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Infotrac and Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2022

David L. Easterbrook
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Extract

InfoTrac is an online periodicals index developed and marketed by the Information Access Company (IAC), of Belmont, California. It is very “user friendly” by design, and can provide for readers printouts of citations in a matter of a few seconds without the assistance of a librarian. The InfoTrac database itself consists primarily of citations from nearly 1000 journals which are also indexed by IAC its Business Index, Magazine Index, and Legal Resources Index retrospective to 1982. In addition material from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal as indexed in its National Newspaper Index for the previous two months will be found in InfoTrac. The data base is cumulated and updated monthly. In all accounts, both verbal and written, InfoTrac is enormously popular with readers. Much of this popularity, however, seems to focus on the technology of InfoTrac obscuring some important issues not the least of which are the accessibility of the journals indexed and the reliability and relevance of the information to which an unassisted reader is quickly lead.

Type
Articles
Information
African Research and Documentation , Volume 44 , 1987 , pp. 12 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1987

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References

Notes

1. Information and analysis including comments on the technology of InfoTrac will be found in the following: Beltran, Ann Bristow, “Use of InfoTrac in a University Library,” Database 9:3(1986) pp. 63–66Google Scholar, Carney, Richard, “InfoTrac: An Inhouse Computer-Access System,” Library Hi Tech 3:2(1985) pp. 91–93CrossRefGoogle Scholar, Carney, Richard D., “InfoTrac vs. The Confounding of Technology and It's (sic) Applications,” Database, 9:3(1986) pp.56–61Google Scholar, Ernst, Douglas J. and Monath, Jennifer, “User Reaction to a Computerized Periodical Index,” College and Research Libraries News, 47:5 (May 1986) pp. 315–318CrossRefGoogle Scholar, Herschman, Judith and Maultsby, Kristin, “Sidebar 1:InfoTrac: Impressions from a Beta Site,” Library Hi Tech, 3:2 (1985) p. 93Google Scholar, Stephens, Kent, “InfoTrac: Laserdisc Technology Enters Mainstream,” American Libraries, 17:4 (April 1986) p. 252Google Scholar, and van Arsdale, William O. and Ostrye, Anne T., “InfoTrac: A Second Opinion,” American Libraries, 17:7 (July/August 1986) pp. 514–515.Google Scholar

2. PAIS is now available in CD-ROM format and the Social Sciences Index is available through Wilsonline.