Information Retrieval List Digest 368 (August 18, 1997) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/irld/irld-368 IRLIST Digest ISSN 1064-6965 August 18, 1997 Volume XIV, Number 30 Issue 368 ********************************************************** I. QUERIES 1. Diamonds-in-the-Rough(sm): Semantic Nets for Subject Thesauri II. JOBS 1. Rutgers U. - Two Librarian Positions III. NOTICES A. Publications 1. JoSIT - Call for Papers B. Meetings 1. FOIS'98 - Call for Papers C. Miscellaneous 1. MCI Study: Alternative Public Internet Access Points ********************************************************** I. QUERIES I.1. Fr: Gerry McKiernan Re: Diamonds-in-the-Rough(sm): Semantic Nets for Subject Thesauri Diamonds-in-the-Rough(sm): Semantic Nets for Subject Thesauri For my review of 'neo-conventional' thesauri [never-ending] I I am interested in efforts that have applied Semantic Networks or Conceptual Graphs to faceted (or non-faceted) _subject_ thesauri. A Semantic Net may be described as a graphic structure that represents the semantic associations of words and/or concepts within a textual corpus [Over-simplified]. I have been inspired to submit this posting from my reading of a fascinating study by Sedelow and Sedelow of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (USA) reported in their paper "Thesauri and concept-lattice semantic nets" [Advances in Knowledge Organization 4(1994): 350-357] In their paper, S & S describe a prototype in which they have applied formal concept lattices to construct a 'rigorous and empirically accurate semantic net(s)'. In their prototype they the concept lattice approach to for 'representing the implicit, or internal structure, of _Roget's International Thesaurus_ (3rd edition) [1962] [This is contrasted with the "explicit hierarchical structure inasmuch as empirical investigation has shown that the explicit upper levels in the hierarchy are in many ways open to question ...] This insight for the Roget's Thesaurus has the potential of identifying, creating _and_ graphically displaying the cross-structural relationships that I believe are not offered in many conventional _subject_ thesauri [Of course, here I am assuming that the 'neo-relationships' uncovered by the creation of a semantic net and an associated graphic or other visual display, will indeed be more effective that the current conventional structures and forms of display] [This of course Remains to Be Seen [get it, 'Seen' - 'Display'] [:-] I am also aware of [have not read] the work of Roya Rada et al. "Retrieval Hierarchies in Hypertext" _Information Processing and Management_ (v29 n3 p359-71 May-June 1993) and of course, the highly-innovative Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) developed at the NLM. As always, and leads, citations,suggestions, reactions, criticism, critiques, opinions, gems [Sayings or Precious Stones] are welcome! Thanks, Gerry McKiernan Curator, CyberStacks(sm) Iowa State University Ames IA 50011 gerrymck@iastate.edu http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/ ********************************************************** II. JOBS II.1. Fr: Sandra Troy Re: Rutgers U. - Two Librarian Positions Social Sciences Librarian Archibald Stevens Alexander Library APP 123 RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the direction of the New Brunswick Library Director, participates in the development and maintenance of the Library's social sciences collections, focusing on Latin American Area Studies and other disciplines as assigned. Responsible for developing professional relationships with appropriate Latin American book dealers. The successful candidate will serve as the liaison to appropriate departments. This position also provides general and specialized reference services and library instruction, and participates in library faculty and university-wide committees. QUALIFICATIONS: MLS from an ALA accredited library school and three years of professional academic library experience required, with substantial experience in collection development. Advanced proficiency with the Spanish language is required. An advanced degree in a relevant subject, preferably Latin American Studies, is highly desirable. Substantial relevant experience in a research library and a record of scholarly achievement is preferred. Familiarity with the use of electronic text and multimedia, networked information resources, hypertext and desktop software packages is desirable. A record of scholarly achievement and involvement in professional associations are preferred. Humanities Librarian for History Archibald Stevens Alexander Library APP 124 RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the direction of the New Brunswick Library Director, is responsible for the development and maintenance of the libraries humanities collections, primarily focusing on North America and Western European history, including United Kingdom, and History of Science. Also provides general and specialized reference services, and library instruction. Serves as a faculty/student liaison to the History Department and other appropriate units on campus. Participates in library faculty and university-wide committees. QUALIFICATIONS: An ALA accredited MLS degree and three years of professional academic library experience required. An advanced degree in History, proficiency in German and/or French, and an in-depth understanding and ability to work with modern information technology highly desirable. Substantial relevant experience in a research library and record of scholarly achievement preferred. BOTH