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InformationToday 21 January 2007 December 2006

tional indexing methods. He tested his theory by publishing his own week- ly bulletin called Current Contents (a table of con- tents from scientific jour- nals). His fellow scientists saw immediate value in it. One of the pivotal points with Eugene Garfield for Garfield came in the early 1950s after he read the 1945 article “As We May Think” in The At- A Lifetime of Achievement lantic written by . The article expressed Bush’s vision of creating a Eugene Garfield, chairman emeritus, Thomson Scientific and Still Going Strong collective memory by re- cording people’s informa- works by authors in Citation Classics. He tion trails through a device started The Scientist in 1986, a biweekly ugene Garfield, known by many century of leadership, innovation, and called a Memex that could capture the use- newspaper for research professionals about as the “Father of work in the information industry. In a ful trails through the common record. news and developments that pertain to E and ,” received the nutshell, he basically revolutionized sci- Something clicked with Garfield. scientists. His latest project is developing 2006 Online Information Lifetime Achieve- entific research with his concept of cita- Garfield’s concepts organized the sci- HistCite (algorithmic historiography), an ment Award Nov. 29 in London. The In- tion indexing and searching. entific landscape. Back in the early 1950s, innovative search that can combat “in- ternational Information Industry award At 81, Garfield is still going strong. As “[t]here was no such thing as an infor- formation overload.” Information over- paid tribute to Garfield’s more than half- the chairman emeritus of Thomson Scien- mation industry,” he said. “I’ve said this load is something Garfield considers a tific, he still maintains a busy over and over again, most of the ideas key challenge to the information indus- schedule of speeches and pre- that I have thought of in some way or an- try today. He said that we have an in- sentations at conferences and other were in … 1951 and 1953. Those creased need for greater differentiation symposia. His schedule is fill- are the years that changed my life, and ing up fast for 2007, so if he my career especially.” has any inkling of slowing By 1962, Garfield had launched his Information overload down, he’s not letting on yet. company ISI (Institute for Scientific When asked if he has any Information) and began publishing the is something plans to retire, Garfield is Genetics on behalf of the Garfield considers a quick to say, “What would I U.S. National Institutes of Health. He fol- do?” He said he tried golfing lowed a similar strategy in 1964 through key challenge to once, but he came back to the ISI with the publication of the the information work that he obviously loves Citation Index (SCI), which indexed 613 to do. journals and included 1.4 million citations industry today. Garfield originally started in a five-volume print edition. SCI mor- out in chemistry. As a chem- phed into , which now pro- istry graduate of Columbia vides information from 9,000 journals. in information, and finding the right in- University, he signed on to The list of his accomplishments spans formation is sometimes like trying to find help with an indexing proj- decades and volumes. A prolific writer a needle in a haystack. ect at The Johns Hopkins and editor, he has published more than When it came to citing the highlights University in 1951. He turned 1,000 weekly essays in Current Contents in his own career, Garfield just smiled. A his attention to developing (which is still an essential component for true Renaissance man, Garfield has been bibliographic citations as clinical research and research labs) and a chemist, an information scientist, an viable options to conven- has published and edited more than 5,000 editor, a publisher, and a database pro- ducer. “The reason I had a reputation as a writer is because I had a good staff,” he said. But he continued: “I tell you that Eugene Garfield accepts the Online Information Lifetime Achievement Award among scientists, I was known not for my at the 2006 International Information Industry Awards in London. , but rather for the Current Contents. The influence of Cur- rent Contents was ignored by historians.” Since not everyone accepted his inno- vations and ideas, he took it all in stride and kept right on going: “Like in any other career, you just have to move on,” he said. “You just have to ignore the naysayers.” The day after Garfield accepted his lifetime achievement award in London, he spent time at the Thomson Scientific stand at the Online Information con- ference autographing the profile of him in the glossy Thomson Scientific book- let, Thomson Scientific: Information to Change Your World. The long line of au- tograph seekers was wrapped around the perimeter of the Thomson booth waiting for a chance to meet and chat with the Garfield thanked Online Information,colleagues,professional communities, citation legend. friends, and especially his family for their continued support. After the awards presentation, the Royal Lancaster Hotel opened the floor to dancing. —B.B.