Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)
4. Session / Séance. Strategies for Links with Historical Research / Stratégies de Communication envers la Recherche historique - Gonzalez, Pedro: Data Bases and Long Distance Communication. A Spanish Éxperience / Bases de données et information a distance. Une expérience des archives espagnoles (english 319 - français 343)
4. Session/Séance: Gonzalez, Data Bases and long distance Communcation mation Exchange Networks. The computing resources of the institutions which take part in the network are placed at the disposal of the different users authorized through the different access modes, either open or restricted, free of charge or though payment. National „academic“ networks connect the universities and different research centres with each other, and with the rest of the world. Through one of these networks, interconnected with other networks in other parts of the world, it is possible to gain online access to the large data bases provided through other international networks which permit remote access to information from any part of the world. Access to data bases has given rise to the birth of what has been termed the „data base industry“3 which, in a continuous state of growth, provides the sale of a new consumer product: scientific, commercial, cultural etc. information with a complex production chain (data base producers, distributors, communication networks, users). According to the EEC report on main events and developments in the electronic information services markets in 1989 and 1990, which came out recently4, the EEC’s costs for access to electronic information in 1989 reached 3000 million ECUs, less than half of the USA’s figure (6700 million ECUs). Of the 3000 million, some 1800 related to services along the lines of ASCII, while other services such as CD-ROM, Videotext and audiotext are growing rapidly. According to this report, in 1989 there were more than 4300 different ASCII data bases in the world, available for commercial online access, with a growth of 16 % on the previous year. Within the EEC the greater part of the growth comes from non- profit-making data base producers. 56 % of the data bases newly created in Europe in 1989 are „referential“, while 75 % of the new data bases created in the United States provide direct access to primary information. Not only access to information: other services such as teleconferencing, electronic mail or electronic information exchange (EDI, Electronic Data Interchange) are at the disposal of the users of these networks, although without doubt the most widely used service up to now is that of access to ASCII data bases. For this reason a new 3 The data base industry and online access to remote information is also giving rise to a growing bibliography, as well as several international meetings. This very month, December 1992, the 16th International Online Information Meeting was held in London, december 8-10, and brought together a multitude of professionals users, producers and distributors of data bases), with several thousand data bases from all over the world online or in CD-ROM also present. Several directories are also published to provide updated information on available data bases all over the world. In Spain, for instance, Fuinca- Fundesco published the „Catalogue of ASCII 1991 Spanish Electronic Information Services“ in 1991, ed. by B. Ruiz Gonzalez and M. T. Gonzalez Molina. 4 The „Report on main events and developments on the electronic information services markets in 1989 and 1990“ is included in a „Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the IMPACT Programme (EC plan of action for setting up an information services market) and is dated September, 1992. In December, 1992 the Commission of the European Community published an information pamphlet entitled „Introduction to Electronic Information Services“ prepared by the Directorate General XIII-E, in charge of the Technologies and Industries of Information and Telecommunications. 322
