Enhancing lives through information and technology: Watson davis's project for information organisation and dissemination

This paper gives a summary of the activities of Watson Davis (1896–1967) during the first half of the 20th century in the area of information organisation and dissemination. Starting from Davis's views on the purpose of information, the paper subsequently describes his projects for the establishment of “one big library”, the Auxiliary Publication Service, “one big journal”, and the “world brain”. Considering Davis as a member of the Special Libraries and Documentation Movement, his connections with its other members are explored. Subsequently, Davis's ideas are analysed and his legacy to Information Science investigated. The paper argues that Davis is an important link between Information Science and its predecessor Documentation, and therefore that he deserves to be subject of deeper research. Copyright © 2016 by Association for Information Science and Technology