contents.md

Contents

Introduction 1

Scope 1
Epoch 2
The Role of Schemata 3
Pages, Books, and Libraries 4
The Relevance of Digital Computers 8

PART I

MAN'S INTERACTION WITH RECORDED KNOWLEDGE 11

1. The Size of the Body of Recorded Information 13

Estimates of the Size 13
Size of the Corpus versus Capacity of Computer Memories and Speed of Computer Processors 15

2. Aims, Requirements, Plans, and Criteria for Procognitive Systems 21

Acquisition of Knowledge 21
Organization of Knowledge 24
Use of Knowledge 26
Processing versus Control and Monitoring of Processing 28
Criteria for Procognitive Systems 32
Plan for a System to Mediate Interactions with the Fund of Knowledge 39
Steps toward Realization of Procognitive Systems 59

3. Information Storage, Organization, and Retrieval 70

Systems Based on Sets and Subsets 71
Space Analogues 77
Functions and Relations 78
Predicate Calculus 85
Higher-Order Languages 86

4. Man-Computer Interaction in Procognitive Systems 90

The Physical "Intermedium" 92
Man-Computer Interaction Languages 104
Adaptive Self-Organization in Man-Computer Interaction 126

PART II

EXPLORATIONS IN THE USE OF COMPUTERS IN LIBRARY AND PROCOGNITIVE FUNCTIONS 129

5. Syntactic Analysis of Natural Language by Computer 131

6. Research on Quantitative Aspects of Files and Text 142

On the Length of a Class of Serial Files 143
Entropy of Words in Printed English 146

7. A Measure of the Effectiveness of Information-Retrieval Systems 148

8. Libraries and Question-Answering Systems 152

9. Studies of Computer Techniques and Procedures 157

An "Executive" Program to Facilitate the Use of the PDP-1 Computer 158
On-Line Man-Computer Communication 170
A File Inverter 174
An Automated Card Catalogue 175
A System to Facilitate the Study of Documents 177
Associative Chaining as an Information-Retrieval Technique 179
Two Question-Answering Svstems 182
An Approach to Computer Processing of Natural Language 192

References

Index