In the fall of 1988, a survey was conducted to evaluate the adoption of CD-ROM systems in U.S. colleges and universities by examining which major CD-ROM databases were available through the reference departments of academic libraries. The sample was composed of 200 institutions of higher education offering graduate degrees in psychology. The survey form was sent to the database coordinator at each institution, with a 65% response rate. ERIC was found to be most often cited, with 49% of the respondents reporting availability of this database on CD-ROM. Other bibliographic databases cited include: PsychLIT (20%); INFOTRAC/INFOTRACII (18%); Social Science Index (8%); Compact Disclosure (8%); Business Periodicals Index (7%); Books in Print Plus (7%); Dissertation Abstracts (5%); Reader's Guide (5%); MEDLINE (5%); and Newsbank (5%). No CD-ROMS were reportedly available at 29% of the academic libraries. Responses on the comments section of the survey indicate that CD-ROM technology is being cautiously adopted by academic libraries, largely because of the high costs of installation and maintenance. It was also found that some institutions are concerned that the present CD-ROM technology will become rapidly outdated. It is suggested that academic libraries should consider purchasing CD-ROM databases in the behavioral and social sciences. (9 references) (SD)