bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Uniterm indexing principles, problems and solutions
Authors: Costello J. C.
Published: June 2007

IN INFORMATION systems built on the fundamental principles of Uniterm indexing, operational difficulties can and do develop. Some Uniterm installations were abandoned after development to no more that laboratory scale because the individuals responsible for system operation neglected to, or elected not to develop the simple refinements necessary to solve these problems in their own local situations. Others which could visualize the benefits to be derived from the great depth of indexing possible with Uniterms, face the problems and developed simple but effective solutions. Smoothly functioning Uniterm systems many locations have developed: simplified posting procedures; vocabulary treatment and controls (such as for synonyms and homographs); syntactical control techniques; controls for providing automatic indexing or search on generic levels when indexing provided only narrow specificity; and thesauri word‐association matrices to provide to indexers and searchers suggested additional Uniterms for expressing concepts from other viewpoints. In many organizations, solutions to problems inherent indexing via the Uniterm approach have demonstrated that effective, rapid, low‐cost output is an assures end result of multi‐dimensional analysis and description at input, coupled with selective or parallel storage and search techniques.
The formation of abstracts by the selection of sentences. Part I. Sentence selection by men and machines
Authors: Rath G. J. , Resnick A. , Savage T. R.
Published: June 2007

Auto‐abstracting techniques based on high‐frequency words show an extremely small variation among themselves in the selection of sentences to form abstracts. Human selection of sentences, although less variable than chance expectancy, is considerably more variable than the machine methods. There was very little agreement between the subjects and machine methods in their selection of representative sentences.
Recorded, use of books in the yale medical library
Authors: Kilgour Frederick G.
Published: June 2007

Explores the amount of use of books by categories of borrowers in the Yale Medical Library, with a view to discovering the proportion of the catalogue which should be put in machinable form.
State of the art of published indexes
Authors: Markus John
Published: June 2007

Despite the glamour of mechanized searching for needed information, there is still a real need for published indexes. These indexes are in effect miniature, portable information centers operating on a do‐it‐yourself basis. Published indexes have the important advantage of permitting browsing, which is highly essential when the searcher does not know exactly what he is looking for. They can also give needed information almost immediately because there is no waiting for search time on a computer.

Once a book‐form index is acquired, its use costs nothing except time. The greatly increased output of published material in the past two decades has created new index‐publishing problems. In this state‐of‐the‐art survey, the emphasis is put on the new publishing techniques, new equipment, and innovations in index format that have been developed in attempts to solve these problems. Representative examples of each type of indexing venture are cited. The many other equally meritorious examples of new published indexes are omitted only because of space limitations.
Scientific information centers in the United States
Authors: Simpson G. S.
Published: June 2007

A critical survey of the current state of development of information centers; their functions, how they are implemented and who uses them. The results of a recent survey of information services in the United States, supported by the National Science Foundation, are analyzed.
A technique for the organization of large files
Authors: Shoffner Ralph M.
Published: June 2007

There exist many information storage and retrieval applications in which a search obtains a single item from a large file. Examples of such applications range from the retrieval of a customer's record from a bank file to the retrieval of a document from an engineering library. The technique is an operations research approach to this retrieval operation: model the operation, determine a criterion of value, and optimize the operation according to the criterion.

The cost of a retrieval operation is expressed as a function of the system characteristics: distribution of file activity, file size, item size, indexing method, personnel and equipment costs, and information processing and transfer rates. These characteristics are varied, within the constraints of the problem, to obtain a minimum cost of a retrieval operation.
The semantic code today
Authors: Melton John L.
Published: June 2007

A sampling of the file of encoded abstracts of technical articles produced for the information retrieval system in operation at the Center for Documentation and Communication Research at Western Reserve University has been analyzed for the incidence of terms which had not yet appeared in the semantic code dictionary. Also analyzed was the incidence of generic concepts of different classes appearing in the file and in questions programmed for machine searches of the file. This analysis indicated that while new terms now appear, and will presumably continue to appear from time to time, their incidence is remarkedly low except when an entirely new field is entered. It was further indicated that, as would be expected, the file of encoded metallurgical abstracts concerns itself with a wide range of generic concepts concentrated, however, on specified objects, materials, states, and conditions. Finally, the analysis suggests that these areas of concentration tend to be those most frequent in questions.
A trend in the use of computers for information processing
Authors: McCormick E. M.
Published: June 2007

There is a basic assumption in much of the work done in the field of information processing that computers are, could, or should be considered to bethe modeldevices for doing information processing. This premise has potentially important ramifications when the possible future use of computers in information processing is considered, especially with regard to the handling of natural language. Recent applications of computers indicate a trend to adapting them to the problem rather than vice versa.
Test program for evaluating procedures for the exploitation of literature of interest to metallurgists
Authors: Overmyer Lavahn
Published: June 2007

