Approved-By:  "Leslie M. Haas" <LHAAS@KENTVM.BITNET>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.libref-l
Date:         Fri, 20 Nov 1992 14:37:54 EDT
From:         "Ed Perry, Science/Engin Libn, University of Regina, Regina,
              Canada" <PERRYEDW@UREGINA1.BITNET>
Subject:      STN discount service

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I've been using the STN academic program for about 2 years now, and have found
it very useful. Finally makes online lit searching affordable for my undergrad
students in science and engineering. Is also more sensible for our institution
to use STN discounted on pay-as-you-go basis than to put umpteen thousand grand
 up front to by CDROM versions of databases like INSPEC, COMPENDEX, etc.

STN actually has two academic discount plans, though you can now get access to
both of them if you qualify on a single password.

CAS PLAN

Gives access to the CAS databases
If you are an academic institution which does NOT grant doctoral degrees in che
mistry or closely related field, you are probab ly eligible for a 90 %
discount off the standard STN rate on CAS databases. You do NOT have to have a
 parallel paper copy subscription to Chemical Abstracts to qualify.

If your academic institution DOES grant doctoral degrees in chem or related fil
ed, even if only one a year, you will likely qualify for an 80 % discount off t
he standard rate on the CAS databases. You DO, in this case, have to maintain a
 parallel full paper subscription to Chemical Abstracts to obtain the discount.

KARLSRUHE ACADEMIC PROGRAM
This one includes about 30 databases, including some important ones like INSPEC
, INIS Atomindex, and COMPENDEX . As an academic institution, you can likely qu
alify for the 80 % discount on your searches. At least for COMPENDEX, you DO NO
T have to have a parallel subscription to the paper copy Engineering Index.

POINTS TO PONDER

1. Remember that requirement for a paper subscription to Chem Abst if you offer
   doctoral degrees in chemistry or a related field

2. You only get the discount if you run your searches after 5pm local time

3. STN version of Chem Abst is the ONLY online service which includes the act
   ual ABSTRACTS  [ unless that's been changed recently ]

4. If you are doing privately funded research [ ie, a project for 3M or GM,
   where the results of the research will be available only to that company ]
   you can't use the academic discount plan. You have to pay the full cost of t
   the search. The results MUST be intended for publication in the open literat
   ure.
5. The customer service people at STN are very [ underlined ] good. Just had to
   use them myself to sort out a billing problem  [ which turned out to be our
   screwup, not theirs ].

   Hopefully, I don't have too many inaccuracies in the above comments.

   Would suggest you contact the STN service people for detailed info on their
   services:

       AMIRA BERNSTEIN        614-447-3751  [ FAX ]
                            1-800-753-4CAS  [ PHONE ]
                            ASB83@CAS.ORG

  SUMMARY

  THEY'RE GOOD, THEY'RE REALLY PROVIDING SOMETHING MY STUDENTS AND FACULTY

  NEED, AND I'M IMPRESSED.  Anyone familiar with DIALOG will be comfortable
  with the STN system.

   Ed Perry             306-585-4294
                        306-586-9862 [ fax ]
                        PERRYEDW@MAX.CC.UREGINA.CA
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: (no subject given)