• ISBN13: 9788171561063
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: Library & Information Science
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint:
• Publication Date: July 27, 1989
• Pages: 254
• Original Price: 275.0 INR
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 310 grams

If information storage and retrieval is the essence of librarianship, the documentation is its advanced form which encompasses three activities : bibliographic organization, indexing and abstracting.
In this work, the author traces the history of indexing and abstracting from the antiquity to the present time, and discusses the nature and control of information and the various functions of the information centres. An exhaustive study is made of indexing language and thesaurus construction. Nature and types of indexes and diversified indexing methods and procedures are critically examined. The author then concentrates on Pre and Post-Coordinate Indexing Systems, giving an integrated view of manual and computerized operations. Word indexes such as KWIC and KWOC, Concordances, and string indexes like PRECIS are discussed in detail.
The study next turns to more important genre of indexing such as the indexing of books, newspapers and periodicals. A separate chapter is devoted to the exposition of computer-aided indexing methods and procedures, including online information retrieval indexes operated at national and international levels.
Finally the author describes the nature and kinds of abstracts and discusses manual and computerized methods of abstracting practices today.

Muhammad Riaz is a Chief Librarian at the International Institute of Islamic Economics, International Islamic University, Islamabad. He obtained Postgraduate Diploma in Library Science from the Punjab University in 1964 with distinction and afterwards served as Library Assistant at the same University (1964-1966). He got a masters degree in Library Science from the University of Karachi in 1967.
He joined the British Council Library, Lahore as Librarian and served for ten years (1967-1977). During this period, he obtained masters degrees in Political Science in 1968 and English Language and Literature in 1972 both from the Punjab University as external candidate. He was sent to U.K. for training (Oct. Dec. 1971) by the British Council. He worked as Library Technician in Central Library of King Abdul-aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1977-1979, and as Librarian of the Punjab Public Library Lahore in 1980-82. Muhammad Riaz was a visiting Lecturer at the Punjab University, Department of Library Science in 1974-75.