Discusses the effects of microcomputers on online services and products from the perspectives of the major participants in the online industry--database creators and providers; service or network operators; libraries and information brokers; and end users. Ongoing developments and trends affecting participant groups are reviewed. Three references…

Discusses political questions raised by the existence and growth potential of the online retrieval industry because it is privately owned and profit oriented. The user fee debate, information ownership, danger of manipulation, libraries as marketers, library action, and a library database consortium are highlighted. Seventeen references are cited.…

Discusses sources of scholarly information including libraries (focusing on shared cataloging and information retrieval systems), nonbook materials, data archives, and commercial databases. Also discusses computing information and integration, the latter considering quality control, terminals, communications, user interfaces, and long-term…

Discusses Portuguese information sector (computers, libraries, specialized information services), which is described as very underdeveloped in comparison with other European countries. Highlights include computer applications in information services including national industrial database, INFOLNETI; access to international databases; official…

Suggests that information service professionals can make a valuable contribution in the changing information environment by providing access to services, identifying and developing needed services, evaluating services' effectiveness against user needs, and teaching all types of users how to access and use available information services and…

Discusses the developments that have positively or adversely affected abstracting and indexing services over the past several decades, addressing such topics as the impact of computers and the migration from print-on-paper to online information provision. Forecasts for the near and long-term future are made and a reference list is included. (JL)

Use of online information services is currently widespread in public, academic, government, and corporate libraries and information centers. The trend is for smaller libraries of all varieties to install terminals and obtain passwords, while larger libraries add systems of all types. Even in the face of a severe recession, online growth rates have…

The results of a survey of machine-readable data bases in Wisconsin are reported. Fifty-eight data bases accessed by Wisconsin libraries are listed alphabetically. Included in the descriptions are the name of the data base, its subject coverage, its availability, the year it began, the frequency of update, the current size of the file, the name of…

Discusses the role of libraries and productivity, one of the three main themes that will be addressed at the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services. Statewide coordinated efforts to serve business and government clientele are emphasized, and statewide databases in Colorado, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania are described.…

This collection of ten conference reports begins with "Historical Impact of Computers on the Operation of Libraries and Information Systems: A Personal Perspective" and is followed by "Tips on Computer Software: Advantages and Methods of Program Dissemination" and "BLOCS--A Unique Multi-Dimensional Approach to On-Line Circulation". Next, libraries…

This overview of the information market and services available in the Federal Republic of Germany highlights online information systems (hosts, databases, networks); relation of Europe to United States and Germany; the German library system (problems and advantages of document delivery, online services); and telecommunication technology.…

In spite of some problems and difficulties, the Russian information market of professional CD-ROM products is developing actively. This paper describes and analyzes practical experience in distributing professional CD-ROM databases in the Russian market, and some of its characteristic features. Analysis has shown that among the main consumers of…

Librarians cannot distribute their collections electronically until the problems of intellectual property and free-and-equal access are resolved. Libraries must overcome restrictions of "virtual libraries" thereby making copyrighted texts freely available. Libraries must be promoted as places where readers freely consult both copyrighted…

Over 1,250 users of 10 major on-line bibliographic information retrieval services were surveyed to assess the impact of such services on the library and information science community and its user community. The major topics considered in analyzing responses were: (1) respondent backgrounds; (2) methods of acquiring and promoting on-line services;…

In its second year of activity, the Northeast Academic Science Information Center (NASIC) program of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) has assisted 18 universities and colleges in the Northeast in the implementation of local capabilities to provide computer-based reference services. Working through the libraries at these…