Company of Biologists announces Development's online archive

["Nick Birch" <nick@biologists.com>]

Cambridge, UK
20 May, 2008

THE COMPANY OF BIOLOGISTS ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF THE ONLINE 
ARCHIVE OF DEVELOPMENT

The Company of Biologists is delighted to announce the completion 
of the process of digital retroconversion of the archives of its 
journal, Development. The entire contents of Development's 
predecessor, JEEM (the Journal of Embryology and Experimental 
Morphology) is now freely available online.

The complete archive of JEEM, from its first issue in 1953 
through to the final one in 1986 (after which the journal was 
renamed Development) can be accessed through Development's 
website (http://dev.biologists.org). It comprises over 40,000 
pages of material, published over 33 years, and is now made 
available online for the first time. The archive is entirely free 
of charge for everyone irrespective of whether a personal or 
institutional subscription is held for Development's current 
content.

JEEM was at the forefront of the major changes that the emerging 
discipline of developmental biology underwent in the postwar 
years from its foundation in 1953 by a very distinguished group 
of biologists.

Why was this the right moment to launch a journal that was 
destined to be so influential in its field?

"New techniques were becoming available, and these 
forward-thinking embryologists and developmental biologists were 
keen to have a journal in which the exciting discoveries enabled 
by these new techniques could be reported. It is with great 
prescience that A.M. Dalq, one of the founding editors of the 
journal, observes in JEEM's inaugural issue that 'embryologists 
will now be confronted with an extraordinary extension of their 
field in depth, in space, and in time.' These words remain 
relevant to this day, and they continue to inform the mission of 
Development, as they did JEEM's, " say Jim Smith and Jane Alfred, 
Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor of Development.

Many of the papers published in JEEM were destined to become 
classics - ones that influenced the ideas of a generation of 
developmental biologists and that continue to shape thinking in 
certain fields to this day. Some of the most influential articles 
will be highlighted in Development over the coming months in 
essays that will explain their significance to a new generation 
of researchers.

The Company of Biologists would like to acknowledge with thanks 
the help of its online publisher, HighWire Press in creating the 
archive and the generous support of the developmental community 
itself, many of whom donated personal copies of JEEM which 
enabled us to fill gaps in the Company's own collections.

This announcement marks the culmination of many years of effort 
and a considerable investment on the Company's part in completing 
our archival project for all of our journals. Development joins 
Journal of Cell Science (complete archive available from 1853) 
and The Journal of Experimental Biology (from 1923) in offering 
its community free and unrestricted online access to a wealth of 
hugely significant material that was previously unavailable 
online.

For more information:
Nick Birch
The Company of Biologists
nick@biologists.com