A high-speed information collection utilizing a meta-information management unit which manages update information pertaining to documents. An information presentation apparatus, an information collection apparatus, and a client are connected via a network. The information presentation apparatus presents document information stored in a document storage unit to an information collection apparatus. The information presentation apparatus has a meta-information management unit, which generates update information pertaining to individual documents, and a meta-information table which records the update information. When the information collection apparatus makes a collection request to the information presentation apparatus, the meta-information management unit references the meta-information table and generates a list of updated documents from all of the stored documents and/or collection targets, and presents the list to information collection apparatus which subsequently retrieves only the updated documents.