Describes the concept of the Memex, an imaginary information retrieval machine proposed by Vannevar Bush in 1945. The technological background of the Memex and of other visions of that period are examined with special reference to Emanuel Goldberg, inventor of a microfilm selector using a photoelectric cell. Bush's work is reassessed in this…

Raises fundamental questions about the scope of information science and information retrieval, and illustrates how it has evolved over the last 60 years. The work of European documentalists is described, the terminology of multimedia is examined, and image handling is discussed as a method of focusing on representations other than text. (12…

Describes Document Style Semantics and Specification Language (DSSSL), an international standard for the formatting and processing of SGML documents. Outlines DSSSL structure as the key to enabling interchange of formatting information in a standardized non-proprietary format, the processing model, areas of standardization, and DSSSL language.…

Updates the data on the occupational structure of information work. Patterns of information sector employment are described, changes in occupational structures are discussed, and data that indicate that the information sector continues to grow as a proportion of all employment is examined. (Author/LRW)

Briefly reviews early work in documentation and text processing, and predictions that were made about the creative role of computers in information retrieval. An attempt is made to explain why these predictions were not fulfilled and conclusions are drawn regarding the limits of computer power in text retrieval applications. (Author/CLB)

Describes a bottom-up procedure for discovering multivalued dependencies in observed data without knowing a priori the relationships among the attributes. The proposed algorithm is an application of technique designed for learning conditional independencies in probabilistic reasoning; a prototype system for automated database schema design has…

Explores linkages between the use of information technology and changes in the self-identity of professional groups in terms of how they see and describe themselves in relation to their work and that of others. Microlevel studies are described and the use of macrolevel social theory to analyze results is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of changes in organizational environments focuses on nonbureaucratic, or nontraditional, organizations, and the role of information technology. A model of a nontraditional organizational design is described and results of a pilot study of the role of information technology in nontraditional organizations are presented. Contains 114…

A founder trustee of OCLC recounts the steps toward automation of library catalogs encountered during his career, from the use of punched cards in a circulation system to the implementation of online union catalogs. (CLB)

Discussion of gatekeepers (individuals who promote communication of technical and professional information by gathering it from a variety of sources and disseminating it to their colleagues) focuses on a technique for identifying gatekeepers in the information technology profession based on a questionnaire survey in Australia. (Author/LRW)

Reviews several noncyclical, nonrepetitive hypotheses that try to predict broad spectrum maturational stages of overall information technology growth. Based on the areas of convergence among the hypotheses, several predictions are offered, and it is suggested that we are at a major transition point entering the third stage of computerized…

Examines the evolution of the U.S. standards process and its basis in U.S. political culture; evaluates the system in the light of the many structural changes taking place in the world economy; and suggests that a new balance must be struck between public and private sector roles. (23 references) (LAE)

This case study of how the museum community is trying to select standards for data interchange between museum systems reviews the work of the Museum Computer Network's committee on the Computer Interchange of Museum Information (CIMI) and reflects on the issues confronting CIMI as it tries to exploit information technology standards as a strategy.…

Provides an overview of six articles that address relationships between electronic imaging technology and information science. Articles discuss the areas of technology; applications in the fields of visual arts, medicine, and textile history; conceptual foundations; and future visions, including work in virtual reality and cyberspace. (LRW)

Traditional themes of information science must be expanded to accommodate systematic understandings of ways to design effective documentary systems and anticipate their social consequences. The field of social informatics offers important concepts, theories, and methods that give this kind of inquiry a sound scientific basis. Social informatics…