Information Searching Theory and Practice: Selected Works of Marcia J. Bates, Volume II

by Marcia J. Bates

Overview

Throughout most of human history, people got the information they needed for their lives more or less automatically and unthinkingly--through people they talked with, and from their own life experiences. Today, we are inundated with information but often know little about how to find our way through the vast sea of recorded knowledge to get to what we really want and need. In the information sciences researchers have thought a great deal about information seeking, and have studied people in the grip of trying to satisfy an information need. Much has been learned about how to enable comfortable and fun information searching in human, paper, and digital environments. Professor Marcia Bates of UCLA's Department of Information Studies has collected fifteen of her major papers on information searching in theory and practice in this volume. The articles address many aspects of searching for information, including searching tactics and techniques, the "vocabulary problem" in online searching, the kinds of indexing terms to use in various contexts, the Bradford Distribution and its effects on searching in large databases, the true nature of browsing, and how to design computer interfaces for successful searching. For all the variety in types of information systems, the human being interacting with an information source is remarkably stable in psychology and behavior. These human traits and system features are explored in depth in this book. Bates' popular articles, "What is Browsing--Really?" and "The Design of Browsing and Berrypicking Techniques for the Online Search Interface," are included. This is Volume II of three containing selected works by Bates. The others are titled: Information and the Information Professions (Vol. I) and Information Users and Information System Design (Vol. III).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780981758428
Publisher:	Ketchikan Press
Publication date:	08/28/2016
Pages:	414
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Marcia J. Bates is Professor Emerita at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Information Studies. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she is a leading authority on information search, human-centered design of information systems, and information practices. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 3rd Ed., and is the recipient of many awards for her research and leadership. In addition to her teaching and scholarship, she has been a technical consultant to numerous organizations in government, foundations, and businesses, including technology startups.

A graduate of Pomona College (B.A.) and the University California at Berkeley (M.L.S., Ph.D.), Bates also served in Thailand in the Peace Corps.

Table of Contents

Search Vocabulary Use

Bates, M. J. Factors affecting subject catalog search success.
Bates, M. J. System meets user: Problems in matching subject search terms.
Bates, M. J. Subject access in online catalogs: A design model.
Bates, M. J. How to use controlled vocabularies more effectively in online searching.
Bates, M. J., Wilde, D. N., & Siegfried, S. An analysis of search terminology used by humanities scholars: The Getty Online Searching Project report no. 1.

Searching Behavior

Bates, M. J. Information search tactics.
Bates, M. J. Search techniques.
Bates, M. J. Locating elusive science information: Some search techniques.
Bates, M. J. The fallacy of the perfect thirty-item online search.
Siegfried, S., Bates, M.J., Wilde, D.N. A profile of end-user searching behavior by humanities scholars: The Getty Online Searching Project report no. 2.
Bates, M. J. The design of browsing and berrypicking techniques for the online search interface.
Bates, M. J. Speculations on browsing, directed searching, and linking in relation to the Bradford Distribution.
Bates, M. J. What is browsing-really? A model drawing from behavioral science research.
Bates, M.J. What is a reference book? A theoretical and empirical analysis.
Bates, M.J. Rigorous systematic bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

"Over the years, Marcia Bates' work has continuously and substantially changed the thinking and direction of the information sciences. This compilation makes available her most influential publications, some difficult to access and retrieve. Conveniently organized in three volumes, it is an immensely valuable contribution to the literature of the field."
CAROL COLLIER KUHLTHAU, Distinguished Professor Emerita, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers the state university of New Jersey.

"One of the most highly cited information scientists has assembled her lucid and coherent life's work. Pick these berries."
HOWARD D. WHITE, Professor Emeritus, College of Computing and Informatics, Drexel University.

From the Publisher