Evolution of a secondary service to an information supermarket

Engineering Information, Inc. (Ei) was established in 1884 and remained a relatively traditional print‐based abstracting and indexing (A&I) service for over half a century. Together with many other A&I services, Ei began to develop digital versions of its print products in the early 1960s and today finds that the use of the digital versions has begun to outstrip use of the print versions. Faced with rapidly advancing information technology, increasingly sophisticated and demanding customers and an increasing variety and volume of engineering information files, formats and media, Ei perceives a need to grow beyond the role of the traditional secondary service. To continue in its mission as the world's primary transdisciplinary engineering information service and to satisfy the evolving needs of both traditional and new customers, Ei believes it must evolve into a new type of information service — a one‐stop ‘information supermarket.’