Search (1269 results, page 3 of 64)

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Abstract

Library catalogs do not provide catalog users with the assistance they need to easily and confidently select the person they are interested in. Examples are provided of Web services that do a better job of helping information seekers differentiate the person they are seeking from those with similar names. Some of the reasons for this failure in library catalogs are examined. This article then looks at how much information is necessary to help users disambiguate names, how that information could be captured and shared, and some ways the information could be displayed in library catalogs.

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Abstract

We have recently completed a survey of the operational use of hypertext-based information systems in academic, public and special libraries in the UK. A literatur search, questionnaire and both telephone and face-to-face interviews demonstrate that the principle application of hypertext systems is for the implementation of public-access point-of-information systems, which provide guidance to the users of local information resources. In this paper, we describe the principle issuse relating to the design and usage of these systems that were raised in the interviews and that we experienced when using the systems for ourselves. We then present a set of technical recommendations with the intention of helping the developers of future systems, with special attention being given to the need to develop effective methods for system evaluation

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Abstract

Understanding the properties of interactions is essential to the design of effective interactive systems involving 2 or more agents, and to the evaluation of existing systems. This understanding can inform the design of multi agent systems by helping the designer identify properties that a system should conform to. In addition, a focus on the properties of interactions can lead to a better understanding of the space of possibilities, by recognizing features of multi agent systems which are often simply incidental outcomes of design, not explicitly considered in the design specification. Presents an Interaction Framework, in which abstracts interactional requirements and properties can be expressed in a way which is not biases towards the perspective of any one agent to the interaction. These can be used to derive requirements on the design of computer systems, to highlight those aspects of users which influence the properties of the interaction, and hence to guide the design of the interactive system

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Abstract

The 4 volume set of the 21st edition of the DDC was published in Jul 1996, and its electronic version, Dewey for Windows (on CD-ROM) was introduced the following month. Presents some highlights from both, and gives an update on research that is aimed at helping the DDC continue to be the knowledge organization tool for the next century. Ed. 21 includes 3 major revisions: 350-354 Public adminsitration; 370 Education; and 560-590 Life sciences. Changes have been made in other disciplines to address cultural, social and political issues, including an attempt to reduce the Christian bias in 200 (Religion). Further expansions to computer science have been required. Several structural changes should make DDC21 easier to apply and exploit the new possibilities of electronic distribution. OCLC us working on a project to improve DDC summaries for use as an Internet multilingual browser

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Abstract

Describes the development, funding and staffing of the Information Literacy Program (ILP) at the Mantor Library at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF). The programme aims at helping both UMF students and community patrons to understand better how and where to look for information. Instruction takes place in an electronic classroom equipped with 21 computers running campus-standard Web-browsers and word processing; the instructor's station can control all of the computers in the classroom, or the instructor may pass or share control with students. Discusses issues relating to campus politics, the positioning of the programme in the college experience, the necessity of teaching evaluation skills, and the programme's impact on reference services. gives advice to other libraries considering a similar project

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Abstract

In respect to the nature and quantity of available information, 1876 was a very different world from the one we know in the 1990s. Yet in spite of over a century of changes, the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), the system that helped organize a small college library, has grown to one that is helping the whole world organize its vast store of information resources. In this closing session, I would like to summarize some of the major factors that have contributed so far to the Dewey system's success as an information organization tool. I will also discuss ongoing efforts to ensure its viability in the future

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Abstract

The dominant approaches in information literacy scholarship and research conflict with constructivist approaches to learning preferred by educators. Proposes an alternative, 'relational', model of information literacy which reveals a picture of information literacy that is constructed in terms of varying relations between people and information. These relations are captured in 7 categories, graphially conveyed through awareness structures, which together represent information literacy as it is experienced. Information literacy education may be interpreted as helping people to experience information use differently. This model demonstrates that: the meanings associated with information literacy by information professionals may not be shared by users; the experienced meaning of information literacy is fluid and contextually bound; and, understanding of information literacy and related concepts will deepen if the experience of information users is given priority in research. Proposes an agenda for information literacy research based upon the relational approach

