Information Retrieval List Digest 270 (August 28, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/irld/irld-270 IRLIST Digest ISSN 1064-6965 August 28, 1995 Volume XII, Number 33 Issue 270 ********************************************************** I. QUERIES 1. Need Information on "Arabise" Arabic Computer Software II. JOBS 1. Abt Associates, Inc., MA: Information Specialist 2. Texas Instruments, MA: Library Services Specialist/Manager III. NOTICES B. Meetings 1. CIKM Workshoip on Intelligent Information Agents 2. ASIS Mid-Year '96 C. Miscellaneous 1. Electronic Copyright IV. PROJECTS A. Abstracts 1. IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts ********************************************************** I. QUERIES I.1. Fr: Richard Schiff Re: Need information on "Arabise" Arabic computer software I was wondering if anyone out there had ever used Arabise computer software to generate (possibly translate) Arabic script. Is there any creature like this out there that does the same thing with Hebrew? Richard Schiff MLS Data Trek ********************************************************** II. JOBS II.1. Fr: Sharon_Christenson_at_WP@ABTASSOC.COM Re: Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA: Information Specialist Will report to Information Center Manager. Job responsibilities outlined below. Salary range: $22,000 - $27,000. Requires Bachelor's degree, preferably in applied social science discipline, but not MLS; on-the-job training will be provided to supplement skills and experience. REPLY TO: Sharon Christenson (e-mail: Sharon_Christenson@abtassoc.com or 617-349-2857) by September 1st. Provide general reference, information consulting, and research assistance to research staff: knowledgeable about information sources for applied social science and business research topics; assist staff with in-house materials or direct them to outside sources including Boston area libraries; identify sources of information on new/original topics as necessary. Conduct on-line searches of end-user and commercial databases: Plan and conduct searches based on knowledge of full range of information sources ranging from free/low cost to more expensive commercial databases; extract statistical data from CD-ROM databases using DBase and other microcomputer software. Document retrieval and interlibrary loan services: will deal with a comprehensive range of suppliers/vendors with emphasis on urgent requests, hard-to-find items, low cost sources; search OCLC and process interlibrary loan requests. Provide technical assistance to end-users: assist staff in searching Medline, CDC Wonder, OPACs, and CD-ROMs. ********** II.2. Fr: Jeffrey Werner Re: Texas Instruments, MA: Library Services Specialist/Manager SCOPE OF DUTIES: Develop and maintain a professional business and technical library. Take part in a thorough audit of critical intelligence needs among managers within Texas Instruments Materials and Control Group businesses. Design, implement, and manage a library of materials and sources for addressing these needs. Benchmark library services both within TI and externally to determine best practices. Manage database and information subscriptions to serve Group users. Advise and train managers in the use of common library media and source materials. Train and develop skills of a library support person reporting to the Business Intelligence Librarian. Establish and manage library budget. Support projects and processes undertaken by this group's Business Intelligence Team....projects involve the collection, evaluation, analysis, and reporting of information concerning the Group's long-range, global business plans. Establish and maintain professional relations with other librarians serving at TI locations throughout the world. DESIRED SKILLS: Computer/systems proficiency; strong interpersonal skills - listening, teamwork; Information source development; Database management; Benchmarking library services. LOCATION: Texas Instruments Materials And Controls Group in Attleboro, MA, located between Boston, MA and Providence, RI. RESPOND: Now accepting resumes and cover letters by fax only. Fax to Jeffrey Werner, Business Intelligence Manager, Materials and Controls Group, Texas Instruments Inc. FAX (508) 236-3773 ********************************************************** III. NOTICES III.B.1. Fr: Timothy Finin Re: CIKM Workshop on Intelligent Information Agents CIKM Workshop on INTELLIGENT INFORMATION AGENTS held in conjunction with the Fourth International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM'95) December 1-2, 1995 Omni Inner Harbor Hotel Baltimore, Maryland, USA Sponsored by ACM SIGART and ACM SIGIR In cooperation with NASA, Bellcore, NSF, AAAI*, IEEE Computer Society*, SIGLINK, CACS/USL, UMBC The CIKM95 Workshop on Intelligent Information Agents will bring together a small number of researchers who are working on or interested in exploring the use of agent-oriented paradigms in information systems. A partial list of topics relevant to the workshop is: o agent communication and messaging languages o agent programming and scripting languages o agent theories and architectures o interaction and coordination protocols (negotiation, partial global planning etc.) o learning agents and trainable agents o information mediators and agent-based middleware o the role of shared ontologies in agent systems o agent-human interfaces o information