The international and national flow of information

Abstract

The author reviews critically the explanations given to the inadequate use of scientific and technical information, and outlines the theoretical research work in the field of information leading to contradictory results. The events resulting in the establishment of an information industry are analyzed providing the leading Capitalist countries with a broad domain of professional information sources and with an increased chance of being better informed. Hungary and other socialist countries have been lagging behind in this field restricled more or less to traditional information services incapable to satisfy the growing needs. Fortunately, however, the situation has been improved in the last two years with a significant role of the National Tcchnical Information Centre and Library (OMIKK) and, lately, of the Associalion of Scientific and Technical Information Centrcs formed by the four most effective information institutes of the country. It is hoped that, by unifying the resources and willingness, by raising information into a level of the range of interest, and by government support, the lag can be overtaken in a relatively short time and at tolerable expenses.