Developments in European information issues: Networks and relays – Services – Products, December 1998

Availability vs accessibility

There is a general view that making information available on the web offers simple access and fulfills the requirement of openness and transparency. But is this really true? If we consider just a sample of the web interfaces and try to see what is happening behind the colourful front, it is often very hard to detect what exactly is going on - and there are often no help files to explain, nor any help desks to call. After all, web databases are simple, aren't they? But do you use 'and' or '+'? Is the truncation symbol*, + or %? Can you use a phrase, or is the space interpreted as 'or' and double inverted commas are required?

In fact all of these symbols are used in different official databases, so once again as with the command languages there is no standardisation, and in future there will be no central help desk facility. Some databases offer support, but may be slow to respond. Will the various DGs and other institutions and agencies continue to be able to fund and maintain their databases? What about expert searchers - or do we just have to sit and wait for the web to gradually refine our strategy? These are just some of the questions that face information professionals now. Come back in another ten years for the next episode.

For the preparation of this article acknowledgement is given to earlier European Access database columns written by Terry Hanson, Antony Inglis and Keith Goodall.

For further details on any items in this column, please contact Grace Hudson, EDC, J.B. Priestley Library, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP. Tel: +44 (0)1274 233402. Fax: +44 (0)1274 233398. E-mail: g.l.hudson@bradford.ac.uk