1. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 NORDGUIDE - still going strong Nord I & D, 31.5.2001 Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Finland

2. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 A short history of NORDGUIDE: What is it and where does it come from? Directory of databases in the Nordic countries, at http://www.nordinfo.helsinki.fi/index.htm

3. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Principles of co-operation Co-ordinator and national partners responsible for the work in each country; keen and smooth co-operation Common methodology and structure of the database All to guarantee the quality and uniformity of information presented in NORDGUIDE A well-structured, versatile database available via the Internet (http://www.nordinfo.helsinki.fi/index.htm) to all those interested in Nordic supply of online information

4. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Criteria for selection of databases The database is produced in a Nordic country or available through a Nordic online service It is searchable (cf. Gale: organised for rapid retrieval via a computer) It is available online through telecommunication or other networks or direct dialling It is publicly available either direct or by subscription, contract or membership Portable databases either on CD-ROM or on diskettes are also included, as well as WWW databases, mainly those for professional purposes

5. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Technique and structure From CDS/ISIS to MS Access to TRIP Highway = °From a printed directory °to an online database °to a Web database. Database related fields Producer related fields Host related fields The contents of all fields searchable

6. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001

7. Nordic databases through the years

8. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Number of databases by country

9. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Availability media in 2000 NORDGUIDE: online or WWW over 75 % The rest offline (CD-ROM, diskette, tape) Gale directory: online 46 % Gale directory: offline (CD-ROM, diskette, magnetic tape, batch, handheld): 54 %

10. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Main subject of database Business largely (= main subject terms business or companies or economics or marketing or finance or credit information): 15 % STM largely (= science or technology or medicine or veterinary medicine or occupational health or patents): 13 % History: 6.5 % Environment: 5.5 %

11. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Voyages of discovery via NORDGUIDE GEISHA/MILLENIUM : Guide to Economic Information (Stockholm School of Economics) Lyrics: quotations to lines of Swedish poetry ( BTJ Info & Media) Info Svin : a Danish CD-ROM of pig breeding, health & production (Landsutvalget for Svin) BONIS: Bibliography of Old Norse-Icelandic Studies (University Library of Southern Denmark)

12. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Voyages of discovery via NORDGUIDE Emigrasjon: The Promised Land - all subjects about Norwegian emigrants to North America (the National Library, division Oslo & Norwegian Emigrant Museum and Research Center) Ibsendrama: Ibsen’s plays ( the National Library, division Oslo) Apudata: organisations and services of assistive technology for the disabled and elderly people in Finland (STAKES, the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health) Muisti (Memory): digitised national materials in libraries, archives and museums in Finland from the 1100's to the beginning of the 1900's

13. Merja Lehti, VTT Information Service, Nord I&D 31.5.2001 Use and usefulness of NORDGUIDE Over 8300 user sessions in 2000 (increase of 35 % from 1999) Over 15000 searches in 2000 (increase of 24 % from 1999) Internationally more than 70 links to NORDGUIDE Direct links from NORDGUIDE to database producers and hosts and to Nordic Web databases