filtering, retrieval, gathering and monitoring o resource discovery by and for agents o integrated agent testbeds o applications of agent technology to digital libraries, electronic commerce, education, command and control, information filtering, data mining, etc. The workshop will consist of invited talks, individual presentations, and group discussion. If you wish to present your work, please submit five copies of a paper (up to 5000 words) or extended abstract (up to 2000 words). To participate, please submit a short position paper. All submissions should include an email address. Graduate students who are engaged in a relevant research project are encouraged to participate. An informal proceedings will be compiled from the extended abstracts and research statements and distributed at the workshop. Participants will be encouraged to submit in advance electronic material or URLs for an online "proceedings" to be made available on the web. The workshop will begin on Friday afternoon, December 1 and run through 5:00pm December 2. There will be a joint reception for all of the CIKM workshops on Friday evening. FOR MORE INFORMATION: To get more information on the workshop and to register your interest, send email to iiaw-info@cs.umbc.edu. You can also find current information at http://www.cs.umbc.edu/iia/. To get more information on CIKM95 and to register your interest, send email to cikm-info@cs.umbc.edu. You can also find current information at http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~cikm/. SUBMISSIONS: Papers, extended abstracts and position papers should be submitted in electronic form -- HTML source is preferred; otherwise postscript or ASCII. If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy will be accepted. Email electronic submissions to: IIAW@CS.UMBC.EDU. FTP electronic submissions to FTP.CS.UMBC.EDU in pub/iiaw/incoming. Mail hardcopy to: CIKM95 IIA Workshop, CSEE Department, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 5401 Wilkens Ave., Baltimore MD 21228-5398. Please submit material so that it arrives on or before September 22, 1995. Invitations to participate will be sent by October 20, and final copies of workshop papers will be due on November 17. ********** III.B.2. Fr: Richard Hill Re: And now, the Mid- Year Call for Papers ASIS Mid-Year Meeting The Digital Revolution: Assessing the Impact on Business, Education and Social Structures San Diego, CA May 20 - 22, 1996 As the Industrial Revolution radically altered the means of production and transformed in the process the way people viewed their work, their societies, and each other, so too the Digital Revolution has the potential to profoundly alter the way that societies function at the global, local and personal level. From the vastness of the internet to the microchip in a greeting card, a revolution is emerging. The concept of the Digital Revolution relies on two senses of the word "revolution:" that of drastic change, but also that of motion allied with rotation. This is not the first revolution we will confront, neither is it the last. The first suggests the upheaval we are confronting; the second is a reminder that we have been here before: other massive social changes such as the Industrial Revolution had raised equally profound questions and challenged the way that we view the world. What does it mean to participate in this Revolution? What does it mean to ignore it? The Digital Revolution, simply put, involves both subtle as well as radical changes in the way that information is created (by anyone, for example, with a home page or e-mail account as a soapbox), stored (in media, as yet unknown in archival quality), and transmitted (more and more of it, faster and faster in numbers we struggle to comprehend). We would like to think that the effects will be felt by everyone: and in terms of population groups this is true: young as well as old, men as well as women, any ethnic or national group you can name. No employment category (nor the unemployed) will be left out: academics, clergy, police, architects, sales clerks. But parts of these groups will be left out: and the distance between those included and those not included is widening. Any discussion of information demands the consideration of many paradoxes. Perhaps the most important of paradox for this conference is that of information's economic nature: it is an important economic good, but also it is an essential component of all political and social interaction, especially in open, democratic societies. It is a social good that contributes to THE social good: exacerbating the distance between those that have and those that do not. The conference is an exploration of the issues of and the effects that this Revolution is having - or will have - on the ways we conduct business, the ways that we teach, and the ways that we interact to build a social structure that forms our society. The conference seeks to identify and understand the dynamics of these changes, and to develop and debate methodologies for this assessment. INVITATION: The 1996 ASIS Mid-Year Meeting, "The Digital Revolution: Assessing the Impact on Business, Education and Social Structures" is focused on the trends of the Revolution, their effects, and consequences - intended as well as not, in these particular arenas. We encourage submission of reports of specific events in the Revolution, such as the digital libraries