Primary FTDs for the end user: new roles for the information professional Available to Purchase

Researchers are now increasingly able to identify and retrieve information without the need to move from their own PC, bypassing the library and its staff. The number of full text databases on‐line is also increasing, providing instant access to newspapers and newswires, popular magazines and scholarly journals, financial and directory sources, and reference books. These files appear on all the major time‐sharing systems, some of which are modifying their search software to attract this growing market. This paper explores the relationship between the end user and primary full text databases. It looks at full text databases generically, rather than at individual systems, databases, or searching techniques. It identifies roles that information professionals can play in maximizing the benefits of full text databases for end users.