The Intelligent Reference Information System Project: A Merger of CD-ROM LAN and Expert System Technologies

The University Libraries of the University of Houston created an experimental Intelligent Reference Information System (IRIS) over a two-year period. A ten-workstation CD-ROM LAN was implemented that provided access to nineteen citation, full-text, graphic, and numeric databases. An expert system, Reference Expert, was developed to assist users in selecting appropriate printed and electronic reference sources. This expert system was made available on both network and stand-alone workstations. Three research studies were conducted.