The Evolving Database Marketplace

Initially propelled by online searching and CD-ROM networking, and now given added momentum by the Internet, electronic reference resources are changing the way librarians provide reference service. Library users are accessing traditional citation and abstract databases with greater ease and efficacy than before, thanks to more consistent and friendlier interfaces and the integration of full text and graphics.

How fundamental are the changes to library reference services? According to LJ's 1996 Reference Survey, librarians estimate that in the next three years their CD-ROM reference sources will grow by 51 percent and their online sources by 43 percent, vs. fairly static growth for print.

S68, S70, S72. (Reference supplement).