also called (user interface agent) a program (or suite of programs?) operating in the Digital Library which interacts with the user. UIAs provide a graphical environment in which a user may register information about himself, construct and deploy a search and/or view search results. The UIA is designed to elicit from the user information needed by the DL in order to perform the user desired tasks and to display results of a DL function in a way the user can readily comprehend. The UIA, then acts as an "interface" between the user and the DL system. A goal of the Digital Library (DL) is to provide an assortment of UIAs, each appropriate to a particular user or set of tasks.