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4 units. CCN 42706 
Fall 2000 
TTh 9:30 - 11:00, 202 South Hall 
 
 

Course Overview  

Three hours of lecture per week. Organization, representation, and access to information. Categorization, indexing, and content analysis. Data structures. Design and maintenance of databases,indexes, classification schemes, and thesauri. Use of codes, formats, and standards. Analysis and evaluation of search and navigation techniques. 

This is a required introductory course for SIMS masters students covering the practices, issues, and theoretical foundations of organizing and analyzing information and information content for the purpose of providing intellectual access to textual and non-textual information resources. This course will introduce students to the principles of information storage and retrieval systems and databases. Students will learn how effective information search and retrieval is interrelated with the organization and description of information to be retrieved. Students will also learn to use a set of tools and procedures for organizing information, and will become familiar with the techniques involved in conducting effective searches of print and online information resources. 

Course Mission Statement 

This course is intended to prepare you to design, develop and use information systems. We will explore the practices, issues and theoretical foundations of organizing and analyzing information and information content for the purpose of providing intellectual access to textual and non-textual information resources. This course will introduce you to the principles of information storage and retrieval systems and databases. You will learn how effective information search and retrieval is interrelated with the organization and description of information to be retrieved. You will also learn to use a set of tools and procedures for organizing information, and will become familiar with the techniques involved in conducting effective searches of print and online information resources. The course also introduces the major types of information retrieval systems, the different theoretical foundations underlying these systems, and the methods and measures that can be used to evaluate& them. 

These topics will be examined through readings, discussion, hands-on experience using various information retrieval systems, and through exercises designed to help explore the capabilities and utility of different retrieval systems.