Database user aids and materials — a study Available to Purchase

The types and numbers of database user support materials are multiplying as producers become more involved in the servicing of the user community and as the number of online databases grows. (Approximately 100 files are available now for online searching, and each month brings a few more on each of the systems.) Currently available materials can vary in cost, format, depth, and purpose. This paper is an assessment of the available materials, offering comments on both availability and cost as well as the relationship, if any, between the search materials and the topic area of the file or the organizational type of the producer. This paper does not attempt to evaluate content or measure quality; it discusses vendor‐produced materials only when a contrast between the two groups would be helpful.