http://tc.eserver.org/authors/Durack,_Katherine_T. A bibliography of works by Durack, Katherine T. in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Durack,_Katherine_T. http://tc.eserver.org/29097.html http://tc.eserver.org/29097.html This article explores the complexity in Rohan's observation that "although texts in progress create community, this function hasn't value; in the world of business works in progress must be free" [1, p. 130]. To do so, the article describes the history of the development of the paper sewing pattern, discusses the role personal communications with consumers played as the genre evolved, and offers observations on the kinds of instruction provided by sewing machine and pattern companies. The extent to which gender and authority are connected in communications between consumers and corporate authors is explored. The article concludes by observing that once a genre is sufficiently established to become a standard, two changes occur: industries adopt authority for only certain types of necessary information, and women's authorship becomes anonymous, corporate, and personal exchanges with consumers are curtailed to save the expense. http://tc.eserver.org/24569.html http://tc.eserver.org/24569.html Although scarcely explored to date, US patent records provide numerous opportunities for research in technical and scientific communication. This article reviews disciplinary research that taps this rich archive of information, describes ways in which patents act as moral and social barometers to technological change, and provides readers with a brief guide to basic information needed to initiate research using patent records. http://tc.eserver.org/20582.html http://tc.eserver.org/20582.html Explores technologies and technical writing discussed in this journal over the past 50 years. Describes how computer technologies were applied to gain efficiency in production. Notes that single sourcing and content management focus on text creation. http://tc.eserver.org/18242.html http://tc.eserver.org/18242.html For computer centers to eliminate paper documentation is cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face. http://tc.eserver.org/10348.html http://tc.eserver.org/10348.html This article examines audience-centered writing strategies in two very early sewing machine manuals and considers the interplay between such strategies and sexism in technical writing. It considers the difference between non-sexist and gender-neutral writing, and concludes that avoiding sexism in technical writing is difficult at best—and perhaps impossible—in any society that assigns work (and correspondingly, technologies) for use according to the gender of the user. http://tc.eserver.org/10317.html http://tc.eserver.org/10317.html This article investigates the design history of certain published artifacts—women's household sewing patterns—as that history is recorded in U.S. Patent Records. When a patented item is a published artifact, the U.S. Patent Record may contain valuable information on the author's perception of users and analysis of solutions for usability problems. This case illustrates the evolution toward a single standard despite early proprietary design solutions.