Information Retrieval List Digest 164 (May 25, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/irld/irld-164 IRLIST Digest ISSN 1064-6965 May 25, 1993 Volume X, Number 20 Issue 164 ********************************************************** I. NOTICES A. Meeting Announcements/Calls for Papers 1. CAIS/ACSI '93 III. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Doctoral Fellowships at Drexel College of Info Studies IV. PROJECT WORK C. Abstracts 1. IR-L Related Dissertation Abstracts ********************************************************** I. NOTICES I.A.1. Fr: Mike Shepherd Re: CAIS'93 PRELIMINARY PROGRAM INFORMATION AS A GLOBAL COMMODITY -- COMMUNICATION, PROCESSING AND USE CAIS/ACSI'93 21st Annual Conference Canadian Association for Information Science St. Francis Xavier University Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada 12-14 July 1993 The annual CAIS/ACSI conference provides a national and international forum for the presentation and discussion of research and development in information science. The focus of this year's conference is on information as a global commodity. SUNDAY, July 11, 1993 2-5 TUTORIAL Accessing Large Amounts of Text: Query Languages, Interaction Protocols, and Text Models (Dr. Forbes Burkowski, Univ. of Waterloo) Recent advances in computer technology (LAN interconnected RISC based computers coupled with arrays of small disks) have provided the economic basis for powerful yet inexpensive distributed computing environments. The key system implementation issues revolve around the theme of client/server architectures with a general trend to implement departmental or enterprise-wide solutions that often displace the mainframe platform in a downsizing exercise. When this client/server environment supports a text retrieval system, the user interface (incorporating some type of query language) runs on the client machine and communicates with one or more retrieval engines each running on a server machine. Many system implementation issues (modularity, ease of modification, etc.) will be aided if this client/server communication adheres to the rigorous specification of a well formulated interaction protocol. This tutorial presents a review of various query languages and interaction protocols (CCL, CD-RDx, and SFQL) now being used in the text retrieval industry. This will be followed by a review of research being done in the area (interaction protocols based on hierarchical text algebras, context-free grammars, etc.). The motivation, history, and architecture of each interaction protocol is presented along with a description of the underlying text model. A comparative analysis of each protocol discusses its suitability for various application domains. Forbes Burkowski is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at the Unviersity of Waterloo. He has developed text retrieval systems in both the research and commercial sectors. His recent work has concentrated on two areas of research: access methods for structured documents and the modelling of text hierarchies, the objective being to provide a well defined conceptual layer between user interface and lower level access methods. While on sabbatical in 1992, he worked as a Chief Scientist in Text Retrieval for Systemhouse Ltd. While in this position he worked at Dow Jones and Company evaluating software and hardware configurations for their future SuperText news retrieval service. PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE PROGRAM MONDAY, July 12, 1993 9-10:15 Opening Addresses Assesment Indicators and the Impact of Information on Development (Martha Stone, IDRC, Ottawa) 10:30-12 IT in Less-Developed Countries IT Landmarks in Less-Developed Countries: The Chilean Case (R. Baeza-Yates, D. Fuller, J.A. Pino, University of Chile) Developing Modern Information Infrastructure in Africa (J. Abawagy, Dalhousie University) CD-ROM for Agricultural Researchers in Egypt (B. Grainger, McGill University) 1:30-3 Information Technology and Libraries Inter-Institutional Borrowing in Nova Scotia Higher Education Institutes (L. Beltaos, St. Francis Xavier Univ) Evaluating CD_ROM Software: A Model (T. Richards & C. Robinson, Univ. of Western Ontario) New Approach to IBM-PC for Accessing Library CD_ROM Databases via Campus Network (R. Chen & D. Chen, Library of National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan) 3:30-5 Communication Communication Technologies and Human Subjectivity (B. Frohmann, Univ. of Western Ontario) How NOT to Market Telecommunications (W. Sheridan, Ottawa) Study of Facilitating Interorganizational Collaboration (R. Inskip, Univ. of Alberta) TUESDAY, July 13, 1993 9-10 Invited Speaker (IT in Nova Scotia, NovaKnowledge) 10:30-12 IT Issues X.500 More then a Global Directory (J. Hong, A. Marshall, M. Bauer, Univ. of Western Ont.) A Study of the Effect of Controlling Flow of Information through Imposition of Statutes (M.A. Williamson, Univ. of Western Ontario) Launching the SnoopGuard PC Access-Control (J. Nash & M. Nash, Ottawa) 1:30-3 Informatics Assumptions in the Naming of Information (H. Olson, Univ. of Alberta) A Note on Maximum Impact factors (R. Rousseau, Belgium) Research Methods Used in Information Science (P. Bernhard, Univ.of Montreal) 3:30-5 Annual General Meeting BANQUET WEDNESDAY, July 14, 1993 9-10 Invited Speaker (Multilingual Access to Document Databases, Steven Pollitt, University of Huddersfield, UK) 10:30-12 Information Retrieval - I Performance in ART1-like Neural Network for Document Clustering (K. MacLeod, Saint Mary's Univ., Halifax) A Multi-Agent Distributed Retrieval System (J. Nie, N. Anquetil, J. Vaucher, Univ. de Montreal) Multimodal Access to Text Data Streams (C. Watters & M. Shepherd, Dalhousie Univ.) 1:30-3 Information Retrieval - II