Consumer Information Series

The many thousands of papers produced by NIST/ NBS in the past century have mainly been technical in nature, directed to an audience of research scientists and engineers. Some, of course, were issued in a form more readily understandable to a wider audience, but were focused on groups of individuals with a particular interest in the subject matter. It is roughly estimated, however, that only a tiny percentage of our publications were written specifically with the consuming public in mind in order to make technical results generally available for their practical value to all citizens. The utility of these publications aimed at the general public is attested by the fact that hundreds of thousands of them were ordered by keenly interested consumers. One of the earliest example of a publication designed for the public at large was the 1922 Circular [1] on constructing a radio, described elsewhere in this volume. In the following years, especially during the 1930s and 1940s, the Bureau had occasion to conduct tests of various types of material and then made selected reports available from the Government Printing Office at low cost. Many of these [2-9] had limited audiences, but a few [10, 11, 12] had broad appeal to homeowners and potential homebuyers. Thus How to Own Your Own Home [11] sold 300,000 copies in 1923, and Care and Repair of the Home [12], which drew fire from private sector business interests, sold more than 500,000 copies between 1931 and 1940. The early 1970s saw an explosion of consumer activism in the United States, leading to the establishment of such Federal agencies as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In response to a Presidential order, the Bureau formed a Center for Consumer Product Technology (CCPT) with divisions for product engineering, product systems analysis, product safety, and law enforcement standards—and with a dedicated mission to provide useful information to the general public. Guides in the Consumer Information Series (CIS) [13-22] were prepared by Bureau experts and CCPT staff. These booklets were distributed in very large numbers and at very low cost through the Government Printing Office and by the Consumer Information Center in Pueblo, Colorado. (Fig. 1) A special foreword in each publication, by the NBS Director, called attention to technological changes that affect products and the marketplace; the confusion that stems from the proliferation of products and materials about which the shopper has little useful information; and the availability of results from the technical work that should be shared with the citizens who, after all, support the Bureau’s work with their taxes. The first Guide in the Series, NBS CIS1 Fibers and Fabrics [13], provided a detailed account of both natural (i.e., cotton, linen, silk, and wool) and 16 man-made fibers, describing for each material its properties, uses, and appropriate care. It also discussed blends and combinations, as well as the features of wash-and-wear fabrics. The information was presented in a form to facilitate user selection of fabrics that would satisfy personal needs and desires. In addition, the laundering or dry-cleaning recommendations and the susceptibility of some fabrics to flammability or application of excessive heat were probably of equally great value. A glossary defined the terms used to describe the manufacturing processes and attributes of the cited materials, and a table of trademarks of commercial synthetic materials, obtained from listings of the Federal Trade Commission, aided shoppers when encountering generic fabrics otherwise identified only by trade names.