Autorentext
Brian C. O'Connor is associate professor, School of Library and Information Sciences, University of North Texas. He is also associate director of the interdisciplinary PhD program in information science.

Klappentext

The relationship between a person with a question and a source of information is complex. Indexing and abstracting often fail because too much emphasis is put on the mechanics of description and too little on what ought to be represented. Research literature suggests that inappropriate representation results in failed searches a significant number of times, perhaps even in a majority of cases. Doing Things with Information seeks to rectify this unfortunate situation by emphasizing methods of modeling and constructing appropriate representations of such questions and documents. Students in programs of information studies will find focal points for discussion about system design and refinement of existing systems. Librarians, scholars, and those who work within large document collections, whether paper or electronic, will find insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the access systems they use.

Zusammenfassung
Students in programs of information studies will find focal points for discussion about system design and refinement of existing systems. Librarians, scholars, and those who work within large document collections, whether paper or electronic, will find insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the access systems they use.

Inhalt

1. Background Concepts and Models
2. Considerations of Representation
3. Representation, Function, and Utility
4. Failures of Representation: Indeterminacy and Depth
5. Aboutness and User-Generated Descriptors
6. Responses to Indeterminacy
7. Doing Things with Word-Based Documents
8. Functional Applications of Information Measurement
9. Functional Ontology Construction
10. Creek Pebbles: A Summary Metaphor and Touchstone for Exploration
    References
    Index