Reading assignment 07/03/09 (for July 04, 2009)

Improving information retrieval with human indexing. Broccoli, Kevin.

http://www.intranetjournal.com/features/humanindex-1.shtml.

Abstract

Search engines, a type of information retrieval (system) were used by some companies nowadays. These search engines sometimes are not helpful at all especially when it comes to narrowing researches. The user is the one who is responsible and must know how to specify his/her search. In able to be successful in a particular search, techniques or strategies more on indexing aspects should be considered. Human intervention with machines as always is also emphasized here as well as the importance of human indexers in information retrieval.

What I have learned:

1. Computer (system) is one of the best way to make the work easier by just creating databases which would function as a search engine for a client’s search.
2. Although a search engine gives me a vast amount of results regarding my query, it doesn’t mean that all the retrieved information is relevant to my search and I noticed it always.
3. I agree that machine cannot work separately from humans because these two are very essential in information retrieval. Besides, machines just follow instructions from us.

Application/Implication

Information professionals like records managers tried to find out of a way to alleviate the tedious searching of a particular client about his research. We know that search engines is one solution because it is a kind of information retrieval (system) but sometimes this engines cannot give you an exact topic of what you are looking for. I think that would be the first major concern for me as a future records manager on how to deal in making the search more simple and specific with the use of a database or a system.