Browse Books

Reviewer: David Parry

White and Roth's book is a concise introduction to the emerging area of exploratory search-activities that include browsing and focused search. Essentially, it deals with the common situation of a user learning more about a topic area during the searching process. The challenge for developers and academics is that traditional information retrieval approaches often assume that the main requirement of such systems is to provide the best possible answer to the initial question. Exploratory search acknowledges that, by the end of the search process, the user may actually want to answer a different question. The book is a part of the "Synthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services" series. It is very easy to read, and it works very well as an introduction to the area, with over 250 references. One of the problems with any book in this area is that the example systems are overtaken very quickly by new versions; that being said, the underlying principles are still valid. Similarly, evaluation methods for systems that support exploratory search are not universally agreed upon, so some pointers are given for adapting existing methods. Undoubtedly, this area lies in the boundary between information retrieval, usability testing, and cognitive science, and there are many opportunities for its research and development. This book is a recommended starting point for developers, academics, and advanced undergraduates who are interested in this area. Online Computing Reviews Service