The Re-Search Engine: Re-Finding in Dynamic Information Environments

What: It can be difficult to re-find information in dynamic information environments. For example, people often use search engines not just to find new information, but also to return to previously found information. However, results change as search engines update to reflect the current state of the Web. These changes benefit users by providing new information, but hinder returning. To help people return to information even when the environment has changed, I augment a standard search engine to explicitly support repeated queries, thus creating the ”Re-Search Engine”. Because people do not notice every change, I believe that when a person repeats a search, it will be possible for the Re-Search Engine to preserve what is remembered about the old results while still presenting new information.