The Center for Documentation and Communication Research of Western Reserve University has been actively engaged in the field of information retrieval and machine literature searching since 1955. With financial support provided by the American Society for Metals and the National Science Foundation, procedures have been developed, tested and evaluated for exploiting the literature of interest to metallurgists. As one of a series of reports prepared under grant number NSF‐G‐10338, this report presents a detailed breakdown of actual costs incurred during 1960 to provide the input for the mechanized searching system established at the Documentation Center. The final figure of $6.50 for each abstract was reached by analyzing the costs and the volume of production for each step in the input process from acquiring the documents for analysis to the final step of putting the encoded abstracts on tape ready for machine searching.
Parameters for machine handling of alphabetic information
Authors: Shaw Ralph R.
Published: June 2007

The following parameters for mechanization of bibliographical information are discussed: The universe must encompass a relatively large quantity of material; there must be multiple access to entries; material should respond to repeated rearrangement; the basic file must be susceptible of large change‐rates; the subject field must lack good bibliographical control; the basic file must be one that is used frequently; the material should be needed in multiple physical locations.
The process of asking questions
Authors: Taylor Robert S.
Published: June 2007

This paper discusses the area of the question—its generation, its relation to the retrieval system, and its effect on the inquirer. Four levels of question formation may be isolated and analysed: the actual, but unexpressed, need for information; the conscious within‐brain description of the need; the formal statement of the question; and the question as presented to the information system. Input and output characteristics of systems are examined for their effect on the inquirer's decision to ask a question and on the form the query takes. Investigation of six parameters governing question type and ambiguity argues that we may be placing too much emphasis on syntactic matching of inquiry and store of answers. The inquirer's state of readiness is defined as the “state of mind” which allows a selection to be made from a series of messages. A question is seen as an indication of inadequacy on the part of the inquirer who hopes to remedy that inadequacy by calling on the information system. A major objective of information systems is to make commonplace the point of maximum usefulness where three coordinates cross: level of question, state of readiness, and available answer.
Bibliographic coupling between scientific papers
Authors: Kessler M. M.
Published: June 2007

This report describes the results of automatic processing of a large number of scientific papers according to a rigorously defined criterion of coupling. The population of papers under study was ordered into groups that satisfy the stated criterion of interrelation. An examination of the papers that constitute the groups shows a high degree of logical correlation.
Evaluation of the performance of an information‐retrieval system by modified mooers plan
Authors: Fels E. M.
Published: June 2007

Information retrieval for law research has been carried out by the Health Law Center of the University of Pittsburgh. In this case, the document collection consists of all Pennsylvania Statutes. There is no indexing; the full text of the laws is scanned. Utilizing proposals by Mooers, randomly selected statute sections are the bases of retrieval requests. In response to such requests, statute sections are retrieved, but only the “hidden” statutes are counted in the evaluation of the system efficiency. Two systems are compared: retrieval by electronic computer vs. retrieval by manual search, i.e., by lawyers using the index parts of statute collections. Mooers' ratios are computed and interpreted as point estimates of corresponding retrieval probabilities. Interval estimates and tests of significance for the differences in computed ratios are also carried out, with some consideration for the power function of the test. Cost limitations prescribed very small sample sizes.
A generalized computer method for information retrieval
Authors: Schultz Claire K.
Published: June 2007

A generalized method is given for performing information retrieval by computer. The method can be applied to systems varying in type, size, manner of use, and computer equipment. Systems with files of information‐retrieval data or document references may use the method. Options allow many or few searches to be performed during each pass of the file through the computer. Alternative searches or subsearches may be specified, and the upper and lower bounds on the number of retrieval references may be set. The options can be used to define the characteristics of a particular system so that necessary staff and equipment capacities can be determined. Output forms include reference numbers, abstracts, microfilm, and so forth, depending on the output equipment chosen. In addition to retrieval information, the output may include system‐use records, used to analyze and evaluate system efficiency automatically and to compare objectively one system with another. A block process diagram, a detailed flow chart for application to a computer, and a description of the application are provided.
Computer editing of verbal texts. Part I. The ESI system
Authors: Barnett Michael P. , Kelley K. L.
Published: June 2007

A program has been written that enables the IBM 709 computer to read the representation of a text that has been punched on a Flexowriter tape, to read the corresponding representation of a list of changes that are to be made in this text, and then to produce mechanically the representation of the altered text on a further Flexowriter tape from which the altered text may be typed mechanically. The changes (or ‘editing instructions’) are expressed in a stylized instruction language; that is, they have the form of English sentences that can be understood without any knowledge of coding conventions. These sentences are analyzed within the computer by a syntactic analysis subroutine which uses the “local syntax” that has been specified for the editing instructions as data.
Worldwide census of scientific and technical serials
Authors: Gottschalk Charles M. , Desmond Winifred F.
Published: June 2007

