International funding of scientific activities is mostly of catalyst size only. Systematic efforts to track down the catalysing situations in these activities are made by the funding organizations. Great attention is devoted to meetings, while the catalysts of current activities between meetings are neglected. Regular primary publications are the closest counterparts in the current work of meetings but are out of size and inconvenient in structure for catalytic support. Circulars, newsletters and annotated directories (many hybrids occur) are very important catalysts of more manageable size. Taken together they represent considerable amounts of largely concealed labour and costs. Standards are badly needed for making the organization of information elements in directories efficient. Each entry in a directory should add a research profile to the scientists' identity and address. Directories may remain a jungle product, but scientists' considerable efforts in producing them merit a reconsideration of the organization of their contents and the provision of advice for their production and distribution.
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