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Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Use of Scientific Periodicals

D.J.URQUHART

In the United Kingdom it has been decided to plan a National Lending Library for Science and Technology, and it is intended that this library should take over from the Science Museum Library the general responsibility for providing a lending service to organizations in the United Kingdom. To obtain some data for this planning operation it was decided to analyse the issue records of serial publications of the Science Museum Library, which at present has the largest collection of scientific literature in the United Kingdom. The Science Museum Library is actually within the buildings of the Imperial College of Science and Technology (South Kensington, London, S.W.7), and functions, in practice, as the main library of that college. The library has a reading room which is open to the public, and it lends to the staff of the Science Museum and the Imperial College, and to over 1200 outside organizations. These include universities and colleges, industrial organizations, research organizations, and government departments.

At present the library is receiving about 10,000 current serials. In all, it contains some 430,000 volumes. The subjects covered include all the sub-divisions of the pure and applied sciences, with some restrictions in the clinical medicine field. About 80% of the total volume of receipts and issues are serial publications.

The records examined were the counterfoils of issue forms for literature returned to the shelves from the reading room or from borrowers during 1956. An unknown number of these forms may have been lost, but the missing forms would probably amount only to a few per cent., and they are likely to have been a random selection of the total.

The primary object of the analysis was to provide data for planning purposes. It was hoped, for instance, that the data would answer such questions as (a) which serials are so heavily used that they must be held by the National Lending Library, (b) what back runs of serials should be collected, (c) which serials should be duplicated or bound in parts, (d) which serials are so little used that one copy either in the future Science Museum Library or the National

D.J.URQUHART Lending Library Unit, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, London, England.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Lending Library should be sufficient. However, as this survey of actual use of scientific serials is probably the largest which has ever been made, it was thought that a general account of the results would be of interest.

The analysis was made by punching a Hollerith card for each item issued from the shelves. This gave (a) the shelf mark of the serial (this is unaffected by a change of title); this was added to the counterfoils where necessary; (b) the type of user: A, borrower in the Science Museum or Imperial College (i.e., “internal loans”), B, other borrowers (i.e., “external loans”), C, reader in the Science Museum Library’s reading room; (c) the date of publication of the item used where given. In all, 87,255 cards were punched, and they were divided up as follows:

A

Loans to Science Museum and Imperial College

2,255

B

Loans to other borrowers

53,216

C

Issues in the reading room

27,161

4623 (5.3%) of the forms were rejected, mainly because they did not give the publication date of the item issued. The remainder were sorted by date, and this gave the results shown in Table I.

TABLE I

Publication date

A

Internal loans

B

External loans

C

Reading room issues

Total

1857–1899

50

665

420

1,135

1900–1909

39

562

412

1,013

1910–1919

43

801

568

1,412

1920–1929

177

2,073

1,474

3,724

1930–1939

417

6,284

4,104

10,805

1940–1949

459

10,013

6,596

17,068

1950–1954

600

14,518

8,723

23,841

1955–1956

470

18,300

4,864

23,634

Total

2,255

53,216

27,161a

82,632

a Owing to the methods by which the forms were selected two copies of the same reading room issue form may have been punched on some occasions. This has not happened in more than 10% of cases, and will not have affected the total number of periodicals used.

In interpreting these results the following should be noted:

  1. The Science Museum Library lends in the main to organizations which have some library resources of their own.

  2. The current volumes of some 500 periodicals are available on open access in the reading room.

  3. The Science Museum Library does not lend reference publications such as abstract publications, and during 1956 the 1940 onwards volumes of 72 periodicals were on a non-loanable list. This list is given in Appendix A.

  4. Binding operations during 1956 will have reduced the availability of material published during 1954.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×
  1. Whilst there is no Imperial College Library several of the departments of the college have their own libraries.

The analysis by serial shelf marks showed that, in all, 7064 serials were used.

The following details of the number of serials used are available:

Number of serials borrowed by the local staffs

1,063

Number of serials borrowed by others

5,632

Number of serials used in the reading room

3,518

Total number of serials used by all types of users where publication date was 1950 or afterwards

4,753

Total number of serials used by all types of users where publication date was 1949 or earlier

4,058

From the general point of view the most interesting figures relate to the loan issues to external organizations. Tables II to V illustrate the results obtained and make it possible to compare the number of issues from the Science Museum Library with the total number of holdings as given by the British Union Catalogue of Periodicals (BUCOP) for the main libraries in the United Kingdom.

