NUMBER 3

The Committee on Science and Astronautics of the House of Representatives held a series of hearings on scientific and technical information during the end of May and early June. These hearings were not investigatory in the customary sense, nor was specific new legislation under consideration. Rather, it was the aim of this relatively new and important committee to obtain an overall picture of the generation and dissemination of information, particularly in Federal Government agencies.

The operations of the major government science libraries were described by Dr. L. Quincy Mumford, Librarian of Congress, Foster A. Mohrhardt, Director of the Department of Agriculture Library, and Dr. Frank B. Rogers, Director of the National Library of Medicine.

Dr. Herman Henkle, Librarian of the John Crerar Library, presented testimony from the point of view of one of the nation's most important private science libraries, while G. Miles Conrad, President of the National Federation of Science Abstracting and Indexing Services and Director of Biological Abstracts, described the role of abstracting services in the scientific communications network.

William T. Knox, Manager of the Technical Information Department of Esso Research and Engineering Company, discussed the information activity of a large industrial firm.

Ben G. Huff, Director of Review and Service, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense

for Research and Development, discussed technical information activities of the military agencies and the means by which unclassified information from these sources is made available to the public.

Dr. Alan T. Waterman, Director, National Science Foundation, described the current nationwide programs of the Science Information Service and outlined major information problems being attacked in cooperation with other government as well as private organizations.

Also scheduled to appear in these hearings was John C. Green, Director, Office of Technical Services, Department of Commerce, to explain the function of his group as the principal outlet to the public for unclassified technical information generated within the Government.

In their questioning of witnesses, Committee members expressed concern about availability in the United States of the published results of foreign research, and about the adequacy of present programs to assure the rapid dissemination of both foreign and domestic information.

The Committee on Science and Astronautics plans to publish the testimony taken during the hearings in the immediate future. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, Attn: Lt. Col. Paul B. Schuppener, Room 214-B, New House Office Building, Washington 25, D. C.

FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

The FACSI Subcommittee on Dissemination of Information through Federal Agency Field Offices and Depositories, meeting on April 21, 1959, agreed that although a census and analysis of Federal agency depository activities appeared warranted,' the subcommittee should first appraise carefully current legislation pertaining to Federal depositories. It was noted that H.R. 519 (the Depository Library Act of 1959) already had passed the House, had been twice read in the Senate, and had been referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, chaired by Senator Thomas Hennings. H.R. 519 has been further referred to the subcommittee on the Library of Congress.

During the 85th Congress, extensive hearings and studies were conducted on H.R. 9186 and 11042, earlier forms of the present bill. H.R. 519 contains the identical text of H.R. 13140 which passed the House in July 1958. The subcommittee on the Library definitely plans to hold hearings on H.R. 519 in the near future.

Under these circumstances the FACSI subcommittee believed it untimely to undertake a study of Federal agency depositories, and planned no further action until a clearer picture evolves with respect to H.R. 519.

A detailed summary or analysis of the legislation may be found in the following pertinent documents: H.R. 519 (86th Congress, 1st session); H. Rept. 67 (to accompany H.R. 519); and "Revision of Depository Library Laws" (Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on House Administration, House of Representatives, 85th Congress, 1st session).

LEGAL STUDY PLANNED ON PROBLEMS OF PHOTOCOPYING IN LIBRARIES

The Joint Libraries Committee on Fair Use in Photocopying has engaged the services of a New York law firm, Webster, Sheffield & Chrystie, to make a legal study of the problems of photocopying in libraries.

1 See Science Information News, Vol. 1, No. 2, p. 5.

The Committee, which represents the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Special Libraries Association, was established in 1957 to work on copyright problems which arise when libraries photocopy material in their collections for their users. Edward G. Freehafer, representing the Association of Research Libraries, is Committee Chairman; other members are Lowell A. Martin, representing the American Library Association, and Robert S. Bray, representing the Special Libraries Association.

A pilot survey has been conducted by the Committee to discover some of the facts regarding photocopying services in libraries; it has been aware also of the need for studies and advice on the legal aspects of the problem. It has now become possible for the Committee to obtain such assistance through a two-year grant by the Council on Library Resources, Inc. The Council is a non-profit body established in 1956 with the aid of a grant from the Ford Foundation to assist in solving the problems of libraries generally and of research libraries in particular.

ABSTRACTING FEDERATION ESTABLISHES OFFICE, NAMES EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

A national office for scientific abstracting and indexing services was opened in Washington, D. C. on May 1, 1959. The office will be headquarters for the National Federation of Science Abstracting and Indexing Services and will be managed by the newly appointed Executive Secretary, Raymond A. Jensen.

Establishment of the central office for the new organization will enable it to proceed with full-scale activities in fulfillment of its objectives. The Federation was established about a year ago to coordinate the work of the various indexing and abstracting services, seek ways to improve them, and encourage the development of such services for those specialized subject fields not presently covered.

Two important projects already being organized are the preparation of a Union List of Periodicals covered by major scientific abstracting and indexing services since January 1, 1957,

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ad the preparation of a subject, language, and untry analysis of scientific periodicals and Lonograph series produced throughout the orld by various scientific institutions.

