Networked Information Retrieval
charter-ietf-nir-01

As the network has grown, along with it there has been an increase in
the number of software tools and applications to navigate the network
and make use of the many, varied resources which are part of the
network. Within the past year and a half we have seen a wide spread
adoption of tools such as the Archie servers, the Wide Area Information
Servers (WAIS), the Internet Gopher, and the World Wide Web (WWW). In
addition to the acceptance of these tools, there are also diverse
efforts to enhance and customize these tools to meet the needs of
particular network communities.

There are many organizations and associations that have recently begun
to focus on the proliferating resources and tools for networked
information retrieval (NIR). The Networked Information Retrieval
Working
Group
will be a cooperative effort of three major players in the field of
NIR: IETF, RARE, and the Coalition for Networked Information
specifically tasked to collect and disseminate information about the
tools and to discuss and encourage cooperative development of current
and future tools.

The NIR Working Group intends to increase the useful base of
information about NIR tools, their developers, interested organizations,
and other activities that relate to the production, dissemination, and
support of NIR tools, to produce documentation that will enable user
services organizations to provide better support for NIR tools, to
develop materials that will assist the support and training of end users
and to
evolve in the future as necessary to meet and anticipate changes in the
field (i.e., NIR tools, protocols, network topology, etc.).