TABLE II The 10 titles most frequently borrowed by external organizations

Issues

Titlea

Current holdings in BUCOP

382

Proceedings, Royal Society, A (Vol. 1, 1832−)

71

250

Journal of Physical Chemistry (Vol. 1, 1896−)

42

244

Philosophical Magazine (1789−)

54

240

Science (U. S.) (1883−)

55

223

Declassified documents, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (1946−)

223

Proceedings, Institution of Electrical Engineers (1872−)

51

200

Product Engineering (Vol. 2, 1931−)

11

198

Biochemical Journal (Vol. 1, 1906−)

81

184

Journal, Chemical Society (1849−)

86

181

Journal, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1939−)

62

a Science Museum Library holdings are given in parentheses.

TABLE III A sample of 10 titles each borrowed 20 times by external organizations

Titlea

Current holdings in BUCOP

Proceedings, Institution of Civil Engineers (Vol. 1, 1952−)

52

Journal of Applied Mechanics (Vol. 2, 1935−)

26

Practitioner (Vol. 74, 1905−)

33

Archiv für Protistenkunde (Vol. 1, 1902−)

16

Rubber Journal (Vol. 68, 1924−)

14

Process (formerly Photogram) (Vols. 1–10, 46−)

9

Siemens-Zeitschrift (Jahrg. 9−, 1929−)

2

Bulletin, Research Council of Israel (Vol. 1, 1951−)

8

Annals of Human Genetics (Vol. 1, 1925−)

22

Bacteriological Reviews (Vol. 1, 1937−)

42

a Science Museum Library holdings are given in parentheses.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

TABLE IV A sample of 10 titles each borrowed twice by external organizations

Titlea

Current holdings in BUCOP

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 3, 1955−)

Elektrowärme-Technik (Jahrg 6−; 1955−)

1

Medicine Monographs (1925 and 1930)

1

Television (1939, 1950−)

1

University of California publications in child development (Vol. 1, 1949−)

2

Proceedings, Cotteswold Naturalists Field Club (Vol. 12, 1896−)

15

Indian Journal of Radiology (Vol. 3, 1949−)

2

Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding (Vol. 1, 1941−)

6

Philippine Journal of Agriculture (Vol. 1, 1930−)

8

Journal, Mechanical Laboratory, Japan (European Language Edition) (Vol. 1, 1955−)

a Science Museum Library holdings are given in parentheses.

TABLE V A sample of 10 titles not used by external organizations

Titlea

Current holdings in BUCOP

Acta Astronomica (Warzawa—Series C, Vol. 5, 1953−)

4

Aquila Budapest (1929–38, 1943−)

5

Boletin, Casa do Dovro (Vol. 3, 1948−)

1

Bulletin Agricole-Haiti (Vol. 1, 1950−)

Hormone—Oss (Vol. 11, 1949−)

2

Journal des Observateurs (Vol. 1, 1915−)

Pig Farming (Vol. 1, 1953−)

1

Report, University of Washington, Engineering Experiment Station (Vol. 1, 1929−)

Revista Vinicola y de Agricultura (1935–36, 1948−)

1

Vestnik—Ceska Akademie ved a Umeni (Vol. 34, 1925−)

2

a Science Museum Library holdings are given in parentheses.

External organizations will naturally only borrow from the Science Museum Library scientific literature which they do not hold themselves, or which they cannot obtain from some more accessible collection. Thus the external loan demand on the library is, in general, only a residual demand, although many bodies may make a habit of always applying to this library first. Nevertheless, possibly because so many external organizations (some 1200) use the Science Museum Library, it appears from the examples in Tables II to V, and from Table VI, that the use of the copies of a serial in the library is a rough indication of its total use value in the United Kingdom. An analysis of the type of libraries which hold little used serials indicates that, in general, they are the general and not the special libraries. So that it is probable that, as a rule, the copy of the serial publication in the Science Museum Library is more used than a copy of the same serial elsewhere. However this may be, it is very-clear that it is not the abundance of sets of certain serials in other libraries which results in the Science Museum Library’s holdings of these serials being so little used.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

TABLE VI

Type of serial

Average number of current sets in BUCOPa

10 most frequently used (Table II)

57

Sample of 10 serials each used 20 times (Table III)

22.4

Sample of 10 serials each used twice (Table IV)

4.5

Sample of 10 serials not used (Table V)

2.3

a Only the titles located in BUCOP were used in obtaining average.