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Abstract

A comprehensive and easy-to-use version of the best-selling "Know it All, Find It Fast" developed specifically for information professionals working in academic libraries, this will help you to tackle the questions most commonly asked by students, academics and researchers. It is a broad cross-disciplinary A-Z of themes including topics such as literature searching, plagiarism and using online resources are covered helping you to address any query confidently and quickly. Each topic is split into four sections to guide your response: typical questions listing the common enquiries you'll encounter; considerations exploring the issues and challenges that might arise; where to look listing annotated resources in print and online; and, tips and pitfalls outlining useful suggestions and common problems. This will prove an indispensable day-to-day guide for anyone working with students, academics and researchers in an academic library.

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Abstract

This article gives a cheerfully brief and undetailed account of how to make a faceted classification system, then describes information retrieval and searching on the web. It concludes by saying that facets would be excellent in helping users search and browse the web, but offers no real clues as to how this can be done.

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Abstract

A user's understanding of the libraries they work in, and hence of what they can do in those libraries, is encapsulated in their "mental models" of those libraries. In this article, we present a focused case study of users' mental models of traditional and digital libraries based on observations and interviews with eight participants. It was found that a poor understanding of access restrictions led to risk-averse behavior, whereas a poor understanding of search algorithms and relevance ranking resulted in trial-and-error behavior. This highlights the importance of rich feedback in helping users to construct useful mental models. Although the use of concrete analogies for digital libraries was not widespread, participants used their knowledge of Internet search engines to infer how searching might work in digital libraries. Indeed, most participants did not clearly distinguish between different kinds of digital resource, viewing the electronic library catalogue, abstracting services, digital libraries, and Internet search engines as variants on a theme.

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Abstract

This paper presents a Foreign-Language Search Assistant that uses noun phrases as fundamental units for document translation and query formulation, translation and refinement. The system (a) supports the foreign-language document selection task providing a cross-language indicative summary based on noun phrase translations, and (b) supports query formulation and refinement using the information displayed in the cross-language document summaries. Our results challenge two implicit assumptions in most of cross-language Information Retrieval research: first, that once documents in the target language are found, Machine Translation is the optimal way of informing the user about their contents; and second, that in an interactive setting the optimal way of formulating and refining the query is helping the user to choose appropriate translations for the query terms.

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Abstract

The Web puzzle of online information resources often hinders end-users from effective and efficient access to these resources. Clustering resources into appropriate subject-based groupings may help alleviate these difficulties, but will it work with heterogeneous material? The University of Michigan and the University of California Irvine joined forces to test automatically enhancing metadata records using the Topic Modeling algorithm on the varied OAIster corpus. We created labels for the resulting clusters of metadata records, matched the clusters to an in-house classification system, and developed a prototype that would showcase methods for search and retrieval using the enhanced records. Results indicated that while the algorithm was somewhat time-intensive to run and using a local classification scheme had its drawbacks, precise clustering of records was achieved and the prototype interface proved that faceted classification could be powerful in helping end-users find resources.

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Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a multidisciplinary subject, typically studied as a research area within Computer Science. AI study aims at achieving a good understanding of the nature of intelligence and building intelligent agents which are computational systems demonstrating intelligent behavior. AI has been developed over more than 50 years. The topics studied in AI are quite broad, ranging from knowledge representation and reasoning, knowledge-based systems, machine learning and data mining, natural language processing, to search, image processing, robotics, and intelligent information systems. Numerous successful AI systems have been deployed in real-life applications in engineering, finance, science, health care, education, and service sectors. AI research has also significantly impacted the subject area of Library and Information Science (LIS), helping to develop smart Web search engines, personalized news filters, and knowledge-sharing and indexing systems. This entry briefly outlines the main topics studied in AI, samples some typical successful AI applications, and discusses the cross-fertilization between AI and LIS.

