Reaching out to the end user with the BIOSIS Connection

The Biosis Connection was launched on 2 May 1988, as an online search system targeted to research scientists in the life sciences. Since there is no professional society dedicated to serving life scientists as an integrated group, Biosis saw a need to facilitate communications between life scientists by becoming the focal point of information services for this community. Biosis undertook this project well aware of the ‘elusive end user’ phenomenon. Biosis carefully researched ways and means to serve this audience as a first step in achieving the long term goals of the Biosis Connection. The resulting system design and specifications took into account the fact that virtually every successful electronic end user product on the market must appeal to the professional librarian as well. To that end, the Biosis Connection was designed with both a menu‐driven front end package to serve the novice or occasional user in addition to a command language version for the experienced user and/or information professional. The databases included for initial offering were selected to meet current awareness needs or to allow access to databases unavailable on any other online system. None of these compete directly with any other Biosis online database. System enhancements and the development of new databases are ongoing activities, with the first upgrades scheduled for implementation in the fall of 1988. Companion services for document ordering and event referral were incorporated from the start so that the Biosis Connection would be a complete information service. The project scope to start up the Biosis Connection was equivalent to that of establishing a new business. In this paper, the planning, project research and product development processes are examined. The effectiveness of Beta testing the system will also be reviewed. Preliminary market response and formal evaluations received are summarized. Finally, a brief discussion of the highlights and lowlights of building a system like the Biosis Connection is given.