{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T00:26:34Z","timestamp":1777854394709,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":120,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2004,10,1]],"date-time":"2004-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1096588800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Information Science"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2004,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The \u2018knowledge economy\u2019 is a key facet of the proposition that Western societies have entered a fundamentally new phase of development as a result of rapid advances in digital technology. However, this proposition underplays the historic importance of knowledge to economic activity and performance. One example of the past intersection of knowledge transfer and economic development is the in-house company library in Britain, which, having originated in the 19th century, became a noticeable feature of the corporate management after 1914, providing a nurturing environment for the emergence of embryonic information professionalism. Paying particular attention to the First World War and inter-war periods, this paper focuses on the purpose and work of the early company library and on the factors that moulded it.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0165551504046734","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2004,10,5]],"date-time":"2004-10-05T08:57:49Z","timestamp":1096966669000},"page":"418-435","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Hidden worlds of the early knowledge economy: libraries in British companies                 before the middle of the 20th century"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"30","author":[{"given":"Alistair","family":"Black","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Information Management, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK,"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2004,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"atypb1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4337\/9781781950425.00008"},{"key":"atypb2","volume-title":"Economics and Utopia: Why the Learning Economy is not the End of History","author":"G.M. Hodgson","year":"1999"},{"key":"atypb3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/030851400360523"},{"key":"atypb4","volume-title":"Post-capitalist Society","author":"P.F. Drucker","year":"1993"},{"key":"atypb5","volume-title":"Beyond Degrees: Professional Learning for Knowledge Services","author":"G. St. Claire","year":"2003"},{"key":"atypb6","first-page":"352","volume-title":"Understanding the Digital Economy: Data, Tools and Research","author":"W.J. Orlikowski","year":"2002"},{"key":"atypb7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4337\/9781781950425.00011"},{"key":"atypb8","volume-title":"Information Acumen: the Understanding and Use of Knowledge in Modern Business","author":"L. Bud-Frierman","year":"1994"},{"key":"atypb9","volume-title":"The Rise of the Network Society","author":"M. Castells","year":"1996"},{"key":"atypb10","first-page":"15","volume-title":"Report of the Proceedings of the 19th Conference of Aslib","author":"F. Kenyon"},{"key":"atypb11","first-page":"32","volume-title":"Report of the Proceedings of the First Conference of Aslib","author":"C.L. Reese"},{"key":"atypb12","volume-title":"The Small Library: The Collection and Care of Books","author":"J.D. Brown","year":"1907"},{"key":"atypb13","first-page":"38","volume-title":"Report of the Proceedings of the First Conference of Aslib","author":"H.V. Garrett"},{"key":"atypb14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1049\/PBHT010E"},{"issue":"2","key":"atypb15","first-page":"2","volume":"7","year":"1963","journal-title":"Research Review: House Magazine of the Laboratories of the General Electric Company Limited"},{"key":"atypb16","volume-title":"Report of the [ICI] Library Committee","year":"1928"},{"key":"atypb17","first-page":"216","volume-title":"Special Library and Information Services in the United Kingdom","author":"J. Burkett","year":"1965"},{"key":"atypb18","volume-title":"Information services: their organisation and administration","author":"R.L. Collison","year":"1949"},{"key":"atypb19","first-page":"159","volume-title":"The Reference Librarian in University, Municipal and Special Libraries","author":"M. Exley","year":"1951"},{"key":"atypb20","first-page":"338","volume":"51","author":"D.J. Foskett","year":"1949","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb21","volume-title":"Information Service in Libraries","author":"D.J. Foskett","year":"1958"},{"key":"atypb22","volume-title":"Information Work Today","author":"B. Houghton","year":"1967"},{"key":"atypb23","unstructured":"[22] Talk given at York Public Library on 20 September 1951 to the Reference                 and Special Libraries Section (Yorkshire Group) of the Library Association.                 