The accumulated body of scientific-technical writings published to serve the informational needs of, primarily, scientists, engineers, and research workers, and, to the extent that it can be understood, the general public. This vast literature is worldwide in origin, international in language, diverse in subject content, varied in form, uneven in quality, and expensive. An ever-increasing portion of it is being produced, stored, and retrieved or published electronically, and is being made available on film, tape, CD-ROM or magnetic disk, or through remote terminals as well as in print-on-paper format.