Results of a census of the world's scientific and technical serial literature, within the limits defined and based on an examination of published source material from countries throughout the world, reflect a total title population much lower than estimated before. Distribution of this population by country, showing better than 50% of the total divided among six major countries, is included and discussed, together with a broad subject distribution of serials for certain countries.
Classificatory, alphabetical, and associative schedules as aids in coordinate indexing
Authors: Slamecka Vladimir
Published: June 2007

Classification schedules, alphabetical vocabularies, and concept‐association lists are analyzed from the viewpoint of their utility in coordinate indexing as aids which prescribe invariable relationships and suggest variable relationships between indexing terms. Lookup and feedback tools are considered in relation to the consistency of indexers.
A compatibility study of two information systems
Authors: Hyslop Marjorie R.
Published: June 2007

The systems analyzed are the one used by the American Society for Metals Information Searching Service developed at Western Reserve University and the one adopted by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and proposed for wider development by the Engineers Joint Council. One system (ASM‐WRU) is designed for computer processing and a centralized information service; the other (AIChE) is designed primarily for manual or simple card files and for use by individuals, although it can — and has been — adapted for a machine system as well. Despite this wide difference in use of the systems, the principles of information analysis on which both are based are strikingly similar. Both employ a threefold approach encompassing terminology control (thesaurus in the AIChE system, code dictionary in the ASM‐WRU system), role indicators, and links. The similarities and differences in these three areas are examined, and representative documents are analyzed by both systems as illustrative examples. Possible future coordination is discussed.
Testing indexes and index language devices: The ASLIB cranfield project
Authors: Lancaster F. W. , Mills J.
Published: June 2007

Exhaustivity of indexing and specificity of index language are the two basic parameters determining operating efficiency of any retrieval system. File organization is of relatively minor importance.
The notion of relevance (I)
Authors: Hillman Donald J.
Published: June 2007

Analysis of the problems of defining the mutual relevancies of queries and document‐collections indicates that they essentially involve the problem of conceptual relatedness. In order to consider the latter problem, the question of concept‐formation is first discussed, which in turn requires a definition of concept. An extensional interpretation is suggested whereby a concept is associated with a class of conceptually‐similar documents. Users' similarity‐judgments then provide the empirical data for formal definitions of concept and conceptual relatedness. It is found, however, that certain very general difficulties rule out the possibility of defining concepts and their relatedness by the method proposed. Since this method is based on human relevance‐judgments, it seems a natural one to adopt, so that its collapse has serious practical and theoretical consequences. An alternative approach is therefore proposed whose elaboration will form Part II of this article.
A comparison of keyword‐in‐context (KWIC) indexing of titles with a subject heading classification system
Authors: Kraft Donald H.
Published: June 2007

Research was directed at comparing the results of automatic computer indexing of titles by the KWIC system with human indexing using a subject heading system. One source of data was 803 legal research projects and theses titles indexed under a modified form of the Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP) system. The other source of data was 2,625 legal articles classified under the ILP system. Interpretation of data revealed, among other things, that 64.4% of the title entries contained as keywords one or more of the ILP subject heading words under which they were indexed; and 25.1% contained logical equivalents. The remaining 10.5% of the title entries had nondescriptive titles. The author concludes that KWICing of legal titles produces an index which costs less than a subject heading system in both time and cost of production and which ranks high in “find‐ability”.
The application of random superimposed coding and chain spelling to peek‐A‐Boo cards
Authors: Uhlmann W.
Published: June 2007

A procedure is presented for applying random superimposed coding to Peek‐A‐Boo cards with the help of chain spelling and a randomizing square. Some general aspects of the method are discussed.
The consistency of human judgments of relevance
Authors: Resnick A. , Savage T. R.
Published: June 2007

A comparison of the ability of humans to consistently judge the relevance of documents to their general interests from bases of citations, abstracts, keywords, and total text was made under controlled experimental conditions. The results showed that 1) humans are able to make such judgments consistently, and 2) the consistency of the judgment is independent of the particular base from which it is made. Apparent inconsistency arising from judgments made on the basis of abstracts remains unexplained. This experiment, as well as others concerned with human evaluations of text material, leave unexplored the basic problem of providing a metric scale on which such evaluations can be measured.
Computer generation of photocomposing control tapes part II the PC6 system
Authors: Barnett M. P. , Moss D. J. , Luce D. A.
Published: June 2007

An account is given of the usage of a new system of programs that enable the IBM 709/90 computer to generate control tapes for the Photon S560 Unit. The input to the system may be Flexowriter material with interspersed control codes, or material that is provided on cards or tapes, or generated internally in certain other forms.
Two models for retrieval system design
Authors: Hillman Donald J.
Published: June 2007

