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Scientific information
hformstron
Processing & Management, Vol. 12. pp. 293-Z%.
Pergamon Press 1976.
Printed in Great Britain
BOOK REVIEWS Scientific
Periodicals: Their Historical Development, Characteristics and Control. BERNARDHOUGHTON.Linnet Shoestring Press, Hamden, Conn., 1975, pp. 135 $10.00.
Books,
A knowledge of periodical literature is of increasing importance in librarianship. Yet the subject is not given sufficient attention, for the literature is widely scattered and difficult to organize. Thus, Houghton’s new book, which is written for the library school student is a welcome text. As a Senior Lecturer in the Liverpool Polytechnic Department of Library and Information Studies, Houghton understands his students and what they need to learn. This is an introductory text covering the historical development and growth of scientific journals, the methods of bibliographic control and the characteristics of the literature itself as manifested by studies of citation and scattering patterns, It is a thin volume containing eight chapters and a little more than a hundred pages of text. The first four chapters deal with the early history of periodical literature begining with Le Journal des Scaoans, the development of subject specialized journals, the proliferation of scientific and technical journals and some of the problems and publishing alternatives. The next three chapters discuss techniques of providing access to the journal literature by catalogs and by abstracting and indexing services. Included in Chap. 7 is an indication of the use and impact of the computer as an aid in providing access to the periodical literature. The final chapter investigates the characteristics of the literature itself, the growth and obsolescence of journals, the “half-life” concept of utility in relation to aging, Bradford’s Law of Scattering, and citation patterns. The material covered is not new, but it is well organized. The text is a useful and an informative volume which can be recommended for library school students. HAROLDBORKO
University of California Los Angeles CA 9002.4 U.S.A.
Scientific Information. J. GREY and B. PERRY. Oxford University Press, London and New York, 1975, pp. 62, $9.00. “Good information, in the right form and at the right place and time, is worth paying for” (p. 49). This quote sums up the theme of a very stimulating essay on scientific information. The rest is commentarydommentary on what is meant by good information and on the problems of providing this information to the right people, in the right form, at the right place, and at the right time. The authors of the essay hold responsible positions in the Research Department of the British Library where they are concerned with matters of policy and support for information research in order to impliment the goals enumerated above. They are decision makers, and their essay is intended to explain the growth, patterns, and problems of scientific information, and to communicate with decision makers in industry, in government and with the general public. But understanding needs and problems is not enough; one must cope with the situation and must be willing to support these efforts. Thus, the bulk of the book discusses present programs for coping with the crisis in information services and research activities. The concluding chapter is on “implications for the future”, and in it the authors restate their major points: (1) Present methods of disseminating information can be improved; (2) It is the information content of the system that is of prime importance, while the storage and retrieval techniques are but means to an end; (3) The intellectual problems in information processing must be resolved before significant new progress can be made; and (4) Information is an expensive resource, and one must be prepared to pay for it. These statements, while they may seem simple and obvious, have many implications for scientists, practioners, administrators, and the community as a whole. These different effects are explicated and clarified. The value of this essay will be perceived differently by different people depending on their involvement and experience with information handling, but all should find it stimulating. University of California Los Angeles CA 90024 U.S.A.
HAROLDBORKO
Computers and Programming: A Neoclassical Approach. P. OLIVERI and M. W. RUBIN.McGraw-Hill, 429 pp.
New York, 1975, xiv,
A funny book about FORTRAN? Basic with buffonery? Indeed! This much talked-about book by Olivieri and Rubin takes the reader on a romp through several hundred pages of computer programming, basic machine design, file systems, and applications, with hero, Howie Gettindere, and a host of supporting characters, Clara Fy, Seymour Movies, Randy and Ella Mentry-students of Prof. Ovitt (Phil Ovitt). But, despite the fun and games aspect, the aim of the book is serious: to educate students in business (and possibly the social sciences) in a subject in which they may not particularly want to be educated! 293
Processing & Management, Vol. 12. pp. 293-Z%.
