Providing Database Services in a Nationwide Research Organization - Coexistence of Traditional Information Services and a Modern CD-ROM/Online Hybrid Solution

For the past two decades the central Information Retrieval Services of the Max Planck Society have been providing database searches for scientists in Max Planck Institutes and Research Groups throughout Germany. As a supplement to traditional search services offered by professional intermediaries, we have recently fostered the introduction of a new information system that can be directly accessed from all sites. Ovid Technologies was chosen as partner for this project. Their common user interface offers database-specific search tools for the expert as well as for the novice user. Further advantages are the use of the TCP/IP protocol allowing immediate access from a number of different computer platforms, the client/server architecture, and the adherence to the Z39.50 standard thus providing interconnectivity with other library servers. The possibility of using the Ovid Local Loader to install internal databases under the same user interface as external databases, was of particular interest to our Institutes. The advantages of a CD-ROM interface in combination with the performance of an online system ("CD-ROM/Online Hybrid") has made this new service very popular among our scientists. Of critical importance for the quality and success of the project was the active participation of experienced information specialists during the planning, testing, installation and final production stages. We continue to play an active part in supporting the end-users with workshops, documentation, advice and a help-desk for database specific questions. The Information Retrieval Services are now confronted not only with a variety of new responsibilities, but also with many new opportunities for helping the users to gain the information they seek