xvii, 371 pages : 24 cm

"Information retrieval is a communication process that links an information user or seeker to a computer system that contains data bases or to a librarian, museum curator, fingerprint identification specialist, or whoever is in charge of a collection of what we are calling documents. The communication will normally involve the processing of text, strings of words known to both parties in the process that can be used to describe a document's content and other attributes and link it with a need expressed in similar terms. Even non-text entities, such as musical themes, are converted to alphanumeric symbols to allow effective storage, search, and retrieval. This book's purpose is to teach people who will be searching or designing text retrieval systems how the systems work. For designers, it covers problems they will face and reviews currently available solutions to provide a basis for more advanced study. For the searcher its purpose is to describe why such systems work as they do. The book is primarily about computer-based retrieval systems, but the principles apply to nonmechanized ones as well"--Back cover

Previous edition: by Charles T. Meadow, Bert R. Boyce, Donald H. Kraft. 2000

Includes bibliographical references and index

Cover -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1. Introduction -- 1.1 What Is Information? -- 1.2 What Is Information Retrieval? -- 1.3 How Does Information Retrieval Work? -- 1.4 Who Uses Information Retrieval? -- 1.5 What Are the Problems in IRS Design and Use? -- 1.6 A Brief History of Information Retrieval -- Recommended Reading -- Chapter 2. Data, Information, and Knowledge -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Definitions -- 2.3 Metadata -- 2.4 Knowledge Base -- 2.5 Credence, Justified Belief, and Point of View -- 2.6 Summary -- Chapter 3. Representation of Information -- 3.1 Information to Be Represented -- 3.2 Types of Representation -- 3.3 Characteristics of Information Representations -- 3.4 Relationships Among Entities and Attribute Values -- 3.5 Summary -- Chapter 4. Attribute Content and Values -- 4.1 Types of Attribute Symbols -- 4.2 Class Relationships -- 4.3 Transformations of Values -- 4.4 Uniqueness of Values -- 4.5 Ambiguity of Attribute Values -- 4.6 Indexing of Text -- 4.7 Control of Vocabulary -- 4.8 Importance of Point of View -- 4.9 Summary -- Chapter 5. Models of Virtual Data Structure -- 5.1 Concept of Models of Data -- 5.2 Basic Data Elements and Structures -- 5.3 Common Structural Models -- 5.4 Applications of the Basic Models -- 5.5 Entity-Relationship Model -- 5.6 Summary -- Chapter 6. The Physical Structure of Data -- 6.1 Introduction to Physical Structures -- 6.2 Record Structures and Their Effects -- 6.3 Basic Concepts of File Structure -- 6.4 Organizational Methods -- 6.5 Parsing of Data Elements -- 6.6 Combination Structures -- 6.7 Summary -- Chapter 7. Querying the Information Retrieval System -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 Language Types -- 7.3 Query Logic -- 7.4 Functions Performed -- 7.5 The Basis for Charging for Searches -- Chapter 8. Interpretation and Execution of Query Statements -- 8.1 Problems of Query Language Interpretation -- 8.2 Executing Retrieval Commands -- 8.3 Executing Record Analysis and Presentation Commands -- 8.4 Executing Other Commands -- 8.5 Feedback to Users and Error Messages -- Chapter 9. Text Searching -- 9.1 The Special Problems of Text Searching -- 9.2 Some Characteristics of Text and Their Applications -- 9.3 Command Language for Text Searching -- 9.4 Term Weighting -- 9.5 Word Association Techniques -- 9.6 Text or Record Association Techniques -- 9.7 Other Processes with Words of a Text -- Chapter 10. System-Computed Relevance and Ranking -- 10.1 The Retrieval Status Value (rsv) -- 10.2 Ranking -- 10.3 Methods of Evaluating the rsv -- 10.4 The rsv in Operational Retrieval -- Chapter 11. Search Feedback and Iteration -- 11.1 Basic Concepts of Feedback and Iteration -- 11.2 Command Sequences -- 11.3 Information Available as Feedback -- 11.4 Adjustments in the Search -- 11.5 Feedback from User to System -- Chapter 12. Multi-Database Searching and Mapping -- 12.1 Basic Concepts -- 12.2 Multi-Database Search -- 12.3 Mapping -- 12.4 Value of Mapping -- Chapter 13. Search Strategy -- T$75

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