Finally, the hardware does not allow a full range of flexibility and compatibility for those who wish to use more than one CD-ROM product. CD-ROM versions of nearly all popular reference sources are showing up in libraries, schools, colleges, and professional institutions. These include a dictionary, thesaurus, spellchecker, almanac, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, the Chicago Manual of Style, and a zip-code directory. On the World contains maps and lets the user create graphics, symbol overlays, and text. Substantial portions of enormous reference and research databases for business, law, medical and life sciences, social sciences, and engineering and hard sciences are available on CD-ROM, sometimes from more than one publisher.
Most novices find CD-ROM easy and fun to use.
Microsoft Bookshelf, for example, operates like a desktop utility. Using many CD-ROM databases, however, requires learning some basic computer searching skills. Fortunately, most CD-ROM search software allows users to develop these skills naturally as they access information. Help is available through help screens and printed manuals. Many publishers also offer onscreen or print, and toll-free assistance numbers.