The dispute concerning the appropriateness of Boolean Algebra as a model for retrieval system design is examined and attention brought to bear upon a set of residual problems affecting the choice of formalism. It is argued that this set of problems insinuates irrelevant considerations into the critical discussion and leads to unnecessary delay in rejecting the Boolean model in favor of more realistic theories. In support of this contention, an argument is examined which purports to distinguish between two interpretations of Boolean Algebra in such a way as to elevate one of them (the class calculus) to the status of a genuine model, while denying the same status to the other (the propositional calculus). This argument is criticized as being unsound and irrelevant. It is held that the elimination of such artificial controversies is a useful prolegemenon for the construction of better theories.
Automatic book indexing by computer
Authors: Artandi Susan
Published: June 2007

This paper describes the development and evaluation of an automatic method of deriving suitable index entries from natural language text. A section of a chemistry textbook was selected as the experimental document. Both qualitative and quantitative measures were developed to evaluate quality of indexing. Evaluation of the experimental index was based on these measures and on a comparison with the average published manually produced index found in the same type of material.
Comments on the 1964 ADI meeting
Authors: Cuadra Carlos A.
Published: June 2007

A group of attendees and program participants was surveyed after the 1964 meeting of the American Documentation Institute to provide ideas and guidance for future ADI meetings. The responses indicated that attendees view the quality of the technical program as the key to a successful meeting; that a four‐day meeting length meets with wide approval; that, if carefully planned, concurrent plenary sessions might be acceptable; that improvements in scheduling are required to permit greater participation in Author Forums; and that conference proceedings greatly enhance the value of the meeting and should be distributed well before the meeting. The many suggestions and criticisms that were offered are being studied in relation to the next regular ADI meeting in 1966.
The evaluation of automatic retrieval procedures— selected test results using the SMART system
Authors: Salton Gerard
Published: June 2007

The generation of effective methods for the evaluation of information retrieval systems and techniques is becoming increasingly important as more and more systems are designed and implemented. The present report deals with the evaluation of a variety of automatic indexing and retrieval procedures incorporated into the SMART automatic document retrieval system. The design of the SMART system is first briefly reviewed. The document file, search requests, and other parameters affecting the evaluation system are then examined in detail, and the measures used to assess the effectiveness of the retrieval performance are described. The main test results are given and tentative conclusions are reached concerning the design of fully automatic information systems.
Comparison of the results of bibliographic coupling and analytic subject indexing
Authors: Kessler M. M.
Published: June 2007

A detailed comparison of how 334 papers in Vol. 112 of Physical Review form related groups according to two criteria of relatedness. The criteria are: (1) the Analytic Subject Index as used by the editors of the Physical Review; and (2) the method of Bibliographic Coupling. The similarities and differences between the groups thus formed are illustrated and discussed.
An operating model of a national information system
Authors: Ebersole J. L.
Published: June 2007

The eventual configuration of any National Information System will require close coordination between the many existing indexing‐abstracting services. Reduction of the overlap among these services is one of the important objectives of a national system. North American Aviation, Incorporated, has developed and implemented a system which solves some of the problems of linking services or networks together so as to combine maximum scope of information retrieval with minimum indexing and abstracting effort. The techniques used in this system are discussed and some proposals are presented showing how these systems techniques can be combined with other proposed methods for use in a National Information System.
Cost distribution and analysis in computer storage and retrieval
Authors: Marron Harvey , Snyderman Martin
Published: June 2007

A method for costing computer jobs done by a mechanized storage and retrieval activity is proposed and discussed. Attention is confined solely to computer costs. The Science Information Exchange, a mechanized installation handling information on research in progress is used as the case in point. All computer jobs are grouped as batched, singly run or maintenance tasks. Job unit costs are calculated with and without inclusion of file maintenance costs. Should other activities compute their costs similarly, interactivity cost comparisons can be made readily, opening the door to cost‐quality criteria for mechanized searches and report preparation.
Coming of age in academe—Information science at 21
Authors: Donohue Joseph C. , Karioth N. E.
Published: June 2007

The little tyke was conceived during the fleeting affair between that somewhat shabby and passive old maid, librarianship, and the rich playboy, science. The poor kid hasn't even been named yet; in fact most of us don't even know what he looks like. Still, they were all talking about him at the FID (International Federation for Documentation) Congress in October in Washington. Some of the family felt that he ought to be reared by his mother in her flat on the outskirts of Academe. The others said that his father could give him a better life, with prestige, wealth, and status, on the best street in town. They were already calling him by his father's name, hoping he would be known as “Information Science.” (1).
Librarianship and the science of information
Authors: Donohue Joseph C.
Published: June 2007

Utilizing query responses from accredited library schools, courses offered have been analyzed to determine emphasis on various subjects, with special reference to Information Science (IS)—i.e., the study of the information processes—and Science Information (SI)—the bibliography of science, operation of scientific information services, etc. Generally, schools continue to stress subjects related to operation of public and school libraries. Certain library schools are developing programs and/or courses in IS and SI and in some cases the two are combined. Many schools now offer some training in nontraditional techniques. Increased stress on science information and the addition of courses in the new information technology have not radically altered the theoretical structure of library education. But the Information Science approach promises to contribute greatly to that structure. Librarianship possesses a long‐established corpus of knowledge relating to a science of information. Librarians, traditionally service‐oriented rather than research‐oriented, have not exploited that body of knowledge for general principles of IS. Research should be directed to the areas of:

Cataloging and classification—the logical and epistemological underpinnings of respective systems; the relationships of given systems to prevailing theory of knowledge.

