Information Retrieval List Digest 418 (August 24, 1998) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/irld/irld-418.txt IRLIST Digest ISSN 1064-6965 August 24, 1998 Volume XV, Number 31 Issue 418 ****************************************************************** I. QUERIES 1. Call for modules, tools, demos, exercises, and courseware in IR 2. _Brave New Word: Navigating Meaning in Digital Collections_ II. JOBS 1. Catholic U.: Collection Management Position 2. LANL: Technical Information Specialist, Research Library III. NOTICES A. Publications 1. Katharine Sharp Review #7 2. ASIS Bulletin TOC, August/September 3. Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship 4. Information Retrieval: Algorithms and Heuristics B. Meetings 1. CFP: 21st Annual Colloquium on Information Retrieval 2. CFP - AAAI Spring Symposium on Intelligent Agents in Cyberspace C. Miscellaneous 1. IP: Database Protection and Access to Information IV. PROJECTS C. Awards, Fellowships, Grants, & Scholarships 1. NSF-NATO Postdoc Fellowships in Sci & Eng: proposals 11/16/98 ****************************************************************** I. QUERIES I.1. Fr: Edward A. Fox Re: Call for modules, tools, demos, exercises, and courseware in IR NSF is funding a multi-university project called the Computer Science Teaching Center (CSTC) http://www.cstc.org/~cstc/ that is developing a digital library which you are encouraged to use and contribute to. Anyone interested is invited to contact me, send me materials, offer to help with reviews, or provide other assistance so that anyone teaching a course, short-course, or module in another course (e.g., on database) can provide a richer environment for learning. While this covers all of CS, there is a related focussed effort also funded by NSF on Curriculum Resources in Interactive Multimedia (CRIM) http://www.cstc.org/~crim/ (which is running an open workshop Sept. 11, Bristol, England, just before ACM Multimedia '98 - please attend if interested!). I'm now calling for IR-related submissions, especially: * "canned" demos or live, interactive demos of IR concepts or projects or products, including those prepared for conferences; * tools, toolkits, portable programs, routines, code related to any aspect of IR or its applications; * self-contained lectures, presentations, tutorials; * quizzes or quiz sets, problem sets, exercises; * (test) collections or other useful data; * syllabi, bibliographies, course outlines (detailed); * any other courseware, from small to large. As a supplement we have locally developed online courseware, still being revised and updated, that might be of interest and is freely available: * freshman level intro to networked info http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~netinfo/ * senior level Multimedia, Hypertext and Information Access http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~mm/ * self-study digital library course http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~dlib/ * grad-level information storage and retrieval http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~cs5604/ In contrast the hope with CSTC is to have an organized, cataloged, digital library of small components that can be more easily adapted. For that, everyone is invited to help! Thanks, Ed Fox (fox@vt.edu) ********** I.2. Fr: Gerry Mckiernan Re: _Brave New Word: Navigating Meaning in Digital Collections_ _Brave New Word: Navigating Meaning in Digital Collections_ For a survey article I am currently preparing, I would great appreciate learning of current efforts that are investigating the application of thesauri or like systems of Managed Conceptual Navigation for enhanced access to Web/Net resources. I am interested in services that have applied controlled vocabulary in an indexing/cataloging process for Web collection such as the Scout Report Signpost (http://www.signpost.org/) or OMNI (http://omni.ac.uk/umls/) as well as Web-accessible commercial databases that employ versatile vocabulary access and manipulation (e.g., NISC [http://wwww.nisc.com]). I am greatly interested in alternative presentation of thesauri (e.g., Xia Lin's SiteMap SOM application to INSPEC descriptors [http://lislin.gws.uky.edu/Sitemap/Sitemap.html] or the visual thesaurus of Plumb Design [http://www.plumbdesign.com]. I am most particularly interested in learning about the availability of key reports and most importantly, copies of papers prepared or in preparation for the forthcoming ISKO and ASIS conferences that relate to Thesauri. As always, Any Contributions, Comments, Queries, Critiques, or Questions, etc. are Most Welcome! Gerry McKiernan Curator, CyberStacks(sm) and Theoretical Librarian Iowa State University Ames IA 50011 gerrymck@iastate.edu http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/ ****************************************************************** I. JOBS II.1. Fr: HSIEHYEE@CUA.EDU Re: Catholic U.: Collection Management Position Faculty Position Announcement School of Library and Information Science Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, DC, seeks