From: jsweet@irvine.com (Jerry Sweet)
Subject: Summary: on-line psychology abstracts databases
Organization: Irvine Compiler Corp., Irvine, California, USA
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 08:43:16 GMT

As promised, here is the summary of responses to my query about
on-line psychology abstracts databases.

------- the original message

Date:    Fri, 04 Dec 1992 14:21:20 -0800
From:    jsweet@fester.irvine.com
Subject: on-line psychology abstracts database?

Looking for an on-line database of psychology abstracts.  Was directed
to something called "BRS After Dark", which is either a commercial
database access service or a general X.25 network access service---not
sure which it is.  Haven't obtained any concrete information about it
yet.

Anyone know about BRS After Dark or relevant databases---and can
provide contact info?

Reply to me, and I'll summarize.

------- end

Thanks to all who responded:

Jody Culham
Hollis J. Weidenbacher
Leslie Wykoff

Highly informative responses, all.  Here's what I found out...

A product called PsychInfo possesses the necessary information.
PsychInfo is the online version of Psychological Abstracts, which many
libraries have in print. This database is also available on CD-ROM.
The CD-ROM product is called PsychLit.  PsychLit has information on
psychology-related journal articles and books from the mid-70s to the
present.  Many college libraries with CD-ROM facilities have this free
for people to use.  You can also download your searches to IBM disks.

PsychInfo is also available on commercial database systems such as
Dialog and BRS After Dark.

I called Dialog, a commercial database access service based in Palo
Alto, California.  Dialog does indeed offer remote access to PsychInfo
via dial-up, X.25, or Internet.  Dialog charges serious money for this
access.  After the $45 startup fee, there are connect time charges of
$55 per hour and $0.35 "per record" for viewing or printing.
Presumably there are connection service provider charges on top of
that (LD PSTN charges, X.25 charges, Dialog dial-up charges, or
whatever).  New subscribers get $50 worth of free connect time.
Telephone: +1 415 858 2700 or +1 415 858 6100.

I obtained an 800 telephone number for BRS After Dark, but the number
has been disconnected with "no further information".  I did find some
possibly relevant contact information from the NIC whois database for
the domain BRS.COM owned by Maxwell Online in McLean, Virginia, but I
haven't yet followed up on this lead.

The University of Saskatchewan presently provides access to PsychLIT
via the Internet.  The circumstances under which this access is
provided are unknown; it may be only a temporary experimental
offering, so take advantage of it while you can.  Here's how:

    telnet sklib.usask.ca
    
    (the system will say something like "Trying...") 
    
    When it connects it will ask for a password, type:
    
    INFOACCESS
    
    This will get you into a menu listing several databases.  PsychLit is
    #11. You can follow the menus from there.  On-line help is available.

Via the Internet there is also direct access to a number of on-line
library card catalog systems; melvyl.ucop.edu is the one best known to
me.  Melvyl is highly useful for finding specific books and
dissertations at various University of California libraries.  Melvyl
also offers access to other card catalogs throughout the world,
including some in the UK.