EVALUATIONS OF ELECTRONIC DATABASES, PART I: CRITERIA FOR TESTING CDROM PRODUCTS

The popularity of CDROM is due to a number of factors: they are versatile; large amounts of data can be held in a variety of formats; access to information is fast and a variety of user‐friendly search options is offered; and end‐users can use a CDROM with little or no instruction. From the point of view of the library or information service, they can save costs compared to online services both for bills and the need to provide intermediary assistance when online services are used. They are, of course, also space‐saving when compared with their print‐based alternatives. Gunn & Moore (1990) and Oppenheim (1993) provide helpful background on the benefits of CDROM to libraries, and issues that the new medium raises.