a full-time tenure track faculty member for the ALA-accredited School of Library and Information Science. Candidates will have expertise and experience in collection management. This includes the selection, acquisition, evaluation, organization, and management of information resources in print, nonprint and electronic formats. Candidates should demonstrate knowledge of resources and applications of current and emerging technologies to collection management. Candidates are expected to teach and publish in at least two of the following areas: * Collection development * Creation and management of digital collections * Collection organization methods -- cataloging, indexing, full-text retrieval, database design, etc. * Collection preservation, access, delivery, etc. * Collection management in one or more of the following settings academic libraries, special libraries, public libraries, corporate environment, etc. * Scholarly communication * Special collections, for instance, rare books, manuscripts, archival documents, films, sound recordings, videos, maps, and photos The ability to carry out a research and publication agenda, a commitment to teaching, the potential for leadership in professional and scholarly organizations, and the desire to work with a collegial community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni are necessary. All faculty members teach core courses. Requirements for consideration include an earned doctorate in library/information science or related specialty as well as an MLS and/or substantial experience in libraries, archives, or other information service environments. The School, which grants the Master of Science in Library Science, serves 300 full- and part-time students on the Washington campus, at the Library of Congress, and at three sites in Virginia. The Catholic University of America is sponsored by the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States as a national university and center of instruction and research. Members and associates of the faculties are expected to respect the religious commitment and mission of the University and to be supportive of its aims and ideals, whatever their personal religious backgrounds and affiliations might be. The University's faculties are composed of teachers from diverse backgrounds and religious traditions. The Catholic University of America has affirmative action, equal opportunity, and no smoking in the workplace policies. Appointment will be at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. Appointment is for 8-1/2 months, with additional contracts available for summer teaching. For consideration, submit a letter, curriculum vita, research agenda, and names of three references to Elizabeth S. Aversa, Dean, School of Library and Information Science, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064 or fax materials to 202-319- 5574. Applications received by October 1, 1998, will receive priority consideration. ********** II.2. Fr: Jackie Stack Re: LANL: Technical Information Specialist, Research Library Technical Information Specialist Los Alamos National Laboratory Research Library. (LANL Job Posting # 983935) To see an HTML version of this job ad and to access more information about Los Alamos and surrounding areas go to http://lib-www.lanl.gov/libinfo/job.htm. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a world renowned organization dedicated to world-class science and technologies and applying them to the nation's security and well-being. LANL has a firmly established reputation as one of the premier research and development institutions in the world. The LANL Research Library (http://lib-www.lanl.gov) has a career opportunity for a technical information specialist. We offer a creative setting in which information technologies are applied to scientific productivity. We aggressively pursue new ideas, services, products, and approaches to satisfy our customer research needs. The successful candidate will actively partner with Laboratory researchers in support of our mission to facilitate access to and enhance the usability of information. We are seeking an individual who is prepared to make significant contributions in an exciting, fast-changing environment. This position requires a person with a strong interest in taking initiatives and risks, who adapts well to change, works cooperatively on a team, and has a strong interest in fostering customer relationships. Leading innovative projects in close collaboration with customers is an essential part of the job. Specific Job Summary: Job Number: 983935 Title: TECH INFO SPEC 2 Series Level: SSM 01 Date Posted: August 18, 1998 Organization: CIC-14 Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter. Salary Range: ($33,540-$56,832) Number of Openings: 1 Availability: This job is open to all applicants. Status: Open Job Type: (Regular Full-Time) Summary: As a member of the Research Library, provide technology development and support for the Research Library and its customers. The