139 TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONS ANNOUNCEMENTS Panel Discussion on «Government Publi- cations in Machine-Readable Form" This meeting will be held on July 10 from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. as a part of the American Library Association's 1974 New York Conference. The meeting is co- sponsored by the Government Documents Round Table's (GODORT) Machine- Readable Data File Committee, the Fed- eral Librarians Round Table (FLIRT), the RASD Information Retrieval Committee, and the RASD/RTSD/ ASLA Public Docu- ments Committee. The moderator is Gretchen DeWitt of Columbus Public Library and the panelists are Peter Watson of UCLA, Mary Pensyl of MIT, Judith Rowe of Princeton, and Billie Salter of Yale. Mr. Watson will dis- cuss the general issues concerning the ac- quisition and use of bibliographic data files and provide a brief description of some of the files now publicly available; Miss Pensyl will describe the workings of the project now underway to make these files available to MIT users. Mrs. Rowe will discuss the ways in which govern- ment-produced statistical files supplement the related printed reports and will indi- cate some of the types and sources of files now being released; Miss Salter will dis- cuss a program for integrating these and other research files into Yale's social science reference service. Representatives of sev- eral federal agencies will display materials describing and documenting both biblio- graphic and statistical data files. The purpose of the program is to ac- quaint reference librarians, particularly those now handling printed documents, with the uses of both types of files, the advantages and disadvantages of these reference tools, and the techniques and policy changes necessary for their use in a library environment. The recent release of the draft proposal produced by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Services makes more timely than ever an open discussion of the place of bibliographic and numeric data files in a reference collection. All librarians must be acquainted with these growing resources in order to continue to provide full service to their patrons. For further information, contact Judith Rowe, Computer Center, Princeton Uni- versity, 87 Prospect Ave., Princeton, NJ 08540. Ninth Annual Educational Media and Technology Conference to be Hosted by University of Wisconsin-Stout, July 22-24, 1974 AETC past president Dr. Jerry Kemp, coordinator of instructional development services for San Jose State University (Cal- ifornia), and film consultant Ralph J. Amelio, media coordinator and English instructor at Willowbrook High School, Villa Park, Illinois, will headline the Uni- versity of Wisconsin-Stout's 9th Annual Educational Media and Technology Con- ference to be held in Menomonie, Wiscon- sin, on July 22-24, 1974. "Educational Technology: Can We Realize Its Poten- tial?" will be the subject of Kemp's presen- tation on Monday evening, while Amelio, speaking on Tuesday, July 23, will chal- lenge participants with the subject "Visual Literacy: What Can You Do?". Seven concurrent workshops will be held on Monday afternoon: Library Automa- tion; Sound for Visuals; Making the Time- Sharing Computer Work for You; New Developments in Photography; What's 140 Journal of Libmry Automation Vol. 7/2 June 1974 New in Graphics; Selecting and Evalu- ating Educational Media; and Instructional Development: How to Make It Work! Individuals leading the three-hour work- shops will include: Alfred Baker, vice- president of Science Press; John Lord, technical service manager for the DuKane Corporation; William Daehling, Weber State College, Ogden, Utah; and several media specialists from Learning Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stout. About fifty exhibitors will show and demonstrate both hardware and software during the conference. Six case studies will be given of exemplary media programs at the public school, vocational-technical, and college level. Further information may be obtained by contacting Dr. David P. Bernard, Dean of Learning Resources, University of Wis- consin-Stout, Menomonie, WI 54751. Report of RECON Project Published The Library of Congress has published in RECON Pilot Project (vii, 49p.) the final report of a project sponsored by LC, the Council on Library Resources, Inc., and the U.S. Office of Education to determine the problems associated with centralized conversion of retrospective catalog records and distribution of these records from a central source. In the MARC Pilot Project, begun in November 1966, the Library of Congress distributed machine-readable catalog rec- ords for English-language monographs, and the success of that project led to the implementation in March 1969 of the MARC Distribution Service, in which over fifty subscribers have by now received more than 300,000 MARC records repre- senting the current English-language mono- graph cataloging at the Library of Con- gress. As coverage is extended to catalog records for foreign-language monographs and for other forms of material, libraries will be able to obtain machine records for a large number of