As We May Think

There is a growing mountain of research. But there is increased evidence that we are being bogged down today as specialization extends. The investigator is staggered by the findings and conclusions of thousands of other workers - conclusions which he cannot find time to grasp, much less to remember, as they appear. Yet specialization becomes increasingly necessary for progress, and the effort to bridge between disciplines is correspondingly superficial.

A record, if it is to be useful to science, must be continuously extended, it must be stored, and above all it must be consulted.

A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted.