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A U G U S T :

THE FORMALISMS OF INFORMATION SCIENCE

The Swets theory - formalism and science M. K. Heine

The main elements of the Swets theory, as applied to information retrieval, are summarised, and it is argued that the theory can serve as a general formalism for the study of information retrieval. Some consequences of the theory are spelt out, and related to recent theoretical work in the field. It is also argued that the Swets theory is a scientific theory in the sense of being falsifiable, and two propositions whose truth it asserts are specified.

Operational models in information science F. F. Leimkuhler

The relationship of information science to industrial development is discussed: the present emphasis in industrial development is on information processing. The role of operational models in industrial development is also considered. Libraries can be regarded, at the level of materials handling and managerial information processing, as work centres in the usual sense; but the tendency towards total systems studies introduces more difficult problems in relation to output measurement. Operational analysts and information scientists need to combine to understand the humanistic (as well as the mathematic) processes.