In the last few years the engineering community has gained enhanced access to electronic information resources. However, little attention has been given to grey literature such as technical reports. The report, with its technical detail and rapid dissemination, is the information medium favoured by engineers.

In the US, some recent report literature from agencies such as NASA and the Departments of Energy and Defense is readily available on the internet. In the UK, apart from the substantial holdings of the British Library Document Supply Centre (BLDSC), other major collections of technical reports tend to be scattered across academia, government and industry. These resources are difficult to identify, locate and access.

The MAGiC project is a first step towards establishing a new collaborative system for the collection, storage and utilisation of engineering grey literature. Importantly it seeks to ensure that access to technical reports becomes part of the continuing development of a distributed national electronic resource.