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Mediated free online bibliographic search services were offered to 70 academic chemists and 262 industrial scientists and technologists. Consistent with earlier studies of users and nonusers of computer‐readable bibliographic databases, generally negligible differences were found. Nor were the correlates of use in an industrial setting generally replicated in an academic setting. However, prior information ‘style’, satisfaction with more traditional information resources, and attitudinal predisposition to the possible utility of online search services have some small effect on subsequent usage of online services.

A short survey of the use of online information retrieval is presented and shows that 70% of academic libraries were users. The main justifications for implementation were felt to be cost‐effectiveness and greater retrieval capability. Most services were directed at academic and research staff and few at undergraduates. At this stage only a small number of trained searchers exist in each institution. The pros and cons of charging for services are evaluated and linked to the results of American surveys.

Few issues in recent times have so provoked debate and dissention within the library field as has the concept of fees for user services. The issue has aroused the passions of our profession precisely because its roots and implications extend far beyond the confines of just one service discipline. Its reflection is mirrored in national debates about the proper spheres of the public and private sectors—in matters of information generation and distribution, certainly, but in a host of other social ramifications as well, amounting virtually to a debate about the most basic values which we have long assumed to constitute the very framework of our democratic and humanistic society.

In Part 1 of the paper, the problems a would‐be user faces in accessing the contents of machine stored bibliographic databases are assessed; the online search services solve part of the difficulty, but become part of the problem; current training techniques are summarized and evaluated, and ways of improving training are suggested. In Part 2 of the paper, a new training program is described, the Hands on online multisystem multidatabase trainer, which delivers the training to the home terminal of the trainee, and in which emulations of bibliographic retrieval systems are provided that accept commands, search files, provide messages and displays to mimic the operational services, and in which the user trainee can develop the same skills he would learn in the ‘real’ system. The program has optionally available practice and instructional modules that guide the user in the protocols of telecommunication services, computer log in, file selection, search term negotiation, logical statement structure, interpretation of system messages and displays, and formatting of output from the search. The program can be used as needed with either the emulators or the online system itself. Training and design goals are detailed; namely the use and availability of the trainer outside the university, experience, use, evaluation of the training, extension and future development.

Although online searching has been available to libraries since the late 1960s, it is only in very recent years that a significant number of academic institutions have begun offering information retrieval through commercial vendors such as Dialog, BRS (Bibliographic Retrieval Service), and SDC's (System Development Corporation's) Orbit. Because online searching is so new compared with traditional library services, it is still developing as a standard offering in most academic libraries.

The study aims to paint a representative picture of the current state of search interfaces of Swedish online museum collections, focussing on search functionalities with particular reference to subject searching, as well as the use of controlled vocabularies, with the purpose of identifying which improvements of the search interfaces are needed to ensure high-quality information retrieval for the end user.

In the first step, a set of 21 search interface criteria was identified, based on related research and current standards in the domain of cultural heritage knowledge organization. Secondly, a complete set of Swedish museums that provide online access to their collections was identified, comprising nine cross-search services and 91 individual museums' websites. These 100 websites were each evaluated against the 21 criteria, between 1 July and 31 August 2020.

Although many standards and guidelines are in place to ensure quality-controlled subject indexing, which in turn support information retrieval of relevant resources (as individual or full search results), the study shows that they are not broadly implemented, resulting in information retrieval failures for the end user. The study also demonstrates a strong need for the implementation of controlled vocabularies in these museums.

This study is a rare piece of research which examines subject searching in online museums; the 21 search criteria and their use in the analysis of the complete set of online collections of a country represents a considerable and unique contribution to the fields of knowledge organization and information retrieval of cultural heritage. Its particular value lies in showing how the needs of end users, many of which are documented and reflected in international standards and guidelines, should be taken into account in designing search tools for these museums; especially so in subject searching, which is the most complex and yet the most common type of search. Much effort has been invested into digitizing cultural heritage collections, but access to them is hindered by poor search functionality. This study identifies which are the most important aspects to improve.

Industrial and academic users of online bibliographic searching over a year's time did not generally diminish their amount of use of other traditional manual means of information gathering activities. However, in comparison to less frequent users and nonusers, frequent users increased their reliance on librarians. Online users increased their appraisal of the adequacy of information services available to them, particularly as regards those aspects generally considered the primary benefits of online searching. Users positively increased their assessment of the utility of online searches to their work, and online bibliographic searching capability was subsequently adopted as a permanent feature in both the industrial and academic work settings.

Online database revenues up 28% Amidon/Litman, a consulting and research firm out of New Jersey, has released a report that states online revenues for 1988 were $1.03 billion for eight business‐to‐business markets. This represents a 28% growth rate over 1987, according to the report Vertical Information Markets & Company Profiles: A Dance Card. It contains lists of interesting information products and players suitable for acquisition, joint venture and product development.

This paper describes the characteristics of the online marketplace, and the strategies and tactics which have been employed in reaching that market, starting with an outline of the special challenges inherent in the nature of the product itself, such as technical barriers and copyright considerations. The next section is an overview of the marketplace, addressing the differing requirements of the intermediary and the end‐user communities, followed by a look at how various tactics for promotion and sales have been employed by the online industry, ranging from promotions, to field and telemarketing sales, to ongoing customer interaction. As the market is notable for its wide international reach, a section is devoted to the requirements for worldwide marketing and support. The final section explores the ways in which the future of the online industry depends on the development of appropriate strategies for expanding the marketplace. The issues of market selection, perceived value of information and pricing strategies are discussed. For information services to move out into a broader market, strategic planning based on market needs must underpin product development and sales promotion.

Studies the effect of eight CD indexes on online searching through statistical data of online searching conducted for the faculty, graduate students and researchers before and after acquisition of CD indexes. Findings indicate considerable decline in online searching use owing to CD indexes saving a large amount of money. Discusses the impact of CD indexes on staffing in the reference department.