Ten years of online information search services in Hungary

Abstract

Online searching in Hungary started in 1980 using the terminal of the Research Institute of Computers and Automation, to access databases of three Western hosts. After a two-year experimental period, commercial searches started in 1982 through the line-switched NEDIX network of the Hungarian PTT and the Radio Austria node to connect users to established networks. During the following years, 46 organizations have installed their own terminals for searching hundreds of databases of a total of 15 hosts abroad. Users of organizations without their own search facilities can utilize the intermediary services of the National Technical Information Centre and Library (OMIKK), or those of other subject field oriented or regional intormation centres. The structure, distribution of usage and some typical figures of online search services in Hungary are shown and discussed. In the last years the majority of pueries shifted towards business informalion. and overall usage has been going down for several reasons.