Abstract

The literature within library and information science (LIS) on relevance comes primarily from the subfields of information retrieval and information systems design. This literature has developed over time from an orthodoxy that has focused on relevance as an objective measure to a comprehension of the dynamic nature of relevance judgment. Other literatures, such as those of the philosophy of language and semantics, also have offered cogent thought that could and should be incorporated into LIS. This thought has broadened discussion to the context in which relevance is assessed, the speech acts that are evaluated, and the dialogic element of human communication.