The number of titles, according to degree of use on external loans, is given in Table VII.

TABLE VII

Requisitions per title

Titles

100 or more

60

50–99

193

40–49

92

30–39

136

20–29

229

10–19

541

5−9

714

4

283

3

403

2

791

1

2,190

An analysis of the serial titles used showed that 2769 of them were not current according to the Hand List of Short Titles of Current Periodicals in the Science Library, Eighth Edition, 1956. This list contains references to 9120 serial publications, and 4821 of these were not used at all during 1956. The greater proportion of users would have been using, during 1956, the 1953 edition of the Hand List, which contains a smaller number of titles.

These figures do not necessarily mean that the Science Museum Library is collecting some 4821 serials which will never be used, but they do indicate that the demand for a large number of titles is very small. For instance, if the library contains 7500 serials, each of which is used on an average once every two years, we should expect to find in a particular year that of these, assuming random distribution of demand

Number of titles not used was

4,548

Number of titles used once was

2,274

Number of titles used twice was

568

Number of titles used thrice was

95

The total use of a periodical is not as useful a figure as the amount of use per year of publication. The number of titles for which the 1900–1909

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

volumes were borrowed by external organizations 10 or more times was 9. The number of titles which were found with the same minimum degree of use in different periods is shown in Table VIII.

TABLE VIII Number of titles used once or more per year of publication by external borrowers

Period

Titles

1900–1909

9

1910–1919

14

1920–1929

40

1930–1939

158

1940–1949

258

1950–1954

872

Appendix B gives a list of the titles which were borrowed 10 or more times for any of the publication decades 1900–1949, and indicates the decades concerned.

This list should be of value to special libraries in the United Kingdom in indicating what serial literature published in the period 1900–1949 they should consider obtaining or retaining.

The average period of loan of a serial publication lent by the Science Museum Library is about 23 calendar days. Hence, a volume which is lent on an average once per year should be available on demand for 94% of the time.

Considerations such as these make it possible to determine what must be done regarding binding periodicals in parts, or duplicating copies to achieve any particular standard of service (e.g., a minimum of 90% available on demand for any title). The survey of the actual use data indicates that, as a rule, binding parts of periodicals separately in a light binding would be cheaper in providing an improved standard of service for frequently used serials than duplicating or triplicating. These considerations are, of course, based on the assumption that for any title and time since publication the demand for it is random, but has a given average value. This assumption has not been tested. Theoretically it would be possible to test the assumption by comparing the theoretical number of times material is on loan when required with the number found in practice, but this would involve more data regarding the state of the bindings and of the volumes per year than is immediately available on the punched cards used.

Conclusion

The primary purpose of this paper was to record the facts as far as they are available, and to leave to others the application of the data to the problems which face the users of science literature throughout the world.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

The analysis, however, confirms one general idea. Extensive use of scientific literature is confined to a small fraction of the total output. Even in a library which is designed to deal with the residual demand from libraries, about 1250 serials (or less than 10% of those available if the non-current serials are included) are sufficient to meet 80% of the demand for serial literature.

Indeed, the figures suggest that perhaps three-quarters of the current serials in the Science Museum Library are so little used that one loan copy of these serials somewhere in the United Kingdom should be sufficient to meet the needs of all users in the United Kingdom.

This analysis focuses attention on the old questions: (1) Is the small use of a large number of serials due to the low value of, or to ignorance about, their contents? (2) If it is ignorance, what can be done to eliminate it? (3) If the contents are designed only for a very small audience, should the papers continue to be published in the traditional way?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance which he has received from Mr. H.T.Pledge, the Keeper of the Science Museum Library, and his staff, and from the staff of the Hollerith Section at the National Physical Laboratory. He also wishes to stress that he is personally responsible for the interpretations of the data given.

APPENDIX A Science Museum Library: List of non-loanable periodicals

Acta Physicochimica U.R.S.S.

