PRESS RELEASE

DUBLIN, Ohio, Aug. 18, 1999--The new, more powerful OCLC FirstSearch service
is now available. The new service increases the visibility of library
holdings, streamlines access to full-text and full-image articles, provides
new options for customizing FirstSearch, and delivers a more powerful
interface for library staff and users.

The new FirstSearch is being introduced with 47 databases. By Dec. 12, all
86 of the current FirstSearch databases will be available in the new
service. New features and additional enhancements will also be added during
this four-month period.

"New FirstSearch is not just a new improved and powerful interface, though
this
is a big part. What the new FirstSearch also brings is a fusion of separate
library
practices into one seamless service," said Janet Mitchell Lees, Managing
Director
of OCLC Europe, the Middle East & Africa. "Users can search the world's
major
databases, some unique to OCLC. They can identify who has the materials and

request loans or take advantage of the document delivery. The library also
has an
integrated approach to their e-journals with a sound archive solution to
back it up.
All in all bringing more information, visibility and control to the library
than ever before."

"The new FirstSearch that we're introducing today is just the beginning,"
said Connie Zuga, vice president, OCLC Marketing--Reference and Resource
Sharing. "When all the new features and databases have been fully
implemented, this exciting, completely redesigned reference service will
reinforce the position of libraries as the center of the information
discovery and delivery process."

According to Ms. Zuga, the design and features incorporated in the new
FirstSearch are based on suggestions from users of the current FirstSearch.

The new FirstSearch has three access options: new Web and Lynx-based
text-only interfaces and enhanced Z39.50 access. Both the current
FirstSearch and the new FirstSearch will be accessible through Dec. 12, when
the current FirstSearch Web, Electronic Collections Online and text-only
interfaces will be discontinued. During the four months when both services
are available, library staff will determine when to move their FirstSearch
use to the new service.

More information about the new FirstSearch, including database and feature
implementation schedules, is at <http://www.oclc.org/oclc/menu/fs_new.htm>.
_Planning for the New OCLC FirstSearch_, an OCLC publication developed to
help libraries plan their move to the new FirstSearch, is on the OCLC Web
site at <http://www.oclc.org/oclc/fs_new/planning.htm>.

Introduced in 1991, the OCLC FirstSearch service is designed for people who
use libraries and requires no training or online search experience.
FirstSearch provides access to 86 databases, nearly 2,000 electronic
journals from Electronic Collections Online, and links to the OCLC
Interlibrary Loan service.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a
nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization
whose computer network and services link more than 34,000 libraries in 67
countries and territories. OCLC is dedicated to the public purposes of
furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs.

For more information in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, contact the OCLC
Europe office, located in Birmingham, United Kingdom (phone: +44 121 456
4656; fax: +44 121 456 4680; or e-mail: [log in to unmask]).

Andrew Evans
Sales Executive, Reference Services
OCLC Europe, The Middle East and Africa
7th Floor, Hagley Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B16 8TP
Tel: 0121 456 4656
Fax: 0121 456 4680
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Web-site: http://www.oclc.org/europe



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