From Static to Dynamic Surrogates: Resource Discovery in the Digital Age

This paper explores how resource discovery in the networked (or digital) environment presents new opportunities for the use of surrogates. Our argument has several elements. We show that resource discovery is a complex process that includes multiple phases, is iterative, and highly dynamic. In agreement with others, we argue that resource discovery involves the manipulation of object surrogates, which are vital because of their "order-making" role. Resource discovery in the physical realm -- for example searches in the traditional library -- has been constrained by the use of static surrogates. In the traditional library these are the card catalog and its digital analog, the OPAC. These static surrogates have been quite successful as resource discovery aids, albeit frequently with the mediation of trained reference librarians. We argue that significant improvements to resource discovery in the networked realm can be made using techniques that match surrogate semantics to the instance-specific requirements of the resource discovery process. This can be accomplished most easily through architectures, such as the Warwick Framework, that allow the association of multiple surrogates with objects, or more ambitiously through methods that construct derived, or dynamic surrogates that respond to current resource discovery needs. The Complexity of the Resource Discovery Process With or without the computer and the Internet, the resource discovery process is complex and often oversimplified. To begin with, what is the goal of resource discovery? It is easy to assume that what is sought is the answer to some information need, or query. Yet, depending on the situation, person, costs, and other factors this "answer" may have quite different characteristics. In some cases, what one is seeking is the best possible response to a query (we ignore the vagaries of what characterizes "best"). In other cases, because of constraints such as time, cost, patience, and the like, the information seeker may be satisfied with less response specificity in the response. In some cases, the goal of the discovery process may change as the seeker is sidetracked by intervening needs or newly discovered information. Finally, the process may begin without even a clearly defined information goal, and the satisfactory answer might be some information that is of value simply as a result of the serendipity of the process itself. Our focus here is the character of the process as it proceeds from initiation to realization of goal. By understanding this process we will be better equipped to formulate architectures to facilitate networked resource discovery. For a broader perspective on networked resource discovery and retrieval (NIDR), we refer readers to the draft of a White Paper on Networked Information and Discovery and Retrieval [CNI], being prepared for the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). This white paper, while unfinished, is the clearest exploration to date on many of the issues relevant to discovery and retrieval in a networked environment.