Widespread search of a bibliographic database dates back to which period?

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

Answer: (B)

The key idea is the shift from manual search methods to online, computer-based bibliographic searching. While there were early experiments in making databases searchable, it’s in the early 1970s that online bibliographic retrieval became widespread. Services like DIALOG and early online databases connected libraries and researchers to large holdings, letting users search across many records quickly rather than indexing or checking one library at a time. The 1980s and 1990s then broadened and refined access, but the turning point for widespread online search is the early 1970s.