The Technical Indexes System for the control of trade literature

Despite a wealth of books on information handling, the problems and techniques associated with the handling of product data are sadly neglected by the standard works. In a way, this is surprising not only because these techniques are necessarily different from those used for scientific information, but also because, in the engineering industries, there is almost certainly a greater need for product data than for any other form of information. In another way, it is not surprising since the rules cannot be hard and fast, and the techniques will often have to be unscientific because of the number and variety of the sources of product data. Since the purpose of product data is not only to inform but also to sell, we cannot be surprised that there is a total lack of uniformity of size, shape, colour and layout in catalogues from different manufacturers. Standardization of these parameters would seem to be the initial answer to this problem, but, although there is a British Standard covering the subject and the Department of Trade and Industry has been urged to exert pressures on manufacturers, no standardization is ever likely to come into effect, or certainly not to any significant extent. A further ideal, that of a coding for literature, does not exist, contrary to popular belief. In addition to the practical difficulties created by these variables, there is the added problem that the user is unable to control his input of data, as he can with scientific information. Some manufacturers send their literature unasked and others do not send it even when asked.