their current titles. More research was needed, however, on the problems of obtaining machine- readable data for retrospective cataloging, and the Council on Library Resources made it possible for LC to engage in No- vember 1968 a task force to study the feasibility of converting retrospective cat- alog records. The final report of the RECON (for REtrospective CONversion) Working Task Force was published in June 1969. One of the report's recommendations was that a pilot project test various con- version techniques, ideally covering the highest priority materials, English-lan- guage monograph records from 1960-68; and with funds from the sponsoring agen- cies LC initiated a two-year project in August 1969. The present report covers five major areas examined in that period: 1. Testing of techniques postulated in the RECON report in an operational environment by converting English- language monographs cataloged in 1968 and 1969 but not included in the MARC Distribution Service. 2. Development of format recognition, a computer program which can pro- cess unedited catalog records and supply all the necessary content des- ignators required for the full MARC record. 3. Analysis of techniques for the con- version of older English-language materials and titles in foreign lan- guages using the roman alphabet. 4. Monitoring the state-of-the-art of in- put devices that would facilitate conversion of a large data base. 5. A study of microfilming techniques and their associated costs. RECON Pilot Project is available for $1.50 from the Superintendent of Docu- ments, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Stock No. 3000- 00061. Library of Congress Issues RECON Working Task Fo1'ce Report National Aspects of Creating and Using MARC/RECON Records (v, 48p.) re- ports on studies conducted at the Library of Congress by the RECON Working Task Force under the chairmanship of Henriette D. Avram. They were made concurrently with a pilot project by the library to test the feasibility of the plan outlined in the task force's first report en- titled Conversion of Retrospective Reco1·.ds to Machine-Readable Form (Library of Congress, 1969) and in RECON Pilot P1'oject (Library of Congress, 1972). Both the pilot project and the new studies re- ceived financial support from the Council on Library Resources, Inc., and the U.S. Office of Education. The present volume describes four in- vestigations: ( 1) the feasibility of deter- mining a level or subset of the established MARC content designators (tags, indi- cators, and subfield codes) that would still allow a library using it to be part of a future national network; ( 2) the prac- ticality of the Library of Congress using other machine-readable data bases to build a national bibliographic store; ( 3) implications of a national union catalog in machine-readable form; and ( 4) alter- native strategies for undertaking a large- scale conversion project. The appendices include an explanation of the problems of achieving a cooperatively produced bib- liographic data base, a description of the characteristics of the present National Union Catalog, and an analysis of Library of Congress card orders for one year. Although the findings and recommenda- tions of this report are less optimistic than those of the original RECON study, they reaffirm the need for coordinated activity in the conversion of retrospective catalog records and suggest ways in which a large-scale project might be undmtaken. The report provides a basis for realistic planning in a critical area of library au- tomation. National Aspects of Creating and Using MARC!RECON Records is available for $2.75 from the Superintendent of Docu- ments, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Stock No. 3000- 00062. ISAD OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES TESLA Info1'mation Editor's Note: Use of the following guidelines and forms is described in the article by John Kountz in this issue of Technical Communications 141 JOLA. The TESLA Reactor Ballot will also appear in subsequent issues of Technical Communications for reader use, and the TESLA Standards Score- board will be presented as cumulate.d 1'esults warrant its publication. To use, photocopy or otherwise duplicate the forms presented in JOLA-TC, fill out these copies, and mail them to the TESLA chai1'man, M1'. John C. Kountz, Associate fo1' Libmry Automation, Office of The Chancello1', The Califomia State University and Colleges, 5670 Wilshim Blvd., Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Initiative Standard Proposal Outline- The following outline and forms are de- signed to facilitate review by both the ISAD Committee on Technical Standards for Library Automation (TESLA) and the membership of initiative standards re- quirements and to expedite the handling of the Initiative Standard Proposal through the procedure. Since the outline will be used for the review process, it is to be followed ex- plicitly. Where an initiative standard re- quirement does not require the use of a TESlA REACTOR BAllOT Reactor Information Name Title Organization Address City state ___ Zip __ Telephone Identification Number For Standard