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This paper reports a local newspaper digitisation project carried out by the Norfolk Library and Information Service. The project is unique because it is to date the only UK public library project to digitise and index a significant proportion of a newspaper collection. The paper opens with a review of some of the issues in newspaper access and preservation. It then describes how the Norfolk Library and Information Service project was carried out, and offers an assessment of how successfully the project addresses access and preservation issues. The paper concludes that the project should be seen as a success, although the costs involved, and the general unresolved issue of digital preservation means that it is not a practical option for most libraries. Greater information sharing from completed projects is needed, as this will provide a key to future success in other projects.

This paper reports on research that investigates how three start‐up dotcoms, founded at the height of the Internet boom avoided joining the many dotbombs of the subsequent crash of the Internet economy. The paper describes how the companies made use of Internet‐based information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their business operations. It draws lessons from their experiences that might be applied more generally to other dotcom start‐ups. These centre on the need to use the technology to manage business processes to meet the clearly definable needs of a targeted niche of customers. The desirability of suitable in‐house ICT expertise is stressed.

This paper reports how three UK “old economy” manufacturers are adapting their operations to meet the challenge of the “new economy”, in which it is claimed that dotcoms can deliver virtual products to cybercustomers at the speed of light. Successful manufacturing is not only about producing better goods than competitors but also about delivering a product/service package that solves customers' problems. Although e‐commerce can be used to reduce operating costs, any such advantage may be shortlived. The almost limitless connectivity of the Internet offers the opportunity to deliver an enhanced service to customers through improved communication throughout the supply chain. A differentiation strategy based on service enhancement can offer manufacturers a route to sustainable competitive advantage as an alternative to trying to compete on price alone. The cases illustrate how manufacturers can use e‐commerce for competitive advantage in the new economy.