06 May 2010
Human Information Retrieval By Julian Warner, Book Launch Thursday 20th May 2010
No Alibis Bookstore in association with MIT Press
Wish to invite you to the Launch of
HUMAN INFORMATION
RETRIEVAL
By
Julian Warner
Thursday 20thMay 5.30pm
Refreshments will be Served
Information retrieval in the age of Internet search engines has become part of ordinary discourse and everyday practice: “Google” is a verb in common usage. Thus far, more attention has been given to practical understanding of information retrieval than to a full theoretical account. In Human Information Retrieval, Julian Warner offers a transformative overview of information retrieval, synthesizing theories from different disciplines (information and computer science, librarianship and indexing, and information society discourse) and incorporating such disparate systems as WorldCat and Google into a single, robust theoretical framework. There is a need for such a theoretical treatment, he argues, one that reveals the structure and underlying patterns of this complex field while remaining congruent with everyday practice.
Warner presents a labor theoretic approach to information retrieval, building on his previously formulated distinction between semantic and syntactic mental labor, arguing that the description and search labor of information retrieval can be understood as both semantic and syntactic in character. Warner’s information
science approach is rooted in the humanities and the social sciences but informed by an understanding of information technology and information theory. The chapters offer a progressive exposition of the topic, with illustrative examples to explain the concepts presented. Neither narrowly practical nor largely speculative, Human Information Retrieval meets the contemporary need for a broader treatment of information and information systems.
Julian Warner is on the faculty of Queen’s University Management School at Queen’s University Belfast. He is the author of Humanizing Information Technology, Information, Knowledge, Text, and From Writing to Computers.
“I have always enjoyed Julian’s take on information retrieval and this book is no exception.”
David Ellis, Department of Information Studies, Aberystwyth University
“Julian Warner’s treatment of Human Information Retrieval provides an up-to-date, erudite and thoughtprovoking account of this immensely important topic. The trans-disciplinary nature of the topic is developed, with theoretical and practical implications brought to the surface. This book is a ‘must read’ for researchers and thinking practitioners alike.”
Robert D. Galliers, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, Bentley University
“All in all, Human Information Retrieval is broad in scope and brings readers closer not just to understand the
practical treatment of information systems but also to develop a theoretical approach to information and data
management. A must read for information professionals.”
Information World Review
NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607
« Go Back