Chemical Information: From Print to the Internet

As presented in the cited symposium (l), five decades of progress in chemical information, including publication, media, and retrieval are described in an expanded version. The evolution of the chemical information industry, from both the user and vendor standpoint, is illustrated by the personal career history of the author. The emphasis is on the chemical, petroleum, and petrochemical industries along with interaction with the publishing and academic sectors. Knowledge of the past is helpful and even necessary to analyze the present and attempt to predict the future.