Interfaces for Information Retrieval and Online Systems

Selected papers presented by leading professionals at a Mid-Year Conference of the American Society for Information Science, along with additional commentary by guest editors comprise this volume, which condenses a broad range of information into a cohesive overview of the state of the art of interface design. The current status of human-computer interaction is examined, and major trends identified in an effort to project the future significance of interfaces to information retrieval systems. The need to establish and implement standards for design involving the redefinition of tools and the reevaluation of information science theories and systems is central to the text, and the facts and data presented serve to initiate the development of these models.

This compilation explores the present and the future of interface design from a variety of perspectives. The volume introduction reviews the highlights of the conference proceedings and is followed by a concentration on six major topics ranging from interface style to case studies and standards. Each chapter touches on some aspect of those factors which impact user interface design, and end of chapter bibliographies facilitate further study. In a field which is rapidly evolving, this work furnishes computer system developers and library and information science researchers with new insight into the potential for innovative computer design.

MARTIN DILLON is Director of the Office of Research at the OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., in Dublin, Ohio. An authority on retrieval systems interfaces, he has collaborated on papers presented at industry conferences.