PROGRESS IN DOCUMENTATION: LEGIBILITY STUDIES: THEIR RELEVANCE TO PRESENT‐DAY DOCUMENTATION METHODS

In the past, legibility research has been mainly concerned with the conventionally typeset and printed word. ‘Printed’ materials are now produced by a variety of other methods, however, and other media such as microforms and cathode ray tubes (CRTs) are commonly used for information display. The effects of these new methods and media on legibility are often given scant consideration, but because of their visual limitations, it is all the more important that the legibility and ease of use of the information should be taken into account. The scope of legibility research must therefore be extended to cover the products of modern information technology. The aim of this paper is to summarize some of the research which has already been carried out and which is of relevance to present‐day problems, and to suggest where further research is most needed.