Analytical Chemistry

Angewandte Chemie

Annalen der Physik

Annales de physique

Annals, New York Academy of Sciences

Annual Reports on the Progress of Chemistry

Bell System Technical Journal

Berichte deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft

Bulletin, Académie des Sciences de l’U.R.S.S. (Izvestiya) (all series)

Bulletin, Société chimique de France

Canadian Journal of Botany

Canadian Journal of Chemistry

Canadian Journal of Medical Sciences

Canadian Journal of Physics

Canadian Journal of Research (all sections)

Canadian Journal of Technology

Canadian Journal of Zoology

Chemical and Engineering News

Chemical Engineering Progress

Chemie-Ingenieur-Technik

Chemische Berichte

Comptes rendus, académie des sciences (Paris)

Comptes rendus académie des sciences de lU.R.S. S.

Doklady, Akademii Nauk SSSR

Electrical Engineering

Helvetica Chimica Acta

Helvetica Physica Acta

Industrial and Engineering Chemistry (all editions)

Iron Age

Journal, Acoustical Society of America

Journal, American Chemical Society

Journal, Electrochemical Society

Journal, Franklin Institute

Journal, Optical Society of America

Journal of Applied Mechanics

Journal of Applied Physics

Journal of Biological Chemistry

Journal of Chemical Physics

Journal of Metals

Journal of Petroleum Technology

Journal of Research, National Bureau of Standards (U.S.)

Mechanical Engineering

Metals Technology

Mining Engineering

Mining Technology

Petroleum Technology

Physica

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Physical Review

Proceedings, Institute of Radio Engineers (New York)

Reports on Progress in Physics

Reports on the Progress of Applied Chemistry

Review of Scientific Instruments

Reviews of Modern Physics

Steel

Transactions, (American) Electrochemical Society

Transactions, American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Transactions, American Institute of Electrical Engineers

Transactions, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (all sections)

Transactions, American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Transactions, Institute of Radio Engineers (Professional groups) (New York)

V.D.I. Zeitschrift

Zeitschrift für analytische Chemie

Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie

Zeitschrift für Physik

Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie

Zhurnal analiticheskoĭ khimii (J. of Analytical Chemistry)

Zhurnal eksperimental’ noĭ i teoreticheskoĭ fiziki

(J. of Experimental and Theoretical Physics USSR)

Zhurnal fizicheskoĭ khimii (J. of Physical Chemistry USSR)

Zhurnal obshcheĭ khimii (J. of General Chemistry USSR)

Zhurnal prikladnoĭ khimii (J. of Applied Chemistry USSR)

Zhurnal tekhnicheskoĭ fiziki (J. of Technical Physics USSR)

APPENDIX B Science Museum Library: Titles borrowed ten or more times per decade, 1940–1949

Title

Years for which periodical was borrowed ten or more times per decade

Acta Chemica Scandinavica, 1947

1940–49

Acta Physiologica Scandinavica Supplementa, 1940

1940–49

Agronomy Journal, 1932

1940–49

Air Conditioning, Heating, and Ventilating, 1929

1940–49

Aircraft Engineering, 1929

1930–49

American Dyestuff Reporter, 1925

1930–49

American Mineralogist, 1916

1930–39

American Naturalist, 1868

1940–49

American Journal of Botany, 1924

1940–49

American Journal of Hygiene, 1938

1940–49

American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health, 1932

1940–49

American Journal of Physics, 1933

1940–49

American Journal of Physiology, 1898

1930–49

American Journal of Roentgenology—Radium Therapy and Nuclear Medicine, 1930

1940–49

American Journal of Science, 1818

1910–49

American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 1936

1940–49

Analyst (London), 1882

1930–49

Analytica Chimica Acta, 1947

1940–49

Anatomical Record, 1908

1930–49

Annalen der Chemie, 1832

1900–39

Annalen der Physik, 1848

1900−09, 1920−39

Annales de chimie, 1789

1940–49

Annals of Applied Biology, 1914

1920–39

Annals of Botany, 1887

1920–29

Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 1907

1940–49

Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 1930

1930–39

Archiv für das Eisenhuttenwesen, 1928–44; 1949–

1930–49

Archiv für Mikrobiologie, 1930

1930–39

Archiv für Experimentelle Pathologie und Pharmakologie, 1938

1940–49

Archiv für Protistenkunde, 1902

1930–39

Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 1942

1940–49

Arkiv för Kemi, 1903

1940–49

ASTM Bulletin, 1928

1940–49

Indicates title appearing also in Appendix A.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Title

