It is pleasant to be able to welcome some theory in a social science field such as librarianship. It is especially pleasing when direct and forceful applications of the theory are…
Abstract
It is pleasant to be able to welcome some theory in a social science field such as librarianship. It is especially pleasing when direct and forceful applications of the theory are fruitful. It is the intent of this paper to demonstrate to librarians how the theory of Robert Arthur Fairthorne can aid in systematizing the analysis and improvement of library operations. This demonstration has evolved during the teaching of information science courses in graduate library schools.
This series of articles, now in its fourth year, has been designed to fill a gap in the bibliographical coverage of library literature which is covered by no other publication…
Abstract
This series of articles, now in its fourth year, has been designed to fill a gap in the bibliographical coverage of library literature which is covered by no other publication. Its aim is to spotlight those items in the year's production which are likely to be of direct practical value to the librarian or information officer working in a small organization. Such persons are frequently without previous training and experience of the work and need assistance in selecting from the ever‐growing volume of writings on librarianship those items which are likely to be of assistance to them in their work. This review aims at doing this; eliminating all purely theoretical discussions and descriptions of practice in large libraries, except where it is felt they can be of practical application in the small department, and including not only descriptions of library practice but also works of reference of which, even if they are not held in his library, any librarian should know something. No attempt is made to include only those items published in a particular year, but it is hoped that the list is in general representative of items received in British libraries in the year in question, and that between the articles in the series all important items have been covered. The volume of literature from which the choice must be made continues to grow, and the choice of individual items is necessarily a personal one, with which others may be expected to disagree, particularly over the omissions, but it is hoped that it will serve as a useful guide to those for whom it is intended.
Before documentation became his primary interest, Robert Fairthorne would conventionally have been described as an applied mathematician. Such a description, however, does not…
Abstract
Before documentation became his primary interest, Robert Fairthorne would conventionally have been described as an applied mathematician. Such a description, however, does not give a true indication of his special abilities. He is, in fact, dedicated to the task of bringing to science and engineering the benefits of mathematics in all its forms, and to him such classifications as ‘pure’ and ‘applied’ were mere irrelevancies.
The papers by Robert A. Fairthorne are always both stimulating and challenging to me. Their insights and their obscurities are fascinating. While my own intellectual works have…
Abstract
The papers by Robert A. Fairthorne are always both stimulating and challenging to me. Their insights and their obscurities are fascinating. While my own intellectual works have usually been quite separate from his, we have frequently shared a concern with many of the same topics in the principles of information work. These have included such topics as the mathematical basis of classification, applications of mathematical lattice theory, insights from Shannon's signalling theory (habitually misnamed ‘information theory’), and the delegation of retrieval.
I HAVE TRIED TO SHOW on a previous occasion (L.A.R. August, 1956) that successful book provision results from the integration of three factors which govern individual reader…
Abstract
I HAVE TRIED TO SHOW on a previous occasion (L.A.R. August, 1956) that successful book provision results from the integration of three factors which govern individual reader transactions, namely, readers, books and accessibility.