INFORMATION RETRIEVAL LANGUAGES – BETWEEN TRADITION AND HOPE FOR DIGITAL FUTURE (Jezyki informacyjne: miedzy tradycja a nadzieja na cyfrowa przyszlosc)

The author discusses the way information retrieval languages need to be modified if they are to survive as tools for information arrangement and retrieval. The information retrieval environment and information retrieval languages are currently shaped and influenced by: the quantity of information searched and the appearance of new information objects; the change occurring in the behavior of information users; the pace of ongoing changes; undisputable domination of Internet. The most important conclusions involve the need for: the integration of information resources (first of all, within the World Wide Web); change in the way information retrieval vocabulary is presented (visualizations) with the possibility of transformation into, for instance, knowledge maps; the integration of metadata search and full-text search.