International Catalogue of Scientific Literature

The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature was an annual index covering scientific literature from all major areas of science. The Catalogue was produced by an international committee and was published by the Royal Society of London. It was published from 1902–1921, and indexed scientific literature published from 1901–1914.[1]

The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature
DisciplineScience
LanguageEnglish, French, German, Italian
Publication details
History1902–1921
Publisher
Royal Society of London (Great Britain)
FrequencyAnnual
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4Int. Catalogue Sci. Lit.
Indexing
LCCN2002252031
OCLC no.32556927

History

The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature developed from the earlier Catalogue of Scientific Papers dating from 1867.[2]

According to Isadora Mudge in the Guide to Reference Books: "While issued this was the most important current bibliography covering all the sciences. Includes both books and periodical articles. Publication suspended after issues of the volumes for 1914".[3] A reprint of the Catalogue was published in 1968 by the Johnson Reprint Corporation (New York).[4]

As the Royal Society was unable to continue financially supporting the Catalogue, financial assistance was sought from the scientific offices of contributing countries.[5] Despite these efforts, the Catalogue ceased publication in large part due to increasing international tension in the build up to World War I[6] and to a lesser extent the resulting devaluation of currency.[7][8]

Criticism

As Mudge notes, the Catalogue "[i]ndexes a large number of important scientific journals, but was never very satisfactory for up-to-date reference work because of the delay in publication.[9]

Coverage

Each year, seventeen volumes were issued:[3]

Subject
A: Mathematics
B: Mechanics
C: Physics
D: Chemistry
E: Astronomy
F: Meteorology
G: Mineralogy
H: Geology
J: Geography
K: Palæontology
L: General biology
M: Botany
N: Zoology
O: Human anatomy
P: Physical anthropology
Q: Physiology
R: Bacteriology

References
  1. "The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature". Nature. 63 (1625): 180–161. 1900.
  2. "The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature". Nature. 104 (2610): 265. 1919.
  3. Mudge, Isadore Gilbert (1929). Guide to Reference Books (5th ed.). Chicago: American Library Association. p. 133.
  4. Antony, Arthur (1979). Guide to Basic Information Sources in Chemistry. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 28.
  5. Third Annual Report of the National Research Council (Report). Government Printing Office. 1919. pp. 15–16. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  6. MacLeod, Roy (1993). "The Chemists go to War: The Mobilization of Civilian Chemists and the British War Effort, 1914-1918". Annals of Science. 50 (5): 455–481. doi:10.1080/00033799300200341. By December, the 'war of illusion' was over. As opposing trenches drew a line from Switzerland to the Channel, international science, as the New Statesman put it, was 'wrecked'. The international catalogue of scientific papers was suspended, and routine exchanges of data, weather maps, publications and reports all came to an abrupt end. 'Scientific objectivity' evaporated before jingoistic sentiments to which Lockyer lent the pages of Nature, and Crookes, those of Chemical News.
  7. Report of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for the year ending June 30, 1921 (Report). Government Printing Office. 1921. pp. 107–108. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  8. Fifth Annual Report of the National Research Council (Report). Government Printing Office. 1921. pp. 15–16. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  9. Mudge, Isadore Gilbert (1929). Guide to Reference Books (5th ed.). Chicago: American Library Association. p. 16.
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