Rowntree-Mackintosh Archives, Borthwick Institute, University of York, R\/DH\/TL\/9."},{"key":"atypb24","author":"E. Green","year":"1944","journal-title":"Municipal Journal"},{"key":"atypb25","volume-title":"A Selection of [library] Enquiries During One Month","year":"1957"},{"key":"atypb26","volume-title":"Readers\u2019 guide to the library","author":"GEC Research Laboratories","year":"1957"},{"key":"atypb27","unstructured":"[26]\n                      Report of the Research Department\n                      (8 October 1924).                 Metropolitan-Vickers Archives, Manchester Museum of Science and Technology, 0531\/1."},{"key":"atypb28","unstructured":"[27] A. Wallace,\n                      The Libraries, Public, Private, University and Special                     in the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne\n                      . (Unpublished dissertation, deposited in                 the Local Studies Department, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central Public Library, 1950)."},{"key":"atypb29","first-page":"75","volume-title":"Five Years\u2019 Work in Librarianship 1951-1955","author":"W.D. Piggot","year":"1958"},{"key":"atypb30","first-page":"364","volume":"23","author":"J.G. Pearce","year":"1921","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb31","first-page":"70","volume":"5","author":"J.C. Dana","year":"1914","journal-title":"Special Libraries"},{"key":"atypb32","volume-title":"The Business Man\u2019s Directory","year":"1930"},{"key":"atypb33","volume-title":"Libraries and Philanthropy","author":"A. Black"},{"key":"atypb34","unstructured":"[33] M.R. Marshall,\n                      The History of Industrial Libraries in Britain to                 1960\n                      (Unpublished Fellowship of the Library Association Thesis, 1968).                 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Manners","year":"1885"},{"key":"atypb40","unstructured":"[39] Post Office Permanent Library and Literary Association,\n                      Committee of                     Revision Report (June 1912)\n                      . Royal Mail Archives, POST 72."},{"key":"atypb41","unstructured":"[40] [Post Office] Headquarters Library,\n                      Report of the Committee (August                 1935)\n                      . Royal Mail Archives, POST 72."},{"key":"atypb42","volume-title":"Members of the Standing Committee of the First Conference on Special Libraries and Bureaux of Information"},{"key":"atypb43","volume-title":"Membership of the Association of Special Libraries up to October 28th 1927"},{"issue":"2","key":"atypb44","first-page":"79","volume":"1","year":"1949","journal-title":"Aslib Proceedings"},{"key":"atypb45","volume-title":"LEO: the First Business Computer","author":"P. Bird","year":"1994"},{"key":"atypb46","unstructured":"[45] See The Lyons Journal, issues for January, July and                 December 1952. London Corporation Archives, ACC\/3527\/311."},{"key":"atypb47","volume-title":"Industry and Science; a study of their relationship based on a survey of firms in the greater Manchester area carried out by the Manchester Joint Research Council 1950-1953","author":"Manchester Joint Research Council","year":"1954"},{"key":"atypb48","unstructured":"[47]\n                      Report to the Steering Committee by the Investigators of the                     Manchester Joint Research Council.\n                      National Archives, DSIR 45\/4."},{"key":"atypb49","unstructured":"[48] Aslib Executive and Finance Service, [Report on]\n                      Consultant Service                     (12 December 1952)\n                      . Aslib Archive."},{"key":"atypb50","first-page":"327","volume":"6","author":"J. 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Mutchler,\n                      Public library co-operation with business and                 industry\n                      (Unpublished MA Dissertation, School of Librarianship, University                 College, University of London, 1969)."