Central Bank of Nigeria Library

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Information retrieval systems : characteristics, testing, and evaluation /

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : John Wiley & Sons, c1968.Description: xiv, 222 p. :illISBN:
  • 0471512400
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 029 LAN
LOC classification:
  • Z699 .L35
Summary: As Lancaster clearly recognizes, "The quality of the index language is probably the most important single factor governing the performance of a retrieval system." Cited data on the MEDLARS system show that all but 2 of the system failures stem directly or indirectly from the inability of users to ask successfully for what they want in these extremely restricted and cantankerous "index languages." As a result, the actual performance of current systems range from mediocre to atrocious. An outstanding feature of the text is a careful and comprehensive evaluation of one of the best of the systems, MEDLARS. Overall, about 58% of the pertinent items in MEDLARS files are retrieved on request. Only about 50% of the items that are retrieved turn out to be pertinent to the request. This is not very good performance particularly when it is remembered that an "information retrieval system does not inform the user on the subject of his inquiry. It merely informs him on the existence ... of documents
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Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
Monograph & others Monograph & others CBN HQ Library General Stacks Non-fiction 029 LAN (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 31008100097530

Includes bibliographical references and index

As Lancaster clearly recognizes, "The quality of the index language is probably the most important single factor governing the performance of a retrieval system." Cited data on the MEDLARS system show that all but 2 of the system failures stem directly or indirectly from the inability of users to ask successfully for what they want in these extremely restricted and cantankerous "index languages." As a result, the actual performance of current systems range from mediocre to atrocious. An outstanding feature of the text is a careful and comprehensive evaluation of one of the best of the systems, MEDLARS. Overall, about 58% of the pertinent items in MEDLARS files are retrieved on request. Only about 50% of the items that are retrieved turn out to be pertinent to the request. This is not very good performance particularly when it is remembered that an "information retrieval system does not inform the user on the subject of his inquiry. It merely informs him on the existence ... of documents

rpm 27/07/2018

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