Joining nations 1947-1990

PUBLICATIO S AND STA DARDIZATIO

was a particularly suitable subject for international co-operation and the IIW welcomed it as a symbol of potential achievement. In the present state of information science, it is difficult to realise that such a bulletin was considered to be a valuable tool less than 40 years ago and surprising that it survived until 1971, by which time the use of computers had made it obsolete . Originally published in French, when responsibility for the man– agement of the Bulletin was transferred to Commission IV in 1949, it was decided to issue it in English and French. Each issue contained about 500 abstracts which could be cut out and card-indexed. In principle, each member country contributed the abstracts of its own publications, these abstracts being prepared and classified in accord– ance with strict rules. In principle, also, the national delegations carried out propaganda for the Bulletin in their own countries. It has to be admitted that the majority of the member countries never gave their whole-hearted support to the Bulletin, no doubt because in most of them there was insufficient interest in the welding literature published in other countries. At any rate the Annual Reports through the 1950s and 1960s are filled with lamentations over the unsatisfactory degree of collaboration received, the failure to achieve any growth in subscriptions (about 650), the uncertainty of the sub– vention from Unesco via the Union of International Technical As– sociations (ranging from US $2500 to US $ 11 oo), and the size of the deficit which was borne by the French welding organisations and tended to be of the order of £2000 a year. Finally, the subvention ceased in 1965, subscriptions declined and the deficit amounted to £4000 in 1966. Nevertheless, the Bulletin was maintained for several years more and finally discontinued in 1971 by which time the con– cept of documentation which it represented was completely obsolete. The IIW's subsequent endeavours in this area, culminating in the foundation of a databank, are described in the chronological survey of the Institute's activities.

BOOKS

The Terminology Commission had been set up in 1948 with the express mandate to compile a multilingual dictionary so it is not surprising that the first book to be completed by a Commission of the IIW was the gas welding section of the M11ltili11gual Collection of Tenns in 1952. The Swiss delegation offered to publish it on behalf of the IIW, partly because of the enthusiasm of the late Dr 0 Matthey,