Library Information Services

U. Grothkopf (Michold), M. Cummins, J. M. Watson, J. Holmquist & R. Shobbrook

Although more and more information is being made available over the Internet, for many subject areas it is still true that reliable bibliographic information can only be found in the various commercial databases. Fortunately, astronomy is an exception in this regard. Thanks to many national and international projects as well as to the personal initiative of astronomers, computer scientists, librarians and publishers, members of the astronomical community can make use of a variety of non-commercial bibliographic resources on the Internet.

As commercial databases have been described in detail before (see e.g. Watson 1991), this chapter will concentrate on Library information services that require neither an account nor a password and do not charge fees according to the connecting time or the number of data sets that are displayed or downloaded.

The idea of using only one single database to answer all kinds of information needs for bibliographical purposes will remain a dream for a while. However, it is hoped that access to the various databases will become even smoother and more unified.

The following items are discussed in the printed chapter:

  • Library Catalogs and Holdings
  • Indexing and Abstract Services
  • Preprint Services
  • Electronic Journals and Newsletters
  • Alerting Services
  • Commercial Databases
  • Informal Networking
  • Use of a Thesaurus for On-Line Searching
  • Access pointers

    AstroWeb

    Library Catalogs and Services

    ADS (Astrophysics Data System) Abstract Service
    American Astronomical Society (AAS)
    Astronomical Observatory Trieste (OAT) library
    Bologna Astrophysical preprints
    Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) library
    Preprints (of CFHT staff)
    CDS (Centre de Données astronomique de Strasbourg)
    CDS Service of Abstracts (A & A, A & A Suppl. Ser.)
    CDS Service of Abstracts (PASP)
    Center for Astrophysics library
    Center for Astrophysics indexes to ApJ, AJ, and PASP
    Center for Astrophysics ApJ Letters abstracts
    CERN Preprint Server
    ESIS (European Space Information System), Bibliographic Service (no longer supported)
    European Southern Observatory (ESO) library, library catalog
    European Southern Observatory (ESO) preprints (received from institutes worldwide)
    European Southern Observatory (ESO) preprints and other in-house publications (electronic version)
    Fermilab library, Library catalog
    Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) library
    IAU Astronomy Thesaurus
    International Astronomy Meetings
    Library of Congress, LoC catalog
    Los Alamos e-print server
    NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED)
    National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) library
    National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) RAP Sheets
    National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) preprints and published papers
    Princeton Astrophysics library
    Princeton Observatory preprints
    Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO) library
    SIMBAD astronomical database
    SISSA e-print server or LANL backup
    Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) library, Library catalog also. PASP abstracts since January 1993: anonymous ftp
    Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) STEPsheets
    Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) OLDSTEP
    Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) authored preprints, list of preprints
    Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) library
    Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) HEP preprint database
    STELAR (STudy of Electronic Literature for Astronomical Research)
    Union List of Astronomy Serials (ULAS)
    UnCover or telnet access
    University of Amsterdam, Astronomical Institute (preprints)
    University of Massachusetts departmental abstracts

    General Addresses

    Library Information Servers via WWW
    World Libraries via Telnet

    Newsletters that are available electronically include:

    (where an e-mail address is given, send a message to this address to be added to the mailing list)

    AAS CSWA- Weekly women's issues / AAS Committee on the status of women in astronomy [CSWA]. Contact: Debra Elmgreen
    AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers) Newsletter, Cambridge, Mass.
    American Astronomical Society (AAS) or anonymous ftp includes the AAS Job Register and other AAS documents.
    Information Bulletin on Variable Stars (IBVS)
    NRAO Newsletter
    Star Formation Newsletter ST-ECF Newsletter
    STScI Newsletter

    Bookshops and Publishers

    Addison-Wesley
    American Institute of Physics (AIP)
    Cambridge University Press (CUP)
    Elsevier
    J.F. Lehmanns
    McGraw-Hill
    MIT Press
    O'Reilly
    SPIE
    Springer-Verlag, Springer journals preview service
    University of Chicago Press
    Publishers' Catalogues
    Internet Book Shop
    EUnet Internet Shop


    Abstract from a chapter of Information & On-line data in Astronomy
    Kluwer Academic Publishers, Daniel Egret & Miguel A. Albrecht (Editors)
    Last update: Oct 6, 1995