phoenix n: A bird of ancient legend said to be the only one of its kind and to live more than 500 years, at the end of which it built for itself a funeral pile, lighted it with the fanning of its wings, and rose again from its ashes; hence, an emblem of immortality; a paragon.
Abstract
In the field of scientific, technical, and business information a new legend has arisen. Grey literature (GL), thought by many to have become dormant, has witnessed a rebirth. Grey literature, like the phoenix of ancient legend, has been enkindled by its own resources. New producers and publishers of grey literature have provided us with new forms and types of grey literature. New methods and mediums of storing and distributing grey literature have created new uses for these resources, and in turn, new users of these resources are demonstrating its further capabilities. Government organizations, business and industry, as well as academic institutions have come to view themselves as publishers of grey literature. Their reports, working papers, and policy statements are no longer available only to a limited few in printed form, but are published electronically and are available in networked environments for unlimited retrieval. These new resources, stored in a host of electronic formats, have lured new user groups worldwide, and the exploitation of these resources have not only been made for economic gain, but have greatly contributed to the knowledge base in many fields and disciplines, to the decision making in local and (inter)national government agencies, and in information forecasts for businesses. The rise of this new grey phoenix has emerged over the past quarter of a century from an uncontrolled mass of information to new meta-information applicable for science and industry.
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Farace, D.J. Rise of the phoenix: A review of new forms and exploitations of grey literature. Pub Res Q 13, 69–76 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-997-0019-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-997-0019-7