ABSTRACT
The Internet, and the World Wide Web in particular, are revolutionizing the way people seek and access information. For a growing number of people, research begins with the Web, “surfing” around the world in search of the electronic equivalent of a library book — or the electronic equivalent of an art gallery; or, the on-line version of a favorite software program; or, a live or bulletin-board style discussion with others. Or — and this may be the ultimate beauty and utility of the Web — you may find all these elements intertwined into one system through the effective use of “hypermedia,” the interactive multimedia capabilities that make up the Web. Using the Web, specialists are communicating and sharing information and ideas faster and more efficiently than ever before, breaking down the traditional barriers of distance and borders, and the information produced by specialists is being distributed to a wider population than ever before.
