Social scientists often produce grey literature for research sharing, in addition to more formally recognized publication outlets. Grey literature is defined as “that which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers.”[1] Although ubiquitous among the social science disciplines, grey literature is a challenge for librarians due to inconsistent bibliographic control and access practices.
Grey literature is particularly prevalent in archaeology. The case of the National Archaeological Database’s Reports collection – once home to an extensive index of archaeological grey literature, but now discontinued – reflects the need for librarians to keep abreast of continually evolving grey literature sources.
Andrew R. Grissom is the Circulation Supervisor at Rhodes College and a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's School of Information Sciences.