Years for which periodical was borrowed ten or more times per decade

Astrophysical Journal, 1895

1940–49

Audio Engineering, 1941

1940–49

Australasian Engineer, 1930

1940–49

Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science, 1924

1940–49

Australian Journal of Science, 1938

1940–49

Automobile Engineer, 1924

1940–49

Bell System Technical Journal, 1925

1930–49

Biochemical Journal, 1906

1920–49

Biochemische Zeitschrift, 1906

1920–49

Biological Bulletin, Marine Biological Laboratory, 1900

1930–49

Biological Reviews, Cambridge Philosophical Society, 1925

1940–49

Biometrics, 1946

1940–49

Biometrika, 1902

1940–49

Botanical Gazette, 1875

1920–49

Botanical Review, 1935

1940–49

Botaniska Notiser, 1929

1940–49

British Journal of Experimental Pathology, 1929

1940–49

British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1944

1940–49

British Journal of Radiology, 1926

1940–49

British Plastics, 1930

1940–49

Brown Boverie Review, 1927

1940–49

Bulletin, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1917

1940–49

Bulletin, American Mathematical Society, 1927

1940–49

Bulletin, American Physical Society, 1937

1940–49

Bulletin, Association Suisse des Electriciens, 1928

1940–49

Bulletin, Bureau of Mines (U.S.A.) 1912

1930–39

Bulletin, Geological Society of America, 1925

1940–49

Bulletin, Société de chimie biologique, 1914

1940–49

Bulletin, Société chimique de France, 1858

1930–39

Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics, 1939

1940–49

Canadian Chemical Processing, 1925

1940–49

Canadian Journal of Research, 1929

1930–39

Cereal Chemistry, 1932

1940–49

Chemical Engineering (New York), 1903

1930–49

Chemical Engineering Progress, 1908

1930–39

Chemical Reviews, 1925

1930–49

Chemische Berichte, 1868–1943; 1947–

1900–09, 1920–29

Chemische Weekblad, 1924

1940–49

Chemistry and Industry, 1882

1920–49

Chimie et industrie (Paris), 1918

1940–49

Civil Engineering (New York), 1931

1940–49

Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology, 1933

1940–49

Comptes rendus académie des sciences (Paris), 1835

1900–39

Comptes rendus des séances, société de biologie, 1917

1930–49

Comptes rendus des travaux, laboratoire Carlsberg, 1878

1940–49

Contributions from Boyce Thompson Institute, 1929

1940–49

Current Science, 1932

1940–49

Discussions, Faraday Society, 1947

1940–49

Ecology, 1920

1930–39

Economic Geology, 1906

1940–49

Electrical Engineering, 1934

1930–39

Electrical Journal, 1878

1930–39

Electrical Review, London, 1872

1940–49

Electronics, 1933

1930–39

Electronic Engineering, 1928

1940–49

Endocrinology, 1918

1940–49

Indicates title appearing also in Appendix A.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Title

Years for which periodical was borrowed ten or more times per decade

Engineer, 1856

1930–49

Engineering, 1866

1910–19; 1930–49

Engineering News Record, 1922

1930–49

Escher Wyss News, 1928

1930–39

Experimentia, 1945

1940–49

Federation Proceedings (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology), 1942

1940–49

Food Industries, 1931

1940–49

Food Research, 1936

1940–49

Food Technology, 1947

1940–49

Forschung auf dem Gebiete des Ingenieurwesens, 1931–1940, 1943; 1949–

1930–39

Foundry Trade Journal, 1921

1940–49

Fuel, 1922

1940–49

General Electric Review, 1917

1920–49

Geological Magazine, 1864

1920–29

Glass Industry, 1928

1940–49

Growth, 1937

1940–49

Heating, Piping and Air Conditioning, 1929

1930–49

Helvetica Chimica Acta, 1918

1930–39

Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 1909

1920–39

Industrial Chemist and Chemical Manufacturer, 1925

1940–49

Information Circular, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1926

1940–49

Ingenieur Archiv, 1930–44; 1949−

1930–39

Instrument Practice, 1946

1940–49

Instruments and Automation, 1928

1940–49

Iron Age, 1922

1930–39

Iron and Coal Trades Review, 1900

1940–49

Iron and Steel, 1928

1940–49

Iron and Steel Engineer, 1924

1940–49

Journal, Acoustical Society of America, 1929

1930–39

Journal, American Ceramic Society, 1918

1930–49

Journal, American Chemical Society, 1879

1900–1939

Journal, American Concrete Institute, 1929

1930–49

Journal, American Leather Chemists Association, 1924

1940–49

Journal, American Medical Association, 1930

1940–49

Journal, American Oil Chemists’ Society, 1935

1940–49

Journal, American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition, 1929