The Federation is organized into six working roups: Management Services, Abstract Edirial, Index Editorial, Manufacturing Producon, Material Procurement and Assignment, ad Research.

Membership in the Federation includes:
Aero/Space Reviews

Applied Mechanics Reviews

ASTIA Technical Abstract Bulletin
Bibliography of Agriculture
Biological Abstracts

Chemical Abstracts

Current List of Medical Literature
Engineering Index

Mathematical Reviews

Meteorological Abstracts
Nuclear Science Abstracts
Psychological Abstracts

Review of Metal Literature

United States Government Research Reports.

CORNELL AUGMENTS SOUTHEAST ASIAN COLLECTION

Cornell University, the leading American center for Southeast Asian studies, will expand its collection of research materials on the countries of that area with the help of a grant of $75,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Acquisitions will be as varied as the most modern techniques of scholarship demand. In addition to important collections of books and manuscripts, Cornell may purchase microfilms of documents from royal or colonial archives in such countries as Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Steps may also be taken to build up a collection of tape-recorded interviews with leaders who have played a major role in recent Southeast Asian history.

An outstanding feature of the Cornell Southeast Asia Program, according to the Rockefeller Foundation, has been the breadth of its impact. Not only has it developed a focal point for advanced studies in Ithaca, but it has also

produced trained specialists for scholarly and governmental positions. At the same time, the program has contributed to learning within the Southeast Asian countries by giving advanced training to individual Asian scholars and by undertaking cooperative projects with institutions in the area.

TECHNICAL TRANSLATIONS EXPANDED

The Office of Technical Services, U. S. Department of Commerce, announces that it is expanding the section, Translations in Process by Government Agencies, in the semi-monthly publication Technical Translations, to include those in process by private firms and publishers. Translating groups in this category are invited to contact the Office of Technical Services, Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C., for additional information. Material to be indexed will be actually in process and not just contemplated. It may be in the form of books, monographs or articles, but it must be at least fifty pages in length.

NEWS ABOUT Z39

The American Standards Association Sectional Committee Z39 on Library Work and Documentation issues a news sheet, News About Z39, published intermittently, which is available from the committee's chairman, Robert E. Kingery, New York Public Library, 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, New York 18, N.Y.

The committee, which is sponsored by the Council of National Library Associations, works on standards for concepts, definitions, terminology, letters, and signs used in library work in the preparation and utilization of documents. Its standards on indexing have been approved by its member associations preparatory to being referred to the American Standards Association. Other fields of current activity are nomenclature (including journal abbreviations), transliteration, abstracting, and library statistics.

NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MACHINE TRANSLATION PLANNED

A National Symposium on Machine Translation is being planned for February 2-5 (Tuesday through Friday) 1960 in Los Angeles under the sponsorship of the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and the University of Washington. Sessions will be held on the U.C.L.A. campus.

It is intended that the symposium will provide for description of methods now being exploited, an accurate appraisal of the current state of progress in machine translation, and a discussion of outstanding problems now seen to impede progress.

Active research centers are being invited to present reports on recent findings and current research, and several sessions will be devoted to discussions and brief papers on important problem areas.

Additional information on the symposium will appear in later issues of Science Information News.

FID ACTIVITIES

The 25th Conference of the International Federation for Documentation (FID) will be held in Warsaw, September 17-26, 1959. The Centralny Instytut Dokumentcij NaukowoTechnicznej (Central Institute for Documentation of Science and Technology) in Poland is the organizing body for this first FID Conference held in Eastern Europe. The preliminary program includes meetings on:

Information services
Primary publication

Document reproduction and selection
Bibliography and abstracting
Copyright and document reproduction
Comparative classification
Linguistic problems

Needs of countries in development
Standardization.

Dr. Burton W. Adkinson, Head, Office of Science Information Service, National Science Foundation, in addition to his duties as FID

Vice President for the Americas, will present a paper, "Bibliography and Abstracting" at the Conference.

CSU INSTITUTE IN TECHNICAL AND
INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS

Colorado State University's second annual Institute in Technical and Industral Communications has been scheduled for July 6-10. The Institute is a one-week course and workshop designed for those engaged in the supervision or preparation of reports, manuals, brochures, and other technical communications material.

The Institute staff includes CSU faculty members and authorities in scientific, technical, and industrial communications from industry and government.

Included in the program will be a talk by Dr. J. W. Perry of Western Reserve on "Information Storage and Retrieval: Requirements and Methods." At the Tuesday afternoon session, C. A. Brown of the General Motors Institute will talk on "The Anatomy of Technical Reports." In the field of technical public relations, J. H. McCormick, U. S. Department of Agriculture, will present a paper on USDA's science information program. Other sessions will be devoted to lectures on scientific writing, delivery of technical papers, and preparation of technical manuals and books.

Lectures by the staff will be supplemented by group discussions, films, laboratory writing exercises, and personal consultation. Partici pants may submit their communication problems to a special problem clinic for review and criticism.

A workshop registration fee of $50 will cover all scheduled sessions of the Institute. Another $50 fee will be assessed for room accommodations and meals. Two college credits will be given for completion of the course.

Registration materials or other information may be obtained by writing to the Chairman, Department of English and Modern Languages, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.

The proceedings of all sessions and problem clinics of the Institute will be published and will be available at a nominal fee.