Search results

In recent years, aceted search has been a well-accepted approach for many academic libraries across the United States. This chapter is based on the author’s dissertation and work of many years on faceted library catalogs. Not to hope to be exhaustive, the author’s aim is to provide sufficient depth and breadth to offer a useful resource to researchers, librarians, and practitioners about faceted search used in library catalogs.

The chapter reviews different aspects of faceted search used in academic libraries, from the theory, the history, to the implementation. It starts with the history of online public access catalogs (OPACs) and how people search with OPACs. Then it introduces the classic facet theory and its relationship with faceted search. At last, various academic research projects on faceted search, especially faceted library catalogs, are briefly reviewed. These projects include both implementation studies and the evaluation studies.

The results indicate that most searchers were able to understand the concept of facets naturally and easily. Compared to text searches, however, faceted searches were complementary and supplemental, and used only by a small group of searchers.

The author hopes that the facet feature has not only been cosmetic but the answer to the call for the next generation catalog for academic libraries. The results of this research are intended to inform librarians and library information technology (IT) staff to improve the effectiveness of the catalogs to help people find information they need more efficiently.

This paper discusses the role and effects of microcomputers in the information industry. It considers some of the technological advances of recent times and how they may affect the future. The complexity of systems and systems control are discussed as are the problems of communication, both machine‐to‐machine and machine‐to‐human. It discusses the spread of microcomputers and concludes that this will have a marked effect on the information networks and systems of the future.

First, a new model of searching in online and other information systems, called ‘berrypicking’, is discussed. This model, it is argued, is much closer to the real behavior of information searchers than the traditional model of information retrieval is, and, consequently, will guide our thinking better in the design of effective interfaces. Second, the research literature of manual information seeking behavior is drawn on for suggestions of capabilities that users might like to have in online systems. Third, based on the new model and the research on information seeking, suggestions are made for how new search capabilities could be incorporated into the design of search interfaces. Particular attention is given to the nature and types of browsing that can be facilitated.

A behavioural approach to information retrieval system design is outlined based on the derivation of a behavioural model of the information seeking patterns of academic social scientists. The information seeking patterns of a variety of academic social scientists were broken down into six characteristics: starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, and extracting. These characteristics constitute the principal generic features of the different individual patterns, and together provide a flexible behavioural model for information retrieval system design. The extent to which these characteristics are available on existing systems is considered, and the requirements for implementing the features on an experimental system are set out.

This document describes, briefly, the techniques employed in the MERLIN database 10 store and retrieve bibliographic data. An explanation of the choice of value related storage is given, with an indication of the merits of this approach both for data management (cataloguing) and retrieval (searching). Particular attention is paid to the necessity of accurately maintaining the intellectually established relationships between bibliographic data elements, and economic use of storage in a publicly shared data base.

A range of library and information retrieval services are provided by the British Library under the house name BLAISE — British Library Automated Information Services. The author describes the very full range of services now established by the Library concentrating on those concerned with library processing. BLAISE is an example of a fully integrated system with online information retrieval from MARC records (and MEDLARS), online cataloguing, together with output options including full document delivery from the British Library Lending Division (BLLD), COM catalogue production via LOCAS, and, experimentally, book ordering. BLAISE is now available for U.S. users and will shortly be connected to EURONET for cheaper access by European users.

In this article, the sixth in a series on microcomputer software for information storage and retrieval, test results of nine programs are presented and various properties and qualities of these programs are discussed. We discuss additional programs for information storage and retrieval and for text retrieval from several of the various categories which have been looked at in previous instalments. One new (secondary) type of 1SR software is defined as administrative software. The programs reviewed in this issue are BRS‐Search, dtSearch, InfoBank, Micro‐OPC, Q&A, STN‐PFS, Strix, TINman and ZYindex. All but dtSearch and ZYindex can be regarded as primarily classical retrieval packages; Q&A boasts comprehensive administrative features as well; dtSearch and ZYindex are indexing programs. For ZYindex a new Windows version has been tested. All other programs run under MS‐DOS. For each of the nine programs about 100 facts and test results are tabulated. All the programs are individually discussed as well.

A survey of current work on database systems is presented. The area is divided into three main sectors: data models, data languages and support for database operations. Data models are presented as the link between the database and the real world. Languages range from formal algebraic languages to attempts to use a dialogue in English to formulate queries. The support includes hardware for content addressing, database machines and software techniques for optimizing and evaluating group expressions. Mathematical models are used to organize this support. Throughout there is a tutorial component and evaluation, which in both cases is related to the application of database ideas to documentation.

MERLIN was conceived in 1975 and put to sleep in 1979. It was archived in August 1979 when British Library suspended development. This paper presents a state of the art report of the archived version of MERLIN together with an account of the work that had not been completed. The functions that the archived MERLIN will support are described and the additional functions planned are outlined. Timescales are produced for completing the outstanding work and for subsequent possible implementation.