f the print media, or, to the
contrary, will the print media domesticate the Internet as an additional means
of communication?

We are not even aware yet of the many interconnections and transformations the
Internet is going to bring if the Internet changes the world as much as writing
or printing did in the past, as we are constantly being told it will.

What are the implications for all the professionals of the print media: authors,
booksellers, journalists, librarians, printers, publishers, translators, etc.?
How do they see the breaker which is beating down on them, and the storm that
the Internet is bringing into their professional life? These are the questions I
will try to answer in the following pages.

More and more publications have both an electronic version and a paper version
and, in some cases, both can be ordered on-line. Numerous texts are available
on-line in digital libraries. Many of these texts also have a paper version the
cybernaut can buy if he prefers reading 500 pages lying on his sofa instead of
reading them on the screen of his computer. Some texts or magazines are
available on-line only.

More and more newspapers and magazines have a website on which their readers can
find the full text or abstracts of the latest issue, archives giving access to
the previous issues, dossiers on various topics, etc. More and more library
catalogs are available on-line. And most sites offer hyperlinks to other
websites or documents on related subjects. In short, the Internet has become an
essential tool for getting information, having access to documents and
broadening our knowledge.

I will examine the interaction of the print media and the Internet in the
following areas: bookstores, publishers, press, libraries, digital libraries and
catalogs. I shall also include the contributions of the media professionals who
answered my inquiry about: (1) the way they see the relationship between the
print media and the Internet; (2) what the use of the Internet has brought in
their professional life and/or the life of their company/organization; and (3)
how they see their professional future or the future in general with the
Internet. I express here my warmest thanks to all those who replied to my
inquiry.

I will also comment on the future trends regarding intellectual property,
digitization, multimedia convergence and the information society. A selection of
websites is also available. Some of the information inclu