Requirement For Against Reason for Position: (Use Additional Pages if Required} 142 ]oumal of Librm·y Automation Vol. 7/2 June 1974 TESLA STANDARDS SCOREBOARD Receipt Screen Division REJ/ACPl Publish Tally Representative Title/I.D. Number Date Date Date Date Date Date Date Target specific outline entry, the entry heading is to be used followed by the words "not applicable" (e.g., where no standards exist which relate to the proposal, this is indi- cated by: VI. Existing Standards. Not Ap- plicable). Note that the parenthetical statements following most of the outline entry de- scriptions relate to the ANSI Standards Proposal section headings to facilitate the translation from this outline to the ANSI format. All Initiative Standards Proposals are to be typed, double spaced on 83~" x 11" white paper (typing on one side only). Each page is to be numbered consecu- tively in the upper right-hand corner. The initiator's last name followed by the key word from the title is to appear one line below each page number. I. Title of Initiative Standard Pro- posal (Title) . II. Initiator Information (Forward). A. Name B. Title C. Organization D. Address E. City, State, Zip F. Telephone: Area Code, Num- ber, Extension III. Technical area. Describe the area of library technology as under- stood by initiator. Be as precise as possible since in large measure the information given here will help determine which ALA offi- cial representative might best handle this proposal once it has been reviewed and which ALA organizational component might best be engaged in the review process. IV. Purpose. State the purpose of Standard Proposal (Scope and Qualifications) . V. Description. Briefly describe the Standard Proposal (Specification of the Standard) . VI. Relationship of other standards. If existing standards have been identified which relate to, or are felt to influence, this Standard Technical Communications 143 Proposal, cite them here (Ex- pository Remarks) . VII. Background. Describe the re- search or historical review per- formed relating to this Standard Proposal (if applicable, provide a bibliography) and your find- ings (Justification). VIII. Specifications. Specify the Stan- dard Proposal using record lay- outs, mechanical drawings, and such related documentation aids as required in addition to text ex- position where applicable (Spec- ification of the Standard). RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT System Development Corporation Award- ed National Science Foundation Grant to Study Interactive Searching of Large Lit- erature Data Bases Santa Monica, California-The Nation- al Science Foundation has awarded Sys- tem Development Corporation $98,500 for a study of man-machine system communi- cation in on-line reh·ieval systems. The study will focus on interactive searching of very large literature data bases, which has become a major area of interest and activity in the field of information science. At least seven major systems of national or international scope are in operation within the federal government and private industry, and more systems are on the drawing boards or in experimental opera- tion. The principal investigator for the proj- ect will be Dr. Carlos Cuadra, manager of SDC's Education and Library Systems Department. The project manager, who will be responsible for the day-to-day op- eration of the fifteen-month effort, is Judy Wanger, an information systems analyst and project leader with extensive experi- ence in the establishment and use of in- teractive bibliographic retrieval services. Ms. Wanger is currently responsible for user training and customer support on SDC's on-line information service. The study will use questionnaire and interview techniques to collect data re- 144 Journal of Libml'y Automation Vol. 7/2 June 1974 lated to: (1) the impact of on-line re- trieval usage on the terminal user; (2) the impact of on-line service on the sponsor- ing institution; and ( 3) the impact of on- line service on the information-utilization habits of the information consumer. At- tention will also be given to reliability problems in the transmission chain from the user to the computer and back. The major elements in this chain include: the user; the terminal; the telephone instru- ment; local telephone lines and switch- boards; long-haul communications; the communications-computer interface hard- ware; the computer itself; and various programs in the computer, including the retrieval program. REPORTS ON REGIONAL PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES California State University and Colleges System Union List System The Library Systems Project of the Cal- ifornia State University and Colleges has recently completed a production Union List System. This system, comprised of eight processing programs to be run in a very modest environment (currently a CDC 3300), is written in ANSI COBOL and is fully documented. Included in the documentation package are user work- sheets for bibliographic and holding data, copies of all reports, file layouts, program descriptions, etc. Output from this system are files designed to drive graphic quality photocomposition or COM