Marine Bibliographic Information Systems: Design for the Future

The coverage, availability and development of marine and aquatic databases and associated publications, in particular Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts and Oceanic Abstracts, are reviewed. The establishment of the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Information System (ASFIS) by intergovernmental agencies, as an international network for the acquisition and dissemination of marine and freshwater information, is described. Important sources of different types of information are summarised, followed by a brief outline of access to interactive online information systems including the Dialog Information Service. Finally the role of in-house microcomputers in information retrieval and processing is discussed, including applications of new technologies.