ABSTRACT
Office automation is a paradigm presently in the process of formation, and many attempts are under way to define the concept and the methods that surround it. The possibility of rapid scholarly communication should provide a powerful incentive for universities to pursue office automation. The university's reputation is determined by the quality of its research output and by the quality of education transmitted to its students. A system of automation that would enhance these processes would obviously add to the university's ability to survive in today's contracting and cost-conscious economic environment. The university is a complex organization which tends to be highly varied across its different departments and other subgroupings of knowledge. Word processing and office automation have developed their own vocabulary, technology, and inner professional structure. The equipment selected for the earliest levels of office automation should be potentially compatible with the downstream, more advanced applications that might be available.
