UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 11
November 14, 1996
'Britannica' & 'Webster's' databases now available

     Two new databases-Britannica Online and Merriam-Webster's
Dictionary-have been added to the University of Delaware Library
Networked Databases.
     The Encyclopedia Britannica is recognized as the world's
most comprehensive reference product, a distinction it has held
since its first publication in 1768. Advanced search and
retrieval capabilities and the flexibility of the World Wide Web
now make this familiar resource even more powerful and easy to
use.
     Anyone who wonders what the Eiffel Tower is, who the first
woman in the U.S. Senate was or what causes earthquakes can now
find answers to these and countless other questions easily with
Britannica Online, a new electronic information service available
to all students, faculty and staff through the UD campus
computing network.
     Britannica Online is delivered to campus computers via the
Internet's World Wide Web and provides fast electronic access to
text and illustrations from the Encyclopedia Britannica's vast,
44-million-word database.
     It also features thousands of direct Internet links from
Britannica articles to related sources of information on the
Internet, aimed at making it easier for researchers to find more
information on their topics.
     For example, from the article about the Eiffel Tower, a
viewer can immediately go to a Web page on the Eiffel Tower from
Paris.
     Britannica Online allows users the ability to find
information easily by typing such questions as: "What causes
earthquakes?" or "What is the theory of comparative advantage?"
The user receives a list of articles, ranked according to their
relevance to the query, with the articles most likely to contain
the answer appearing at the head of the list.
     "We're thrilled to have Britannica Online on campus," Susan
Brynteson, director of libraries, said. "It will make a great
reference source available to many people at once, not only
throughout the University of Delaware Library but all over the
campus, and from home to those who have an Internet connection to
the University."
     To find Britannica Online or Merriam-Webster's Dictionary:
        Access the University of Delaware Library home page at:
   http://www.lib.udel.edu
        Then select the button "Databases," which will give the
   "Library Networked Databases-Brief Title List." The databases
   are listed alphabetically.
        Select the desired database, in this case, Britannica
   Online. The library home page is also linked from the
   University of Delaware home page.
     Library staff involved in expediting access to these new
online databases included Kristin Antelman, Sandra Millard, Gregg
Silvis and Craig Wilson.