Memex meets Madonna: multimedia at the intersection of information and entertainment

On‐going technological advances may soon allow the development of an affordable, personal, easy‐to‐use, all‐purpose information storage and retrieval technology similar to the Memex system described by Vannevar Bush. This paper proposes an updated design for Memex (‘Memex‐TV’) based on high‐capacity data networks, multimedia and new user interface technologies. It is argued that technology such as Memex‐TV may well develop as a spin‐off from advances in entertainment technology. Section 6, ‘An evening with Memex‐TV’, illustrates the possible future interweaving of information retrieval and entertainment. Finally, it is argued that librarians need to consider entertainment technology's potential to influence the future of libraries more seriously.