access catalogs) and
national catalogs, and stimulated and facilitated interworking between libraries
in Europe.

Because of international rules, catalog records are often much more difficult to
establish today than in the past. That is why nowadays libraries often hire
full-time catalogers. Because of the knowledge and the training it requires,
cataloging has become a specialty in librarianship.

In a few years, catalogs on the Web will no longer be "only" a collection of
records, which is often a prelude to a difficult time finding the document
itself - because of the forms to fill out and the difficulties of interlibrary
loans. Catalogs on the Web will give instant access to the documents on the
screen. This is already true in an experimental way for a few thousands
documents, but has to be progressively widened to all catalogs.

9. PERSPECTIVES

[In this chapter:]

[9.1. Print Media and the Internet / 9.2. Intellectual Property / 9.3.
Multimedia Convergence / 9.4. The Information Society]

9.1. Print Media and the Internet

As shown all throughout this study, the Internet is opening new perspectives in
all the sectors of the print media.

In any field (literature, sciences, technology, etc.), authors can create a
website to post their works - they no longer need to wait for a publisher to
distribute them. And, thanks to e-mail, communication with their readers has
become much easier.

On-line booksellers are able not only to sell books published in their own
country, but also sell foreign books or sell abroad, or both. The readers can
read on their screen excerpts or full texts of books. Many on-line bookstores
offer an extensive literary magazine with an editorial content which changes
every day.

The dream of catalog managers to be able to give access to a document through
its bibliographic record is no longer totally utopian. It is already the case
for a few thousand works belonging to public domain. Organizations are also
studying the possibility of posting commercial documents on the Web, in return
for a royalty tax corresponding to the copyright rights, which could be paid by
credit card.

Libraries have a new tool for letting the public know their collections better,
and for developing projects for real or potential users. The Internet is also a
gigantic encyclopedia, easily available for consultation by the libraries' staff
and readers.

Many newspapers and magazines' latest issues are