The format was unwieldy, time consuming, and expensive for most public school libraries. The explosion of the Internet has revolutionized access to online databases. Commercial distributors now provide subscriptions to thousands of titles of newspapers, magazines, and references through any workstation connected to the Internet at schools and in homes. The databases use a common interface compatible with browsers like Netscape or Internet Explorer. With some basic training in browser tools, student users find navigation of online resources familiar territory.
Cost is the main hang-up.
An individual school or even a medium-sized district often finds it prohibitive to provide access to online resources. Onsite facility budget items, including Internet access lines, adequate workstations, and printing peripherals, add to the costs for subscriptions. Where a library media center once warehoused back issues of print magazines, now they must consider how many students are able to access workstations so they can use the online resources. This fundamental change in the dynamics of periodical delivery is a complex issue that can only be remedied by a substantial increase in the number of Internet workstations in schools. Across the country, other states have been actively creating similar consortia.