Publisher's Synopsis
Information retrieval of texts or abstracts - the processes of searching for and finding information in a database by use of a computer - is a communication process that often appears overly complex due to the technology involved. In this text the process is demystified and made accessible to all potential users. Although a knowledge of a higher order language (Pascal, C, or BASIC) and elementary algebra is useful, the general meaning of the text can be suitably appreciated with only a passing familiarity of information technology.