Emerald Group Publishing, UK, has announced that MCB Group, its holding company, has acquired ASLIB, an association for information management. Emerald and ASLIB have been working closely together since 2001, when ASLIB’s collection of research journals, including Journal of Documentation and ASLIB Proceedings, was acquired by Emerald. Following the latest deal, the operating name and identity of ASLIB will be preserved.
Originally established as the Association for Special Libraries and Information Bureaux in London, ASLIB has recently encountered difficult times. Following the sale of its journals to Emerald, ASLIB sold its book publishing business to Taylor and Francis in 2002, and went into voluntary liquidation in 2004. It was then reconstituted as a limited liability company providing membership services to library and information professionals.
Post deal, ASLIB will be run independently, but will draw on services from Emerald, as well as other publishers. Emerald plans to reinstate an advisory board, and to revamp and improve Managing Information (MI), an ASLIB magazine for members. Emerald will hold ASLIB and MI subscription fees at current levels in 2010 and 2011, but will be looking to offer various new service options for members. ASLIB’s registered office will move to Emerald’s UK headquarters in Bingley, West Yorkshire.
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