Five public libraries and three academic libraries were surveyed about their use and evaluation of the New York Times Information Bank. (PF)

A survey of 34 of the largest public library systems, each serving at least 500,000 people, showed: (1) minority offer online database services; (2) cost is major prohibiting factor; (3) New York Times Information Bank is most popular database; (4) fee structures vary; and (5) business organizations are most frequent users. (JD)

A study of the responsiveness of two indexes to patrons' requests for health-related information in a public library compares both the results and the costs of searching the same questions in a printed index (Readers' Guide) and a computerized database (Magazine Index). Eighteen references are listed. (RAA)

Argues that in-house database building offers possibilities for staff development, can provide important links between the library and the community, and can become important tools for local networking and cooperative collection development. Issues related to database planning, design, and testing are discussed, and several examples of existing…

Discusses the controversy over whether or not libraries should charge fees for online bibliographic services, reviews the evidence for imposing fees, for maintaining free services, and outlines the relevance of certain sections of the United States Code to decisions concerning the provision of information. Twenty-four references are included. (JL)