Planning for CD‐ROM Technology: Or, How to Stop Worrying and Embrace the CD‐ROM

Since the introduction of CD‐ROM databases for libraries, books and articles have been written and conferences held to both define the technology and explore uses of the new format in libraries. Nancy Melin Nelson has defined two types of CD‐ROM products for the library market. The first is designed as a support tool for automation activities, such as cataloging and public access systems. The Library Corporation's BiblioFile and Intelligent Catalog products are examples. The other type, and the one on which this article will focus, provides unlimited access to databases previously produced in an online and/or paper format (i.e., reference databases). Librarians have been relatively quick to accept CD‐ROM as a viable alternative or companion to their online databases. CD‐ROM technology has even afforded some libraries their first encounter with automated reference databases. Experience has taught us, however, that incorporating CD‐ROM reference systems is not as simple as many vendors would have librarians believe. Planning for the new technology is vital. This article will examine four areas of planning that should be addressed before a well‐informed decision to purchase can be made: hardware, database(s), search and retrieval software, and user education.