An information retrieval terminal that will speed searches for articles and unpublished papers will begin ten days of experimental operation today at the Gutman Library of the Graduate School of Education.

The computer system will have access to all of the approximately 120,000 documents listed in the indexes of the Educational Resources Information Center of the U.S. Office of Education in Washington, D.C.

Scholars who previously have had to search through thousands of documents under broad subject headings will be able to have the computer select only those papers that appear under two or more specified headings.

Time Saver

This will reduce searching time because the computer will choose only documents directly relevant to the desired headings or subjects.

"The computer could save up to three weeks of looking on complicated searches," Malcolm C. Hamilton, head of reference and circulation services at the library, said yesterday.

Gutman now has limited use of a similar system at the Courtway Library of the Medical School. "If there is sufficient call here for computer services, it will perhaps prove economical for us to have our own terminal," Hamilton said.

"However, if use is only limited the costs of the added convenience may be prohibitive," he added.

Free Time

The Lockheed Corporation, which developed the system, is donating 15 free hours of computer time, which will last about ten days. The corporation has not yet specified the costs of the terminal should Gutman decide to retain it.

The cheapest similar system costs $20 for the first 50 selected topics and 8 cents for each thereafter. Some searches may require up to 2000 document listings, at a cost of about $170.

To help subsidize the costs of having the system, the library may be forced to charge a user's fee.

"Each person who uses the computer's services will be asked to evaluate its worth and time saving capabilities," Hamilton said.

"It will be damned expensive, and we have no idea where the money might come from whatever the system finally costs," Hamilton added.