Text Information Retrieval Systems

This will be the third edition of the highly successful "Text Information Retrieval Systems". The 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. The book covers the nature of information, how it is organized for use by a computer, how search functions are carried out, and some of the theory underlying these functions. As well, it discusses the interaction between user and system and how retrieved items, users, and complete systems are evaluated. A limited knowledge of mathematics and of computing is assumed. This third edition will be updated to include coverage of the WWW and current search engines. In many cases, examples of non-web searching will be replaced with web-based illustrations. Coverage of interfaces, various features available to assist searchers, and areas in which search assistance is not available will also be covered. In addition, the book will have a web dimension which will include relevant material available online, to be used in conjunction with the text. It is a follow-up to the award winning 2nd Edition. It focuses on computer-based system but basic principles can be applied to any information seeking context.

Charles T. Meadow, professor emeritus, University of Toronto, and has been visiting professor at the Universities of North Carolina and the West Indies. He edited the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and the Canadian Journal of Information Science and was president of the Canadian Association for Information Science. Received Research Award and shared Annual Information Science Book Award from ASIS&T.

Bert Boyce has been an Information System Research Analyst, for the Information Systems Office, at the Library of Congress, a faculty member and acting Dean of the School of Library and Information Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, and Dean of the School of Library and Information Science, Louisiana State University, where he is now Professor and Dean Emeritus. He is currently Editor of the Academic Press Library and Information Science Series. He received the ASIS&T Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award in 1989, and has shared the Annual Information Science Book Award from ASIS&T.

Donald Kraft is professor at LSU and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a fellow of IEEE and AAAS and editor of the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology He received the Research Award, Watson Davis Award, and shared the Annual Information Science Book Award from ASIS&T and the LSU Distinguished Faculty award.

Carol Barry is associate professor in the School of Library and Information Science, Louisiana State University. She has received the Best JASIS Paper Award, 1995; the LSU Alumni Association Teaching Award, 1995; and the American Society for Information Science, Doctoral Forum Award, 1993. She is associate editor of JASIS&T, a Member of the Board of ASIS&T, and a member of the LSU Faculty Senate and its vice president in 2000-2001. She has authored or co-authored over 30 research papers.