Who Develops & Supplies the Databases Used by Libraries?

Scope

• There are thousands of creators of databases.
• Most produce only one or a few databases that are available through online access.

Major Types of Database Creators, Producers, Vendors, Publishers

• The database vendors are largely divisible into several groups:
  • Commercial vendors
    • These commercial database industry is a complex community in which there is a lot of crossover among the creators and distributors of databases.
    • In other words, the companies who create databases often:
      • Sell their information directly to customers as well as
      • License their database content to database utilities or distributors.
    • Database distributors or utilities are frequently creating their own databases which they may:
      • Provide directly to customers
      • License to other distributors
  • Government
    • The federal government, in particular, has been a large developer of all kinds of databases
    • Most agencies have made some kind of database available to the public.
    • Only the government is putting hundreds of databases online for free or for a low cost.
  • Professional Organizations
  • Educational Institutions
  • Other Not-for-Profit Organizations

Examples