment for the disabled by the Disabled Living Foundation, a British charitable organization. The discussion covers the attempt to satisfy local needs and language while remaining aware of existing classifications and thesauri. (37 references)…

Review of the literature on international computerized indexing systems for visual materials also describes technologies available for reproducing images, highlighting videotex, videodisk, and digital storage. Advances in the ability to interface these technologies with each other and with online retrieval systems are discussed. (76 notes with…

A comparison of the effectiveness of information retrieval based on full-text documents with retrieval based on paragraphs, abstracts, or controlled vocabularies was accomplished using a subset of journal articles with nine search questions. It was found that full-text retrieval achieved significantly higher recall and lower precision than did the…

This paper analyzes proposals for augmenting library bibliographic records for improved subject searching in online catalogs by providing access to parts of books. Arguments for and against adding book content indexing, possible fields for enrichment, and feasibility of 11 alternatives for providing such information are presented. Twenty-two…

This overview of PRECIS indexing system use by the National Film Board of Canada covers reasons for its choice, challenge involved in subject analysis and indexing of audiovisual documents, the methodology and software used to process PRECIS records, the resulting catalog subject indexes, and user reaction. Twenty-one references are cited. (EJS)

This 910-item annual update (1984 through early 1985) covers: online systems, databases, services; man-machine studies, database creation, user interface, system design and evaluation; profile development, searching techniques, indexing; usage studies, economics, promotion, online searching services management; user training, microcomputer…

This study evaluates bibliographical coverage of Islamic literature provided by four Western indexing services ("Social Sciences Citation Index,""Social Sciences Index,""Humanities Index,""Index Islamicus") by using bibliographical checking method. Highlights include characteristics of literature and…

Discusses an online bibliographic control program written using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) and its use at the Denver Wildlife Research Center to organize and provide access to reprints of publications. The program listing, sample input and output, and programs for searching by one and two keywords are appended. (EJS)

Discusses technology used to preserve, control, index, and retrieve information in newspapers, highlighting ways to record analyses of news stories, storage/indexing systems based on computers, information as salable commodity, preparation of news for electronic storage, answering in-house queries, questions of copyright and invasion of privacy,…

INA, the 'Institut National de l'Audiovisuel' keeps records of national TV and radio production as French patrimonial archives. They are mainly accessed by specialists for research purposes, and by TV producers for inserting archive segments within new productions. INA and several other partners have initiated an R&D project, OPALES, to…

The interest in graphic information has increased explosively and is explored through various communication networks like the Internet and the audiovisual media. Art libraries, museums, cultural centers, and art foundations manage and store a lot of images in several departments and in print and digital formats. This paper discusses the cataloging…

Considers the impact of technological advancement upon the role and function of the library catalog in the future. The state of the art in library catalogs, the information environment in 2006, future information services, and subject access systems are among the topics addressed. A 31-item reference list is attached. (JL)

Describes a fast algorithm for comparing the lists of terms representing documents in automatic classification experiments. Complexity and running time for the algorithm are compared to other procedures, and a short algol-like routine is presented in the appendix. Eight references are included. (Author/BK)

Answers such central questions as what information is, what relevance is, how one tells what a document is about, and what an information need is. These discussions lead to a description of an ideal information retrieval system. (Author/JD)