Designed to minimize information overload in telecommunications systems, the formal model developed in this paper predicts the usefulness of a message based on the available message features, and may be used to rank messages by expected importance or economic worth. The assumptions of binary and two Poisson independent probabilistic distributions…

Discusses underlying assumptions and prerequisites for information development in Arab countries. Administrative and environmental impediments which hinder the optimum utilization of available resources and suggestions for improvements are outlined. A brief bibliography is provided. (Author/RAA)

Applies theories about organizational information processing to better understand the influences on method of access and on effects of using online information. Explores the extent to which organizational differences also influence these variables, what the positive and negative outcomes from using online commercial databases are, and how those…

The three papers presented at this assembly focused on communications technology and the information industry, organization of information, and development of the Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) system. "The Communications Revolution: America's Third Century Challenge" examines the growth of society from a pre- to a post-industrial…

During the 1971-72 pilot test of the Southwest Regional Laboratory's (SWRL) Instructional Management System (IMS), three alternative procedures were used to gather data within the classroom, transmit those data to SWRL for processing, and send IMS output to the appropriate recipients in the schools. ComSys 3--one of the three…

A primer on information science introduces the study of how information is transmitted to the person who needs it and how it is later stored and retrieved. Beginning with the history of information as it was used by early man, the booklet summarizes the rapid development of new information technologies, with illustrations and in terms that can be…

The new data retrieval system for the social sciences which has recently been installed in the UNESCO Secretariat in Paris is described in this comprehensive report. The computerized system is designed to facilitate the existing storage systems in the circulation of information, data retrieval, and indexing services. Basically, this report…

A ten-year research study designed a mechanized information system in the information processing field. Special attention was paid to implementation criteria entering into on-line retrieval through man-machine dialog from a remote typewriter or video terminal and four major areas were investigated: search strategies, machine stored indexer aids,…