Funk & Wagnalls Multimedia Encyclopedia Debuts Online

Posted on August 20, 1997

The complete unabridged text of encyclopedia, Funk & Wagnalls, was launched on the Internet by Community Network Systems. This research library contains every word of the 29 volume Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia.

Animated working models demonstrate concepts which could previously only be described by still pictures. Unique search engines bring everything within reach of a mouse-click and an inquisitive mind. The interface includes sophisticated search, copying and printing features that are required for all online encyclopedias. Additional features also include special tools to aid students in writing term papers, an animated "Cool Facts" section and a chat room where students and teachers can meet.

"I believe the Funk & Wagnalls Multimedia Encyclopedia is going to send a message to the CD-ROM industry," said Fox, from the company's headquarters. "Because old-fashioned encyclopedias are printed on paper or pressed onto CD- ROM, their content can never be changed. Their information remains frozen at the time of printing or pressing. Therefore updates, (when they exist) are made available through the issuing of additional supplements or yearbooks."

"Our multimedia encyclopedia is unique," Fox added. "Its articles are updated every month. New information and discoveries (like shots of Mars from Pathfinder) are added directly to the encyclopedia's articles, where they belong. Not in supplements. This constant updating is the great leap forward which makes both printed and CD-ROM encyclopedias obsolete."