Author Description

In a recent issue of Scientific American, Ivars Peterson summed up the importance of online information systems to today's scientific and technical community: ``To stay current in a field, whether in mathematics, astronomy, or electrical engineering, you must have access to a computer network. Colleagues can read a paper or report, whether in final or draft form, as soon as it's finished--sometimes even as it's being written. To an astonishing degree, computer networks have already supplanted the more traditional means of formally and informally exchanging scientific ideas and data.'' For the thousands of technical personnel who lack the necessary training or experience, this valuable guide explains step-by-step how to conduct successful online searches with a minimum investment of time, effort, and expense. Harley Bjelland describes the required computer hardware and software, the advantages and disadvantages of available database services, procedures for cost-effective searches, and techniques for evaluating and using information obtained through online systems. Real-world examples illustrate how to take full advantage of a wide variety of databases dedicated to computers, chemistry, physics, electronics, mathematics, and many other disciplines.