Online, CD‐ROM and Web: is it the same difference? Available to Purchase

Some obstacles to the use of electronic information are discussed. The major differences between information from online, CD‐ROM and Web sources are outlined. Data from rhus Public Library's business information services (1992–96) are analyzed with special reference to information media. A decrease in the number of enquiries after 1994 is explained by (1) the growing number of online database end‐users, (2) the increasing supply of business information on CD‐ROMs, and (3) the spreading of the Internet. Recent information from the DGXIII Report about the markets for electronic information services are included. What is needed in general among future users of electronic information is a more professional attitude and new skills. A concept of “Web Information Literacy” is defined and two implications are discussed: (1) knowledge about the Internet and its resources, and (2)innovativeness as a major component in Internet user skills.