Hypertext Maintenance (R. Robson & T. Guan, Univ. of New Brunswick) Performance Evaluation of Large Text Retrieval Systems (F. Burkowski, Univ. of Waterloo) Fast Adaptive Data Compression for Information Retrieval (M. Nelson, Univ. of Western Ontario) 3:30-5 Information Retireval -III Information Retrieval from MIDI Encoded Music Files (J. Tague-Sutcliffe, Univ.Western Ontario) The Effect of a CD_ROM Interface on Children's Retrieval Performance (J. Beheshti, McGill Univ) VIBE Access to Data Sets (R. Korfhage & B. Pharmanto, Univ. of Pittsburg) Evaluation of Genetic Algorithm Solutions (C. Carrick & K. MacLeod, Saint Mary's Univ., Halifax) FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Prof. Ernst J. Schuegraf Box 55, St. Francis Xavier University Antigonish, Nova Scotia Canada B2G 1C0 Fax: 902-867-5153; email: schuegraf@essex.stfx.ca ********************************************************** III. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS III.1 Fr: Maryellen McDonald Re: Doctoral Fellowships at Drexel College of Information Studies Drexel's College of Information Studies Receives Grant for Doctoral Fellowships Drexel University's College of Information Studies has received a $118,400 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund doctoral fellowships. The fellowships will provide complete tuition remission and stipends for up to eight full-time doctoral students during the period September 1992 to September 1993. The college will select the recipients from among newly applying students and those currently enrolled. Individuals may apply for a fellowship by enclosing a letter of request with their application to the college's doctoral program. A fellowship will cover tuition and fees, as well as provide a $6,400 stipend for the period September to June, and a $1,000 stipend for the following summer quarter (summer enrollment is optional). Fellowships may be renewable, depending on a student's academic performance and the availability of further federal funding. Through its fellowship grants, the Department of Education seeks to increase excellence in library education by encouraging study of the principles and practices of library and information science at the doctoral level. Such study may include investigations of the collection, organization, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information; the design, management and evaluation of libraries and information centers; and the use and users of information centers and their resources. For information on the CIS doctoral program and these fellowship opportunities, contact: Associate Dean, College of Information Studies, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104 (215) 895-2474. ********************************************************** IV. PROJECT WORK IV.C.1. Fr: Susanne M. Humphrey Re: Selected IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts The following are citations selected by title and abstract as being related to Information Retrieval (IR), resulting from a computer search, using BRS Information Technologies, of the Dissertation Abstracts Online database produced by University Microfilms International (UMI). Included are UMI order number, title, author, degree, year, institution; number of pages, one or more Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI) subject descriptors chosen by the author, and abstract. Unless otherwise specified, paper or microform copies of dissertations may be ordered from University Microfilms International, Dissertation Copies, Post Office Box 1764, Ann Arbor, MI 48106; telephone for U.S. (except Michigan, Hawaii, Alaska): 1-800-521-3042, for Canada: 1-800-268-6090. Price lists and other ordering and shipping information are in the introduction to the published DAI. An alternate source for copies is sometimes provided. Dissertation titles and abstracts contained here are published with permission of University Microfilms International, publishers of Dissertation Abstracts International (copyright by University Microfilms International), and may not be reproduced without their prior permission. AN This item is not available from University Microfilms International ADGC2-42111. AU HERRERO CUCO, LUIS-A. TT THE SPANISH CONTRIBUTION TO THE PUBLICATIONS THAT WERE CIRCULATED IN THE INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL COMMUNITY FROM 1913 TO 1925. TI LA APORTACION ESPANOLA A LA LITERATURA CIRCULANTE EN LA COMUNIDAD MEDICA INTERNACIONAL DURANTE EL PERIODO 1913-1925. LG Spanish. IN Universitat de Valencia (Spain) Ph.D. 1990, 1299 pages. SO DAI V53(03), SECC, PP422. DE History of Science. IS ISBN: 84-370-0804-2. PU SERVICIO DE PUBLICACIONES, UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA, C. DE LA NAVE, 2, E-46003 VALENCIA, SPAIN. AB The main aim of this doctoral Thesis is the study of the Spanish contribution to the publications that were circulated in the international medical community from 1913 to 1925. To comply with this aim we have carried out a complete bibliographic inventory of the references to all the Spanish magazine articles, books and brochures indexed in the volumes 11-18 (second series) and 1-5 (third series) from the Index Medicus. Secondly we have analyzed the indexed material--2,940 magazine articles and 102 books and brochures--with techniques of our own of documentary semantics, bibliometry and prosopography. We have begun with the indexing of complete publication titles, and constructed a thesaurus which contains two parts. The first one includes an alphabetical list of the descriptors and keywords with its immediate semantic relations and another where the semantic trees formed are expressed in relation to the generic-specific relations of the descriptors. This thesaurus allows us to know in