Introduction to Modern Information Retrieval [Paperback]

G. G. Chowdhury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003 | ISBN-10: 1856044807 | ISBN-13: 978-1856044806 | Edition: 2

An information retrieval system is designed to analyse, process and store sources of information and retrieve those that match a particular user's requirements. A bewildering range of techniques is now available to the information professional attempting to successfully retrieve information. It is recognized that today's information professionals need to concentrate their efforts on learning the techniques of computerized information retrieval. However, it is this book's contention that it also benefits them to learn the theory, techniques and tools that constitute the traditional approaches to the organization and processing of information. In fact much of this knowledge may still be applicable in the storage and retrieval of electronic information in digital library environments. This fully revised second edition has been thoroughly updated to incorporate major changes in this rapidly expanding field since the first edition in 1999, including user-centred models, web information retrieval, user interfaces, digital libraries and metadata. Illustrated with many examples and comprehensively referenced for an international audience, this is an indispensable textbook for students of library and information studies undertaking courses in information retrieval, information organization, information use and knowledge-based systems at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. It is also an invaluable aid for information practitioners wishing to brush up on their skills and keep up to date with the latest techniques.

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the first edition: 'Students and their teachers who need a practical, wide-ranging introductory survey of information retrieval will find it in this book.' PROGRAM 'Chowdhury's new text succeeds admirably in its aim to bring together traditional theory of classification, cataloguing and subject indexing as well as new, more IT-oriented, principles, models and techniques of information retrieval.' AUSTRALIAN LIBRARY JOURNAL

About the Author

Dr G G Chowdhury BSc MLISc PhD FCLIP is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde. He was formerly an Associate Professor in the Division of Information Studies, School of Applied Science, at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Associate Professor at the School of Information Studies for Africa (SISA). He has published extensively on information storage and retrieval.

Product Details

• Paperback: 474 pages
• Publisher: Facet Publishing; 2 edition (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1856044807
• ISBN-13: 978-1856044806
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro, June 15, 2010

By 

Nick Prieve (Eveleth Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to Modern Information Retrieval (Paperback)

This one is a bit more on the info science side of things, but is quite good. It is an intro to IR which, like IO, can be a tricky subject to talk about. I thought the author did quite well and the use of diagrams when talking about IR algorithms was a big plus.
There are some chapters that are not as relevant as others, but overall, a great text.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Poor Textbook, October 24, 2009

By 

Library Science Student (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to Modern Information Retrieval (Paperback)

This textbook is really awful. It is the required text for one of my library & information science courses. In my class evaluation at the end of the semester, I plan on strongly recommending that they look into a different text for the course. It is poorly written, poorly edited, and difficult to understand. Concepts are discussed with little to no explanation. The author relies heavily on "bullet point"-type lists, which seem more like space filler than useful information. The abstracts and abstracting chapter, while easier to understand than some of the other chapters, is lacking any illustrative examples. The section on automatic abstracting, in particular, should have been supplemented by some examples of automatic abstracts, so readers have a clear idea of what automatic abstracting has to offer and what its deficiencies are. Listing 5-6 definitions of abstracting is not nearly as helpful as some solid, concrete examples would be. For an introductory text, the author uses language that is too technical and doesn't even try to explain it. Much of the text is very repetitive. It is a bad combination of being too basic in parts and too advanced in other parts; it never finds the right balance.

Overall, reading this book is painful, not only because it isn't engaging or well-written but because I don't feel like I actually learned anything after reading a chapter. If anything, I sometimes feel more confused.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars it's a textbook-I had to buy it for a class, June 8, 2008

By 

Melody L. Hanson (Appleton, WI) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Introduction to Modern Information Retrieval (Paperback)

So far, it seems to be helpful for the class it was required for. $90.00 for a paperback book is really sad, though.