The name and concept of the yellow pages may have first come about in 1883, when a printer, while producing a directory, apparently ran out of the typical white paper and, instead, used yellow paper. But in 1886 the Reuben H. Donnelley Company which had contracted with the Chicago Telephone Company began creating the first official Yellow Pages directory and, in turn, created an industry. Today, the expression "yellow pages" is used globally. The term Yellow Pages is not a registered name within the United States and is freely used by many companies, while in some other countries it is a registered name and therefore a proper noun.
Over the years the the appeal of the yellow pages has declined with both advertisers and shoppers, who have increasingly turned to both Internet search engines and online directories. According to a study by Knowledge Networks, print yellow pages were referenced 13.4 billion times, while Internet yellow pages references increased to 3.8 billion.
Archived yellow pages and telephone directories can be important tools in local historical research, trademark litigation, and genealogy. Our library, albeit small, is a tremendous resource for both the archivist and the curious.
Over the years the the appeal of the yellow pages has declined with both advertisers and shoppers, who have increasingly turned to both Internet search engines and online directories. According to a study by Knowledge Networks, print yellow pages were referenced 13.4 billion times, while Internet yellow pages references increased to 3.8 billion.
Archived yellow pages and telephone directories can be important tools in local historical research, trademark litigation, and genealogy. Our library, albeit small, is a tremendous resource for both the archivist and the curious.