                   DATA EXCHANGE STANDARD
                      BENEFITS SUMMARY
                              

Benefits to Users

*   Interface interoperability will empower users and enable
    them to access new information products without learning
    new retrieval interfaces.


*   Users on different computer platforms (MAC, MS-DOS,
    WINDOWS, UNIX, etc.) will be able to access information
    from the same CD-ROM disc.


*   Training costs and patron demands on staff will be
    reduced as organizations standardize on a single user
    interface for all their information products.


*   Diverse information sources can be integrated and
    searched simultaneously under a single user interface.




Benefits to Publishers

*   DXS will stimulate increased demand for information
    products and facilitate collection building.


*   Publishers can conform to the standard without changing
    the look-and-feel of their products and without loss of
    functionality.


*   Publishers will be able to develop their own CD-ROM
    products and deliver them without a user interface
    taking advantage of user interfaces with broad market
    acceptance.


*   Products with creative new index structures and
    interfaces can be introduced to the market AND still
    support DXS, thus allowing publishers to continue to
    cultivate competitive advantages.


*   Development efforts to support new platforms or create
    tailored interfaces are reduced due to the client/server
    architechture of DXS.


*   Since no file structure changes are required to conform,
    Existing CD-ROM discs can be coupled with a conforming
    server program without remastering and without changing
    the indexing and build process.

