Documenting Alcohol Science
One of the original five pillars of alcohol studies, publication, is hallmarked by Mark Keller's work as the head of the Center's Publications Division for decades. Spearheaded for decades by the visionary Keller with a strong background in publishing and editing, the division played a pivotal role in the collection, organization, and dissemination of alcohol-related research and literature. Established during the Center's early years, originally at Yale University before relocating to Rutgers in 1962, the division was instrumental in shaping the field of alcohol studies.
Keller was a pioneering figure in alcohol studies, renowned for his meticulous work in organizing and disseminating alcohol-related research. His contributions were instrumental in shaping the field's documentation practices. Working for the Journal in various capacities and publishing addiction science in diverse formats, such as books, pamphlets, posters, and educational tools, Keller was a trailblazer in collecting, organizing, and publishing content related to alcohol studies. The Keller Papers document his involvement in information dissemination activities with diverse organizations and groups outside the Center of Alcohol Studies, too.
Keller was the series editor of the Monographs of the Yale Center of Alcohol Studies (twelve monographs), the International bibliography of studies on alcohol (three volumes), and numerous conference proceedings and reports of national and international significance. He was the editor of Jellinek's seminal work, The disease concept of alcoholism, all well documented in the Keller Papers, by correspondences, notes, and memorabilia.
Mark Keller in 1953
One of the early photos of Mark Keller from the Yale promotional flyer shows Mark Keller, then the managing editor of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol and editor of several publications at the Center of Alcohol Studies at Yale in front of a display of the Center's publications.
Mark Keller considered the documentation system as one of the major activities at the Center in a special environment where abstractors, bibliographers, editors, and librarians work together and with the multidisciplinary research and teaching faculty, who are involved in the documentation as consultants. In his article, Documentation of the alcohol literature: A scheme for an interdisciplinary field of study, published in QJSA in 1964, Keller proposes a comprehensive system for documenting the extensive literature on alcohol, aiming to facilitate its interdisciplinary study, thus providing a more holistic and nuanced understanding of alcohol and its effects.