IMLS Grant (LG-06-05-0100-05)

Modeling Web Searching Behaviors and Designing New Effective Interactions for Digital Libraries

Peiling Wang, PI;              Dietmar Wolfram, Co-PI;                Jin Zhang, Co-PI

   Current research reports that the majority of the Web users are novices with limited knowledge of information retrieval and naïve search strategies. Digital libraries need a new interaction model that is less complex than the traditional retrieval systems and more effective than the simplistic Web search engines. This new model should be based on users’ needs and query behaviors and incorporate algorithms for conceptual matching as the alternative to symbolic (term) matching. A sustainable project needs to have two integral components: (1) as basic research, to advance current knowledge of users' needs and searching behaviors on the Web; and (2) as applied research for digital libraries, to develop new design models. The proposed proposal will focus on the basic research component. The outcome of the project will contribute to the theoretical models of user needs and query behaviors and suggest new search interactions for digital libraries and Web search engines.

To the project Website for results and tools.

Last update: 7/5/2007