The following press release may be of interest to members of the
list. Apologies for any duplication.
Cambridge, UK
20 May, 2008
THE COMPANY OF BIOLOGISTS ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF THE ONLINE ARCHIVE
OF DEVELOPMENT
The Company of Biologists is delighted to announce the completion of the
process of digital retroconversion of the archives of its journal,
Development. The entire contents of Development’s predecessor, JEEM (the
Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology) is now freely available
online.
The complete archive of JEEM, from its first issue in 1953 through to the
final one in 1986 (after which the journal was renamed Development) can be
accessed through Development’s website (http://dev.biologists.org). It
comprises over 40,000 pages of material, published over 33 years, and is
now made available online for the first time. The archive is entirely free
of charge for everyone irrespective of whether a personal or institutional
subscription is held for Development’s current content.
JEEM was at the forefront of the major changes that the emerging
discipline of developmental biology underwent in the postwar years from
its foundation in 1953 by a very distinguished group of biologists.
Why was this the right moment to launch a journal that was destined to be
so influential in its field?
“New techniques were becoming available, and these forward-thinking
embryologists and developmental biologists were keen to have a journal in
which the exciting discoveries enabled by these new techniques could be
reported. It is with great prescience that A.M. Dalq, one of the founding
editors of the journal, observes in JEEM’s inaugural issue
that ‘embryologists will now be confronted with an extraordinary extension
of their field in depth, in space, and in time.’ These words remain
relevant to this day, and they continue to inform the mission of
Development, as they did JEEM’s, “ say Jim Smith and Jane Alfred, Editor-
in-Chief and Executive Editor of Development.
Many of the papers published in JEEM were destined to become classics –
ones that influenced the ideas of a generation of developmental biologists
and that continue to shape thinking in certain fields to this day. Some of
the most influential articles will be highlighted in Development over the
coming months in essays that will explain their significance to a new
generation of researchers.
The Company of Biologists would like to acknowledge with thanks the help
of its online publisher, HighWire Press in creating the archive and the
generous support of the developmental community itself, many of whom
donated personal copies of JEEM which enabled us to fill gaps in the
Company’s own collections.
This announcement marks the culmination of many years of effort and a
considerable investment on the Company’s part in completing our archival
project for all of our journals. Development joins Journal of Cell Science
(complete archive available from 1853) and The Journal of Experimental
Biology (from 1923) in offering its community free and unrestricted online
access to a wealth of hugely significant material that was previously
unavailable online.
For more information:
Nick Birch
The Company of Biologists
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