AS this is a Sunday afternoon I shall put the point of view of the editor of a scientific society's journal bluntly, without concessions to the other fellow's point of view.
This paper must start with a disclaimer. The views expressed must be clearly understood to be personal. Though I have had the benefit of many conversations with colleagues and…
Abstract
This paper must start with a disclaimer. The views expressed must be clearly understood to be personal. Though I have had the benefit of many conversations with colleagues and have used many of their ideas, the opinions now given do not necessarily represent those of the Chemical Society, whose servant I am.
It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields…
Abstract
It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields but who have a common interest in the means by which information may be collected and disseminated to the greatest advantage. Lists of its members have, therefore, a more than ordinary value since they present, in miniature, a cross‐section of institutions and individuals who share this special interest.
News has reached us of the death on 19th August of Hans Peter Luhn, President of the American Documentation Institute since October 1963. Born in Barmen, Germany, in 1896, Mr Luhn…
Abstract
News has reached us of the death on 19th August of Hans Peter Luhn, President of the American Documentation Institute since October 1963. Born in Barmen, Germany, in 1896, Mr Luhn went to the United States in 1924. He joined IBM in 1941 and worked there until 1961, when he retired and became a consultant to industry. Although Mr Luhn was known by relatively few people in Britain, his contributions in the field of mechanization are widely known. During his time at IBM Mr Luhn was at the source of a steady stream of innovations in the field of information retrieval. Among the projects he initiated, or developed, are: Keyword‐In‐Context Indexes, automatic abstracting, statistical methods of automatic indexing and selective dissemination of information. He was a prolific writer and some of his publications are already classics. Mr Luhn will be remembered as one of the great pioneers in library automation.
There is a wide range of opinion as to the purpose for which chemical abstracts are prepared, varying from the view that they should be little more than a record of the title…
Abstract
There is a wide range of opinion as to the purpose for which chemical abstracts are prepared, varying from the view that they should be little more than a record of the title, author and reference, to that which vaguely hopes that they will contain ‘everything of importance’ from the original communication, and in some way, thereby, save the reader the trouble of consulting that original. There is an element of justification for both views, and it is of value to define the purpose of the chemical abstract in some detail.
Questions put to Mr Aitchison during the evening dealt mainly with the method of his SDI investigation. In reply to Mr C. S. Sabel (Central Electricity Generating Board) Mr…
Abstract
Questions put to Mr Aitchison during the evening dealt mainly with the method of his SDI investigation. In reply to Mr C. S. Sabel (Central Electricity Generating Board) Mr Aitchison said that progressive modification of user profiles would be attempted. In answer to a point made by Mr D. V. Arnold (ICI Heavy Organic Chemicals Division) he affirmed his belief that co‐operation with librarians was essential. Mr P.E.Colinese (Central Electricity Generating Board) asked about the method of assessment of relevance by users. Mr Aitchison indicated that this would become more stringent as the study progressed. In reply to Mr D.H. Barlow (McGraw Hill) he said that three indexers would be required for indexing a maximum of 15,000 documents a year. To questions on the amount of computer time required and the percentage of key word match which would enable him to regard a document as relevant to a user, he replied that they hoped to have answers within the next four months. Mr C. S. Sabel (Central Electricity Generating Board) wondered what was the best way for work on mechanization to be co‐ordinated. Mr Aitchison thought that since so few people were working in this field there was little risk of fruitless duplication of effort.
The First International Congress on Documentation of Applied Chemistry‐was held at the Institut Français, London, S.W. 7 on 22–25 November 1955. It was organized by the Society of…
Abstract
The First International Congress on Documentation of Applied Chemistry‐was held at the Institut Français, London, S.W. 7 on 22–25 November 1955. It was organized by the Society of Chemical Industry at the request of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. Some 300 persons attended, of whom about 100 were from overseas; these numbers included chemists and documentalists.
THE College of Librarianship is best considered on its own terms, as an institution unique in the history and present pattern of British library education, but its significance…
Abstract
THE College of Librarianship is best considered on its own terms, as an institution unique in the history and present pattern of British library education, but its significance and probable future development can best be assessed if two external factors are kept in mind.