Discussed are the findings of a PhD research project ""Use and nonuse by library users of open access CD-ROMs in UK public libraries"". The paper will focus mainly on the analysis of data collected during 1997 from a number of public libraries in the UK .. The findings cover 1) CD-ROM provision: details of which CDROM publications and type of hardware and services currently available for public use; 2) User profiles: a demographic profile of users; 3) CD-ROM usage: looks at the titles users have searched.