Which timeframe is associated with the early era of online databases?

• A. The early 1970s
• B. The 1960s
• C. The 1980s
• D. The 1990s

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is when online databases began to be used in a real, widely adopted way. While experiments and early prototypes existed in the 1960s, it’s the early 1970s that mark the period when online databases really took hold. During this time, libraries and organizations started implementing interactive online catalogs and bibliographic databases, moving from batch processing to real-time, networked searching. This shift established the early era of online databases as the early 1970s. The later decades—1980s and 1990s—built on that foundation with broader access and more user-friendly interfaces, but they come after the initial emergence.