This article reports an investigation of the technical and economic aspects of the multiple use of bibliographic data and abstracts of articles in machine readable format. Various techniques such as OCR, word processing, and photocomposition are available for data acquisition and transmission. There is also sufficient economic justification to encourage sharing of such data among publishers. But questions of cost sharing, standards copyright, and procedural adjustments in management and accounting are powerful deterrents to the multiple use of publication data both within an organization and among different publishing concerns. The advantages of sharing bibliographic data can be achieved only if publishing concerns in both the public and private sectors are willing to cooperate and adjust.

Two-hundred and seventy house journals considered research, development, or production aids to the engineer or scientist and published in the US, UK, and France are analyzed. Publication frequencies are given with quarterly being most common. Distribution patterns to customers, employees, educators, and librarians are described. These patterns vary, but customers receive the highest distribution. Journal content is examined in terms of signed and anonymous articles. Features such as abstracts, meeting notices, editorials, and advertisements are mentioned. Two features of particular interest are (1) comprehensive lists of articles and speeches of technical staff, and (2) reprinting of material already published in professional journals. The subject matter of individual journals is usually highly specialized.