Online Current‐Events Retrieval Services: Developments and Trends Available to Purchase

Online news‐retrieval services have undergone rapid evolution in the past year. Public awareness of microcomputer‐based services available in homes and offices has increased tremendously. Both BRS and DIALOG have segmented their products to include separate, less expensive access for home micro‐computer users; both new services include some access to indexing of current‐events topics. The demise of the New York Times Information Service (NYTIS) as an independent vendor has left the marketing of its databases to Mead Data Central's NEXIS system. The void caused by the withdrawal of NYTIS has posed problems for its former users, and created opportunities for expansion of news‐retrieval services available on the large utilities. Additional databases have been introduced in the past year to cater to specialized audiences and markets. This paper summarizes the new developments which have occurred since publication of the author's survey of news‐retrieval systems in Reference Services Review one year ago.