The battle for mindshare: A battle beyond access and retrieval

Subtitle: 2004 Miles Conrad Memorial Lecture, February 23, 2004

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Regazzi, John J.

Affiliations: Managing Director, Market Development, Elsevier, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010, USA

Abstract: The publishing industry in general, and the abstracting and indexing (A&I) industry in particular, find themselves in the midst of significant change. There has been an explosion of technology that continues to drive significant growth in directory databases, that in turn has lead to an incredible growth in information discovery, access, and search-and-retrieval systems. Overlay upon this scenario trends in open access publishing and the new information mindsets developing within the user community, and an increasingly complex new information infrastructure emerges. Has this growth and change advanced scientific and scholarly communication? Has the increase in information access and retrieval generated parallel revenue increases within the publishing and A&I communities? And will the free search engines of today be the predominant information sources of the future? This paper examines the trends that have shaped today's information environment and suggests a future success scenario for traditional publishers and A&I services who are willing and able to apply their significant skills and expertise in meeting the needs of the new breed of information seekers.

DOI: 10.3233/ISU-2004-24202

Journal: Information Services & Use, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 83-92, 2004