Current issues and the future of the database business are discussed in five papers. Topics covered include aspects relating to the quality of database production; international ownership in the U.S. information marketplace; an overview of pricing strategies in the electronic information industry; and pricing issues from the viewpoints of online…

Describes ERA (Electronic Redistribution and Archiving), a new service on Dialog, that provides both users and database producers with a legal means of registering multiple, systematic use of copyrighted material. Costs and pricing are explained; inclusion of copyright notices on database records is discussed; and compliance is considered. (LRW)

Reviews the best and worst in databases on disk, CD-ROM, and online, and offers judgments and observations on database characteristics. Two databases are praised and three are criticized. (Author/JMV)

Raises questions about the validity and reliability of doing research online via the proliferation of academic databases. Finds different versions of the Lexis-Nexis database have differing search capabilities. Argues that dependence on database research findings means dependence on decisions made by a few people who design search engines and…

Describes the method used by the American Chemical Society to keyboard its primary journals directly into a publishing database, which is then used to produce printed journals and create an online full text file. The use of a generalized mark-up format to convert journals not keyboarded in such a manner is suggested. (four references) (CLB)

Describes the changes scientific abstracting and indexing services are making to develop new production systems for a marketplace which is influenced by the information superhighway and the demand for information in an electronic format. Descriptions are included of computer system and data input changes implemented by several database producers…