Annual Review of Information Science and Technology

Abstract

Information Science (IS) is the study of principles underlying communication processes and information systems. It is not new as an activity; it has ancient precedents in other sciences, in philosophy, in the arts. It is, however, new as a separate discipline and a profession, one that draws from diverse sources and seeks solutions to problems of equally diverse fields. Its interdisciplinary character heightens its interest while making for great confusion. A few years ago the American Society for Information Science sought to bring together the relevant current literature of IS wherever published, in order to improve communication and standards. With support from National Science Foundation and System Development Corporation, the Society created the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology. From the beginning the venture has had a great deal going for it: an excellent program of document identification which has produced the Bibliography of Information Science and Technolopv (published separately), the services of outstanding reviewers in many fields, and a superior calibre of editorship. The result has been the production of the most useful single source of information on recent IS literature. Volume 31 of the Annual Review, published .in October 1968, covers the literature of calendar year 1967. It reflects the growing sophistication of the IS community as well as its increasing concern for the development of a sound theoretical base and rigorous discipline. Appropriately, the editor has varied from year to year the choice of subjects covered, as a reflection of changing emphases in the field. This year the coverage of automation of libraries and information centers, a single chapter in Volume 2, has been expanded into two, one covering automation of