A Comparative Review of BRS, DIALOG and ORBIT

Abstract

The decade of the 1970s witnessed a phenomenon in the growing acceptance of online database searching and its integration with more traditional library services. Although accurate statistics on the extent of online use by type of library remain scarce, an estimated 400 academic libraries used online search systems in 1977. Martha Williams' annual surveys of online search volume in the United States and Canada demonstrate an explosive growth in five years from one million searches in 1975 to almost four million in 1980. Of the more than 500 data‐bases available publicly, over 165 are accessible through the big three “supermarket” search services — BRS, Lockheed, and SDC.

Citation

Harper, L.G. (1981), "A Comparative Review of BRS, DIALOG and ORBIT", Reference Services Review, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 39-51. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb048700