Technical Notes - e1

Now Available LocatorPlus Tutorial! - e2

New MeSH Browser Available on the Web - e3

NLM Discontinues Direct Access to ELHILL and TOXNET Command/Menu Systems on September 30, 1999 - e4

Citing Articles in Journals Published in Print and on the Web - e5

Hands On - e6

Next Generation Gateway - e7

All direct public access to ELHILL and the TOXNET command/menu system will cease on September 30, 1999. All DOS, Windows and Macintosh versions of Grateful Med will cease functioning as of September 30, 1999 because they access ELHILL. NLM provides free Web access to all its databases and users have been encouraged to transition to the Web for more than a year.

Web-based Alternatives to ELHILL
ELHILL, NLM's legacy computer retrieval system, which has provided command language access for a fee for almost 30 (!) years will be closed to the public permanently. All users will need to use one of NLM's Web-based search engines, PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed) or Internet Grateful Med (http://igm.nlm.nih.gov [Editor's Note: This link was deleted because it is no longer valid.]) for their database searching. Currently, PubMed provides access to MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE, and publisher-supplied citations. Internet Grateful Med (IGM) provides access to MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE, and publisher-supplied citations through the PubMed retrieval system. In addition, the following databases are currently available from IGM: AIDSLINE, AIDSDRUGS, AIDSTRIALS, BIOETHICSLINE, ChemID, DIRLINE, HealthSTAR, HISTLINE, HSRPROJ, OLDMEDLINE, POPLINE, SDILINE, SPACELINE, and TOXLINE. MeSH data may be found on the MeSH browser at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html. Data previously available in AVLINE, CATLINE, and SERLINE are now available on NLM's new Integrated Library System, NLM LocatorPlus, at http://locatorplus.gov/.

Automatic SDIs and Offline Prints Discontinued
Once ELHILL access is discontinued, billed User ID codes will no longer function and users will no longer be able to request offline prints or Automatic SDIs from NLM. However, users can now generate their own SDIs free-of-charge by using the SDILINE database in Internet Grateful Med. IGM currently has just developed a stored search capability that can be used to generate SDIs; documentation on this new feature will be published shortly. NLM also expects to have a stored search feature available as part of PubMed's cubby service (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=Books&cmd=Search&term=my%20ncbi%20AND%20helppubmed%5Bbook%5D&doptcmdl=TOCView) to replace ELHILL'S SDI function, before ELHILL is discontinued. Availability of this feature will be announced in PubMed and in this publication. Most users are already printing their search results free-of-charge in lieu of using the offline print feature.

TOXNET Billed Access Discontinued
Also on September 30, 1999 billed access to TOXNET databases will cease. TOXNET databases are now available on the Web at http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov. As announced in a Technical Note (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd98/nd98_technote.html#rtecs) in the November-December 1998 NLM Technical Bulletin, NLM discontinued free TOXNET Web access to the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) on November 13, 1998. This action was taken at the request of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which produces RTECS. RTECS searchers can contact NIOSH at 1-800-35-NIOSH or visit the NIOSH Web site (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html) to find information on registering for access to RTECS on other systems.

Issuing of Billed Codes Discontinued
Effective immediately, NLM will no longer issue new billed codes and on May 1 the online registration system will cease. Existing codes will continue to work for IGM's personal journal list feature. Internet Grateful Med is developing a new version to be available in the coming weeks that will allow a user to store a personal journal list under a Loansome Doc User ID. It is expected this change will not affect users with a current personal journal list.

Billing Information
NTIS will process and distribute final MEDLARS bills in mid-October for the July-August-September 1999 quarterly billing cycle.

Training to Use PubMed, IGM, TOXNET on the Web, and LocatorPlus
NLM appreciates its users' loyalty to ELHILL. However, the time has come to let go of this groundbreaking and incredibly durable search system and embrace the Web-based search engines that will take us into the future. Information on classes for using PubMed, IGM and TOXNET on the Web is available at http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/mar/online/schedule.html and self-instructional training manuals may be downloaded from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/web_based.html. A tutorial on using the new LocatorPlus is available at http://locatorplus.gov/tutorials.html. Stay tuned for an article on LocatorPlus to appear shortly in the NLM Technical Bulletin. Please send your comments or questions to custserv@nlm.nih.gov.

--prepared by Toby Port

MEDLARS Management Section

Next article

Table of contents

Home

Index