MONO91 Indexes Compiled by Machine chapter Mary Elizabeth Stevens National Bureau of Standards objective `1to explore existing and projected methods, emphasizing machine methods, applicable to such pilot projects as may be necessary" (Larkey, 1949 [348], 1956 [349], and 1953 [351]). Also as of 1949, the Library of the Department of Agriculture is reported to have "conducted an experiment in the use of electronic data-processing machines to produce the author and subject indexes to the `Bibliography of Agriculture'." [OCRerr] 1 It is not until the early 1950's, however, that punched card machine techniques were actively put to use for the preparation of card catalogs, book catalogs, bibliographies and various index listings. Then, a number of independent but largely concurrent applications were tried out on at least an experimental basis, including in addition to the work of the Welch Medical Library Project pioneering efforts in mechanized book catalog production (Griffin, 1960 [242]; Martin, 1953 [400]; Berry, 1958 [58]) and what is claimed to be the "first successful non-experimental punched-card catalog of periodicals", the Serial Titles Newly Received (now New Serial Titles), as published by the Library of Congress from 1951 onwards. 2/ The work at the Welch Medical Library continued for several years, the final report being issued in 1955 [234]. Beginning in 1951, the project maintained in punched card form the subject heading authority list used for the Current List of Medical Literature (Larkey, 1953 [351]; Garfield, 1953 [217] and 1954 [220]." Garfield has stated that this work "clearly demonstrated the ease of converting alphabetic subject heading lists to categorized or classified lists of terms by the use of punched card equipment." 3JThat is, each heading or subheading had assigned to it a numeric code reflecting its appropriate position in the classified system, which could then be used by machine for sorting, ordering and listing. Ingenious use was made of the IBM 101 Statistical Machine in the preparation of printed subject indexes (Garfield, 1953 [218] and 1954 [216]). Other subject heading lists maintained by punched card techniques by 1953 or earlier included those of the U.S. Patent Office and the Technical Information Division of the Library of 4/ Congress. The first loose-leaf printed book catalog to be produced by machine methods was apparently that of the King County Public Library in the State of Washington in 1951, and the following year the Los Angeles County Library inaugurated a similar system for the distribution of a master book catalog prepared by mechanized techniques (Berry, 1958 [58]; Griffin, 1960 [242]; Martin, 1953 [400]; Alvord, 1952 [4]). The work on mechanized preparation of lists of periodicals at the Library of Congress has been reported as follows: "In 1951, the Library began publishing, at monthly intervals, Serial Titles Newly Received. In 1953, its title was changed to New Serial Titles. Ever since its inception, the fundamental ingredient of the publication has been the IBM punched card... 1/ 2/ 3/ U.S. Congress, Senate Cornmittee on Government Operations, 1960[ 619] , p.147. Dewey, 1959 [153] , p.36. Garfield, 1959 [2211 , p.471. 4/ Garfield, 1954 [2201 , p.1. 21