Intelligent information retrieval from the World Wide Web using fuzzy user modelling

The ever-changing nature of information sources, coupled with the increased demand on dwindling academic resources, led librarians and other information professionals to recognise the need for information retrieval (IR) systems that can incorporate the expertise of the information professional and gather knowledge about the user's experiences and preferences (Werckert & Cooper, 1989). The explosion of available information resources brought about by the development of the Internet and the World-Wide Web (WWW) has strengthened this need. The goal is to produce an 'intelligent' IR system which would work with the user to satisfy their information needs, so the application of Artificial lntelligence (AI) techniques seems a likely approach to the problem (Morris, 1990).