Content‐enriched access to electronic information: Summaries of Selected Research
| Published date | 01 March 1990 |
| Date | 01 March 1990 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb047795 |
| Pages | 27-32 |
| Author | Richard Van Orden |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
CONTENT-ENRICHED ACCESS TO
ELECTRONIC INFORMATION:
Summaries of Selected Research
Richard Van Orden
With the continuing increases in computer
processing and storage capabilities, the barriers
to and benefits of electronic access to more
information content are becoming serious issues
in information science research. The experiments
described in this article, which address the
value of content-enriched access, are important
to continued progress in information retrieval.
Well-selected content components and full-text
materials in electronic systems must be linked
with improved search methodologies, better
computer interfaces, and greater understanding
of the structure and use of knowledge. Content-
enriched records, augmented by these other
developments, will enhance the probability of
users identifying the information they require.
Introduction
Content-enriched access means going beyond
standard bibliography to include information compo-
nents such as tables of contents and back-of-book
indexes in computerized systems. Although many
printed indexes and online systems contain abstracts
and descriptors for journal articles, the catalog records
for
books
typically
do
not include summaries or tables
of contents.
Enhanced information for
books,
serials, and other
distribution formats combined with sophisticated
searching capabilities is potentially an important
advance in improving individuals' ability to convenient-
ly identify the specific material they require. Con-
tent-enriched access may be the next area of major
improvement in information retrieval. However,
arbitrary inclusion of large amounts of additional
information may impede the process of finding records
relevant
to
particular search inquiries. With the continu-
ing increases in computer processing and storage
capabilities, me barriers to and benefits of electronic
access to more information content are becoming
serious issues in information science research. The
experiments described in this article, which address
the value of content-enriched access, are important to
continued progress in information retrieval. Well-
selected content components and full-text materials in
electronic systems must be linked with improved search
methodologies,
better computer interfaces,
and
greater
understanding of the structure and use of knowledge.
Electronic access to the following supplemental
information—parts of books, serials,
and
other materi-
als—may affect either negatively or positively the
ability of
the
researcher to find relevant information:
Van Orden
is program director for Research and
Academic Libraries, OCLC, Inc., Dublin, Ohio.
—
CONTENT-ENRICHED
ACCESS
TO
ELECTRONIC INFORMATION
—
ISSUE 31
—
(1990, NO.3) 27
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