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This article summarises a 1989 survey on the use of optical products in libraries and information centres in Western Europe. Out of a total of over 13,500 questionnaires distributed to eighteen countries, some 23% were returned and of these just under 10% said they were using optical products (primarily CD‐ROMs) in their libraries or information centres. Nearly half of the respondents who were using CD‐ROMs had acquired only one product, which, in the main, was used by library staff as opposed to end users. This accounts for the high popularity of products such as Books in Print, BL/BN Pilot disk, BookBank, Ulrich Plus and Verzeichnis lieferbarer Bücher—though Medline was the single most used disc. Many respondents had not yet had their CD‐ROM products long enough to be able to give much information on their experience with them or the impact on users. Where details were provided, it was plain that the optical products seemed to be appreciated by users, contributed to greater information awareness and permitted the library to offer a better and faster service. It is interesting to note that these are exactly the kinds of things that libraries not yet using optical products expected to achieve if and when they did use them. While CD‐ROMs had reduced online searching to some extent, feelings were mixed regarding the pros and cons of various optical products. Searching may have been speeded up, but too infrequent updating of the information was seen as a negative factor together with the price. The price or cost of optical products as well as lack of a suitable budget was also cited by many as the reason for not getting such products in the foreseeable future. In fact, nearly 60% of those replying they were not using optical products in their libraries said they would not be getting them. It is clear that it is the bigger academic libraries with a large collection, a lot of staff and a large user community which are presently using CD‐ROMs and other optical technologies.

A study was conducted to find out the types of CD products in Nigerian libraries and information centres, and the uses to which they are being put. The study also tried to find out the sources of funding of such products, information about users, hardware configuration, and training facilities available in the country. Of the 157 questionnaires sent out, 85 usable returns (a 54% response rate) were received. The analysis revealed that 44 libraries had at least one PC with only nine of such centres having at least one CDROM workstation. There are 62 copies of 43 CD titles in Nigeria. Information on the discs is classified as bibliographic, full text, statistical, or general information. The subjects they cover in descending numeric order are agriculture, general reference, medicine, science and technology, social sciences, and education. Areas of applications include information retrieval, bibliographic compilations, current awareness services, library acquisition work, and downloading and uploading to local online databases. In general, CD use was minimal in most libraries as opposed to information centres where CD applications were well used by patrons, especially where the mass media was employed to advertise them. Most libraries funded their CD projects with their local budgets. The most frequently used computers are IBM or compatibles. Recommendations are also outlined.

The CD‐ROM market has enjoyed strong growth in recent years in Spain, similar to the experience in other countries. This article, which gathers together existing data from other studies, gives an overview of the current situation of the CD‐ROM market in Catalonia specifically and in Spain as a whole. Where possible, parallels are drawn with trends of CD‐ROM usage in other European countries. Points covered include the general characteristics of the market, trends in usage, titles published in Spain and comparisons with online information retrieval.

I was reading the first issue of Multimedia Review the other day and came across a description of the ‘wisdom continuum’ coined by John Joss, an aviation journalist. The continuum flows from data, which holds no information by itself, to information, which is data organised within a greater structure of context or meaning, thence to knowledge, which is the integration and application of informational entities such that solutions to problems can be found, and finally to wisdom, which is procedural knowledge enriched with experience (Traub 1990).

Throughout their history, libraries have played many important roles within the context of knowledge archival, information retrieval and knowledge dissemination. Today, libraries fulfil very many technical, social and educational roles. Indeed, for many people ‘the library’ provides the only source of educational resource after conventional formal education has ceased. This paper discusses the basic functions of library systems and the roles that they must undertake within modern societies. The potential of new technologies and media reform within library systems is then discussed and, depending upon the extent of uptake of these new technologies, four future types of library system are identified: polymedia, electronic, digital and virtual. Each of these types of library system is described, their distinguishing features identified and the implications of such systems then discussed.

The purpose is to bring together all bibliographic references of the published literature on electronic books (e‐books) and related technologies in one source so that it will save time for others in conducting literature searches and reviewing the developments.

The information included in this bibliography is collected systematically from all the published sources in the world such as journal articles, conference papers, conference proceedings, books, reports and PhD theses on e‐books until the last quarter of 2004. Mainly it covers e‐books, e‐books publishing, the impact of e‐books on different types of users, e‐book publishing techniques and trends, e‐book user interfaces and other technologies related to e‐publications.

As computer usage continues to grow exponentially, the desire of users to use electronic publications (e‐publications) has also increased tremendously. This has led to the publication of materials in electronic form as e‐publications on both CD‐ROMs and web. The e‐book is one of the several forms of e‐publications and its popularity has been growing steadily for the past decade.

This bibliography will be useful to all researchers conducting research in any areas related to e‐books and e‐book publishing.

The users of information services should be enabled to fully exploit current awareness services (CAS) on the Internet to their own benefit and also that of the larger organisation. Services available via the Internet have added to the importance of current awareness, the meaning of the concept of CAS and the purposes served by CAS. Empowerment requires commitment by both parties (information services and their users), a supportive environment, a clear idea of the outcomes to be achieved, and a new attitude to the training methods and opportunities to employ. The planning of CAS empowerment programmes within the familiar constraints on information services is considered. Aspects users should know about Internet CAS are identified, the role of the information specialist is considered and a few suggestions are made about the implementation of empowerment programmes. This article is based on a paper read at the Fifth Southern African Online Meeting, held on 9 June 1999, in Midrand, South Africa.

Did you know that Unesco produces twenty‐two computerised databases and that thirty‐nine information systems or services are available through FAO? So what, you might say, but it is nonetheless interesting. This directory lists 615 selected information systems, services and databases set up by thirty‐eight United Nations agencies. It contains almost twice as many entries as the previous edition which appeared in 1978.

Bookmobiles have been an important part of public library service for over a century. Traditionally they have delivered recreational reading material, but new technologies now make it possible for high‐tech bookmobiles to provide a full range of information services. Telecommunications options such as mobile data radio, cellular telephone, and the use of satellites make online circulation, database searching, and facsimile service feasible for library mobile units. Optical disc and other compact storage technologies as well as state‐of‐the‐art navigation systems also have bookmobile applications. Unfortunately, the high cost of technology, particularly for mobile telecommunications, is among the problems delaying the development and commonplace use of ‘electronic bookmobiles’.

A scenario is given of a possible library of the future. Such a library might have shelves containing talking books, video cassettes, computer programs on floppy disks and the entire contents of Chemical Abstracts and Encyclopaedia Brittanica on biochips. The catalogue of the library stock and the reference books might well be stored on optical disks and viewed on flat screens. Information on the classification scheme and how to use the collection might be provided by listening to tape recordings and voice synthesisers might inform borrowers where to return items. Robots collect these items from dispensers and replace them on the shelves. Each item in the library has a barcode which is scanned by a laser to provide details of loans/returns and patrons. Terminals linked to computers via satellites enable distant files to be searched on demand for information not stored in the library. Most of the journals taken by the library will be in digital form but a touch of a button on the terminal causes the images to be printed out locally. Fact or fiction? The paper goes on to describe some of the equipment that is currently available to them in the future (such as holography, robotics and satellites). Where we are now in terms of technological developments in libraries and information centres is discussed with reference to some actual projects such as Maggie's Place and Dave's Den. Finally, the impact of such futuristic, electronic libraries on the user as well as the librarian is considered.