The technique of reference service—for its rich potential contribution to the theory of problem solving.

The understanding of the social and institutional framework of the information community. Library schools need now to accompany technical instruction with research into these and similar problems in order to contribute to the theory of IS and to gain from IS better technique for the practice of librarianship.
A graphic graphics card catalog and computer index
Authors: Kuvshinoff Boris W.
Published: June 2007

The development of a low‐cost library control system for visual aids based on punch cards is described. Miniature pictures of the visual aids are printed on the cards with a Xerox 914 Office Copier, identifying information is keypunched, and additional information is entered by typewriter An inventory of other forms of the visual aid, such as glossy photographs, slides, and VuGraphs, is indicated by check marks on a small form printed on the card. The cards are designed to permit updating by additional punching as well as by overpunching previously punched symbols. The punched data is used by a computer to prepare indexes to the visual aid collection, and the cards themselves are used as a manual card catalog for everyday retrieval of visual aids.
Relationship of keywords in titles to references cited
Authors: Adams Wm. Mansfield
Published: June 2007

Some machine‐produced indexes have been compared. The objectives of an index and the search procedure are analyzed. It is proposed that a hypothetical title be used for searching, not a question. This permits comparison of similar items for common characteristics. A relationship between “keywords in title” and “key references” of the same article is given. It is shown that for an efficiently produced article there will be more references than keywords in the title. This is because, according to the basic theorem of linear programming, there will be as many concepts in the article as there are completely utilized references. The structural model proposed requires additional experimental verification.
A multiple testing of the natural language storage and retrieval ABC method: Preliminary analysis of test results
Authors: Altmann Berthold
Published: June 2007

After a brief summary of the test program, the statistical results tabulated as over‐all “ABC‐Relevance Ratios” and “ABC‐Recall Figures” are presented and reviewed. An abstract model developed in accordance with Max Weber's “idealtypus” is used in discussing such observations as the absence of the detrimental effects of an inverse relationship of Relevance and Recall upon a system's effectiveness. The increase of Recall in proportion to the number of documents retrieved is attributed to the ABC‐system's peculiar capability of making the user an integral part of the system.
Book‐indexes as building blocks for a cumulative index
Authors: Kochen Manfred , Tagliacozzo Renata
Published: June 2007

The advantages of a cumulative subject‐index, built by merging the subject‐indexes of books, are illustrated; and the conditions under which such cumulation would be feasible are discussed. A mathematical model for estimating the overlap between book indexes, applied to a sample of books belonging to the same subject area, show that the overlap is surprisingly small. Some statistical properties and grammatical features of book‐indexes are described in an attempt to determine how much they depart from the characteristics of book‐indexes ideally suited for cumulation. Possible reasons accounting for the great variability of index‐entries are discussed.
Subject searching with science citation index: Preparation of a drug bibliography using chemical abstracts, index medicus, and science citation index 1961 and 1964
Authors: Spencer Carol C.
Published: June 2007

A bibliography on the drug thalidomide was prepared through a search of Chemical Abstracts (CA) and Index Medicus (IM) for the years 1956–1964, which took 14.6 hours. This was compared with a similar bibliography prepared through a search of Science Citation Index (SCI) 1961 and 1964, carried out for an equal length of time according to search procedures described, in an effort to determine if and how SCI might be helpful in subject searches. A satisfactory procedure for manual search of SCI was developed. The cumulative number of references found through SCI plotted against time gave a convex curve, while corresponding data from the conventional indexes gave a linear response. For periods up to eight hours, SCI yielded more references than did either IM or CA. However, at 14.6 hours SCI did not produce all references obtainable through CA‐IM. Each of the three indexes produced a high percentage of unique references, SCI's being the highest. SCI‐1964's coverage of articles published in 1964 was more complete than was IM‐1964's. CA‐IM gave superior coverage of chemical papers, patents, and papers in the less common languages. SCI's coverage of pharmacological papers was superior to that of either CA or IM. In this search SCI and conventional indexes could be profitably used together; each produced a large number of references not to be found in the other. In this search SCI was not appreciably less efficient in retrieving drug references than were CA and IM; for short time intervals, it was more efficient. More general conclusions must await further investigation.
SDI: A program for public libraries
Authors: Davis Charles H.
Published: June 2007

