Wed, 30 August, 2023
We recently launched our updated and digital library, offering unique access to a wealth of knowledge and information.
Available for use by both Professional Members of The Welding Institute and TWI Industrial Members, this new resource includes over 10,000 items that were previously unavailable online.
This new pool of information has been added to the existing online resources provided for our Members, including job knowledge articles and informative FAQs on a range of topics.
Information Knowledge Services Section Manager, Paul Jones took some time to tell us more about this new offering from TWI and the Welding Institute.
Can you start by giving us an overview of the TWI Digital Library?
What everything in the TWI Digital Library boils down to is a single repository of all TWI’s expert knowledge published from the 1940s on. We provide job knowledge, technical FAQs and summaries to provide essential information, as well as a range of eBooks for deeper research, including a collection curated to welding and metallurgy and a collection of public access books in a vast variety of subjects. We also offer a large collection of TWI documents that span the history of The Welding Institute – a collection of CRP reports from 1976 to the present day, BWRA conference papers, and more.
There are a lot of new items that have been added to the online resource for the first time – are there any notable or unusual items that you can tell us about?
On the digital library, we currently have over 2,000 articles from TWI publications – including The British Welding Research Association, The British Welding Journal, and The Welding Institute – that were originally housed in our print collection. This year, many of them have been digitised for the first time, making them wholly accessible, readable, and searchable to our Members online. I wouldn’t call any of them “unusual,” but I have come across an article from The British Welding Journal from 1969 that discussed model-making for ship design and digressed into props for the movie ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, which was an entertaining yet interesting read.
Who is the portal designed for, and what are the benefits for users of this new service?
The portal is an exclusive resource for Industrial Members of TWI and Members of The Welding Institute. This content is comprehensive, covering all materials and processes in welding and metallurgy. It is also accessible from a single screen, making it fast and easy to find information, and is unique to TWI. Furthermore, as our resources are created by industry experts, Members can be confident that they are accessing reliable and accurate information from valid sources.
Can Members get assistance with searching for items in the TWI digital library?
Of course! The information team is always happy to help. Members still have access to all the usual services they are entitled to when they sign up for membership with TWI. For any enquiries please contact information_services@twi.co.uk.
Are there any plans to expand the portal further with new items?
Yes, absolutely. We currently have over 3,000 articles, reports and documents published and available to read in full online. New articles are being digitised on a weekly basis and at the end we are looking to have over 13,000 items in our collection. We will also be acquiring new content for the collections on a regular basis, so the library will continue to grow, reflecting the changing needs of our customers.
Professional and Industrial Members of The Welding Institute or TWI can access the new portal by logging in, here.