Encyclopedias are available in printed form and digital form. The printed or book form comes in sets because of the volume of entries they contain. The spines are labeled either alphabetically or by categories. The digital form is available in a DVD copy or online. If you have a DVD copy, you need to install it in your computer to enable searching. If you have an Internet connection, you may browse encyclopedia entries by subscribing. With the advent of digitized encyclopedias, gathering information is simply a click away.
Printed encyclopedias are updated through yearbooks. Yearbooks contain previous year's events, and developments and are printed annually to supplement encyclopedias. Digital encyclopedias, on the other hand, are constantly being revised, making the cumbersome and expensive purchase of annual additions and new editions obsolete. These are updated frequently, that is, quarterly, monthly, weekly or even daily, depending on the events and developments. Updates are readily available upon subscription.
There are some online encyclopedias that are free to use. These types of encyclopedias allow several users to contribute and update content. One criticism of these type of encyclopedias is that there is no way to validate the information that goes into these encyclopedias because there is not one governing body overseeing the project. If you know about the history of something, you are free to create one or edit the entry of your choice. The hope is that by allowing anyone and everyone to contribute, the Internet community as a whole will keep the accounts accurate.
Although encyclopedia publishers are investing more in building their databases online, this doesn't mean that the printed versions will be totally eliminated. There will still be annual hard-copy printing, but quantities will be trimmed down. Institutions like schools and libraries still demand and maintain these shelf hogs. Encyclopedias are only temporary and only good for the time that the information in them is current. Both printed and online forms need to be constantly updated to keep information up to date.