This examination of the relationships between bibliographic utilities, online vendors, and local systems in the automated library environment, discusses library autonomy and standards, as well as customized options and quality of service offered by utilities and vendors. Suggestions are offered for maintaining relationships in a changing…

Starting in the 1980s the online world has seen two models: the French model, Minitel, and the American model, Internet. At the end of 1995 the Minitel network was the biggest and oldest online service with 7 million users and 20,000 service providers; one year later, the Internet arrived. Tomorrow's online model will need to be: as familiar to…