Online database vendors:will they transform to pull technology? | Van Brakel | South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science
Keywords Academic libraries Africa Book review Information literacy Informetrics Internet Kenya KwaZulu-Natal Nigeria Research South Africa academic librarians academic libraries bibliometrics higher education information literacy informetrics knowledge management public libraries university libraries user studies
P.A. Van Brakel
Department of Information Studies, Rand Afrikaans University
Home > Vol 65, No 4 (1997) >	Van Brakel
Online database vendors:will they transform to pull technology?
World-Wide Web-based search systems (or pull technology) stimulated large commercial database vendors to transfer to Web interfaces as well. Various reasons exist why Web-interfacing could be an asset to traditional online search systems, for example, using familiar Web browsers, implementing user-friendly Web sites, or lower search fees because of the unique features of client/server architecture. The differences between the content and retrieval procedures of search engines and database vendors emphasize the fact that vendors have to be extremely cautious when transferring to a Web interface. It seems possible that Web interfacing techniques and database vendors can soon become full partners in the pull technology environment. The purpose of the research was therefore to investigate and report on the trends currently noticeable among those online systems or databases embarking on full Web interfacing. Experienced online searchers, especially those who use front-end software to support their online search activities, seem dubious about the fact that Web interfaces can provide the same search sophistication level as obtained via traditional dial-up searching. The basic features of front-end software were used to address the pros and cons of Web-based online searching.
World-Wide Web-gebaseerde herwinningstelsels (sogenaamde pull technology) het die wêreld se groot kommersiële databasismakelaars gestimuleer om ook Web-koppelvlakke te begin gebruik. Verskeie redes kan aangevoer word waarom die Web-koppelvlak 'n bydrae tot die verbetering van intydse stelsels kan lewer, byvoorbeeld die gebruik van bekende Web-browsers, implementering van gebruikervriendelike Web-omgewings, of die verlaging van soekkoste weens die unieke eienskappe van klientlbediener-argitektuur. Die prominente verskille tussen die inhoud en herwinningswyses van soekenjins en databasismakeiaars beklemtoon die feit dat makelaars uiters versigtig sal moet wees wanneer oorbeweeg word na die benutting van die Web-koppelvlak. Dit lyk egter moontlik dat Web-koppelvlaktegnieke en databasismakelaars binnekort ten volle en as deel van pull technology sal kan integreer. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om vas te stel in watter mate databasismakelaars reeds van Web-koppelvlakke gebruik maak. Ervare gebruikers van intydse stelsels, veral diegene wat tussengangerprogrammatuur be nut, twyfel tans of die vermelde Web-koppelvlakke dieselfde vlak van herwinning sal kan bereik as via die tradisionale direkte lynkoppeling. Die basiese eienskappe van tussengangerprogrammatuur is in die artikel gebruik om die voor- en nadele van Web-gebaseerde intydse herwinning te oorweeg.