Marcia J. Bates: «Context and interaction must be basic elements in information retrieval systems.»

An interview with Marcia J. Bates, professor of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and expert in user-focused information retrieval systems, content representation, and subject access. She addresses the evolution of technology and the automation of tasks requiring the user’s capacity for reasoning; user behaviour during subject searching; training for competencies in information handling; the need for context in subject indexing and retrieval; and empathy in the relation between librarians and users.