National Science Information Systems: A Guide to Science Information Systems in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia

Scientific communities and national governments are becoming increasingly cognizant of the importance of science communication. Because of the tremendous growth in the volume of published scientific information and in the number of people who use this information, there is a great need for effective knowledge transfer. Science information systems offer a variety of information services to science and industry because they are designed to handle large quantities of printed material.

This volume is a guide to present scientific, technical, and economic information services in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. An overview of the events that led to the establishment of these services is presented, and special attention is given to the organizational aspects of these systems.

The first three sections of the book are an examination of the common characteristics of the six national systems. The remaining sections offer succinct, but detailed, accounts of the national information systems of each of these countries. Each chapter explains the development, organization, and the research and education programs of the national system; a directory of the country's information center is given; publications for these centers are listed; and a brief bibliography of the most recent literature is offered.

National Science Information Systems is the product of seven years of study of these information systems by the authors. The investigation was jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The book is intended for specialists in the academic, government, and business aspects of Eastern Europe; for persons concerned with the organization of science information for research or government; and for information specialists and librarians in the areas of medicine, technology, and agriculture. It is also relevant for information scientists, documentalists, and system designers and engineers whose interests are the large-scale planning of information systems.