Caitlin Moore and Lyn Robinson
The purpose of this paper is to report a new resource for the study of the history of the development of information science and information services in the late twentieth…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report a new resource for the study of the history of the development of information science and information services in the late twentieth century. The Monty Hyams archives include documents relating to the career of Montagu Hyams (1918-2013), the Founder of Derwent Publications, and an innovator in patents information, chemical and pharmaceutical information, and online information access. The Archive is housed in the Department of Library and Information Science at City, University of London.
Design/methodology/approach
The origins and development of the Monty Hyams Archive are described, and its value examined by an initial analysis of the light it sheds on the development of Derwent’s World Patents Index.
Findings
The newly established Hyams Archive allows analysis of previously private and unseen documents, which reveal the fascinating and complex personalities, issues and negotiations which led to the establishment of some of the most significant information sources and access methods of the pre-internet information environment.
Originality/value
The Monty Hyams Archive is a new and unique resource for the study of the development of the scientific information environment in the last decades of the twentieth century.
Details
Keywords
Since no one can be sure of future scholars' needs, it is safest to keep a copy of everything published; that is the theory behind legal deposit. Electronic publishing threatens…
Abstract
Since no one can be sure of future scholars' needs, it is safest to keep a copy of everything published; that is the theory behind legal deposit. Electronic publishing threatens to throw this system into disarray. In the following I refer to some recent discussions of this important topic.
‘Imagine the situation where an electronic purse is built into your PC. At the instant you access an information resource you see in the corner of your screen “$0.75 fee: accept…
Abstract
‘Imagine the situation where an electronic purse is built into your PC. At the instant you access an information resource you see in the corner of your screen “$0.75 fee: accept or reject?”: you hit the enter key and the 75 cents is instantly whisked from your electronic purse to the information producer's purse. In this scheme there are no publishers, no clearing houses, no settlements and no overheads.’
As CD‐ROM becomes more and more a standard reference and technicalsupport tool in all types of libraries, the annual review of thistechnology published in Computers in Libraries…
Abstract
As CD‐ROM becomes more and more a standard reference and technical support tool in all types of libraries, the annual review of this technology published in Computers in Libraries magazine increases in size and scope. This year, author Susan L. Adkins has prepared this exceptionally useful bibliography which she has cross‐referenced with a subject index.
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Gore supports IT Will the next Vice President of the United States push information technology to the forefront of America's domestic policy? It may well happen because Al Gore…
Abstract
Gore supports IT Will the next Vice President of the United States push information technology to the forefront of America's domestic policy? It may well happen because Al Gore has played a leading role in the Senate as Chairman of the Sub‐committee on Science, Technology and Space and as a leading member of a group of Democratic Senators that believe investment in IT is one way out of the country's current economic doldrums.
At the American Library Association meeting on 30 June Bela Hatvany announced an initiative which — if others follow — will allow any interface to access any CD‐ROM. By next…
Abstract
At the American Library Association meeting on 30 June Bela Hatvany announced an initiative which — if others follow — will allow any interface to access any CD‐ROM. By next summer SilverPlatter will complete the split of its search engine from its user interface, publish the details and share them as a ‘Data Exchange Standard’.
Results of experiments by research experts in the food value of canned foods will shortly be published by the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the Ministry the point has now…
Abstract
Results of experiments by research experts in the food value of canned foods will shortly be published by the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the Ministry the point has now been reached when canned foods may be said to sell on their own merits, and not as a mere substitute for fresh foods. The most obvious attribute of canned foods was that they made available a permanent supply of foodstuffs which were otherwise limited to a season, as well as making available to consumers fruits which could not otherwise be obtained in their natural state. In view of the wide range of varieties of canned foods and vegetables now available any generalised statement as to their value was impracticable, but it might be broadly stated that their energy‐producing value, as expressed in calories, was never inferior to that of the same kinds for consumption fresh, or in some other prepared form. Recent research had shown that vitamins were not necessarily destroyed by canning, and indeed some canned foods—for instance, canned tomatoes—might be very nearly as rich in vitamins as the raw product. An outstanding example of the importance of the canned food industry was the market which had been created for British fresh picked peas. Here the farmers had profited by an expanding but controlled increase of acreage under crop, with prices remaining very stable for the last few years. It was probable that the same general tendency would be observable with plums, and with most other canning crops, as the industry developed. In this country an increased consumption of home‐canned goods, if secured at the expense of imported canned goods, or some other imported agricultural commodity, would mean that a new market had been created for British growers, while a similar benefit would be obtained if export markets were developed. This would not be true if home‐canned goods replaced other home‐grown crops, but in this case it might mean a change‐over from an unprofitable to a profitable crop.
May we start by discussing the reasons that you have changed your company name? We have done so partly for the obvious reason that the Maxwell connection is no longer valid. But…
Abstract
May we start by discussing the reasons that you have changed your company name? We have done so partly for the obvious reason that the Maxwell connection is no longer valid. But, in addition, it is the software part of our business which is growing fastest. I expect it will soon reach parity with our online activities on a revenue basis. So both parts of ‘Maxwell Online’ needed changing.
Today information products are available on various electronic media. Choices include traditional online hosts, databases on CD‐ROM or locally mounted, and the Internet with its…
Abstract
Today information products are available on various electronic media. Choices include traditional online hosts, databases on CD‐ROM or locally mounted, and the Internet with its numerous information resources. The paper describes the pricing structure of the different electronic options together with the technical and personnel requirements to run an information service. Also the characteristics of such information systems concerning user, training and availability of the service are dealt with. The discussion of pros and cons enable an information manager to make cost‐effective decisions.