initiatives; evaluation of tools and devices to manage, store, retrieve, and explore the products of the Revolution; and assessment of the policies and guidelines emerging to support its development. We encourage reports of research exploring the areas as noted above. We invite submission of papers, panels, tutorials, demonstrations, and other imaginative uses of the products and processes of the Revolution itself which will enable its understanding. Any message sent to asis96@chestnut.lis.utk.edu will automatically generate an electronic version of the call and the submittal form. It is also available at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville School of Information Sciences homepage at http://pepper.lis.utk.edu/ under ASIS. TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS: CONTRIBUTED PAPERS: The initial intent to submit should include the title and an extended outline or draft paper. Papers should address one or more of the issues outlined above. Presenters of accepted papers will be allowed 15-25 minutes for delivery. All papers will be refereed. All intents to submit papers must be received by November 15, 1995. Notification of acceptance will be sent by December 15, 1995; camera ready papers will be due by February 1, 1996. PANEL, SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, AND OTHER PRESENTATIONS: Individual contributions and panel discussions are welcome. All intents to organize sessions should include a description of 250 words indicating the topic and proposed speakers to address the topic, with contact information for all speakers, and an estimation of the time desired. A form for proposing panel sessions is attached. All intents to organize panel presentations and other program suggestions must be received by November 15, 1995. Notification of acceptance will be sent by December 15, 1995: a final list of speakers, with complete contact information, and camera ready copy (full length if desired, or abstracts) will be due by February 1, 1996. Two copies of your proposal and abstracts are required. A paper copy or electronic copy (encouraged, e-mail or ASCII file) should be sent to the addresses below. You will receive instructions for submission of final copy upon acceptance. DEADLINES AND SUBMISSION ADDRESSES: Contributed Papers: Proposals/Abstracts: postmarked by November 15, 1995 Finished Papers: postmarked by February 15, 1996 Panel, SIG and Other Sessions: Proposal/Abstracts: postmarked by November 15, 1995 Final speakers and abstract postmarked by February 1, 1996 Copy of all proposals to both addresses: Jos -Marie Griffiths Attn: ASIS 1996 Mid Year Meeting University of Tennessee at Knoxville 804 Volunteer Blvd Knoxville, TN 37996 jgriffit@utkvx.utk.edu Richard Hill Executive Director, American Society for Information Science 8720 Georgia Avenue, Suite 501 Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301) 495-0900 FAX: (301) 495-0810 rhill@cni.org ********** III.C.1. Fr: TRACY@SLA.ORG Re: Electronic Copyright Special Libraries Association, in conjunction with Lexis-Nexis, will offer its first distance learning program, "Issues Concerning Electronic Copyright," on September 21, 1995. Topics of discussion include: - Site license vs. license use - Fees involved - Trends affecting the electronic environment - Concerns from audience members The program will be broadcast from the Lexis-Nexis studio in Dayton, OH. It will be transmitted to sites in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Toronto. To receive a brochure or for more information, contact Anne Marie Del Vecchio, SLA's Director of Professional Development, at anne@sla.org or by calling (202) 234-4700, ext. 617. ********************************************************** IV. PROJECTS Selected IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts Compiled by: Susanne M. Humphrey The following are citations selected by title and abstract as being of potential interest to the Information Retrieval (IR) community, resulting from a computer search, using the CDP/Online system, of the Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI) database produced by University Microfilms International (UMI). Included are accession number (AN); author (AU); title (TI); degree, institution, year, number of pages (IN); UMI order number (DD); reference to the published DAI (SO); abstract (AB); one or more DAI subject descriptors chosen by the author (DE); thesis adviser (AR); and dates associated with the monthly update file (UP). 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: 1-800-343-5299; fax: 313-973-1540. 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 AAI9509485 AU Buckley, James Patrick. TI A FUZZY DATABASE APPROACH TO HANDLING STRUCTURED TEXTUAL INPUT WITH UNCERTAINTY (STRUCTURED INPUT, DATABASE). IN Thesis (PH.D.)