devices. The system is available for the price of dupli- cating the documentation package. And, for those so desiring, the master file con- taining some 25,000 titles and titles with references is also available for the cost of duplication. Interested parties (bona fides only, please) should contact John C. Kountz, Associate for Library Automation, California State University and Colleges, 5670 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 900, Los An- geles, CA 90036, for further details. SOLINET Membe1·ship Meeting The annual membership meeting of the Southeastern Library Network (SOLI- NET) was held at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, March 14. It was announced that Charles H. Stevens, executive director of the National Com- mission on Libraries and Information Sci- ence, has been named director of SOLI- NET effective July 1. John H. Gribbin, chairman of the board, will serve as in- terim director. It was also announced that SOLINET will be affiliated with the Southern Re- gional Education Board. SREB will pro- vide office space, act as financial disburs- ing agent, and will be available at all times in an advisory capacity. Negotiations are underway for a tie-in to the Ohio College Library Center ( OCLC) and a proposed contract is in the hands of the OCLC legal counsel. It is anticipated that a contract soon will be signed. Additional to the tie-in, SOLINET will proceed with the development of its own permanent computer center in At- lanta. This center will eventually provide a variety of services and will be coordi- nated carefully with other developing net- works, looking toward a national library network system. Elected to fill three vacancies on the Board of Directors were James F. Govan (University of North Carolina), Gustave A. Harrar (University of Florida), and Robert H. Simmons (West Georgia Col- lege). They will assume office on July 1. Anyone desiring information about SOLI- NET should write to 130 Sixth St., NW, Atlanta, GA 30313. REPORTS-LIBRARY PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES New Book Catalog for Junior College District of St. Louis The three community college libraries of the Junior College District of St. Louis have been using computerized union book catalogs since 1964. Formerly maintained and produced by an outside contractor, the catalogs are now one product of a new catalog system recently designed and implemented by in- structional resources and data processing staff of the district. Known as "ir catalog," the system pres- ently has a data base of approximately 65,000 records describing the print and nonprint collections of the district's three college instructional resource centers. In addition to photocomposed author, subject, and title indexes, the system also produces weekly cumulative printouts which supplement the phototypeset ''base" catalog. Other output includes three-by-five-inch shelflist cards (which include union holdings information), a motion picture film catalog, subject and cross reference authority lists, and various statistical reports. Hawaii State Lihra1'y System to Automate P1'ocessing The State Board of Education in Ha- waii has approved a proposal for a com- puterized data processing system for the Hawaii State Library. The decision allows for the purchase of computer equipment for automating library operations. The state library centrally processes library materials for all public and school li- braries in the state. Teichior Hirata, acting state education superintendent, told board members a computerized system will speed book se- lection, ordering, and processing, and will improve interlibrary loan and reference services. He also pointed out it would fa- cilitate a general streamlining of all tech- nical administrative operations. The system's total cost will be $187,000, of which $58,000 will be spent for com- puter software. The "BIBLIOS" system, designed and developed at Orange Coun- ty Public Library in California and mar- keted by Information Design, Inc., was selected as the software package. The Caltech Science Lihm1'y Catalog Supplement The use of catalog supplements during the necessary maturation period required to take full advantage of the National Pro- gram for Acquisitions and Cataloging is Technical Communications 145 obviously an idea whose time has come. The program developed at the California Institute of Technology, however, differs in several important respects from that previously described by Nixon and Bell at U.C.L.A. 1 For reasons based primarily on faculty pressure, the practice of holding books in anticipation of the cataloging copy has never been a practice at the Institute. The solution, while hardly unique, is to assign the classification number (Dewey) and depend on a temporary main entry card to suffice until the LC copy is available. While this procedure has the distinct ad- vantage of not requiring the presence of the book to complete the cataloging pro- cess, it does, however, prevent the user from finding the newest books through a search of the subject added entry cards. The use of the computer-based systems is an obvious solution to this aspect of the