Brian C. O'Connor – författare

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 the shortcomings of traditional indexing and abstracting systems and then presents essays, exercises, and case studies that foster consideration of the elements of a successful search in a variety of settings. Useful as a companion volume for reference, cataloging, and indexing and abstracting classes, this book is also of interest to professional librarians, information brokers, and online searchers.

Human beings have always had a penchant for collecting images. The challenge today is that almost anything and everything in the world is available as a viewable image. Consequently, say O'Connor and Greisdorf, image collections can no longer be the result of ad hoc processes rooted in antiquated methodologies. To this end, they present the reader with an interdisciplinary approach to the principles, practices and belief systems underlying categorization and image management. The book is divided into three parts: defining the nature of images; describing how images are used; and explaining how and why images are collected (including the mechanics of storage and accessibility). Individual chapters contain a historical perspective on the subject matter and supporting research. Liberally enhanced with illustrations from the authors' own collections. For anyone who cognitively engages with image collections either vocationally or avocationally.

The relationship between a person with a question and a source of information is complex. Indexing and abstracting often fail because too much emphasis is put on the mechanics of description and too little on what ought to be represented. Research literature suggests that inappropriate representation results in failed searches a significant number of times, perhaps even in a majority of cases. Doing Things with Information seeks to rectify this unfortunate situation by emphasizing methods of modeling and constructing appropriate representations of such questions and documents. Students in programs of information studies will find focal points for discussion about system design and refinement of existing systems. Librarians, scholars, and those who work within large document collections, whether paper or electronic, will find insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the access systems they use.

We take an information-theoretic approach (message is a signal set) generated (coded) under various antecedents (sent over some channel) decoded under some other set of antecedents. The same holds true at the recipient end-yet, the signal set remains the signal set.

In addition, the authors suggest that proximity is a thread between retrieval constructs based on known topics, predictable relations, and types of information seeking that lie outside constructs such as browsing, stumbling, encountering, detective work, art making, and translation.