IRLIST Digest ISSN 1064-6965 January 23, 1995 Volume XII, Number 4 Issue 241 ********************************************************** II. JOBS 1. U. Arizona: Asst. Prof., School of Info. Resources 2. Minnesota State Colleges & Universities Project: Executive Director III. NOTICES B. Meetings 1. GIS and Libraries IV. PROJECTS A. Abstracts 1. IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts ********************************************************** II. JOBS II.1. Fr: Sue Fitzner Re: U. Arizona: Asst. Prof., School of Info. Resources The School of Library Science, currently pursuing a name change to the School of Information Resources, is seeking a research-oriented individual to join its faculty at the Assistant Professor level. This is a 9 month, tenure track appointment, salary for the position is $32,000 - $35,000. Summer teaching is normally available. QUALIFICATIONS: An earned doctorate; demonstrated potential for research and publication; demonstrated teaching potential; and a commitment to the study of information resources as a social phenomenon. In addition the successful candidate will be technologically fluent in that they will understand PC (any platform) based applications packages, particularly in the area of access to distance based information resources. RESPONSIBILITIES: Teaching, research, and service in some combination of the following areas: information and behavior, social and/or psychological aspects of the information seeking behavior and education of children and young adults, the cognitive learning and education process, collaborative models of information access and applications, medical/health informatics. APPLICATION: A cover letter addressing strengths in one or more of the areas listed above, a current vita, and a list of at least three references including telephone numbers and email addresses. It is especially important that references can document teaching ability. Review of applications begins 1 February 1995 and will continue until the position is filled. Expected Starting date is 16 August 1995. Address applications and questions to: C.D. Hurt, Professor and Director School of Library Science Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences University of Arizona 1515 East First Street Tucson, AZ 85719 Voice: 602-621-3566 FAX: 602-621-3279 EMAIL: CDHURT@CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU The University of Arizona is an AA/EEO/ADA employer. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. ********** II.2. Fr: Kathy Morgan Re: Executive Director Position Announcement: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Project for Automated Library Systems Executive Director Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Project for Automated Library Systems (MnSCU/PALS) MnSCI/PALS is a provider of autoted library systems and electronic databases and facilitator of cooperative access to and utilization of information resources. Located at Mankato State University, MnSCU/PALS has a total budget of $2 million and 17 employees. MnSCU/PALS provides information resources to students, faculty, and the general public through services to 55 subscribing member libraries; within the next two years, the number of member libraries will be expanded to approximately 75-80. MnSCU/PALS is supported by funds generated through a charging algorithm agreed upon in consultation with member libraries. MnSCU/PALS designs, plans, develops, applies, and integrates technologies within the library and information environment to support member libraries and provides a base for the information access infrastructure in Minnesota. Member libraries include state university, community college, technical college, private college, and state agency libraries. Effective July 1, 1995, MnSCU/PALS will be owned and operated by the merged system of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (until then it is owned and operated by the Minnesota State Universities). The Executive Director serves as the chief operating officer of MnSCU/PALS, and is responsible for supervising staff, managing the budget, planning, providing leadership and proposing future directions for MnSCU/PALS, maintaining communications with member libraries and users, serving as contact person with both internal and external publics and organizations, convening and working with MnSCU/PALS members through a Deans and Directors Council and an Executive Committee, and working with the MnSCU offices of Academic Affairs and Finance. The Executive Director reports to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of MnSCU. The position has a salary range of $54,858 to $90,737, depending on qualifications and experience. Minimum Qualifications include the following: --Master's degree required. --Education in library services and computer information services. --Experience with library networks, computer networks, and/or multi-site information systems. --Minimum of five years' management experience in library services and/or computer information systems. --Experience in management of both budgets and personnel (hiring, supervision, and evaluation). --Ability to lead and work effectively with large groups to develop recommendations and future directions. Letters of application, a complete resumh, and names, addresses, and phone numbers of five references should be sent to the following address: MnSCU/PALS Executive Director Search Office of Academic Affairs Minnesota State Universities 555 Park Street, Suite 230 St. Paul, MN 55103 APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications must be postmarked no later than February 3, 1995. MnSCU/PALS is an equal opportunity/affirmative action organization. ********************************************************** III. NOTICES III.B.1. Fr: Kathy Painter Re GIS & Libraries 32nd Annual Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing GIS and Libraries: Patrons, Maps and Spatial Information April 2-4, 1995 Electronic technologies are creating new ways of meeting the needs of library patrons for spatial and cartographic information. This conference will examine the role of Geographic Information Systems in providing information to a variety of patrons in a number of different library settings. Conference speakers will review the development of GIS, current use of this technology in research and decision-making, and will address the challenges and opportunities facing libraries as they adopt this new kind of information service. Offered in conjunction with the conference are two optional preconference workshops related to GIS. This conference will be of interest to