program but raises several additional problems which formerly seemed to defy solutions. As has been pointed out by Mason, li- brary-based computer systems can rarely be justified in terms of cost effectiveness, and computer-based library catalogs are no exception.2 Part of this problem arises from the natural inclination to repeat in machine language what has been standard practice in the library catalog. This reac- tion overlooks the very different nature of catalogs and catalog supplements. As catalogs serve as the basis for the permanent record and their cost can be prorated over several decades the need for a careful description of the many facets of a book is quite properly justified. In the case of catalog supplements, however, where the record will serve quite likely for only a few months, any attempt at de- tailed description of the book cannot be justified. One solution to this dilemma that has been developed here at Caltech is a brief listing supplement which allows searching for a given book by either the first author or editor's last name, a key word from the title, or the first word of a series entry. These elements form the basis of a simple KWOC index (see Figure 1) which sup- 146 Journal of Library Automation Vol. 7/2 June 1974 CHEMISORPTION CHEMISORPTION AND CATALYSIS HEPPLE 541.395 HE 1970 CH CHESTER 19 TECHNIQUES IN PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS CHESTER 517.6 CH 1971 CH 199 CIBA PROTEIN TURNOVER 612.39 PR 1972 Bl ( CIBA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM, 9) Fig. 1. Sample entries from the KWOC index 108 19 T CHEMISORPTION & CATALYSIS HEPPLE 541.395 HE 1970 CH A HEPPLE CHEMISORPTION CATALYSIS 108 T PROTEIN TURNOVER 612.39 PR 1972 BI (CIBA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM, 9) A PROTEIN CIBA 199 T TECHNIQUES IN PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS CHESTER 517.6 CH 1971 CH A DIFFERENTIAL CHESTER Fig. 2. Sample ent1·ies from the bibliographic listing NEW BOOKS CHEMISTRY /BIOLOGY August 6, 1973 Catalysis, Chemisorption and . Hepple 541.395 HE 1970 CH Differential equations, Techniques in partial . . . Chester 517.6 CH 1971 CH Protein turnover CIBA Foundation Symposium, 9 612.39 PR 1972 BI Fig. 3. Sample entries from the weekly list of newly added books plements the bibliographic listing (shown in Figure 2) . All books received in the chemistry, physics, and biology libraries are represented in the catalog supplement. Weekly lists of newly added books (shown in Figure 3) are annotated to show the index terms prior to keypunching. The unit record consists of a "title" card or cards (which contain the full title, au- thor/ editor, call number, library designa- tion, and series information) and an "au- thor" card (which contains the index terms) . Edited material is added acces- sionally to the card file data base and batch processed on the campus IBM 370/ 155 computer. The catalog supplement is currently published on 8Jf-by-1Hnch sheets as a result of reducing the computer printout on a Xerox 7000 copier. Lists are given a vello-bind and delivered to there- spective libraries. Weeding the catalog supplement is still unresolved. At the present time additions are less than 1,000 per year, so that it may be possible after five years to replace the subject sections of the respective division- al catalogs with the catalog supplement. The "library" at Caltech consists of sev- eral divisional libraries, each with their own card catalog. These divisional card catalogs are supplemented by a union catalog, which serves all libraries on cam- pus and, because of the strong interdisci- plinary nature of the divisional libraries, is much the better source for subject searches. The project is so facile and the costs so minimal that this approach might be of value to many small libraries. It is particu- larly applicable to the problems recently discussed by Patterson. 3 Books in series, even if they are distinct monographs, are often lost to the user from a subject ap- proach. With this system each physical volume added to the library can be ana- lyzed for possible inclusion in the catalog supplement. 1. RobertaNixon and Ray Bell, "The U.C.L.A. Library Catalog Supplement," Library Re- sources & Technical Services 17:59 (Winter 1973). 2. Ellsworth Mason, "Along the Academic Way," Library Journal 96:1671 (1971). 3. Kelly Patterson, "Library Think vs Libra1y User," RQ 12:364 (Summer 1973). DanaL. Roth Millikan Librm·y C alifomia Institute of Technology COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES Richard Abel & Company to Sponsor Workshops in Library Automation and Management One of the most effective forms of con- tinuing education is state-of-the-art report- ing. Recognizing the need for more such communication 1 the international li- brary service firm of Richard Abel & Com- pany plans to sponsor two workshops for the library and information science com- munity. The first workshop will deal with the latest techniques in library automation. It will precede the 197 4 American Li- brary Association Conference in New York City, July 7-13. The second will present advances in library management, and