Research Library works in an integrated team environment. Services include development, management and operation of the Library's Geac Advance and classified Advance automated systems. Geac Advance is a proprietary system based on the UNIX platform. Provide technical support for loading external databases on the two Advance systems as well as supporting connections between the Library databases and the external customers who desire access to them. Assist in providing Web access to the Library databases. Work with process team members to design, develop and support search engines for full text and/or relational databases based on interpreting and implementing customers' information needs into database features. Consult with Research Library and Library Without Walls staff to identify and provide access to cutting-edge and future technology. Document processes involved in implementing database activities. Actively understand, assess, and provide for customer needs for electronic databases and products. Participate in customer training and marketing for Research Library electronic databases and products. Required Skills: * Library database management and system administrator experience supporting UNIX systems. * Demonstrated experience actively working with customers using electronic databases and products. * Demonstrated experience developing and supporting retrieval tools for full text and/or relational databases. Demonstrated experience supporting software applications. * Demonstrated experience interpreting, developing and supporting automated library database solutions for customer information needs. * Demonstrated experience working in a team environment. * Demonstrated experience supporting bibliographic applications that use the MARC record structure in a library environment. Desired Skills: * Excellent written communication skills. * Excellent oral communication skills. * Demonstrated experience working as an active team member. * Demonstrated experience prioritizing and managing multiple tasks while meeting deadlines. * Demonstrated experience documenting processes and/or projects. * Q clearance or ability to obtain a Q clearance. Education: American Library Association (ALA) accredited Masters of Library Science, or equivalent experience. Submit resume or application materials by September 14, 1998, to Staffing Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS-P286, Los Alamos, NM 87545. For questions about this posting, call (505) 665-0524. ****************************************************************** III. NOTICES III.A.1. Fr: Katharine Sharp Review Re: Katharine Sharp Review #7 Katharine Sharp Review ISSN 1083-5261 http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/review Katharine Sharp Review, the review of student scholarship in library and information science, announces the publication of issue No. 7, Summer 1998. KSR is published by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Articles are available in both HTML and PDF formats. http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/review/7/ Table of contents: * Kristina Nelson Raine. Radical Writing: A Proposal for Bibliographic Instruction at Iowa State University * Aaron Butts. Loose Coupling and the Archives of a Large Mid-Western State University * Hilary Caws-Elwitt. Copyright, Competition, and Reselling of Government Information: Impact on Dissemination Katharine Sharp Review is also available on the following mirror site: http://mirrored.ukoln.ac.uk/lis-journals/review/review/ ********** III.A.2. Fr: Richard Hill Re: ASIS Bulletin TOC, August/September The August/September issue of the _Bulletin_ is available full text at http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Aug-98/index.html BULLETIN August/September 1998 Volume 24, No. 6 SPECIAL SECTION Delivering Information Services through Collaboration. Michael Schrage and Collaboration; Steve R. Hardin Information Technology Professionals as Collaborative Change Agents: A Case Study from Behavioral Health Care. Linda Marion and David Marion United Technologies Corporation Moves to Virtual Information Services. Noreen Steele 1998 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW Preview of the Preliminary Program for the 1998 ASIS Annual Meeting: Information Access in the Global Information Economy Conference on the History and Heritage of Science Information Systems: Background and Purpose. Robert V. Williams Preliminary Program preview for Conference on the History and Heritage of Science Information Systems Departments From the Editor Inside ASIS ********** III.A.3. Fr: Andrea Duda Re: Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship The Summer 1998 issue of Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship is now available: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/istl/ Readers of this list may be particularly interested in * Science and Communication: An Author/Editor/User's Perspective on the Transition from Paper to Electronic Publishing by Vincent H. Resh, University of California, Berkeley ********** III.A.4. Fr: Ellie Kerrissey Re: Information Retrieval: Algorithms and Heuristics Information Retrieval: Algorithms and Heuristics by David A. Grossman, Office of Research and Development; Ophir Frieder, Illinois Institute of Technology. Information Retrieval: Algorithms and Heuristics is a comprehensive introduction to the study of information retrieval covering both effectiveness and run-time performance. The focus of the presentation is on algorithms and heuristics used to find documents relevant to the user request and to find them fast. Through multiple examples, the most commonly used algorithms and heuristics needed are tackled. To facilitate understanding of applications, introductions to and discussions of computational linguistics, natural language processing, probability theory and library and computer science are provided. While this text focuses on algorithms and not on commercial products per se, the basic strategies used by many commercial products are described. Techniques that can be used to find information on the Web, as well as in other large information collections, are included. This volume is an invaluable resource for researchers, practitioners, and students working in information retrieval and databases. For instructors, a set of Powerpoint slides, including speaker notes, are available online from the authors. Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Retrieval Strategies. 3. Retrieval Utilities. 4. Efficiency Issues Pertaining to Sequential IR Systems. 5. Integrating Structured Data and Text. 6. Parallel Information Retrieval Systems. 7. Distributed Information Retrieval. 8. The Text Retrieval Conference (TREC). 9. Future Directions. References. August 1998 ISBN 0-7923-8271-4 272 pp. Course Adoption price available when ordering six copies or more. Order your copy today! Phone customer service at (781) 871-6600. Orders by FAX to (781)871-6528 Please visit our on-line catalogue for ordering, or for information about all our publications: http://www.wkap.nl ********** III.B.1. Fr: Monica Landoni Re: CFP: 21st Annual Colloquium on Information Retrieval IRSG99 21st Annual Colloquium on Information Retrieval 19-20 April 1999 Glasgow, Scotland CALL FOR PAPERS The Annual Colloquium on IR Research provides an opportunity for both new and established researchers to present papers describing work in progress or final results. Submissions from students are particularly welcome and these can be considered for the Best Student Paper Award. Papers are invited on any topic related to Information Retrieval including: - Evaluation and testing of information retrieval systems - Networked information retrieval - IR and the Web - Hypermedia/Multimedia indexing and retrieval - Natural language processing for information retrieval - Logic and information retrieval - User interfaces for information retrieval - Information retrieval in library systems - Voice processing and retrieval - Database and IR integration - Data mining and information extraction - Commercial applications of information - Image processing and retrieval - Knowledge-based information retrieval. SUBMISSION: Authors are invited to submit a camera-ready copy of their paper, in English, to be received no later than 18 December 1998. Papers should contain at most 7500 words and should be double-spaced. The submission should include two copies of the paper: one anonymous copy for refereeing and one full copy for publication in the draft proceedings. The first page must contain the title of the paper and an abstract of not more than 100 words. Please indicate if the paper is to be considered for the Best Student Paper Award. This Award requires that the first and primary author be a full-time student at time of submission. Papers will be refereed and, if accepted, will be published in the draft proceedings that will be circulated to all delegates for use during the Colloquium. Authors will then have until 31st May 1999 to revise their paper for the formal Colloquium Proceedings in the light of referee's comments and feedback from delegates. Guidelines for the submission of papers for the formal proceedings will be circulated to the authors on acceptance for the Colloquium. CONTACTS: If you have any queries or problems concerning submitting a paper, please contact the programme chair: Dr Monica Landoni Department of Information Science University of Strathclyde 26 Richmond Street Glasgow G1 1XH United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 141 548 4949 Fax: +44 (0) 141 553 1393 E-mail: bcs-irsg99@dis.strath.ac.uk www.irsg.eu.org/colloq ********** III.B.2. Fr: San MURUGESAN Re: CFP - AAAI Spring Symposium on Intelligent Agents in Cyberspace 1999 AAAI Spring Symposium on INTELLIGENT AGENTS IN CYBERSPACE Stanford University, USA 22-24 March 1999 http://btwebsh.macarthur.uws.edu.au/san/iac/ Submissions are due by 30 October 1998 CALL FOR PAPERS/PARTICIPATION Cyberspace, in the shape of the Internet, intranets, extranets, and the World Wide Web, has grown phenomenally in recent