librarians, academic computing staff, developers of Geographic Information Systems, and scholars interested in the possibilities of GIS in libraries. PROGRAM SUNDAY, APRIL 2 Workshop I: "Overview of Concepts" (optional), Marc P. Armstrong Workshop II: "Spatial Analysis in the Social Sciences" (optional), Gerard Rushton KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Map Technology in Transition Mark Monmonier, Professor, Department of Geography, Maxwell School, Syracuse University. MONDAY, APRIL 3 Describing and Cataloging GIS, Cataloging Digital Geospatial Data - Old Wine, New Bottles, Mary Lynette Larsgaard Metadata Standards and the FGDC, Michael Domarantz Secretariat, U.S. Geological Survey Users and Interfaces Spatial Information Needs of the General Public: Texts, Maps, and Users' Tasks Myke Gluck, Assistant Professor, School of Library & Information Studies, Florida State University Geographic Information Retrieval and Spatial Browsing Ray R. Larson, Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of California, Berkeley The Government Information Locator Service (GILS): Identifying, Locating, and Accessing Geographic and Spatial Data William E. Moen, Research Associate/PhD Candidate, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University GIS in Libraries I GIS in Academic Libraries Brent Allison, Head, John R. Borchert Map Library, University of Minnesota Using GIS for Estimating and Profiling Geographic Library Market Areas Christie Koontz, Ph.D., Assistant in Research, Spatial Analysis, Research and Training, Florida State University GIS in Libraries II Implementing GIS in the Public Library Arena Dean K. Jue, Director, Spatial Analysis, Research, and Training Program; Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center, Florida State University St. Louis Public Library's Electronic Atlas; Elements of a Successful GIS Application in the Public Library Environment Ann Watts, Coordinator, Information and Technology Services, St. Louis Public Library Demonstrations Tuesday, April 4 Specialized GIS Applications Environmental Impact Spatial Information and Libraries Lawrence Mondschein, Johnson & Johnson, Inc. Spatial Access to and Display of Global Change Data: Avenues for Libraries Linda L. Hill, Senior Research Scientist, University of Maryland at College Park; Universities Space Research Association; Center of Excellence in Space Data and Information Sciences; Interagency Working Group on Data Management for Global Change State and Local Initiatives Libraries as Repositories of Spatial Data: Illinois' CD-ROM Sheryl Oliver, GIS Manager, Illinois Dept. of Energy and Natural Resources Local Initiatives in GIS Panel Generalization and Summary The Generalization Problem Barbara Buttenfield, Department of Geography, State University of New York at Buffalo Conference Evaluation and Closing Linda Smith, Myke Gluck You may register by mail by sending this form to the address below, by phone (800-982-0914), by fax (217-244-3302) or by electronic mail (dpc@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu). FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION, CONTACT: DPC '95 Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 501 E. Daniel Street Champaign, IL 61820-6212 Email: dpc@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu Telephone: (800) 982-0914 or (217) 333-3281 Clinic Co-Chairs: Linda Smith, Professor, Graduate School of Library & Information Science, University of Illinois; Myke Gluck, Assistant Professor, School of Library & Information Studies Florida State University ********************************************************** IV. PROJECTS IV.A.1. Fr: Susanne M. Humphrey Re: IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts - August 1994 Selected IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts Compiled by: Susanne M. Humphrey, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894 The following are citations selected by title and abstract as being of potential interest to the Information Retrieval (IR), resulting from a computer search, using the CDP/Online system, of the Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI) database produced by University Microfilms International (UMI). Included are accession number (AN); author (AU); title (TI); degree, institution, year, number of pages (IN); UMI order number (DD); reference to the published DAI (SO); abstract (AB); one or more DAI subject descriptors chosen by the author (DE); thesis adviser (AR); and dates associated with the monthly update file (UP). Unless otherwise specified, paper or microform copies of dissertations may be ordered from University Microfilms International, Dissertation Copies, Post Office Box 1764, Ann Arbor, MI 48106; telephone for U.S. (except Michigan, Hawaii, Alaska): 1-800-521-3042, for Canada: 1-800-343-5299; fax: 313-973-1540. Price lists and other ordering and shipping information are in the introduction to the published DAI. An alternate source for copies is sometimes provided. Dissertation titles and abstracts contained here are published with permission of University Microfilms International, publishers of Dissertation Abstracts International (copyright by University Microfilms International), and may not be reproduced without their prior permission. AN AAI9420712 AU Weishar, Doyle Joseph. TI A KNOWLEDGE-BASED ARCHITECTURE FOR QUERY FORMULATION AND PROCESSING IN FEDERATED HETEROGENEOUS DATABASES. IN Thesis (PH.D.)--GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, 1994, 243p. DD Order Number: AAI9420712. SO Dissertation Abstracts International. Volume: 55-03, Section: B, page: 1014. AB Existing (or legacy) databases are typified by differences in data representation, data access languages, and differing data models. Data representation differences include name, format and structural differences for identical and similar data stored in more than one legacy database. Data access language differences may require multiple queries to complete the retrieval of all values of a data element stored in more than one legacy database. And differences in data model constructs may result in similarly named data elements being represented at different levels of abstraction which exhibit different properties. These differences make access difficult for most users. To resolve such problems, this dissertation addresses a user's need to formulate queries to multiple heterogeneous databases easily, and to have confidence in the results that are returned. The Intelligent Heterogeneous Autonomous Database Architecture (InHead) approach involves the use of Artificial Intelligence tools and techniques to construct "domain models," that is data and knowledge representations of the constituent databases and an overall domain model of the semantic interactions among the databases. These domain models are represented as Knowledge Sources (KSs) in a blackboard architecture. The work described in this dissertation provides four major contributions. The first is the specification of an active and intelligent global thesaurus. The second contribution is the extension of the traditional notion of an export schema into that of an "Export Data/Knowledge/Task" schema. The third contribution is the specification and use of "Data/knowledge Packets," which are a means of encapsulating object structure, relationships, operations, constraints, and rules into a meaningful unit, or packet. The fourth contribution is the specification an intelligent heterogeneous database architecture that provides a framework for the above. DE Computer Science. Artifical Intelligence. AR Kerschberg, Larry. UP 9408. Revised: 940902. AN AAI9422230 AU Barry, Carol Lee. TI THE IDENTIFICATION OF USER CRITERIA OF RELEVANCE AND DOCUMENT CHARACTERISTICS: BEYOND THE TOPICAL APPROACH TO INFORMATION RETRIEVAL. IN Thesis (PH.D.)--SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, 1993, 255p. DD Order Number: AAI9422230. SO Dissertation Abstracts International. Volume: 55-03, Section: A, page: 0403. AB The objective of this study was twofold: first, to describe the criteria mentioned by users evaluating the information within documents as it related to the users' information need situations; and second, to describe the characteristics of documents that allowed users to predict the presence or absence of criteria within documents. This research was intended to provide a better understanding of the notion of relevance, which is a fundamental concept in the design and evaluation of information retrieval systems. This study was an exploratory effort to examine these issues by eliciting mentions of criteria and document characteristics directly from motivated users in actual information seeking and use situations. Data were collected by asking users in an academic environment (e.g. undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty) to evaluate representations of documents that had been retrieved specifically for each user's information need situation. Users were asked to mark the portions of the document representations that indicated to the users whether they would or would not pursue the information within documents. An open-ended interview technique was then employed to discuss each marked portion of the documents with users. The interviews were audiotaped, the tapes transcribed, and the transcriptions were content analyzed in order to identify and describe evaluation criteria and document characteristics. The major results consisted of descriptions of document characteristics (e.g., authors, publication dates) and criteria (e.g., recency, accuracy) mentioned by users. The results indicated that the criteria employed by users included tangible characteristics of documents (e.g., the information content of the document, the provision of references to other sources of information), subjective qualities (e.g., agreement with the information provided by the document) and situational factors (e.g., the time constraints under which the user was working). The results also examined the co-occurrence of document characteristics and criteria, in an attempt to determine where users were finding clues to the presence or absence of criteria. The implications of this research for the design and evaluation of information retrieval systems, as well as directions for future research, are discussed. DE Information Science. AR Bonzi, Susan. UP 9408. Revised: 940902. AN AAIC360209 AU Clausen, Helge. TI ELECTRONIC MAIL AND THE INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL: A STUDY OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION AND ITS FUTURE PROSPECTS IN THE INFORMATION FIELD. IN Thesis (PH.D.)--AARHUS UNIVERSITET (DENMARK), 1992, 295p. DD Not available from UMI. Available from: TEGLVANGSVEJ 64, DK-8543 HORNSLET, DENMARK. SO Dissertation Abstracts International. Volume: 55-03, Section: C, page: 0689. AB Three main problems in computer-mediated communication (CMC) are formulated, together with a general frame of reference for Information Science in relation to Communication Research. A state-of-the-art for information technology (IT) in information work (exemplified by academic libraries) is given, together with a short account of future trends. The working conditions for information professionals are analyzed in the light of the introduction of IT during the last 15 years. A general overview of CMC systems is given together with an analysis of CMC concepts and a short historical account. Existing CMC technology is described and its use in information work is analyzed. CMC, in relation to office automation, decision support systems and computer-supported co-operative work, is treated with respect to the possible use in information work. The size of the market for e-mail and some forecasts are given. A bibliometric survey of e-mail market penetration is carried out. A few examples of networks supporting CMC services are briefly described. The Library Association's LA-net is described and evaluated as an example of a specialized CMC system for information professionals. Different types of CMC use are identified and a systematic overview is presented together with the latest figures on the distribution of CMC in the information field. A Delphi study covering the expected IT development in general, and the situation in Denmark in particular, is carried out. The findings are compared with similar findings. All the findings are brought together for analysis. There are two main categories of findings: (1) Empirical findings (bibliometric findings, findings from a Delphi study, and other statistical materials, most of which are original data from the present thesis); (2) Findings from literature studies: descriptions, analyses, evaluations. These findings are analyzed and a conclusion is formulated together with a recommendation for the development and implementation of a CMC system tailored for person-centred communication of Danish information professionals. DE Information Science. IB 8-798-41800-9 UP 9408. Revised: 940902. ********************************************************** IRLIST Digest is distributed from the University of California, Division of Library Automation, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA. 94612-3550. 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