Dr. Kukuko Hayamizu announces the opening of the spectral database system (SDBS) developed by the National Institute of Materials and Chemical Research in Japan on the WWW. This free, searchable database system at presently contains both 1H and 13C spectra and assignments for more than 12000 compounds. It also contains MS spectra. In future the website will also contain IR and ESR spectra. The WWW address is http://www.aist.go.jp/index_en.html.