Indexing and abstracting often fail because too much emphasis is given to the mechanics of description and too little is given to what ought to be described. This text focuses on how people seek information. Drawing on a delightfully broad base of intellectual resources--from information theory and classic literature to Beethoven and MTV--the author considers the basic question of how we can index and abstract our information so that the user can actually find it. He also addresses the challenges and opportunities resulting from the information and technology explosion. O'Connor discusses...

Designed to assist beginning searchers, whether they are students or practitioners, this text offers a comprehensive introduction to online systems that primarily provide information in the form of bibliographic citations. Walker and Janes give basic how-to information on the use of online systems, discuss topics for which there are no accepted paradigms, and present alternative points of view within a framework of previous research. Expanding on their immensely popular and critically acclaimed first edition, the authors have added extensive new material addressing Internet search and...