The organisation of scientific knowledge and the tools of information retrieval have traditionally been discipline-based, an approach which is effective for a homogenous user-base. However, profound changes in the presentation of scientific thought, notably an increase in collaboration and a blurring of the literary boundaries between disciplines, call for corresponding changes in the electronic information retrieval systems designed to serve the complex information needs of interdisciplinary scientists. This paper describes a project to address this challenge, by studying the information-seeking behaviour of the members of a representative interdisciplinary science organisation, the International Bioacoustics Council (IBAC), and identifying the problems they encounter in using discipline-based information systems. The presentation will include a summary of findings from the survey and demonstration of a prototype system design to facilitate interdisciplinary information seeking (supported by Institute of Museum and Library Service-LL90187 National Organization for Hearing Research and NIMH-58198).
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