Back in the day

Many years ago as I am sure many of you know or remember we used to use typewriters instead of computers – metal in trays instead of email in-boxes – pigeon holes instead of email and www.
How on earth did we cope with all this paper and snail mail? In the 90’s we had a postman that would put stamps on envelopes and go round the office delivering and collecting post. The photo copier would be constantly going and the fax machine would be constantly churning out paper proofs from the printers. There would be a bottle of whisky in the filing cabinet and a bottle of gin in the draw.
Proofs used to be hung up on the walls ready for press, filing cabinets were very full of paper, kept for whatever reason or other. A courier person turned up twice a day to deliver copy to and from the typesetters 100 miles away.

So what happened?
Computers, email and the internet happened. In the early 90’s a lorry turned up with a bunch of screens and keyboards and computers and were plonked on our desks. We found the email and internet on it, I remember my old boss saying ‘I can’t see this taking off in the future’ (he retired that year).

With this new phenomenon our world was just starting and how interesting things have changed over time, or have they? We still have a journal, we still have proofs, we still communicate with each other, we still have a typesetter, a printer. We no longer have the whisky or gin as there are not many filing cabinets left but we do have organic scented nettle and lentil tea and 4 kettles.

At the turn of the millennium we introduced an online electronic manuscript tracking system, this improved turnaround times and money was saved. Many members of staff we employ now do not know any different as they have only ever used this electronic software and do not know that a paper world existed before when pigeons delivered the post.

Publish ahead of print came into the equation only a few years ago and now publish oblivious of print was launched this year. How long will it be until the print editions of medical journals cease to exist? Much has been outsourced in the past few years, I’m sure we do not know where half of our work is done.

Efficiencies now compared to the 80s and 90s are much better? The quality of journals and their workflows are much better? Relationships with vendors are closer? Relationships between journals have improved and publishers are much better?

Well, I don’t know, you tell me.