POSITIONS SALARY: Dependent upon experience and qualifications with a minimum of $39,184 for a Librarian III tenure track appointment. STATUS/BENEFITS: Faculty status, calendar year appointment, retirement plans, life/health insurance, prescription drug, dental and eyeglass plans, tuition remission, one month vacation. LIBRARY PROFILE: Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, has three major campuses located in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick. The Archibald Stevens Alexander Library in New Brunswick, the largest library in the system, houses over one million volumes supporting instruction and research in the humanities and social sciences and also contains the East Asian Library, Special Collections and University Archives, and a state-of-the-art Scholarly Communication Center (see http://www.libraries. rutgers.edu/rulib/abtlib/alexlib/scchome.html). Library automation systems include Geac, Innopac, RLIN, and OCLC. A new library information system (LIS) is being implemented. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, is a member of the Research Libraries Group and the American Association of Universities. Apply to Sandra Troy (APP.#), Libraries Personnel Officer, Rutgers University Libraries, 169 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, FAX #908-932-7637, e-mail: stroy@rci.rutgers.edu. Resumes received no later than October 15, 1997 will receive first consideration. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, is committed to affirmative action and equal opportunity. ********************************************************** III. NOTICES III.A.1. Fr: Craig Standing Re: JoSIT - Call for Papers Call For Papers THE JOURNAL OF SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The Journal provides an avenue for scholarly work that takes a systemic or holistic perspective in relation to areas such as information systems development, information technology and information systems management. The Journal of Systems and Information Technology fosters primarily, although not exclusively, interpretive or qualitative research methods including ethnographic, genealogical, action research and case studies of various kinds. Research that uses quantitative methods, for example statistical surveys, will be suitable if they take a broad perspective of the problems and issues. This means very often that the social and political aspects will be considered as well as the technical. We believe that the time is right for such a journal as there is a growing body of interpretive researchers in IS taking a systems view. The IT in JoSIT refers to development and use of information technology. Target topics that will be relevant to JoSIT include but are not limited to: -- IS/IT planning that takes a systemic approach -- Innovative Soft Systems approaches used in information systems development -- The integration of software and/or hardware technologies that provide holistic solutions to problems. For example, the integration of various aspects of software engineering paradigms. -- Human Computer Interaction (HCI) problems tackled in an systemic or integrated way. -- Research papers that promote the development of interpretive or qualitative research methodologies in relation to Information Systems through case studies. -- Systems approaches in the management of information systems. -- Holistic approaches in the development of technology policy and technology transfer. -- Integrative methods of systems design. -- Systems perspectives in IS/IT evaluation. -- The use of metaphors as an integrative theme for aspects of IT/IS. -- The influence of politics and culture on systems development and the use of information technology. BOOK REVIEWS: JoSIT will include book reviews and information concerning conferences in the holistic information systems field. PUBLICATION AND MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES: Researchers as well as Information Systems Professionals are invited to submit papers for the Journal. All papers will undergo a blind refereeing process by at least three referees. Papers can be sent in hard or soft copy. Soft copies should be in Microsoft Word for MAC or PC format. The Journal will be published twice a year in March and September. Further details are available upon request. All submissions must be original works which have not appeared elsewhere and which are not being considered for publication with another journal. As the reviewing process will be conducted anonymously, please leave your name(s) off the manuscript. People are encouraged to send their papers either in by email or hard copy form to: Editor-in-Chief, Craig Standing email: c.standing@cowan.edu.au Fax: 61 08 9400 5633 Tel: 61 08 9400 5545 Department of Information Systems Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia 6027 EDITORIAL BOARD: Chief Editor: Craig Standing Edith Cowan University, Western Australia MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD Rakesh Agrawal University of Western Sydney, Australia Robert Flood University of Hull, UK James Alleman University of Colorado, USA Duncan Langford University of Kent, UK Teodosio Perez AmaralUniversidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain Chantal Morley Institute National des Telecommunications, Evry, France Richard Baskerville Binghamton University, N.Y., USA Michael Myers University of Auckland, NZ Paul Beynon-Davies University of Glamorgan, Wales, UK. Dewald Roode University of Pretoria, S.A. Subhash Bhatnagar Indian Institute of Management Ross