Ken Collins
Access to published literature in the form of indexes, abstracts and alert services is vital for tracking developments in multi-disciplinary research. While the Research Library has numerous CD-ROM databases available on our local area network, those databases have some major limitations. Remote access to the CD-ROMs is difficult, the numerous proprietary interfaces are cumbersome, and the medium does not lend itself well to interacting with the data. Furthermore, access via the Web has become a fundamental requirement. To meet these requirements, the Library has begun to acquire licenses to provide citation databases in a format under our local control via the Web.
The first example of this effort can be seen with the SCISearch database. SCISearch has been available for one month and already over 1,000 users have accessed the database. SCISearch is accessible only to the Laboratory community, and for a six-month trial period, to member institutions of the New Mexico Library Alliance.
Over the next few months, the Research Library will continue to roll-out new databases. All of them will be found under Electronic Databases on the Library's Home Page. Here is what is coming:
November 1 - ABI Inform, which contains indexing and abstracts to marketing and business journals, will be available through the Library's Advance system (see next article for details). Initially, access will be limited to VT-100 character-based mode; however, we are working on a Web interface to all the associated library databases.
December 1 - Los Alamos Reports. This product will be a search interface to unclassified, publicly releasable Los Alamos technical reports. Electronic Los Alamos publications currently available are difficult to find under our Los Alamos Publications page. The Los Alamos Reports product will provide a standard Web front-end to searching Los Alamos technical reports. As electronic versions for specific reports become available, direct access to the full-image report will be provided (see another article in this issue for more on electronic reports)
December 1 - The Energy Database (EDB), produced by DOE's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). EDB is a multi-disciplinary database of 3.5 million records containing references to information about basic and applied energy research and technology from worldwide sources. EDB will initially be available in character-based mode only. Eventually a Web browser will be used to access this resource.
January 9 (approx.) - BIOSIS, based on Biological Abstracts, will become available. BIOSIS is the largest biological and biomedical research literature abstracting and indexing service in the world. Over 9,000 life sciences journals are covered.
Stay tuned for the announcement of each of these databases' availability.
Rick Luce
The database features abstracts and citations to articles from over 1,000 academic, management, marketing and business journals. It also includes comprehensive information on European business issues in over 200 indexed international journals. Coverage begins in 1985 and is updated monthly. To access, telnet to the Research Library's online catalog at library.lanl.gov or visit the Research Library's Web page, selecting Electronic Databases.
Future enhancements of this database will include the ability to request the full-image of the articles from over 400 of the journals indexed. If you need the full-image/full-text of the articles now, send e-mail to library@lanl.gov and a copy will be mailed or faxed to you at no charge if the article is available.
The ABI/INFORM search screen interface should look familiar since it uses the same software as our online catalog. If you have searched the Research Library's online catalog, you will be able to pick up searching of this database quickly. Training will be offered in December. Contact Lou Pray (667-5809) or lpray@lanl.gov to arrange group or individual training sessions.
Lou Pray
To determine if a PDF version is available, locate a record in the Research Library's online catalog and select the "Detailed Display" option from the menu at the bottom of the screen. If available, the uniform resource locator (URL) for the PDF file will appear at the top of the detailed screen in the field labeled "ELECTRONIC FILE:". URLs for PDF versions begin with "http://" and end with ".pdf". To retrieve the PDF version, copy/paste the URL from the online catalog into a Web browser such as Mosaic or Netscape.
New unclassified Los Alamos reports are also accessible from the Research Library's Home Page. To browse the categories and lists of new reports, select "Los Alamos Publications" from the Library's home page. If you don't already have Adobe's Acrobat Reader, you can download it from the "Los Alamos Publications" page.
For more information about electronic Los Alamos reports (and other Library Without Walls projects) contact project staff.
Irma S. Holtkamp
Ken Collins
All is not lost however. The Library is exploring several approaches to making this publication available electronically. We will announce developments as they are implemented; meanwhile, we apologize for any delays and inconvenience.
Ken Collins
Also new this month:
On the Computer Science page, a link has been added to BABEL: A Glossary of Computer Oriented Abbreviations and Acronyms. IMHO, a fine resource. (To find out what IMHO means check out the smileys and other e-mail standards in Appendix B.)
The DOE Technical Standards are now linked on our Standards and Regulations Page. In addition to searching the standards, this page has directories listing various DOE offices involved with technical standards.
New to the Electronic Texts page this month is Fortune magazine. This version has the latest issue (appears the Wednesday following the publication date) and the three previous ones.
In addition, the Library's WebCore Team has been busy following up on various subject links that died, moved or just plain weren't as spiffy as newer ones that are appearing around the Web. Again, let us know (at lib-info@lanl.gov) when something isn't working, or if you find a useful link to add. Keep those cards and letters coming in!
Sharon E. Smith
To receive an electronic subscription to the Research Library Newsletter, sent the first of each month to your e-mail address, do the following:
1) Send an e-mail message to ListManager@lanl.gov
2) Leave the subject line blank
3) The body of the message should contain the following two-line message exactly as
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The name and e-mail address of the Library member who contributed an article appears at the end of the article. If you have comments or further questions, please contact that person. If you have general questions or comments about the Newsletter itself, please contact the Newsletter editor, Ken Collins.