The biggest disadvantage to using CD-ROM databases, is that most are updated no more than quarterly. However, performing a search on a CD-ROM before going to the Internet or an online vendor may turn up information that might not have been found in the vastness of the World Wide Web, and can save the user money since the time spent in a subscription database will be reduced. Many CD-ROMs offer the same features and options as the Internet search engines and directories, and online databases. The online database industry is entering its fourth decade. They have become valuable resources because of their ability to produce fast, quality, full-text academic information.
Vendors offer a variety of databases for a fee.
The user must subscribe to the database or access it through an agency that pays the subscription fees. Database searching is appealing to users because of the ability to search all the vendor s databases at one time, making searching less time consuming. Many online databases use controlled vocabulary, which as shown above, can benefit the user. Index are examples of databases that include a controlled vocabulary index. However, learning the language can be difficult for some users.