years. Cyberspace now contains enormous amounts of information and is also being increasingly exploited for a number business and other applications. However, effective use of cyberspace and of the information in it is becoming increasingly difficult. There is now growing interest in deploying intelligent software agents for effectively using cyberspace in a wide variety of applications. Software agents can act as smart personal assistants, roam cyberspace to collect required information on behalf of the users and conduct a variety of business transactions and functions online. They could also collectively perform complex, collaborative tasks. To make significant progress in this area, however, we need to: 1) identify and explore opportunities for intelligent agents in cyberspace; 2) develop new, innovative applications; and 3) devise integrated, comprehensive approaches for their widespread deployment in cyberspace. This symposium aims to bring together researchers and developers in the areas of intelligent agents, information retrieval, electronic business and the Internet and Web to have focussed discussions on the current status of research and applications of intelligent agents in cyberspace and to explore directions for further work. Areas of interest include (see the web page for details): - Intelligent agents for Cyberspace - Agent societies in Cyberspace - Barriers to widespread deployment of agents in Cyberspace - Agent applications in Cyberspace - Agent standards; agent etiquette - Social, ethical and legal aspects of deploying of intelligent agents Case studies and experience reports For further details see the symposium web page at: http://btwebsh.macarthur.uws.edu.au/san/iac/ ********** III.C.1. Fr: Maria Zemankova Re: IP: Database Protection and Access to Information There is an insightful article in Science, 1998 August 7, 786-787: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: Database Protection and Access to Information William Gardner and Joseph Rosenbaum SUMMARY: Gardner and Rosenbaum discuss the "Collections of Information Antipiracy Act," which is currently before the U.S. Senate. If enacted into law, the Act would significantly increase the property rights of database owners. Proponents argue that pervasive networking of computers and weaknesses in U.S. law mandate increased protection of the rights of information owners. Opponents of the Act believe that the Antipiracy Act's expansion of property rights in data could make information vital to science prohibitively expensive or inaccessible. W. Gardner is in the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and is the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Chair of the National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists (NCLS), a joint committee of the AAAS and the American Bar Association. E-mail: gardnerwp@msx.upmc.edu. J. Rosenbaum is an attorney with Pryor Cashman Sherman & Flynn, LLP, and is a member of the NCLS. Access to the full article is free, at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/281/5378/786. Needless to say, this Act could have a great impact on research in digital libraries, information retrieval, databases, data mining, etc., etc.,... ****************************************************************** IV. PROJECTS IV.C.1. Fr: Maria Zemankova Re: NSF-NATO Postdoc Fellowships in Sci & Eng: proposals 11/16/98 FY 1999 - NSF-NATO Postdoctoral Fellowships in Science and Engineering, NSF 98-149 (Replaces nsf97149) http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf98149 ANNOUNCEMENT OF NSF-NATO POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING INCLUDING SPECIAL FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR VISITING SCIENTISTS FROM NATO PARTNER COUNTRIES FOR 1999 On behalf of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the National Science Foundation (NSF) invites applications for 12-month postdoctoral fellowships from beginning scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Approximately 20 fellowships will be offered for research abroad and approximately 20 awards will be made to U.S. institutions that would like to host a Visiting Scientist from NATO Partner Countries. Eligible fields of research are: mathematics, engineering, computer and information science, geosciences, the physical, biological, social, behavioral, and economic sciences, the history and philosophy of science, and interdisciplinary areas comprised of two or more of these fields. Research in the teaching and learning of science, mathematics, technology, and engineering is also eligible for support. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS: November 16, 1998 AWARDS ANNOUNCED: March 1999 ****************************************************************** IRLIST Digest is distributed from the University of California, Division of Library Automation, 1111 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA. 94607-5200. 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. 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