Backfile journal digitisation: Wellcome/NLM/JISC PubMed Central scanning project

["Kiley ,Mr Robert" <r.kiley@wellcome.ac.uk>]

Over the past 2 years the Wellcome Library, Joint Information Systems
Committee (JISC) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) have been
working together to digitise the backfiles of a number of historically
significant medical journals.  Once digitised, the archive is made
publicly accessible through the NIH life sciences archive, PubMed Central
(PMC).  Titles that have been digitised (or are in the processing of being
digitised) include the Biochemical Journal, the Journal of Physiology and
Annals of Surgery.  [Further details of the project, including a full list
of titles that will be digitised, can be found at:
http://library.wellcome.ac.uk/backfiles]
 
Though this project is well along the road to completion, there is still a
small amount of funding available to pay for the digitisation of
additional titles.  Consequently if there are any medical
publishers/learned societies who are interested in participating in this
project, I'd like to hear from you.
 
In brief, publishers who wish to participate in this project have to:
 
a) Give the NLM permission to digitise the backfiles.  Once digitised, the
NLM will make the archive freely accessible through PMC.
	 
b) Agree to deposit future issues in PMC.  Research articles can be
embargoed in PMC for up to 12 months; all other papers (editorials,
reviews etc), can be embargoed for 3 years.  Full details available at:
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/about/guidelines.html
 
In return:
 
a) Wellcome/JISC/NLM fund the backfile digitisation in its entirety.  [In
addition to digitising the archive and making it fully searchable, the
process also involves creating an XML citation for each article, that is
added to the PubMed database.]

b) Wellcome/JISC/NLM will host the file at PMC - and look after the
dataset over time.  In practice this means taking responsibility for
converting digital files to new, future formats.
 
c) Provide a copy of the digital archive to the publisher for hosting on
the publisher site (if required)
 
If any publisher of medical journals is interested in participating in
this project, please contact me as soon as possible, indicating the
name(s) of the titles that might be interested in joining this project.
 
I look forward to hearing for you.
 
Robert Kiley
Head of Systems Strategy & Acting Librarian
Wellcome Library.
210, Euston Road, London. NW1 2BE
Tel: 020 7611 8338; Fax: 020 7611 8726; mailto:r.kiley@wellcome.ac.uk
Library Web site: http://library.wellcome.ac.uk
 
The Wellcome Trust is a registered charity, no. 210183. Its sole Trustee
is the Wellcome Trust Limited, a company registered in England, no
2711000, whose registered office is 215 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE.