Dear friends and colleagues: As LIS professionals, we are familiar with the fact that Information Retrieval (IR) sits at the fascinating intersection of Library Science and Computer Science.I believe our professional colleagues may enjoy reading or listening to the behind-the-scenes stories of collaboration, competition, and occasional clashes among IR’s early trailblazers. Information Retrieval (IR) is a domain where Library Science and Computer Science converge, and in many ways, it lies at the heart of Information Science—which itself serves as a bridge between the two. Interestingly, the roots of IR can be traced back to traditional practices of classification and indexing, as well as the landmark Cranfield IR evaluation experiments. Most LIS professionals are likely familiar with the Cranfield studies, which laid the foundation for empirical evaluation in IR. Advancements in IR are often seen as the outcome of sustained interaction between Library and Information Science (LIS) and Computer Science (CS). I recently had the opportunity to interview Stephen Robertson, one of the pioneers of probabilistic models in IR. Our conversation spanned a range of topics—including the spirited rivalries, competition, and collaboration between British and American IR groups, as well as the disciplinary divides between LIS and CS. In this episode of InfoFire, we delve into: - The story behind probabilistic IR models, - Rivalries and collaborations between British and American IR research groups, - The enduring disciplinary tensions and synergies between LIS and CS. - Personal dynamics, rivalries, and tensions between some of the field’s most influential pioneers. - Where IR meets AI and the future of search Tune in to this episode of *InfoFire*, my fireside chat series, for behind-the-scenes insights, compelling stories, and reflections from one of the field’s most influential voices. Here is the link: https://informationmatters.org/2025/04/ir-meets-ai-looking-back-looking-forw... Hope you enjoy reading and listening to this episode of InfoFire! Cheers! Shalini -- Dr. Shalini Urs Executive Director Emerita International School of Information Management University of Mysore Mysuru 570006 India