Introduction

Abstract

Since the near beginnings of civilization, human beings have focused on written communication. From cave drawings to scroll writings, from printing presses to electronic libraries, communicating was of primary concern to man’s existence. Today, with the emergence of digital libraries and electronic information exchange there is clear need for improved techniques to organize large quantities of information. Applied and theoretical research and development in the areas of information authorship, processing, storage, and retrieval is of interest to all sectors of the community. In this book, we survey recent research efforts that focus on the electronic searching and retrieving of documents.