Three new volumes published on behalf of the American Society for Information Science & Technology:

• Intelligent Technologies in Library and Information Service Applications
• Statistical Methods for the Information Professional
• Advances in Classification Research, Volume 10

April 27, 2001, Medford, NJ — Information Today, Inc. has announced the publication of three books in the American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIST) series. The new titles are Intelligent Technologies in Library Information Service Applications; Statistical Methods for the Information Professional, and Advances in Classification Research, Volume 10.

Intelligent Technologies in Library and Information Service Applications, by F.W. Lancaster and Amy Warner (ISBN 1-57387-103-6), surveys the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems in library and information services. 

The authors report on experimental and working implementations of AI, assess the current state of the art, review the relevant literature, and offer a clear-eyed forecast of future use and impact.

Statistical Methods for the Information Professional: A Painless, Practical Approach to Understanding, Using, and Interpreting Statistics (ISBN 1-57387-110-9) explains the statistical methods used in information science research. Author Liwen Vaughan focuses on basic logic rather than mathematical intricacies, emphasizing the meaning of statistics, when and how to apply them, and how to interpret the results of statistical analysis. She uses examples to show how statistics can be used to improve services, make better decisions, and conduct more effective research.

Advances in Classification Research, Volume 10, edited by Hanne Albrechtsen and Jens-Erik Mai (ISBN 1-57387-105-2), is a compilation of papers presented at the 10th ASIST SIG/CR Classification Research Workshop. The volume encompasses a variety of themes and disciplinary perspectives on classification research, including the social and cultural informatics of classification and coding systems, subject access and indexing theory, genre analysis, applications in electronic environments, and automated systems. 

These and other ASIST titles  are published on behalf of ASIST by Information Today, Inc. For more information and to order, contact the publisher, Information Today, Inc. at 800-300-9868 (outside U.S. call 609-654-6266), fax: 609-654-4309, e-mail: custserv@infotoday.com.  You may also simply click on the "Order Now" buttons below.

Librarians and library school faculty have been experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems for 30 years, but there has been no comprehensive survey of the results available until now. In this carefully researched monograph, authors Lancaster and Warner report on the applications of AI technologies in library and information services, assessing their effectiveness, reviewing the relevant literature, and offering a clear-eyed forecast of future use and impact. Includes almost 500 bibliographic references.

2001
244 pp/hardbound • ISBN: 1-57387-103-6
ASIST Members $31.60 • Non-Members $39.50 

For most of us, "painless" is not the word that comes to mind when we think of statistics, but author and educator Liwen Vaughan wants to change that. In this unique and useful book, Vaughan clearly explains the statistical methods used in information science research, focusing on basic logic rather than mathematical intricacies. Her emphasis is on the meaning of statistics, when and how to apply them, and how to interpret the results of statistical analysis. Through the use of real-world examples, she shows how statistics can be used to improve services, make better decisions, and conduct more effective research.

2001 
240 pp/hardbound • ISBN: 1-57387-110-9
ASIST Members $31.60 • Non-Members $39.50 

Advances in Classification Research, Volume 10 is a compilation of papers prepared for the 10th ASIS SIG/CR Workshop on Classification Research, held at the 62nd ASIS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, on November 1-5, 1999.
 

2001/150 pp/softbound
ISBN: 1-57387-105-2
ASIST Members $31.60 • Non-Members  $39.50