Algorithms are described for the selective dissemination of information associated with both fiction and non‐fiction holdings, and the use of a well‐established classification scheme as a search medium is discussed. It is shown that the classification scheme can be used as a code which will describe the users' interests and which will also allow for the selection of the appropriate generic levels of information. This coded information can then be stored on an interest profile sheet and used as the basis for search logic. A program of this type can be used to provide either retrospective or current awareness searches.
A framework for comparing term association measures
Authors: Jones Paul E. , Curtice Robert M.
Published: June 2007

The problem of choosing an association measure for some particular application is reviewed. Two methods are presented for treating various measures in a common framework—a parameterized model and a graphical interpretation of the measures. Some association measures which have been suggested to date are discussed in terms of this framework, and an example is chosen from the NASA vocabulary. Qualitative features of the list of associated terms are related to properties of the measure used, and it is suggested that this characterization can be useful in choosing which measure to use.
Cost distribution and analysis in computer storage and retrieval. II
Authors: Marron H. , Snyderman M.
Published: June 2007

Additional data are presented on the cost of computer storage and retrieval activities. The effects of system modification and new hardware are noted.
Relevance disagreements and unclear request forms
Authors: O'Connor John
Published: June 2007

Disagreements about the relevance of documents to retrieval requests occur because relevance judges differently interpret requests or documents. Requests may be differently interpreted because they are unclear. Well‐known types of request obscurity are reviewed. Less well known is that a request may be unclear because its form—“documents about subject S,” “documents answering question Q,” etc.—is unclear.

Explications are developed of the meanings of the request forms just given and several others. A request of any of the forms discussed is interpreted to be for documents which support statements of a specified kind in a specified way. For example, an “about S” request requires documents supporting statements which contain expression S (though several qualifications are needed); a “question Q” request requires documents which support answers to Q. Examples are given which suggest that some, perhaps all, “about S” requests are unclear. Some ways of formulating clear question requests are given.

Various ways in which documents may support statements are distinguished. These depend on such factors as parts of a document used, inference strength, and background knowledge permitted. Some possibly clear support specifications are indicated.
Analysis of questions addressed to a medical reference retrieval system: Comparison of question and system terminologies
Authors: Flood Barbara
Published: June 2007

Requests for subject and author searches submitted to the Medical Documentation Service of the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia were studied. A total of 483 subject reference questions were analyzed for the number of question terms matching system subject headings (M), number of question terms translatable to system subject headings (T), number of stop‐list words (S), and number of untranslatable words (U), using the judgment of the author. The average question had one M term or 22% M, one T term or 21% T, two S words or 38% S, and one U word or 19% U. Thus 81% of the average question was accounted for by M + T + S; in addition, 46% of the questions had no U words. Analysis of variance failed to show significant (5% level) differences between doctors' and lawyers' questions or between negotiated and nonnegotiated questions in number of M, T, S, or U. Study of limitations on searches for the 483 subject search requests and 38 requests for author searches showed that the requestor rarely stipulated type of material to be covered, languages to be included, time period to be covered, cost, or time for completion.
Analysis and automated handling of technical information at the nuclear safety information center
Authors: Buchanan J. R. , Hutton F. C.
Published: June 2007

The Nuclear Safety Information Center serves the nuclear community by collecting, storing, evaluating, and disseminating safety information relevant to the design and operation of nuclear facilities. In 1964, after about a year of operation, the information‐handling system was computerized in order to increase broadly the scope of the Center's services and enable efficient functioning in the future. Computer programs were developed for the preparation of a bibliography, complete with key‐words and personal author indexes, that is issued quarterly and for a program of selective dissemination of information (SDI) that is produced on 5 × 8 in. cards. These programs and other services of the Center are discussed.
Problems in the conversion of bibliographical data—A keypunching experiment
Authors: Hammer Donald P.
Published: June 2007

A keypunching test project is described in which the data from 2,600 library cards were converted to machine‐readable form (including 908 verified). The test was run as a normal keypunching situation using 12 keypunchers at a service bureau. Card catalog data was converted as found in a typical catalog. All types of data, including foreign language material, were converted, except those characters not of a Roman alphabet. The problems encountered during the test and the solutions for some of them are included. In addition, the system devised for the computer manipulation of the data is outlined. Statistics, including costs, are given.
On a theory of documentation
Authors: Graziano Eugene E.
Published: June 2007

All of the phenomena of the field of documentation may be classified under the notions of the three forms of: material, ideational, and energy. It is suggested that the phenomenological method may be advantageously applied to documentation in conjunction with the methods of speculative philosophy. Examples are offered to illustrate how such methods may illuminate some of the more fundamental problem areas of the field, such as the problems of identification and “information” by yielding operational definitions.
Survey of practical training in information science
Authors: Bracken Marilyn C. , Shilling Charles W.
Published: June 2007