will be scheduled to precede the 1975 ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 19-25. The workshops will include forums, lec- tures, and open discussions. They will be presented by recognized leaders in the fields of library automation, management, and consulting. Each workshop will prob- ably be one or two days long. There will be no charge to attend ei- ther of the workshops, but attendance will be limited, to provide a good discussion atmosphere. For the Management Work- shop, attendance will be limited to li- brarians active in library management. Similarly, the Automation Workshop is in- tended for librarians working in library automation. Maintaining the theme of state-of-the- art reporting, the basic content of the workshops will consist of what is happen- ing in library management and automa- tion today. Looking to the future, there will also be discussions and forecasts of what is to come. Persons interested in further informa- Technical Communications 147 tion or in pa1ticipating in either workshop should contact Abel Workshop Director, Richard Abel & Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4245, Portland, OR 97208. IDC Introduces BIBNET On-Line Services The introduction of BIBNET on-line systems, a centralized computer-based bibliographic data service for libraries, has been announced by Information Dynam- ics Corporation. Demonstrations are planned for the ALA Annual Conference in New York, July 7-13. According to David P. Waite, IDC president, "During 1973, BIBNET ser- vice modules were interconnected over thousands of miles and tested for on-line use with IDC's centralized computer- based cataloging data files. This is the culmination of a program that began two years ago. It is patterned after advanced technological developments similar to those recently applied to airline reserva- tion systems and other large scale nation- wide computing networks used in indus- try." IDC, a New England-based library sys- tems supplier, will provide a computer- stored cataloging data base of more than 1.2 million Library of Congress and con- tributed entries. Initially it will consist of all Library of Congress MARC records (now numbering over 430,000 titles), plus another 800,000 partial LC catalog records containing full titles, main entries, LC card numbers, and other selected data elements. As a result, BIBNET will pro- vide on-line bibliographic searching for all 1,250,000 catalog records produced by the Library of Congress since 1969. To enable users to produce library cards from those non-MARC records for which only partial entries are kept in the computer, IDC will mail card sets from its headquarters and add the full records to the data base for future reference. Subscribing libraries will have access to the data base using a minicomputer cathode ray tube (CRT) terminal. Using this technique of dispersed computing each BIBNET terminal has programmable computer power built-in. This in-house 148 Journal of Library Automation Vol. 7/2 June 1974 processing power, independent of the cen- tral computer, allows computer processes like library card production to be per- formed in the library. This also eliminates waiting for catalog cards to arrive in the mail. BIBNET terminals communicate with the central computer over regular tele- phone lines, eliminating the high costs of dedicated communication lines. There- fore, thousands of libraries throughout the United States and Canada can avail them- selves of on-line services at low cost. BIBNET users will have several meth- ods of extracting information from the IDC data base. The computer can search for individual records by titles, main en- try, ISBN number, or keywords. Here's how it works: the operator types in any one of the search items or if a complete title is not known, a keyword from the title may be used. The cataloging infor- mation is then displayed on the CRT where the operator may verify the record. At the push of a button, the data is stored on a magnetic cassette tape which is later used for editing and production of cata- log cards by the user library. The BIBNET demonstration in New York will highlight one of many biblio- graphic service modules available from IDC and stress the fact that these ser- vices can be utilized by individual li- braries and organized groups of libraries. License for New Information Retrieval Concept Awarded to Boeing by Xynetics An exclusive license for manufacture and marketing to the government sector of systems incorporating a completely new concept in information storage and re- trieval has been awarded to The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, by Xynet- ics, Inc., Canoga Park, California, it was announced jointly by Dr. R. V. Hanks, Boeing program manager, and Burton Cohn, Xynetics Board chairman. The system is said to be the first image storage and retrieval system which offers response times and costs comparable to those of digital systems. The heart of the system is a device of proprietary design, the Flat Plane Memory, which provides mpid access to massive amounts of data stored in high resolution photographic media. The photographic medium enables