detail the structure of the Spanish contribution to literature in the international medical community in each of the thematic areas. The bibliometric study includes a section dedicated to descriptional bibliographic statistics: the second section refers to the bibliometric analysis of the productions (law of Lotka, index signatures/work, law of Bradford): and the last compares the distribution by subjects of jobs with the death rates by disease in the Spain of that period. The prosopographical analysis, limited to the major producers, those with twenty or more publications indexed in the compendium studied, form a biographical collective outline from diverse variables. AN University Microfilms Order Number ADGMM-60717. AU AKL, YOLANDE. TI A STUDY OF THE USE OF A NATURAL LANGUAGE INTERFACE FOR INFORMATION RETRIEVAL. IN Queen's University at Kingston (Canada) M.Sc. 1990, 181 pages. SO MAI V30(03) pp411. DE Information Science. Library Science. Computer Science. IS ISBN: 0-315-60717-3. AB Despite advances in technology and communication that permit access to a large number of bibliographic databases that provide an expanding range of services to users, many users still do not benefit from these services. For "casual users" who do not search frequently, and who are not expert searchers in bibliographic databases, searching is not an easy task, especially with command languages that are obscure, rigid, and difficult to remember. To overcome the difficulties users face while searching bibliographic databases using command languages, several natural language interfaces have been designed. In this thesis we propose the use of scINTELLECT, a natural language interface system, as a solution to users' problems with formal query languages like scSTAIRS, used to search the scSCIT database, a database in the area of information technology. An experiment was carried out to validate our proposal. Over the course of 10 weeks, 42 users accessed the scSCIT data base using both scSTAIRS and scINTELLECT. Data was collected by logging users' sessions and by having users complete a detailed questionnaire. Results showed that the reaction of users in general was strongly in favour of scINTELLECT. Compared to scSTAIRS, scINTELLECT was much easier to learn, easier to master with minimum effort, more pleasant to interact with, and less frustrating. scINTELLECT feedback in the form of the "echo" was the feature that users liked the most. Users found the naturalness and flexibility of scINTELLECT's language particularly appropriate for expressing their information needs. Although the results showed that no intensive training is required for scINTELLECT, a short introduction to the database and a brief explanation of scINTELLECT's limitations seemed to be a must, particularly for users with little experience with computers. Several limitations of scINTELLECT were discovered. These are described, along with suggestions of how to improve this natural language interface. AN University Microfilms Order Number ADGMM-59683. AU KIEMELE, SANDRA. TI A STUDY OF ARCHIVISTS' PERCEPTIONS OF REFERENCE SERVICE. IN The University of British Columbia (Canada) M.A.S. 1989, 211 pages. SO MAI V30(03) pp412. DE Information Science. IS ISBN: 0-315-59683-X. AB To identify the relationships between particular characteristics of archivists and their perceptions of users and reference service, data was collected from two surveys distributed to two survey populations of archivists. One survey asked archivists' own perceptions of reference service, the other asked archivists' perceptions of their colleagues' perceptions of reference service. Five hypotheses were developed, drawing upon models of reference process from the literature of library science and upon ideas expressed by authors of archival reference service literature. These hypotheses are that archivists' perceptions of reference service relate to (1) the type of repository with which archivists are most familiar, (2) the functions (e.g. arrangement and description) with which archivists are most familiar, (3) the forms of records (such as government records) with which archivists are most familiar, (4) the amount of time archivists have spent in reference service, and (5) the education level of archivists. The results suggest that the type of repository with which the archivist is most familiar relates to his or her perceptions of reference service. While the other categories also exhibited significant relationships, the overall analysis of the results of the other categories was less interesting than the results obtained from the category regarding the type of repository. Determining the existence of such relationships was the preliminary investigation upon which to base further research. The results of this study suggest that likely areas for further examination of this topic are the methods of reference service used in particular repositories. ********************************************************** IRLIST Digest is distributed from the University of California, Division of Library Automation, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA. 94612-3550. Send subscription requests to: LISTSERV@UCCVMA.BITNET Send submissions to IRLIST to: IR-L@UCCVMA.BITNET Editorial Staff: Clifford Lynch calur@uccmvsa.ucop.edu or calur@uccmvsa.bitnet Nancy Gusack ncgur@uccmvsa.bitnet or ncgur@uccmvsa.ucop.edu Mary Engle meeur@uccmvsa.bitnet The IRLIST Archives is now set up for anonymous FTP, as well as via the LISTSERV. Using anonymous FTP via the host dla.ucop.edu, the files will be found in the directory pub/irl, stored in subdirectories by year (e.g., /pub/irl/1993). Using LISTSERV, send the message INDEX IR-L to LISTSERV@UCCVMA.BITNET. 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