Smith Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Bill Doolin University of Waikato, NZ Hazel Suchard Australian Catholic University Keith Ellis University of Humberside, UK ********** III.B.1. Fr: Ing E Palomar Lever Re: FOIS'98 - Call for Papers Preliminary Call for Papers INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FORMAL ONTOLOGY IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOIS'98 In conjunction with the 6th International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning KR'98 TRENTO, ITALY, JUNE 6-8, 1998 Under the auspices of the Project ONTOINT (Ontological Tools for Heterogeneous Knowledge Organization and Integration) funded by the Italian National Research Council Research on ontology is becoming increasingly widespread in the computer science community. Its importance has been recognized in fields as diverse as qualitative modelling of physical systems, natural language processing, knowledge engineering, information integration, database design, geographic information science, and intelligent information access. Various workshops addressing the engineering aspects of ontology have been held in the past few years. However, ontology -by its very nature- ought to be a unifying discipline. Insights in this field have potential impacts on the whole area of information systems. In order to provide a solid general foundation for this work, it is therefore important to focus on the common scientific principles and open problems arising from current tools, methodologies, and applications of ontology. The purpose of this conference is to take a first step in this direction. As the heterogeneity of the program committee indicates, the conference will have a strongly interdisciplinary character. Expected participants include computer science practitioners as well as linguists, logicians, and philosophers. Although the primary focus of the conference is on theoretical issues, methodological proposals as well as papers addressing concrete applications from a well-founded theoretical perspective are welcome. TOPICS: Examples of problem areas that may be addressed at the conference include: THEORETICAL ISSUES * Foundations: parthood, constitution, identity, integrity, dependence, causality * Kinds of entity: particulars vs. universals, continuants vs. occurrents, abstracta vs. concreta, attributes, relations, qualities, quantities, tropes or moments, states, situations, environments * Matter, space, time, motion, change * Natural kinds, organisms, artifacts * The ontology of social reality: legal and administrative entities, artistic expressions * The ontology of information and information processing: representations, signs, software products, virtual reality, cyberspace * Top-level ontological taxonomies: new proposals or critical analyses of existing ones * Cognitive foundations of ontological distinctions * Kinds of ontology: top-level ontologies, domain ontologies, task ontologies, application ontologies * Ontological commitment APPLICATION AREAS: * Knowledge organization, integration and standardization * Intelligent information access * Information systems design * Knowledge engineering * Conceptual modelling * Qualitative modelling * Lexical semantics * Terminology integration * Product knowledge integration * Geographic information systems * Legal information systems TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES * Ontological and linguistic instruments for conceptual analysis * Methodologies for ontology development, maintenance, and integration SUBMISSION OF PAPERS: Papers will be selected on the basis of a rigorous review of full paper contributions. Authors should submit 5 copies to the Conference Chair by December 19, 1997. Papers received after the deadline or not conforming to the submission format will be rejected without review. The proceedings will be printed by a major publisher and will be available at the conference. Final camera-ready copies of the accepted papers will be due by March 9, 1998. Authors will be responsible for preparing the final camera-ready in conformity with the formatting requirements laid down by the publisher. Submitted papers must be unpublished and substantially different from papers under review. Papers that have been or will be presented at small workshops/symposia whose proceedings are available only to attendees may be submitted. Each submission should include a title page containing the title, author(s), affiliation(s), submitting author's mailing address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address, as well as an abstract and keywords indicating the topic areas listed above that best describe the contribution. Submissions must be at most 16 pages, excluding the title page and the bibliography, with a maximum of 38 lines per page and an average of 75 characters per line (corresponding to the LaTeX article-style, 12pt) using LaTeX or Microsoft Word. Papers should be sent in 5 copies. Fax or electronic submissions will not be accepted. Those proposing to submit papers must complete the form at the WWW address Re: MCI Study: Alternative Public Internet Access Points NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT August 15, 1997 What's Your Log-On Locale? MCI Study of Internet Access Finds Sharpest Increase Among Alternative Public Points WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- According to an MCI LibraryLINK study released today, the number of people who regularly access the Internet through points other than home, office or school has nearly tripled in the last year. The growing phenomenon of "alternative points of access" such as libraries, museums and civic organizations, illustrates the heightened need for the Internet among diverse audiences. MCI LibraryLINK a public-private partnership between MCI and the American Library Association, commissioned the analysis to determine the trends associated with society's growing demand for Internet access. The analysis is based on Internet research from the CommerceNet/Nielsen Media Research Internet Demographic Studies. In a random telephone survey of U.S. and Canadian residents, respondents were asked where they log on to the Internet. The analysis uncovered some startling data about Internet access. In the spring of 1996, approximately 1.5% of the Internet users claimed to access the Internet through an "alternative point of access" such as a library. Today, that number has almost tripled to 4% and the analysis shows it will continue to grow exponentially as communities respond to the public's growing need for increased public access. "The flourishing popularity of 'alternative points of access' illustrates the Internet's escalating importance in the daily lives of more and more Americans," said Vint Cerf, Senior Vice President, Internet Architecture and Engineering at MCI. "For people who don't work with computers in the workplace or have the ability to go online from home, these alternative points of access are their lifeline to the Internet and to the wealth of information it holds such as job lines, business databases, and homework help stations." MCI defines "alternative points of access" as any venue other than home, school or work where the public or a group's members have access to the Internet. These venues are classified as "alternative points" because going online has not, until recently, been a service or activity associated with these locations. These venues include public libraries, museums, churches, community centers, retailers, hospitals and recreational facilities. Percentages of respondents claiming to access the Internet from an alternative point break down as follows: Public libraries 36% Churches/Community Centers 14% Retail Outlet 11% (mall computer store, coffeehouse etc.) Hotels 6% Museums/Recreational Facilities 5% Hospitals 3% Airports 3% -- Statistics has been reclassified to exclude someone else's home and relative's workplace -- 20% of respondents did not answer or did not know where they accessed the Internet Other segments of access showed growth, but not as large a growth rate as access from alternative points. Compared to 1996, the number of respondents claiming they accessed the Internet from a school nearly doubled. Users accessing from home and work categories each increased by four percentage points from 1996 to 1997. Since 1995, MCI LibraryLINK has awarded more than $1 million in grants to 27 main libraries impacting over 200 community library branches, helping to increase the number of Internet-connected libraries from 21% to 80%. These grants have helped create and enhance information technology systems linking people to library resources, government services and to the Internet. "These public points of access are important because they help level the playing field. By the year 2000, nearly 30% of all Internet users could be accessing through alternative points," said Diane Strahan, Executive Director of Corporate Community Partnerships at MCI. Nielsen Media Research, a Cognizant company, has headquarters in New York City and offices in major markets across the U.S. Through its Interactive Services division, Nielsen Media Research develops audience measurement and custom research on new media, including the Internet, the Web and online services. MCI, with its world headquarters in Washington, D.C., offers the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of communication services. MCI reported 1996 annual revenue of $18.5 billion, making it the tenth largest telecommunications company in the world, along with being the world's third largest carrier of international voice traffic. Credited with first bringing the benefits of long distance competition to American consumers and businesses, MCI now is leading the charge to open up local calling markets to competition. MCI is awaiting final regulatory approvals to complete its planned merger with BT to form Concert. SOURCE MCI LibraryLINK CONTACT: Christa Poston, 202-887-2757, or Jill Arquette, 703-358-0012, both for MCI LibraryLINK/ (MCIC) ********************************************************** 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: nancy.gusack@ucop.edu Editorial Staff: Nancy Gusack nancy.gusack@ucop.edu Cliff Lynch (emeritus) cliff@cni.org The IRLIST Archives is set up for anonymous FTP. Using anonymous FTP via the host ftp.dla.ucop.edu, the files will be found in the directory /data/ftp/pub/irl, stored in subdirectories by year (e.g., data/ftp/pub/irl/1993). Search or browse archived IR-L Digest issues on the Web at: http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/idom/irlist/ These files are not to be sold or used for commercial purposes. Contact Nancy Gusack for more information on IRLIST. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN IRLIST DO NOT REPRESENT THOSE OF THE EDITORS OR THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. AUTHORS ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR MATERIAL. Nancy Gusack Crawford Senior Editor Division of Library Automation University of California Office of the President 300 Lakeside Drive, 8th floor Oakland, California 94612-3550 ncg@dla.ucop.edu 510/987-0565