查詢介面的布林邏輯批判性思考 : 如何培育布林邏輯的資訊素養技能

Abstract

一般人查詢資料庫時，因資訊需求的關係，須靠著布林邏輯才能勾畫出他複雜主題的需求。四十年來布林邏輯是資料庫查詢系統的主流。可是，許多文獻指出布林邏輯觀念仍是大部份人查詢資料庫的障礙主因。當前，自然語言未成氣候。在視窗環境下許多資料庫的查詢介面由單行指令轉變成填充式及下拉式的選項畫面。各家系統廠商標榜友善的查詢介面 (User Friendly Interface)，卻有著不一樣操作方式，事實上，已造成查詢者的學習負擔。在各家查詢介面的背後，其布林邏輯的運算觀念實際上是相同的。真正了解的查詢者並不多。本文嘗試在各家不同的查詢介面中找出一個通則，以協助查詢者及教育者(館員)對布林邏輯建立批判性的思考模式。 本文就三方面來探討：從查詢者資訊需求的如何建構布林邏輯關係；不同系統中不同的布林邏輯的運算優先順序造成查詢結果，比較其差異性。同時，就查詢者的角度，針對當前的系統提供一些建言：如系統在主題上的自動篩選以避開同詞異義詞的困擾、文獻附加歸類分級等。本文試做系統與使用者之間的詮釋橋樑，協助查詢者培育資訊素養的技能。

Due to the complicacy of information needs, boolean logic, the most dominant and popular method in information retrieval, is the best way to achieve it so far. However, variety of researches indicate that the boolean logic concept is the primary obstacle for most people in database searchings. The natural language has not been matured , the single-command driven menu has been changed into fill-up or drawn-down menu under Window environment. The miscellaneous user interfaces from various vendors, been declared as"User friendly", have become as learning burden for users. This article tries to find out the generality of Boolean logic behind all systems in order to help users and librarians build up the concept of critical thinking.Three aspects covered are: First, search stragety by the combination of boolean logic relationship of user needs. Secondly, the comparison between different outputs based on precedence of Boolean logic of vendor systems. Also, the author gives some suggestions, from the point of users' view, such as: the automated filtering in specific subject avoiding the misconception and chaos of synonyms, the classification in documents by use of implied AND, etc..