- Workshop program now available
- Workshop registration available via the SIGIR 2006 conference web site
- Workshop proceedings are now available online

Online search has become an increasingly important part of the everyday lives of most computer users. Search engines, bibliographic databases, and digital libraries provide adequate support for those whose information needs are well-defined. However, there are research and development opportunities to improve current search systems so users can succeed more often in situations when: they lack the knowledge or contextual awareness to formulate queries, they must navigate complex information spaces, the search task requires browsing and exploration, or system indexing of available information is inadequate.

In those situations, people usually submit a tentative query and take things from there, selectively seeking and passively obtaining cues about where their next steps lie, i.e., they are engaged in an "exploratory search." In some respects, exploratory search can be seen as a specialization of information exploration - a broader class of activities where new information is sought in a defined conceptual area; exploratory data analysis is another example of an information exploration activity. Exploratory Search Systems (ESS) have been developed to support serendipity, learning, and investigation, and generally allow users to browse available information.