ProceedingsFirst and PapersFirst Now Available on FirstSearch and EPIC.

The article reports that OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. has added two new databases to its reference services, FirstSearch and EPIC. ProceedingsFirst and PapersFirst index conference papers, sources of leading-edge research. ProceedingsFirst offers tables of contents and lists papers from worldwide conferences, professional meetings and symposia and provides an overview of the activities at such meetings. PapersFirst indexes individual papers presented at conferences, symposia and meetings worldwide. In PapersFirst, each paper is described with keywords and a description of up to 1,500 characters. The file is expected to grow by 500,000 papers each year. ProceedingsFirst and PapersFirst are available on a per-search basis, through subscription and as part of the FirstSearch Base Package. The FirstSearch service is designed for library patrons, with an end-user interface that allows patrons to move easily through the online search process in just a few steps, without training or online searching experience.