--TULANE UNIVERSITY, 1994, 111p. DD Order Number: AAI9509485. SO Dissertation Abstracts International. Volume: 55-11, Section: B, page: 4934. AB A multidisciplinary approach is developed and demonstrated for exploiting knowledge about structure for the purpose of extracting information from noisy textual data. This approach combines the active database paradigm, database organization and clustering of records, fuzzy parsing, fuzzy retrieval, an aggregation algebra, and measures of both performance and accuracy. Fuzzy retrieval, in the form of set and fuzzy operators, is accomplished by considering each symbol of the input text to be imperfect and retrieving non-exact matching records from the database that hold for a particular threshold value. The set of low-level database operators constrain the cardinality and accuracy of retrievals. A hierarchical method of clustering the database is defined, whereby the records are partitioned in a manner such that similar records are in the same cluster. This clustering strategy is guaranteed to be mutually exclusive and a complete cover of the data records. Associated with these clusters is an algebra that combines clusters of data into one window of ranked data. A set of fuzzy measures are defined that are used to aggregate and rank sets of records. DE Computer Science. AR Buckles, Bill P. UP 9504. Revised: 950427. AN AAI9509373 AU Li, Tianzhu. TI AN INQUIRY OF USERS' MENTAL MODELS OF THE ERIC CD-ROM SYSTEM AND THEIR SEARCH PROCESS. IN Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1994, 188p. DD Order Number: AAI9509373. SO Dissertation Abstracts International. Volume: 55-11, Section: A, page: 3401. AB The diversity of user interfaces and the deficiency of training limit end-users' access to information from CD-ROM systems. The purposes of this study were to improve our understanding of CD-ROM search by end-users so that effective user training could be designed and user interfaces of information retrieval systems improved. CD-ROM search is considered as a kind of problem solving. Based on research on mental models, human-computer interaction and online search, the researcher asked the questions: What are the experts' and end-users' mental models of the ERIC CD-ROM system and how do these models affect their search performance? Eleven subjects from three user groups in a university were studied with two search tasks on the ERIC CD-ROM system. Video-recording, key stroke capture, teach-back methods and questionnaires were used to collect the data of users' interaction with the system and computing experience. Graphic presentation of the search steps and actions indicated that the process of CD-ROM search is correspondent to the process of constructing mental models. It is found that novice users were different from expert searchers in analyzing the questions, forming search strategies, choosing search mode, selecting search terms, evaluating and accepting search results. Protocol analysis showed that the styles and levels of mental representation varies from user to user. Subjects preferred verbal descriptions to other styles, and presented the system at task level. It is also found that users interpreted the same question differently, and took on sides of the issue in the search questions. Subjects with formal training in online search played roles of intermediaries. Expert searchers' mental models of the system are more complete than novice users. It is concluded that research on information seeking from electronic databases should study how end-users interpret the search questions as well as what they really want from the databases. Both training and system design should facilitate users in constructing the appropriate mental models of the system and in identifying their specific information needs. Recommendations are made for future studies. DE Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Education, Technology. Information Science. AR Winn, William D. UP 9504. Revised: 950427. AN AAI9511344 AU Hastings, Samantha Kelly. TI AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF INTELLECTUAL ACCESS TO DIGITIZED ART IMAGES. IN Thesis (PH.D.)--THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY, 1994, 151p. DD Order Number: AAI9511344. SO Dissertation Abstracts International. Volume: 55-11, Section: A, page: 3339. AB The study describes the nature of intellectual access to digitized art images using qualitative methodologies. Images of Caribbean paintings were digitized and the process of querying the Caribbean art images observed. Queries of art historians are analyzed and compared to retrieval parameters and image characteristics. Four major categories, developed during the coding of data, are: Queries, Manipulations, Recommendations, and Applications. Concepts are identified that relate the complexity of the query, the access points, and the types of computer manipulations needed to retrieve relevant answer sets. Findings from the investigation include: (1) Queries are identified that include levels of complexity; (2) Queries change in levels of complexity when digital images are used; (3) Some queries cannot be answered by use of a surrogate image; and (4) There are identifiable characteristics of the images that relate in complexity to queries of style. Based on identified relationships, a proposed model of intellectual access to digitized art images is depicted and described. DE Library Science. Art History. Computer Science. AR Logan, Elisabeth. UP 9504. Revised: 950427. ********************************************************** IRLIST Digest is distributed from the University of California, Division of Library Automation, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA. 94612-3550. Send subscription requests and submissions to: NCGUR@UCCMVSA.UCOP.EDU Editorial Staff: Clifford Lynch calur@uccmvsa.ucop.edu Nancy Gusack ncgur@uccmvsa.ucop.edu 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@UCOP.EDU. 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