ERIC Number: ED317215
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1987
Pages: 9
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Offline Prints via DIALMAIL: They Ain't Necessarily Cheap.
Durfee, Linda J.
When DIALOG introduced DIALMAIL, its electronic mail service, online searchers were encouraged to use it as an alternative delivery method for offline prints. The new method of retrieval was considered to be fast and described in documentation and reviews as being much less expensive than online types. Performed in June 1987, this study compares the cost of retrieving online types in three DIALOG files to the cost of retrieving the same records offline using DIALMAIL. Using an IBM-PC with random access memory and an on-board Hayes Smartmodem 1200B, Smartcom II, and a Legend 1380 dot matrix printer, sample searches were conducted on ONTAP ERIC, ONTAP PsycINFO, and ONTAP MEDLINE, which are commonly searched online and which represent a range of price schedules. The PsycINFO retrieval via DIALMAIL indicated a 52% savings over DIALOG; however, retrieving ERIC and MEDLINE data via DIALMAIL costs slightly more than the online source. Overall, it is concluded that prints are not consistently less expensive than online types, and searchers are cautioned to do similar cost comparisons for the databases they use most often. (SD)
Publication Type: Book/Product Reviews; Opinion Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A