web based products

[Higgins, Caroline]

Hello Listfolk:

How do you and your colleagues feel about web-based proprietary
databases?  We currently buy UMI, SilverPlatter and Wilson
products on CD-Rom and are thinking about migrating to
web-based products.  

1.What do you think about the reliability of these web products?
2.How do you feel about using funds but getting no physical product?
3.Do you fear that you will be locked into purchasing the product
     even if there were to be a dramatic increase in price?
4.Have you talked to vendors about the above concern, and
     what did they say? 
5.Did you continue to buy paper versions of indexes when you went 
      to CD-Rom?
6.Will you continue to buy paper and/or CDs when you migrate to web?


Thanks for all responses,
Caroline Higgins

**********************
Caroline Higgins                                               
Supervisor of Automation                                 
University of Houston-Downtown Library          
higginsc at dt.uh.edu                                         
(713) 221-8467                    
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