The growth of scientific literature: the Barnaby Rich syndrome and a new service for the improvement of journal literature availabtlity in Hungary

Abstract

The growth of scientific literature is a complex phenomenon governed by a multidimensional mechanism. Certain knowledge has been acquired of this problem but some of the authors publishing in this field tackle the problem in a disapproving way. The „Barnaby Rich syndrome" is an extreme and radical interpretation of the problem. The authors, in addition to the above approach of literature growth, describe a novel possibility to handle the problem that has been developed and realized by the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to meet the challenge of literature needs of Hungarian scientists. The service at the same time is suitable also to somewhat reduce financial problems of libraries that have found themselves in a very unfavourable situation due to economic restrictions.