FIZ Karlsruhe —Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure presents its completely revised information brochure 'A Focus on Mathematics'. The publication is dedicated to new directions of integrated knowledge management in mathematics.
Seven articles by expert authors, among them Prof. Gert-Martin Greuel, who is also editor-in-chief of zbMATH, span the bridge from the beginnings of the documentation of scientific results in the 'Jahrbuch der Fortschritte der Mathematik' (1868) to today's mathematical online portal zbMATH. On its foundation in 1977, the editorial departments of 'Zentralblatt der Mathematik' and 'Zentralblatt für die Didaktik der Mathematik' became part of FIZ Karlsruhe thus forming the basis for zbMATH.
The new brochure presents not only FIZ Karlsruhe's service spectrum in mathematics, but also briefly describes the history of zbMATH developing from printed annual volumes in the 'Jahrbuch über die Fortschritte der Mathematik' to one of the world's most modern multifaceted database. It comprises currently 3.4 million publications and is updated daily.
The contributions compare the publication landscapes in the past with today's scenery where not only literature plays a vital role. They discuss the way in which reference services and online portals will have to develop to meet the needs of the users today.
Moreover, the reader learns how author profile pages in zbMATH are built up and what can be derived from it. Another important topic is the formula search. The new publication describes the efforts of FIZ Karlsruhe in this complex field to further this sophisticated retrieval matter.
Additionally, the publication takes a closer look on some clichés about mathematicians. Are mathematicians smarter than other people? Are mathematicians unsocial? Just how much truth is in these widespread prejudices? Also, is it possible to derive design principles for the development of mathematical information systems from such an analysis so that mathematicians will get the maximum benefit out of it?
The revised brochure 'A Focus on Mathematics' is available for free download at:
http://www.fiz-karlsruhe.de/publications.html.
