AgeLine Database

AgeLine is a free, searchable database produced by AARP that contains original abstracts of the literature of social gerontology, as well as aging-related research from psychology, sociology, social work, economics, public policy, and the health sciences. AgeLine summarizes journal articles, books and book chapters, research reports, dissertations, "gray literature," and educational videos from hundreds of publishers and organizations around the world, and includes links to thousands of full-text documents. It currently contains over 90,000 citations, with more than 5,000 new items added each year. It is available free at www.aarp.org/ageline [1]

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History

AgeLine evolved from the Service Center for Aging Information (SCAN) system operated by the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) from 1978 to 1982. SCAN was an offshoot of the National Clearinghouse on Aging at AoA (created by Clark Tibbitts in 1973). AARP became sole producer of the database in 1983 and renamed it AgeLine. It is produced by AARP's Research Information Center (Library). [2]

Using AgeLine

AgeLine can be used to research any topic related to aging and the field of gerontology. Unlike general search engine results, which can feature a large number of false or marginal hits, an AgeLine search will provide a more limited number of results that focus on the keywords searched. AgeLine has 4 search modes--Basic, Advanced, Multiple Options, and Subject--along with a browsable "Searches to Go" feature (prepackaged annotated bibliographies on over 100 topics). [3]

AgeLine Thesaurus of Aging Terminology

All material included in AgeLine is indexed with AARP's Thesaurus of Aging Terminology, which contains over 2,000 descriptors (keywords) covering the field of aging. The latest (eighth) edition of the Thesaurus was published in 2005.[4]