Template

The Biographical Directory of Documentation and Information Science follows the Wikipedia Manual of Style with emphases as noted. Look at existing articles for examples. Components in the following order. Plain text can be sent to the editors who can create an article and add formatting mark-up. Note that the Biographical Directory is primarily an educational device.

1. Title. Use the most-used form of personal name, as in US library cataloging practice. Add differentiating details if needed.
2. Short description, including: Name, dates, nationality, salient characteristic. 40 or so characters (e.g. Ferdinand Francis Leimkuhler (1928-2025), American industrial engineer). The short description is useful for category lists and disambiguation and is not shown in the Wikipedia desktop display. This wiki does not have the short description functionality, so please provide one at the beginning of each article as plain text pending increased functionality.
3. Life. Full name and widely used nickname (e.g. “Ferd”). Include:
   • Brief factual statement: When and where the person was born.
   • Higher education degrees; the dissertation topic or title may be included if relevant.
   • Employment: Employer, role and dates. (Note that major activities outside of employment are generally better to include under Contributions).
   • Date of retirement and any major retirement activities. When and where they died.
4. Contributions.
   • How they influenced the field of information science (why is this individual included?).
   • In a case where the individual is very closely associated with a particular development, name and, if practical, try to add a concise explanation, especially if it is not well-known and/or explanations not easily found elsewhere(for example, see Jason Farradane (Relational indexing); Norbert Henrichs (Word-text method); Calvin Northrup Mooers (Zatocoding).
   • In cases where the individual or organization was primarily known for other, unrelated work, mention (and link to that other work) and concentrate here on what was influential for our field, e.g. Vannevar Bush, Wilhelm Ostwald.
5. Publications.
   • Cite any known complete or large list of the individual’s writings, often found in a festschrift or biography. If none is known and you are familiar with the individual’s writings, please generate a checklist and, even if not complete, deposit it at any repository and provide a link, e.g. Robert Pagès. Otherwise, this wiki could add a separate bibliography page, e.g. Patrick Wilson Bibliography. Google scholar often provides a useful listing, even for older writers, e.g. Edwin Slosson. If computer-related, try https://dblp.org/
   • Selection of 6-8 or so individual publications, based on perceived importance, utility, and to illustrate range. Google Scholar’s citation counts may be helpful selection indicators for more recent publications. Do not limit to digital resources. Add a link to any open-access copy whenever known. Treat oral history recordings as publications.
6. Offices. Selected major association or public service appointments not part of employment.
7. Awards. Selected major honors, prizes, honorary degrees, etc.
8. Further reading. Try to find publications describing or assessing the individual’s contribution, if not in English, also add the best in English. Always cite the Wikipedia article, if one exists. Minimally, include an obituary issued by a funeral home, a newspaper, or a professional journal. This section can greatly increase the educational and research value of an article.
9. Papers. Any major deposit of personal or professional papers. Commonly, a finding list can be found and should be cited.

COMMENTS:

• The Contributions and Further reading sections can greatly increase the educational value.
• The Publications and Further reading section can make each article a valuable bibliographical tool.
• If an individual was primarily active in a language other than English, consider preparing a page entirely in that language and consult the editors about arranging a separate English language translated page.
• Emphasize quality rather than length or completeness, especially when material is available on Wikipedia or elsewhere.
• See also Editing Manual of Style. [1]

SAMPLE ARTICLES The following articles are suggested as models to follow:

• Lodewyk Bendikson [2]
• Emanuel Goldberg [3]
• Belver C. Griffith [4]
• Robert Pagès [5]