Mechanization of library procedures in the medium-sized medical library. X. Uniqueness of compression codes for...

Two-word compression techniques, the University of Chicago experimental search code and a phonetic code similar to the SOUNDEX coding system, were tested as search codes on a data base of 7,464 bibliographic records. These codes were automatically generated and tested for uniqueness. A modified version of the University of Chicago search code produced the best results with a uniqueness factor of 98.83 percent. The algorithms for generating these codes are explained, and implication of the findings for medium-sized libraries are discussed.