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1.1.4 A surveyor attempting to serve his own information needs
would have to spend a large part of his day performing operations
unrelated to his qualification. He would find the task time-con
suming, and therefore expensive in terms of his own salary, and
the expenditure on books and periodicals would be out of all
proportion to the benefit received.
1.1.5 All these important functions which the surveyor has not
time to perform should be carried out by information specialists.
If they keep him informed of new developments and useful articles
and trace specific information when it is needed, he can concentrate
on the interpretation and utilisation of that information.
1.1.6 Information services are closely related to the needs and
resources of the organisations of which they form part. Only a
small collection of documents is needed to serve a private firm
or institutionbut a very personal service will be offered. A service
for many people will be based on a general appreciation of the
interests of the groupand more reliance will be placed on providing
information when it is requested. The information service of a
professional institution, for example, will work at both these levels,
providing a general service to the profession as a whole, and an
individual service to the staff. Some of the more advanced
information services for the surveying profession are the subject
of papers at the Congress, so they will not be discussed here.
Consider instead, the documentation centre of building techniques
in Stuttgart, which has as its objective the systematic collection and
retrieval of knowledge and experience in the field of building.
Dissemination of information is achieved through direct answers
to specific questions or compilation and publication of bibliographies
and reviews, exchange of experience and literature with other
research organisations, and publication of a classified abstracting
card service. This card service is West Germany's contribution to
the co-operative programme of the International Council for
Building Documentation.
1.1.7 A knowledge of the information centres, libraries, and
research organisations in a country, and the services they offer,
is vital for anyone who wishes to practise in that country. Most
of these agencies are linked through international organisations.
In many instances the latter organisations offer in addition in
formation services of their ownexchange of information, coor
dination of research and bibliographical services. Their importance
cannot be over-estimated and the next section is devoted to those
of interest to surveyors. Special attention is given to the bibliograph
ical services offered.
1.1.8 The number of organisations concerned with surveying,
or with special aspects, is enormous. The above-mentioned In
ternational Council (PCIB) has published a directory of building
research, information and development organisations. This is
an international directory arranged by countriesmainly European,