},{"key":"atypb57","first-page":"475","volume":"19","author":"T.C. Abbot","year":"1917","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb58","first-page":"484","volume":"19","author":"E.W. Hulme","year":"1917","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb59","volume-title":"Interim Report of the Council on the Provision of Commercial and Technical Libraries","author":"Library Association","year":"1917"},{"key":"atypb60","first-page":"219","volume":"20","author":"E.A. Savage","year":"1918","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb61","volume-title":"The Public Library in Britain, 1914-2000","author":"A. Black","year":"2000"},{"key":"atypb62","volume-title":"Commercial and Technical Libraries","author":"J.P. Lamb","year":"1955"},{"key":"atypb63","first-page":"81","volume":"57","author":"D. Rates","year":"1955","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb64","unstructured":"[63]                      S. Glynn                  and                      J. Oxborrow                 , Interwar Britain: A Social and Economic History (                     Allen and Unwin, London                 , 1976) 86-115."},{"key":"atypb65","first-page":"308","volume-title":"The Economic History of Britain Since 1900. Volume 2: 1860 to the 1970s","author":"B.W.E. Alford","year":"1981"},{"key":"atypb66","volume-title":"English Education, Social Change and War 1911-1920","author":"G. Sherington","year":"1981"},{"key":"atypb67","volume-title":"The Victorian Economy","author":"F. 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[Rowntree technical library] report                 (1920). Rowntree-Mackintosh Archives, Borthwick Institute, University of York."},{"key":"atypb102","unstructured":"[101] F. Ridley (Hon. Secretary of Aslib) to H.G. Lyall (London Research and                 Information Bureax) (5 March 1926). Aslib Archive."},{"key":"atypb103","unstructured":"[102] [Rowntree]\n                      Directors\u2019 Committee Minutes (16 December                 1918)\n                      . Rowntree-Mackintosh Archives, Borthwick Institute, University of York."},{"key":"atypb104","unstructured":"[103] Interview (December 2002) with Douglas Foskett, librarian and                 information officer at the Metal Box Company, 1948-1957."},{"key":"atypb105","first-page":"2","volume":"14","author":"R. Brightman","year":"1932","journal-title":"Aslib Information"},{"key":"atypb106","first-page":"255","volume-title":"Buildings and Society: Essays on the Social Development of the Built Environment","author":"F. Duffy","year":"1980"},{"key":"atypb107","volume-title":"The Control Revolution: Technological and Economic Origins of the Information Society","author":"R. Beniger","year":"1986"},{"key":"atypb108","volume-title":"Control through Communication: The Rise of System in American Management","author":"J. Yates","year":"1989"},{"key":"atypb109","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-349-20120-4_3"},{"key":"atypb110","unstructured":"[109] Research Department report 32 (1929)                      Metropolitan-Vickers Archives, Manchester Museum of Science and Technology                 , 0531\/19-24."},{"key":"atypb111","first-page":"16","volume-title":"The year\u2019s work in librarianship, Volume XIII: 1946","author":"A.D. Roberts","year":"1949"},{"issue":"637","key":"atypb112","first-page":"4","volume":"55","author":"B. Vickery","year":"1953","journal-title":"Library World"},{"key":"atypb113","unstructured":"[112] East India Company Library Daybooks. The British Library, Oriental and                 India Office Collection, European Manuscripts, F303\/1-8."},{"key":"atypb114","volume-title":"The Card System at the Office","author":"J. Kaiser","year":"1908"},{"key":"atypb115","volume-title":"Systematic Indexing","author":"J. Kaiser","year":"1911"},{"key":"atypb116","volume-title":"A Primer of Assistance to Readers","author":"D.J. Foskett","year":"1956"},{"key":"atypb117","volume":"23","author":"W. Barbour","year":"1921","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb118","first-page":"402","volume":"57","author":"I.M. Davidson","year":"1955","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb119","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9783110966923-013"},{"key":"atypb120","volume-title":"Library bulletins and card index","author":"H.V. Garrett","year":"1919"}],"container-title":["Journal of Information Science"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0165551504046734","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0165551504046734","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T23:06:52Z","timestamp":1777504012000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0165551504046734"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2004,10]]},"references-count":120,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2004,10]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/0165551504046734"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0165551504046734","relation":{},"ISSN":["0165-5515","1741-6485"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0165-5515","type":"print"},{"value":"1741-6485","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2004,10]]}}}