1. A method for facilitating document retrieval in an electronic document management system, the method comprising the steps of: identifying one or more first patterns in a first user's creation or modification of metadata related to a first plurality of documents that the first user has a first entitlement to access; identifying one or more second patterns in a second user's creation or modification of metadata related to a second plurality of documents that the second user has a second entitlement to access, the second entitlement being commensurate with the first entitlement; and modifying the metadata related to the first plurality of documents, based on the one or more first patterns, to conform to the one or more second patterns, such that a document query from the second user encompasses a relevant portion of the first plurality of documents despite the second user's ignorance of the one or more first patterns.