low cost storage of virtually any type of source material (documents, correspondence, drawings, multitone images, computer output, etc.) while eliminating the need for time-consuming, costly conversion of pre-existing information into a specialized (e.g., digital) format. By virtue of its ex- tremely rapid random access capability, the data needs of as many as several thou- sand users can be served at remote video terminals from a single memory with near real time response ( 1-3 seconds, typical- ly). The high speed, high accuracy, and high reliability of the Flat Plane Memory is accomplished primarily through the use of the patented Xynetics positioner, which generates direct linear motion at high speeds and with great precision and relia- bility instead of converting rotary motion. As a result, the positioners eliminate the gears, lead screws, and other mechanical devices previously utilized, and thus achieve the requisite speed, accuracy, and reliability. The Xynetics positioners are already being used in automated drafting systems produced by the firm, and in a wide variety of other applications, includ- ing the apparel industry and integrated circuit test systems. The new approach could eliminate many of the problems associated with multiple reproductions and distribution of large data files. In addition to many government appli- cations, the system is expected to have major applications in the commercial mar- ketplace. APPOINTMENTS Charles H. Stevens Appointed SOLINET Director Charles H. Stevens, executive director, National Commission on Libraries and In- formation Science, has been appointed di- rector of the Southeastern Library Net~ work (SOLINET), effective July 1. The announcement was made at a meeting of SOLINET in Atlanta, March 14, by John H. Gribbin, board chairman. Composed of ninety-nine institutional members, SOLINET is headquartered in Atlanta. A librarian of acknowledged national stature and an expert on the technical as- pects of information retrieval systems, Mr. Stevens brings to SOLINET a valuable combination of experience and abilities. Concerned with national problems of li- braries and information services, he will develop a regional network and move to- ward a cohesive national program to meet the evolving needs of U.S. libraries. A forerunner in library automation, Mr. Stevens served for six years as associate director for library development, Project Intrex, at Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology. From 1959-1965 he was director of library and publications at MIT's Lin- coln Laboratory, Lexington, Massachu- setts. At Purdue University, he was aero- nautical engineering librarian and later di- rector of documentation of the Thermo- physical Properties Research Center. Mr. Stevens is a member of the Coun- cil of the American Library Association, the American Society for Information Sci- ence, the Special Libraries Association, and other professional organizations. He is the author of approximately forty pa- pers in the field, lectures widely, and con- sults on library activities for a number of universities. Mr. Stevens holds a B.A. in English fro:in Principia College, Elsah, Illinois, and Master's degrees in English and in Li- brary Science from the University of North Carolina. Mr. Stevens has done fur- ther study in engineering at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Stevens is married and has three sons. INPUT To the Editor: International scuttlebutt informs us that those in the bibliothecal stratosphere are Technical Communications 149 attempting to formulate a communications format for bibliographical records accept- able on a worldwide basis. We on the lo- cal scene unite in wishing them "Huzzah!" and "Godspeed!" Nomenclature must be provided, of course, to designate particular applica- tions; and the following suggestions are offered as possible subspecies of the genus SUPERMARC: DEUTSCHMARC-for records distrib- uted from Bonn and/ or Wiesbaden RHEEMARC-for South Korean records, named in honor of the late president of that country BISMARC-for records of stage produc- tions which have been produced by popular demand from the top balcony; especially pertinent for Wagnerian op- eras BENCHMARC-for records of generally unsuccessful football plays MINSKMARC-for Byelorussian records SACHERMARC-for Austrian records, usually representing extremely tasteful concoctions TRADEMARC-for records pertaining to manufactured products, especially pat- ent medicines GOLDMARC-for records representing Hungarian musical compositions ( v. Karl Goldmark, 1830-1915) ECTOMARC } ENDOMARC MESOMARC (from -for skinny, fat, and the Italian, MEZ- medium-sized rec- ZOMARC) ords, respectively LANDMARC-for records of historic edi- fices; sometimes ( enoneously) applied to records for local geographical re- gions FEUERMARC-for records representing charred or burned documents MONTMARC-1. for records represent- ing works by or about Parisian artists; 2. for records representing publications of the French Academy WATERMARC-for records representing documents contained in bottles washed up on the beach. Joseph A. Rosenthal University of California, Berkeley