This volume contains the papers from the British Computer Society 14th Information Retrieval Colloquium, held at the University of Lancaster in April 1992. These annual meetings provide an opportunity for the discussion of all aspects of information retrieval research, including natural language techniques, concept representation and database design. The papers presented at the meeting were selected according to the originality of the ideas and methods described, the quality of the presentation, and their relevance to current IR research. Contributions were encouraged from both established researchers and doctoral students, with special emphasis being given to the presentation of on-going research work.