Librarians will assist researchers, teachers, and the public in electronic information retrieval, rather than serve as guardians and catalogers of printed material. Many journals are available in electronic form today, and many more are developing plans to go on-line. Most of the information currently available in printed form will be placed in an electronic form, although it is unclear who will take responsibility for doing so. Present and rapidly developing information has been given a priority by those individuals and corporations developing servers for the World Wide Web, and archival information already in libraries is a lesser priority. As soon as a file or image is loaded onto a Web server connected to the Internet, it is simultaneously available to any Web browser in the world.
Information is available at a minimal cost.
Since microcomputers are used in so many other personal, professional, business, and entertainment applications, they are already available for information retrieval. The information provider does not incur any printing costs. Color images can be integrated into publications at no additional cost, and the quality of the information in many cases is much higher as a result. The ability to use color is an especially important consideration in horticultural applications. Information is widely available.