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Permalink Reply by Sayan Palit on December 4, 2012 at 22:19

Probably it is F.W. Lancaster, one of the pioneer of the studies on IR.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on December 5, 2012 at 5:18

As I can recall, F.W Lancaster had  experimented it during late 60s (probably 1968 as I can still recall) for MEDLARS. I am taking this opportunity to share my personal experience which is more than quarter of a century ago!!

(In 1984 April ICMR Librarians were imparted training on online searching of MEDLARS database and as one of the participants we were provided with photocopies of the literature which as I can still recall, included Lancaster's write up. There was stormy discussion with the Swedish experts from Karolinska University and Prof. Ganesh Bhattacharya, the then Director of DRTC who also attended that training which was the first of its kind in India. Actually Prof. Bhattacharya opined that it was Prof. Ranganathan's  brain child and we, the Indian participants were keeping our finger crossed in favour of Prof Ranganathan...Hey Bhagwan, please please let it be established that it was Prof. Ranganathan's !!!

But later Dr. Per Olsson, of Karoninska Institute politely explained that in mid 40s some Mr. Bush published a paper on it and in1955,Prof. Kent (probably of Case Western Reserve University, U.S.A) published a paper on it in American Documentation!! As I recall I had Kent's paper (which was distributed among us the next day photocopied from the then newly shifted INSDOC at Satsang Bihar Marg. As the youngest participant, I was asked to meet Mr. Rajagopalan, the then Scientist-in-Charge of INSDOC with a official letter to collect a copy of that article)

It was my first ever participation to a training course and as an young librarian I was enchanted to see in my own eyes that a librarian can have a designation as Scientist !!

Incidentally, as I can remember, during that discussion, no claim was evolved for Prof. Vickery or Prof Gilchrist.

I have left ICMR service some 15 years ago and working elsewhere since then and as I know, none of the participants are in service now and I had left virtually all my papers at my previous institute.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray

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