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Abstract

Given their ease of use and capability for interactivity, new media are seen as having the potential to make visible previously marginalized voices. The online presence of the writing of history is increasing, and this potential would be a welcome development for the field as it would create a much richer set of easily available historical perspectives. However, this article suggests that the achievement of this promise is fraught with difficulty and that a more likely outcome is a mapping of the status quo in historical representation onto the new media. To illustrate this, I present an analysis of the Wikipedia accounts of Singaporean and Philippine history. For Singapore, alternative historical visions are not as developed as those for the Philippines, and this is reflected in the nature of the respective Wikipedia accounts. I suggest that a possible means to achieve something more of the promise of digital media for history is for information professionals to take a keener interest in Wikipedia, with an eye to helping include accounts of documented historical perspectives that are ignored by mainstream historiographical traditions.

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Abstract

Mathematical modelling is a field of applied mathematics with applications in other disciplines. The availability of a formal ontology and derived benefits, such as the possibility of conducting automated reasoning about the ontological classes of the domains, greatly reduce the barrier of entry in the field for non-experts, while helping the establishment of a more precise and controlled vocabulary among the domain experts involved in mathematical modelling. This work focuses on Mathematical Models applied to the natural sciences and as a case study the field of mathematical epidemiology has been chosen for this ontology. We propose the development of an ontology of mathematical models which is general enough and not restricted in its applicability, yet is developed considering the specific needs of a particular application domain.

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Abstract

The value of research data is recognized, and so is the importance of the associated metadata to contextualize, describe and ultimately render them understandable in the long term. Laboratory notebooks are an excellent source of domain-specific metadata, but this paper-based approach can pose risks of data loss, while limiting the possibilities of collaborative metadata production. The paper discusses the advantages of tools to complement paper-based laboratory notebooks in capturing metadata, regardless of the research domain. We propose LabTablet, an electronic laboratory book aimed at the collection of metadata from the early stages of the research workflow. To evaluate the use of LabTablet and the proposed workflow, researchers in two domains were asked to perform a set of tasks and provided insights about their experience. By rethinking the workflow and helping researchers to actively contribute to data description, the research outputs can be described with generic and domain-dependent metadata, thus improving their chances of being deposited, reused and preserved.

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Abstract

The increasing volume of information in the contemporary world entails demand for efficient knowledge management (KM) systems; a logical method of information organization that will allow proper semantic querying to identify things that match meaning in natural language. On this concept, the role of an information manager goes beyond implementing a search and clustering system, to the ability to map and logically present the subject domain and related cross domains. From Knowledge Abstraction to Management answers this need by analysing ontology tools and techniques, helping the reader develop

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Abstract

Product information labels can help users understand complex information, leading them to make better decisions. One area where consumers are particularly prone to make costly decision-making errors is long-term saving, which requires understanding of complex concepts such as uncertainty and trade-offs. Although most people are poorly equipped to deal with such concepts, interactive design can potentially help users make better decisions. We developed an interactive information label to assist consumers with retirement saving decision-making. To evaluate it, we exposed 450 users to one of four user interface conditions in a retirement saving simulator where they made 35 yearly decisions under changing circumstances. We found a significantly better ability of users to reach their goals with the information label. Furthermore, users who interacted with the label made better decisions than those who were presented with a static information label. Lastly, we found the label particularly effective in helping novice savers.

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Abstract

The Citizenship Information project investigates an area of growing significance and concern to public libraries in information service provision. Citizenship information and the role of information in helping the public to participate in the democratic process, in particular via electronic democracy, are at present highly significant issues, both for the information profession and for those involved in political life. Although there has been much comment on these and related concepts, there has been no attempt to gather evidence (positive or negative) as to the general public's interest in and need for citizenship information. Indeed, part of the project involved the attempt to achieve a better definition of citizenship information both in terms of the subject categories which it subsumes and of the respondents' perceptions of the kinds of information that might be connoted by the term. The researchers did not want to impose a definition on respondents but rather to develop and formalise one that would emerge from the data collected. This project seeks to investigate the extent to which members of the public in the UK have expressed or unexpressed needs for citizenship information, and to explore their preferred routes to the acquisition of such information. The project constitutes a piece of basic research, which would have implications for a range of information service providers. This paper reviews the theoretical and methodological approaches.