Farewell, Encarta
Microsoft’s Encarta encyclopedia is being phased out. Ah, the waves of nostalgia about the good old days when the world fit on just a few CDs. The New York Times blogger credits the phase-out of this resource (both online and on DVD) to Wikipedia’s popularity, but I like to think that librarian-heralded statewide encyclopedia and database purchases had a little something to do with why it became less popular in schools, for example.
Be sure to read the comments, including one from an Encarta developer about why Funk and Wagnall’s data was considered easier to use than Encyclopedia Brittanica.