I.T. Times
Volume 3. No 3 Information Technology News of the University of California, Davis Spring 1995

Online Databases Grow in Size and Subject

by Anne Jackson, Information Technology Publications


How many remember only fourteen years ago when "research " nearly always meant a trip to the library to thumb through a card catalog and page manually through endless printed indexes to periodical literature? Now, what looks like nothing more than a screen on a box with a keyboard provides an instantaneous eye into decades-and in some cases centuries-of research and published material from all over the world in every imaginable discipline and subject area.

The University of California Library system has been busy developing and harnessing these vast resources for UC faculty, students, and staff through an ever-growing collection of online databases. The databases are available to anyone with a campus computer account from a network-linked campus computer or from a home computer through a modem connection. They are also available to the public through computers in campus libraries. The databases provide citations to books, journal articles, dissertations, and other published materials. Increasingly, abstracts and full text are included. Short courses explaining how to access and search the databases as well as how to download and print search results are presented throughout the academic year by Data Services Librarian Ken Firestein. Class schedules are posted in the library and on the Campuswide Information System (via gopher). Most of the databases also provide online search guidance.

The databases fall generally into four categories:

Following is a guide to some of the many databases now available to the UC community:

MELVYL Databases

MELVYL Catalog

Lists the library holdings of the nine-campus University of California system and the California State Library, including books, serials, musical scores, maps, audiovisual materials, and computer files. To access, type CAT at the MELVYL prompt. To search only material published in the last ten years, type TEN at the MELVYL prompt. This more limited search will run faster than a search of the entire catalog.


PERIODICALS

Lists more than 1 million periodical holdings of UC, California State Library, California Academy of Sciences, Stanford University, University of southern California, California State University, and other selected libraries. A search for the location of a particular periodical can be performed in the middle of another search by typing the command Find PE or Find XPE.


MEDLINE PLUS®

Article citations from more than 4,000 journals in health, life sciences, health administration, and related disciplines. Covers the years 1966-74 (MED66); (1975-79 (MED75); 1980-84 (MED80); 1985-89 (MED85) and 1990 - date (MED). To access, type MED (Or, e.g., MED80) at the MELVYL prompt.


Current Contents® (CC, CCT)

Article citations from more than 6,500 journals in agriculture, biology, environmental sciences, clinical medicine, life sciences, engineering, technology, applied sciences; physical, chemical, and earth sciences, social and behavioral sciences; and arts and humanities. Covers 1989 to present. To access, type CC at the MELVYL prompt. Users can also view tables of contents of journals in the database by typing CCT at the MELVYL prompt.


Magazine and Journal Articles (MAGS)

Article citations from some 1,500 periodicals, including academic journals in social sciences, humanities, sciences, business, and law, as well as popular magazines such as Time and Newsweek. Many listings include article abstracts. Full text is included for some publications. To access, type MAGS at the MELVYL prompt.


Newspaper Articles (NEWS)

Article citations from five major newspapers: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Christian Science Monitor. Covers 1992 to present. To access, type NEWS at the MELVYL prompt.


Computer Articles (COMP)

Article citations from more than 200 journals in various computer fields. Covers 1988 to present. Full text included for some periodicals. To access, type COMP at the MELVYL prompt.


INSPEC

Article citations from more than 4,200 journals and 1,000 conference proceedings, books, reports, and dissertations in physics, astronomy, electrical engineering and electronics, computers, control technology, communications, and information technology. Covers the years 1969 to present. For 1989 to present, type INS at the MELVYL prompt; for 1985- 88, type INS85; for 1980-84, type INS80; for 1969-79, type INS69.


PsycINFO®

Citations from more than 1,300 journals, books, book chapters, dissertations and reports in psychology, social sciences, and related disciplines. Covers 1967 to present for articles and 1987 to present for books. Includes abstracts. Type PSYC at the MELVYL prompt.


ABI/INFORM®

Article citations from more than 1200 business, management, and finance journals. Covers 1985 to present. Includes abstracts. Full text included for 500 publications from 1991 to present. To access, type ABI at the MELVYL prompt. MELVYL Gateway Databases


English Short Title Catalog

Catalog of British, British colonial, and other English-language printed materials produced between 1473 and 1800. To access, type USE ESTC at the MELVYL prompt.


CQ Washington Alert

U.S. legislative and regulatory information, provided by Congressional Quarterly, Inc. To access, type USE CQ at the MELVYL prompt.


GeoRef

Citations for more than 3,500 journals and other publications in more than 40 languages in the fields of geology and geophysics, covering the years 1785 to present for the geology of North America and 1933 to present for the geology of other areas. To access, type USE GEOREF.


ERIC

Covers journal articles and reports in educational research and allied areas published since 1966. To access, type USE ERIC.


HAPI

The Hispanic American Periodicals Index contains references to articles and other items on Latin America, the U.S.-Mexico border region, and Hispanics in the United States in about 400 social science and humanities journals. Covers 1970 to present. To access, type USE HAPI.


EUREKA

Eureka is an information system containing selected databases. Most can be searched with MELVYL commands. To access, type USE EUREKA, followed by the command for any of the following databases:


FirstSearch

FirstSearch is a second group of databases available to UC affiliates through a special licensing agreement. Most can be searched with MELVYL commands. To access, type USE FirstSearch, followed by the command for any of the following databases:

ART INDEX.

Available to UC users only since January 1995, this database provides citations to 200 key international English-language arts publications, including periodicals, yearbooks, museum bulletins, competitions and award notices, exhibition listings, interviews, and film reviews. Covers September 1984 to present.

Networked CD-ROM Databases

The following CD-ROM databases can be reached through networked connections from home or campus computers or from designated terminals in library reference departments. Remote access to these databases requires a separate password, available from any UCD reference librarian. To access the CD-ROM network from an off-campus computer, type libcdrom at the Request prompt. From a campus computer, type telnet libcdrom at the system prompt (e.g., %, $, or >) or type gopher and follow the path: Library Area, MELVYL Library System and Other Databases and Catalogs, and select CD-ROMS.

Stand-alone CD-ROM Databases

Stand-alone CD-ROM databases are available for use at CD-ROM stations in library reference departments. Reference librarians can help with search methods and provide up- to-the minute advice about what's available. Here is a sampling of CD-ROMs now available in the library reference departments designated:

ietpubs@ucdavis.edu