Pergamon Press 1976.
Printed in Great Britain
BOOK REVIEWS Scientific
Periodicals: Their Historical Development, Characteristics and Control. BERNARDHOUGHTON.Linnet Shoestring Press, Hamden, Conn., 1975, pp. 135 $10.00.
Books,
A knowledge of periodical literature is of increasing importance in librarianship. Yet the subject is not given sufficient attention, for the literature is widely scattered and difficult to organize. Thus, Houghton’s new book, which is written for the library school student is a welcome text. As a Senior Lecturer in the Liverpool Polytechnic Department of Library and Information Studies, Houghton understands his students and what they need to learn. This is an introductory text covering the historical development and growth of scientific journals, the methods of bibliographic control and the characteristics of the literature itself as manifested by studies of citation and scattering patterns, It is a thin volume containing eight chapters and a little more than a hundred pages of text. The first four chapters deal with the early history of periodical literature begining with Le Journal des Scaoans, the development of subject specialized journals, the proliferation of scientific and technical journals and some of the problems and publishing alternatives. The next three chapters discuss techniques of providing access to the journal literature by catalogs and by abstracting and indexing services. Included in Chap. 7 is an indication of the use and impact of the computer as an aid in providing access to the periodical literature. The final chapter investigates the characteristics of the literature itself, the growth and obsolescence of journals, the “half-life” concept of utility in relation to aging, Bradford’s Law of Scattering, and citation patterns. The material covered is not new, but it is well organized. The text is a useful and an informative volume which can be recommended for library school students. HAROLDBORKO
University of California Los Angeles CA 9002.4 U.S.A.
Scientific Information. J. GREY and B. PERRY. Oxford University Press, London and New York, 1975, pp. 62, $9.00. “Good information, in the right form and at the right place and time, is worth paying for” (p. 49). This quote sums up the theme of a very stimulating essay on scientific information. The rest is commentarydommentary on what is meant by good information and on the problems of providing this information to the right people, in the right form, at the right place, and at the right time. The authors of the essay hold responsible positions in the Research Department of the British Library where they are concerned with matters of policy and support for information research in order to impliment the goals enumerated above. They are decision makers, and their essay is intended to explain the growth, patterns, and problems of scientific information, and to communicate with decision makers in industry, in government and with the general public. But understanding needs and problems is not enough; one must cope with the situation and must be willing to support these efforts. Thus, the bulk of the book discusses present programs for coping with the crisis in information services and research activities. The concluding chapter is on “implications for the future”, and in it the authors restate their major points: (1) Present methods of disseminating information can be improved; (2) It is the information content of the system that is of prime importance, while the storage and retrieval techniques are but means to an end; (3) The intellectual problems in information processing must be resolved before significant new progress can be made; and (4) Information is an expensive resource, and one must be prepared to pay for it. These statements, while they may seem simple and obvious, have many implications for scientists, practioners, administrators, and the community as a whole. These different effects are explicated and clarified. The value of this essay will be perceived differently by different people depending on their involvement and experience with information handling, but all should find it stimulating. University of California Los Angeles CA 90024 U.S.A.
HAROLDBORKO
Computers and Programming: A Neoclassical Approach. P. OLIVERI and M. W. RUBIN.McGraw-Hill, 429 pp.
New York, 1975, xiv,
A funny book about FORTRAN? Basic with buffonery? Indeed! This much talked-about book by Olivieri and Rubin takes the reader on a romp through several hundred pages of computer programming, basic machine design, file systems, and applications, with hero, Howie Gettindere, and a host of supporting characters, Clara Fy, Seymour Movies, Randy and Ella Mentry-students of Prof. Ovitt (Phil Ovitt). But, despite the fun and games aspect, the aim of the book is serious: to educate students in business (and possibly the social sciences) in a subject in which they may not particularly want to be educated! 293