MONO91 Automatic Indexing chapter Mary Elizabeth Stevens National Bureau of Standards More particularly, in this survey of automatic indexing efforts, we will be concerned with the following principal topics: (1) A brief indication of the variety of ways in which punched card machines and computers can be and have been used in the preparation or compilation of indexes. (2) A more detailed consideration of the possibilities for machine generation of indexes, specifically including: (a) Automatic derivative indexing, as in various examples of machine extraction of keywords, where selection is based upon pre-specified criteria, (b) Automatic assignment indexing, whereby the machine is programmed to determine, in accordance with various specified criteria, whether or not some one or more members of an established list of `labels' (such as subject headings, class names, descriptors, or other indexing terms) should appropriately be assigned to the document or item in question, and (c) Automatic classification techniques, on which such assignment-indexing operations may or may not be based. (3) Consideration of the use of machines as relatively sophisticated aids to human intellectual operations applied in either subject-content analyses or search- strategy determinations. (4) Discussion of the question of evaluation of any index whatever, whether manually or mechanically prepared. (5) Consideration of the implications of related research and development efforts, specifically including: (a) Comparative evaluation of indexing systems, (b) Development and use of new types of "indexing" aids (in the sense of "pointing to" and "indicative of'1 the probable subject-content relevance) to either selective dissemination or retrospective search of the technical literature, (c) Linguistic and logical-inference approaches to the elucidation of `meanin[OCRerr] in natural-language messages, and (d) Theoretical approaches to the problems of determining "membership-in- classes". Note that card-controlled camera systems, such as the Listomatic, and Addresso- graph machines have also been used for index compilations. See, for example, Shaw, 1951 [542], p. 49, who cites early use of the Addressograph for bibliographical work by A. Predeek, "Die Adrema-Maschine als Organizationsmittel i[OCRerr] Bibliotheks- betriebe", Berlin, 1930. and E. Morel, "Les Machines au secours de la Biblio - graphie", Revue du Livre 1:14-19 (1933).Use of such devices is not included in this report, however, since they cannot be adapted to machine generation of indexes. 11 1/