1930–49

Journal, American Statistical Association, 1947

1940–49

Journal, American Water Works Association, 1924

1930–49

Journal, Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, 1920

1930–49

Journal, British Institution of Radio Engineers, 1939

1940–49

Journal, Chemical Society, 1849

1900–49

Journal, Council for Industrial and Scientific Research, Australia, 1927–48

1940–49

Journal, Franklin Institute, 1920

1930–39

Journal, Indian Chemical Society, 1924

1930–49

Journal, Institute of Fuel, 1926

1930–49

Journal, Institute of Metals, 1909

1940–49

Journal, Institute of Petroleum, 1915

1940–49

Journal, Institution of Heating and Ventilating Engineers, 1933

1930–49

Journal, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 1939

1920–49

Journal, Iron and Steel Institute, 1871

1940–49

Journal, Oil and Colour Chemists’ Association, 1918

1940–49

Journal, Optical Society of America, 1922

1930–39

Journal, Royal Aeronautical Society, 1897

1940–49

Journal, Royal Statistical Society Series B, Methodological, 1936

1940–49

Journal, Scientific Research Institute (Tokyo), 1928

1940–49

Indicates title appearing also in Appendix A.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Title

Years for which periodical was borrowed ten or more times per decade

Journal, Society of Dyers and Colourists, 1885

1940–49

Journal, Society of Glass Technology, 1917

1930–49

Journal, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, 1916

1930–49

Journal, Textile Institute, 1910

1940–49

Journal, Washington Academy of Sciences, 1911

1940–49

Journal of Agricultural Science, 1905

1930–49

Journal of Applied Mechanics, 1935

1930–39

Journal of Applied Physics, 1931

1930–39

Journal of Bacteriology, 1924

1930–49

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1905

1910–39

Journal of Cellular and Comparative Physiology, 1932

1930–49

Journal of Chemical Education, 1924

1930–49

Journal of Chemical Physics, 1933

1930–39

Journal de chimie physique et de physico-chimie biologique, 1903

1940–49

Journal of Colloid Science, 1946

1940–49

Journal of Comparative Neurology, 1891

1930–49

Journal of Dairy Research, 1932

1930–49

Journal of Dairy Science, 1929

1940–49

Journal of Economic Entomology, 1908

1940–49

Journal of Experimental Biology, 1923

1940–49

Journal of Experimental Zoology, 1904

1910–19, 1930–39

Journal of General Physiology, 1919

1920–29; 1940–49

Journal of Geology, 1893

1930–49

Journal of Hygiene, 1901

1930–39

Journal of Immunology, 1940

1940–49

Journal of Industrial Hygiene, 1929–49

1930–49

Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine, 1936

1940–49

Journal of Organic Chemistry, 1937

1930–49

Journal of Mathematics and Physics, 1922

1930–49

Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology, 1893

1930–39

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 1936

1930–49

Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1896

1920–49

Journal of Physiology, 1878

1920–49

Journal of Polymer Science, 1946

1940–49

Journal of Research, National Bureau of Standards (U.S.A.), 1929

1920–39

Journal of Nutrition, 1929

1930–49

Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1942

1940–49

Journal of Scientific Instruments, 1924

1930–49

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 1932

1940–49

Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, 1934

1940–49

Kolloid Zeitschrift, 1906

1930–49

Light Metals, 1938

1940–49

Lubrication Engineering, 1935

1940–49

Machine Design, 1932

1940–49

Machinery (London), 1918

1940–49

Machinery (New York), 1925

1940–49

Materials and Methods, 1930

1930–49

Mechanical Engineering, 1920

1930–39

Mechanical Handling, 1891

1940–49

Mechanical World and Engineering Record, 1881

1940–49

Meddelanden, Sveriges Kemiska Industrikontor, 1931

1940–49

Metal Finishing, 1927

1940–49

Metal Industry (London), 1911

1940–49

Metal Progress, 1930

1940–49

Metal Working Production, 1900

1940–49

Metallurgia, 1929

1940–49

Indicates title appearing also in Appendix A.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Title

