Session Number
16
Description
"Grey literature" is literature which is not directly accessible. Its procurement, exploitation, storage and incorporation in information systems can only be carried out under complicated conditions.
Journals in the sense of "Grey literature" are:
- (Scientific) journals published by universities, academies and research institutes, as well as periodic publications about the results of research issued by firms engaged in such work.
- Journals and newspapers published by parties, organisations, associations, cooperatives, companies, libraries and museums.
- Journals which do not contain original scientific contributions, as well as those issued by book clubs and other organisations which publish technical literature and also belles-lettres.
The range of these journals is considerable and they represent a very significant source of information. They come into existence
- as a result of the increasing differentiation in science due to contemporary information
- as a result of the more rapid growth in the number of scientific contributions as compared to the number and range of journals
- due to crises in development of journals in capitalist countries.
The conclusions which librarians can draw from this development are:
- Due to the large amount of scientific information journals will still have an important role to play in the future, whatever changes in their production and distribution take place.
- Librarians should not differentiate in any way between journals produced and distributed by conventional or non-conventional methods. Only the content and utility for society alone are decisive. Because of this librarians require ingenuity, meticulousness, a conviction as to the necessity of acquiring a journal, a good knowldege of the subject matter and good relations to non-conventional establishments.
- Librarians must be acquainted with the modern technology for the storage and distribution of journals (e.g. Media-Mix, Publishing-on-demand, Synopsis journals) and must demand standardised minimal specifications from the publishers.
- The ever increasing production of "grey" journals necessitates skilful management of financial resources. Cooperation and coordination are playing a continually increasing role in the librarians work.
Serials and "Grey Literature"
"Grey literature" is literature which is not directly accessible. Its procurement, exploitation, storage and incorporation in information systems can only be carried out under complicated conditions.
Journals in the sense of "Grey literature" are:
- (Scientific) journals published by universities, academies and research institutes, as well as periodic publications about the results of research issued by firms engaged in such work.
- Journals and newspapers published by parties, organisations, associations, cooperatives, companies, libraries and museums.
- Journals which do not contain original scientific contributions, as well as those issued by book clubs and other organisations which publish technical literature and also belles-lettres.
The range of these journals is considerable and they represent a very significant source of information. They come into existence
- as a result of the increasing differentiation in science due to contemporary information
- as a result of the more rapid growth in the number of scientific contributions as compared to the number and range of journals
- due to crises in development of journals in capitalist countries.
The conclusions which librarians can draw from this development are:
- Due to the large amount of scientific information journals will still have an important role to play in the future, whatever changes in their production and distribution take place.
- Librarians should not differentiate in any way between journals produced and distributed by conventional or non-conventional methods. Only the content and utility for society alone are decisive. Because of this librarians require ingenuity, meticulousness, a conviction as to the necessity of acquiring a journal, a good knowldege of the subject matter and good relations to non-conventional establishments.
- Librarians must be acquainted with the modern technology for the storage and distribution of journals (e.g. Media-Mix, Publishing-on-demand, Synopsis journals) and must demand standardised minimal specifications from the publishers.
- The ever increasing production of "grey" journals necessitates skilful management of financial resources. Cooperation and coordination are playing a continually increasing role in the librarians work.