Writers score with databases. (increase in research efficiency and in cost) (includes related...

Writers score with databases

The days of poring over reference books and newspaper indexes for story background may be coming to a close. With a computer, a modem and some training, a journalist can obtain, within minutes, a copy of today's frontpage story from the Brisbane (Australia) Telegraph, learn when news media began using the term "greenhouse effect," track trends in the nuclear waste industry, or find who recommends which Washington, D.C., restaurants.

Although database searching will never replace the traditional library, sources describe it as