Years for which periodical was borrowed ten or more times per decade

Mikrochemie, 1938–53

1930–49

Modern Plastics, 1932

1940–49

Mycologia, 1909

1940–49

Nature (London), 1870

1930–49

Naturwissenschaften, 1927–44; 1948–

1930–49

New England Journal of Medicine, 1938

1940–49

New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology, 1918

1940–49

Non-Destructive Testing, 1943

1940–49

Nucleonics, 1947

1940–49

Oil and Gas Journal, 1926

1930–49

Paint Manufacture, 1931

1940–49

Paint, Oil and Chemical Review, 1934

1940–49

Paper Industry, 1932

1940–49

Paper Trade Journal, 1924

1930–49

Petroleum Engineer, 1932

1940–49

Petroleum Refiner, 1925

1940–49

Pharmaceutica Acta Helvetiae, 1936

1940–49

Philips Research Reports, 1945

1940–49

Philips Technical Review, 1936

1940–49

Philosophical Magazine, 1789

1900–49

Philosophical Transactions, Royal Society A, 1667

1900–19, 1930–49

Philosophy of Science, 1934

1940–49

Photographic Journal, 1854

1940–49

Physica, 1933

1930–39

Physical Review, 1894

1910–39

Physikalische Zeitschrift, 1899–1945

1930–39

Physiological Reviews, 1933

1940–49

Phytopathology, 1911

1910–49

Plant Physiology, 1927

1930–49

Planta, 1926

1930–39

Plating, 1934

1940–49

Poultry Science, 1933

1940–49

Power, 1892

1940–49

Power Engineering, 1936

1940–49

Proceedings, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1846

1920–29

Proceedings, American Elearoplaters Society, 1947

1940–49

Proceedings, American Gas Association, 1923

1940–49

Proceedings, American Philosophical Society, 1840

1940–49

Proceedings, American Society for Horticultural Science, 1949

1940–49

Proceedings, American Society for Testing Materials, 1923

1930–49

Proceedings, Cambridge Philosophical Society, 1925

1930–49

Proceedings, Geologists Association, 1865

1940–49

Proceedings, Helminthological Society of Washington, 1934

1940–49

Proceedings, Highway Research Board, U.S.A., 1929

1940–49

Proceedings, Indian Academy of Sciences, 1935

1930–49

Proceedings, Institute of Radio Engineers (New York), 1913

1930–39

Proceedings, Institution of Civil Engineers, 1922

1940–49

Proceedings, Institution of Electrical Engineers, 1872

1930–49

Proceedings, London Mathematical Society, 1866

1930–39

Proceedings, National Academy of Sciences, U.S., 1915

1920–49

Proceedings, National Electronics Conference, 1945

1940–49

Proceedings, Physical Society, 1876

1910–49

Proceedings, Royal Academy of Sciences, Amsterdam, 1899

1930–39

Proceedings, Royal Society A, 1832

1910–49

Proceedings, Royal Society B, 1832

1920–49

Proceedings, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, 1929

1930–49

Indicates title appearing also in Appendix A.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Title

Years for which periodical was borrowed ten or more times per decade

Proceedings, Society for Experimental Stress Analysis, 1943

1940–49

Proceedings, Soil Science, Society of America, 1937

1940–49

Product Engineering, 1931

1940–49

Products Finishing (Cincinnati), 1937–42; 1945–

1940–49

Protoplasma, 1927

1930–39

Public Health Reports, U.S., 1924

1940–49

Pulp and Paper Magazine of Canada, 1936

1940–49

Quarterly Journal of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics, 1948

1940–49

Quarterly of Applied Mathematics, 1943

1940–49

Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, 1853

1940–49

Quarterly Journal, Royal Meteorological Society, 1873

1940–49

R.C.A. Review, 1937

1940–49

Radio Engineering, 1930–49

1930–49

Radiology, 1933

1940–49

Receuil des travaux chimiques des Pays Bas, 1882

1930–49

Refrigerating Engineering, 1939

1930–49

Report of Investigations, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1920

