[Web4lib] Revisionist history: journal title changes

[Shirley Ainsworth]

The growing number of digitized journal backfiles seems to be producing 
new problems (as well as solving others!)

I note that several publishers on their journal pages seem to have adopted 
the policy of integrating all content under the latest title, completely 
ignoring the fact that these titles may have changed. They do not even 
reference the 'proper' title the journal had when the original article was 
published.

I have come across this with Nature Publishing Group and Springer, among 
others.

examples: 'Nature Biotechnology' 'which used to be 'Bio/Technology' until 
1995 but you won't find that mentioned on the journal webpage.
http://www.nature.com/nbt/index.html

'Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology' (Springer) previously known as 
'European Journal of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology' until 1983
http://www.springerlink.com/content/100457/
and there sre many others.

It would seem to me to be a case of trying to rewrite history here. Poor 
users, armed with the correct reference, trying to locate the article.


Shirley Ainsworth
Bibliotecaria/Librarian
Instituto de Biotecnologia, UNAM
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
http://biblioteca.ibt.unam.mx
email shirley at ibt.unam.mx