This paper presents a survey of practical training being conducted in the United States. All the universities known by the authors to have programs to train information scientists and all the industrial organizations known or thought to have programs for this type of training were surveyed. No qualitative assessments are made by the authors. Rather, quantitative results of the survey are presented on various program characteristics. Tables 1 & 2 summarize certain facts about the programs of the organizations.
A literature search and file organization model
Authors: Leimkuhler Ferdinand F.
Published: June 2007

A principle of sequential optimization in search theory distributes the search effort at each stage so as to maximize the probability of target detection with the effort expended thus far. As an application of this principle to the search for pertinent items in a literature file, the file items should be arranged in decreasing order of the probability that an item will yield the information sought. Complete ordering in this manner may not be feasible, and it is proposed that the files be partially ordered in search zones with some loss in search efficiency. A model for assessing the relative efficiency of partial ordering is developed and used to determine optimal zone sizes under an assumed target distribution pattern. In this way, trade‐offs between file organization effort and search effort can be meaningfully evaluated. A representative target distribution function for research literature appears to follow the Bradford law of scattering. This function is used to demonstrate the application of the model over a meaningful range of parameters obtained from empirical studies. It is shown that a good two‐zone search plan for scientific literature is one in which 15–20% of the most useful documents are examined first. Only about one of three searches should have to go on to a search over the remainder of the file.
A computer‐based serials control system for a large biomedical library
Authors: Roper Fred W.
Published: June 2007

Rather than reiterate the obvious purposes and procedures involved in creating a computer system for control of serials, in this paper the author deals with the concept upon which the UCLA system is based and the manner in which the system is maintained in day‐to‐day operations of the UCLA Biomedical Library. The paper deals with some of the points made in an earlier publication from the UCLA serials project. The attempt is to show how the theory of publication pattern (discussed in the earlier article) has been used to produce a different idea in computer control of serials. Publication pattern information which is entered into the master record for each title causes check‐in cards for the next expected issue of each title to be generated by the computer, regardless of when this next issue is expected—next week, next month, next year. This is a departure from most systems, which attempt to predict a certain number of issues which should arrive during a given time period. The information, which must be a part of the computer record, is described, as are library procedures in maintaining the system.
Reading guide and index to the cancer‐virology literature
Authors: Schless Arthur P. , Purdy Marie E. , Stevenson Robert E.
Published: June 2007

An alerting service to the pertinent articles in the field of cancer‐virology has been in operation, successfully, for four years. By cooperative efforts, approximately 200 investigators are kept aware of useful information in 230 journals. Its low cost, ease of operation, and extensive up‐to‐date coverage make it an attractive model for many other applications. An information retrieval addition to this system is discussed.
An approach to weeding criteria for newspaper libraries
Authors: Slote Stanley J.
Published: June 2007

A sampling of past use patterns may be able to provide valid, specific weeding criteria for newspaper picture files. In this study, no photographic cut had been re‐used after the 13th year of its first use; nor after the 8th year of its first use, when it hadn't been re‐used at all up to that time.
Some Questions concerning “information need”
Authors: O'Connor John
Published: June 2007

The expression “satisfying a requester's information need” is often used, but its meaning is obscure. The literature on “information need” in relation to retrieval suggests three different (though not inconsistent) possible interpretations. However, each of these interpretations is itself fundamentally unclear. The various obscurities involved are indicated by critical questions, which those who write of information need are invited to answer.
1,2,3‐Tricarbonylverbindungen, XIII Über Reaktionen des Ninhydrins bzw. 1,2,3‐Indantrions mit 1,2‐ und 1,3‐bifunktionellen Verbindungen. Ein Beitrag zur Bildung von Spiroverbindungen aus Ninhydrin
Authors: Schönberg Alexander , Singer Erich , Eschenhof Brita , Hoyer Georg‐A.
Published: June 2007

Ninhydrin (1) reagiert mit den N, N′‐disubstituierten Ethylendiaminen 2–6 nach Schema (1) unter Bildung der 1,4‐Diazaspiro[4.4]nonane 7–11. Die Umsetzung mit Piperazin führt zum Bis‐halbaminal 14. Spiro[1,3‐dioxolan‐2,2′‐indan]‐1′,3′‐dion (16) und Spiro[1,3‐dioxan‐2,2′‐indan]‐1′,3′‐dion (17) entstehen bei der Reaktion von 1 mit 2‐Bromethanol bzw, 3‐Brompropanol. Die unkatalysierte Einwirkung von 1,2‐Ethandithiol auf 1 oder dehydratisiertem Ninhydrin (1,2,3‐Indantrion; 15) liefert das Bis‐halbmercaptal 18, während mit 15 unter Bortrifluorid‐Katalyse das Bis‐ethylemercaptal 19 gebildet wird. Die Bildung von Spiroverbindungen aus Ninhydrin (1) wird diskutiert.
Carbenes, 18: Isomerization Reactions of Phosphoryl‐vinyl‐carbenes to Phosphorylated Cyclopropenes, Allenes, Acetylenes, Indenes, and 1,3‐Butadienes
Authors: Welter Wolfgang , Hartmann Alfons , Regitz Manfred
Published: June 2007

