Automation Of Reference Work
Claire K. Schultz · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · 1964
THEEQUIPMENT NEEDED to automate reference work existed years before anyone tried to apply it.Perkins' patents, which led to the development of edge-notched punched cards, were issued in 1925 and 1929; Taylor, who is nationally credited with patenting the peek-a-boo principle, received his patent in 1915; Hollerith developed internally punched cards and a sorter for them in preparation for the U.S.Census of 1890.The failure to apply this equipment indicated that librarians did not feel the need for automation until the 1940's, when experimentation with automation began.What, then, was the need which precipitated activity in the automation of reference work at that time?Research information used to be published in books; however, because book publishing was too time-consuming for the articles to be of value, most research information came to be published in journals and reports.The increase of such articles necessitated up-to-date indexes to them.Until recently, however, indexes to these publications have been notoriously late in being issued.In addition, more flexible indexing approaches than those found in card catalogs or published indexes were needed.No matter how indexes or catalogs were arranged physically, questions always were asked of them that were difficult or impossible to answer in terms of the system used.The reference librarian became progressively more sensitive to the inadequacy of his tools.The search for more adequate tools began in industrial libraries where librarians conducted the most specialized and intensive reference work for researchers.The search led first to punched cards.In the mid-1940's several kinds of punched-card equipment were available.In addition, the