1930–49

Reports and Memoranda, Aeronautical Research Council, 1909–

1920–49

Review of Scientific Instruments, 1930

1930–39

Reviews of Modern Physics, 1929

1930–39

Revue Scientifique, 1863

1940–49

Rock Products, 1931

1940–49

Rubber Chemistry and Technology, 1932

1940–49

SAE Journal, 1924

1930–49

Science (U.S.), 1883

1920–49

Soap and Chemical Specialities, 1932

1940–49

Soil Science, 1916

1920–49

Stain Technology, 1927

1940–49

Steel Processing, 1926

1940–49

Structural Engineer, 1930

1940–49

TAPPI, 1920

1940–49

Transactions, American Electrochemical Society, 1909–49

1930–39

Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 1922

1940–49

Transactions, American Institute of Electrical Engineers, 1885–1951

1920–39

Transactions, American Institute of Mining Engineers, 1873–1949

1930–39

Transactions, American Microscopical Society, 1924

1930–39

Transactions, American Society for Metals, 1925

1930–49

Transactions, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1897

1940–49

Transactions, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1897

1930–39

Transactions, British Ceramic Society, 1902

1940–49

Transactions, British Mycological Society, 1897

1940–49

Transactions, Faraday Society, 1905

1920–49

Transactions, Illuminating Engineering Society, 1936

1940–49

Transactions, Institute of Metal Finishing, 1926

1940–49

Transactions, Institution of Chemical Engineers, 1923

1930–49

Transactions, Institution of Gas Engineers, 1903

1930–39

Transactions, Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1935–40; 1947–

1930–39

Transactions, North East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, 1885

1940–49

Transactions, Royal Society of Canada, 3rd Series, 1924

1930–39

Textile Research Journal, 1932

1940–49

VDI Forschungsheft, 1931–1940; 1949–

1930–39

Welding Journal (New York), 1922

1940–49

Wireless Engineer, 1923

1930–49

Wireless World, 1914

1930–49

Zeitschrift für Analytische Chemie, 1862

1930–39

Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik, 1929–1943; 1948–

1930–39

Indicates title appearing also in Appendix A.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×

Title

Years for which periodical was borrowed ten or more times per decade

Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie, 1892

1920–39

Zeitschrift für Elektrochemie, 1894

1920–49

Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, 1877

1930–39

Zeitschrift für Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und -Forschung, 1898

1930–39

Zeitschrift für Metallkunde, 1911

1940–49

Zeitschrift für mikroskopisch-anatomische Forschung, 1924–39; 1950–

1930–39

Zeitschrift für Morphologie und Okologie der Tiere, 1924

1930–39

Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, A Astrophysik, Physik, physikalische Chemie, 1946

1940–49

Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde, 1929–1939; 1949–

1930–39

Zeitschrift für Physik, 1920

1920–39

Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie, 1887–1944; 1950–

1900–09, 1920–39

Zeitschrift für physiologische Chemie, 1877

1930–39

Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie, 1924

1930–39

Zeitschrift für Zellforschung und mikroskopische Anatomie, 1924–44; 1949–

1930–39

Indicates title appearing also in Appendix A.

Suggested Citation:"Use of Scientific Periodicals." National Research Council. 1959. Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10866.
×
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Next: Summary of Discussion »
Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information: Two Volumes Get This Book
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The launch of Sputnik caused a flurry of governmental activity in science information. The 1958 International Conference on Scientific Information (ICSI) was held in Washington from Nov. 16-21, 1958 and sponsored by NSF, NAS, and American Documentation Institute, the predecessor to the American Society for Information Science. In 1959, 20,000 copies of the two volume proceedings were published by NAS and included 75 papers (1600 pages) by dozens of pioneers from seven areas such as:

  • Literature and reference needs of scientists
  • Function and effectiveness of A & I services
  • Effectiveness of Monographs, Compendia, and Specialized Centers
  • Organization of information for storage and search: comparative characteristics of existing systems
  • Organization of information for storage and retrospective search: intellectual problems and equipment considerations
  • Organization of information for storage and retrospective search: possibility for a general theory
  • Responsibilities of Government, Societies, Universities, and industry for improved information services and research.

It is now an out of print classic in the field of science information studies.

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