Bestrahlung der durch Bamford‐Stevens‐Reaktion zugänglichen Phosphoryl‐vinyl‐diazomethane 5a–g in Benzol liefert die Carbene 6a–g, die ausschließlich intramolekular reagieren. Die Cyclopropenphosphonsäureester 8a–d und g sind die Hauptprodukte der Reaktion (21–78%), während die Allenphosphonsäureester 9a, b und e–g nur in Ausbeuten von 4–7% entstehen. Der Inden‐Ringschluß zu 16 (5%) ist auf das Carben 6g beschränkt. Die Allene 9a und b wurden zumindest teilweise durch nachträgliche Isomerisierung entsprechender Cyclopropene gebildet, wobei Vinylcarbene (6a, b oder 13a, b) als Zwischenstufen auftreten. Die gleichen Kumulene gehen durch photochemisch erlaubte [1,3s]‐sigmatrope Wasserstoffverschiebung in die Alkine 14a und b über. Carbene (6a und d) oder entsprechende Carbenoide werden ebenfalls als Zwischenstufen für die kupferkatalysierte Umwandlung der Cyclopropene 8a und d in die 1,3‐Butadiene 24a und c postuliert. Die Cyclopropenphosphonsäureester 8a–d sind geeignete Dienophile für Diels‐Alder‐Reaktionen; mit 1,3‐Diphenylisobenzofuran werden die Tricyclo[3.2.1.02,4]octene 25a–d erhalten.
Überführung von 17α‐Ethinyl‐17β‐nitrooxy‐Steroiden in 17α‐Hydroxy‐20‐oxopregnan‐Derivate
Authors: Hofmeister Helmut , Annen Klaus , Laurent Henry , Wiechert Rudolf
Published: June 2007

Die 17α‐Ethinyl‐Steroide 1a, b und deren 17β‐Acetate 1c, d lassen sich in alkoholischer Lösung unter Quecksilbersalzkatalyse in die 20‐Oxoisopregnene 2a–d überführen. Dagegen reagieren die 17β‐Nitrooxy‐Steroide 3a, b bei analogen Reaktionsbedingungen unter Inversion der Seitenkette zu den 17α‐Alkoxy‐20‐ketonen 4a–c. Mit Ameisen‐ oder Essigsäure werden aus 3a, b die 17‐Acyloxy‐20‐ketone 4d, e und h erhalten, die sich zu den 17‐Hydroxy‐Verbindungen 4f und g verseifen lassen. Verwendet man Silberacetat als Katalysator, so bilden sich im Ameisensäure/Hexamethylphosphorsäuretriamid‐Gemisch aus 3a und b die 17β‐Ethinyl‐17α‐formyloxy‐Steroide 6a und b, die mit Quecksilber(II)‐acetat zu den 20‐Ketonen 4d und e hydratisieren.
Eine neuartige einfache Dreiring‐Synthese
Authors: Annen Klaus , Hofmeister Helmut , Laurent Henry , Seeger Arne , Wiechert Rudolf
Published: June 2007

Die Olefine RR′C = CXY, in denen X und Y elektronenanziehende Substituenten (CN oder CO2R″) sind, lassen sich mit Nitromethan und Basen in guten Ausbeuten in die entsprechenden Cyclopropylverbindungen umwandeln. Mechanismus. sterischer Verlauf und Grenzen der Reaktion werden diskutiert.
Alkine und Kumulene, IX: Die Palladium(0)‐katalysierte Dimerisierung von 1,2,4‐Pentatrien (Vinylallen)
Authors: Siegel Herbert , Hopf Henning , Germer Alfred , Binger Paul
Published: June 2007

Die Dimerisierung von 1,2,4‐Pentatrien (1) an einem Pd0/Triisopropylphosphin‐Katalysator bei 35°C liefert die vier Sechsring‐Dimeren 2–5. Das Hauptprodukt 3 isomerisiert mit Kalium‐tert‐butylat in tert‐Butylalkohol zu über 90% zu den isomeren 2‐(1‐Propenyl)toluolen 9 und 10. Aus der Produktverteilung geht hervor, daß der Butadien‐Teil von 1 mit der Pd0‐Verbindung bevorzugt oder ausschließlich unter oxidativer Addition reagiert, wobei die zu 3 führende Schwanz‐Schwanz‐Verknüpfung überwiegt. Alternativen zu diesem Reaktionsmechanismus werden diskutiert.