Remote Host Databases: Issues and Content

The recent introduction of a new generation of electronic information products is a significant advance in the evolution from paper‐based to electronic research. These products combine indexing and abstracting of large numbers of journals in multiple subject fields with full‐text delivery capability, storage on remote hosts, and access via the World Wide Web. Any library contemplating the purchase of a remote host database must address several issues to insure its successful integration into the library’s repertoire of electronic information products. The analytical process is complicated by these databases’ rapid evolution, by their large and ever‐changing journal lists, and by the differing strategies employed by the major vendors in regard to their products’ structures. In this article, Majka attempts to assist librarians with their purchase decisions by identifying vendor product strategies and library implementation issues and by suggesting analytical approaches for the comparison of the contents of remote host indexes and databases.