Periodical Indexing Ondisc: A Comparative Analysis of InfoTrac Use in Three Illinois Libraries

Optical discs are having a significant impact on information retrieval in libraries. They provide access to bibliographic and numeric data in an efficient manner, retrieving information in seconds that would take a patron using a printed source much longer to find. InfoTrac, a periodical database produced by Information Access Company, is an example of an application of this technology. The forerunner of the company's General Periodicals Index, InfoTrac consists of a database stored on a laser‐optical videodisc and a microcomputer work‐station for accessing, displaying, and printing the contents of the database.