is one of the pioneers of the research area known as sofnyare agentsan area which builds on such disciplines as arti- ficial intelligence, human computer interaction, computer-supported collaborative work, information filtering and electronic commerce. Software agents are semi-intelligent computer programs that help users with the overload of information and the complexity of the online world. Maes' group pioneered the use of machine learning to build such agents and invented a range of new algorithms, such as collaborative filtering.
Maes joins a lineup of dozens of leading researchers and practitioners in information science and technology who will explore the intersection of research domainssuch as behavioral science, communications, computer science, sociology, business, biomedical sciences, history, philosophy and others - with a variety of fields of practicesuch as librarianship, information architecture, systems design and development, publishing, bibliography, interface design and usability, teaching and classification.
Technical sessions at the meeting have been divided into a number of tracks, including information behavior; digital libraries; information design; information organization; ethical, legal and policy issues; knowledge management; medical and health information; online searching behavior; information resources; social informatics; foundations of information science; and online help.
Program co-chairs Mike Crandall and Barbara Wildemuth note several unique additions to this year's Annual Meeting plans. For one, they say the poster sessions have been expanded to two full days, with poster presenters on hand at designated hours each day for discussion. At all other times, the posters will be available for viewing. The