Network News 12 (November 24, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/nnews/nnews-12 Document: Network News - #12 List: nnews from listserv@ndsuvm1.bitnet or listserv@vm1.nodak.edu Archive: via listserv or ftp from vm1.nodak.edu in nnews directory Date: November 24, 1993 Comments: noonan@msus1.msus.edu Copyright: 1993 Dana Noonan Permission granted to redistribute the unmodified version of this newsletter provided no fee is charged for it. =============================================================================== N N N N EEEEE W W SSSSS NN N NN N E W W S N N N N N N EEE W W W SSSSS N NN N NN E WW WW S N N N N EEEEE W W SSSSS =============================================================================== an update to libraries and information resources on the Internet sponsored by Metronet =============================================================================== Number 12 NETWORK-NEWS November 1993 TABLE OF CONTENTS: New Internet Connections Public Library Catalogs Online Catalogs - a wish list Keeping up with the Internet Down the Gopher hole... just for laughs Recommended Reading Special Collections Revisited Metronet- the list ======================== NEW INTERNET CONNECTIONS ======================== Some of the MELSA funded internet connections for libraries in the Twin Cities are now available: CARVER COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY Opac: DRA Telnet carver.lib.mn.us Logon: type search Logoff: type quit Note: Keyword searching is not available DAKOTA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY Opac: Dynix Telnet dakota.lib.mn.us Logon: type library Logoff: from main menu Community Resource database, local newspaper index RAMSEY COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY Opac: Dynix Telnet ramsey.lib.mn.us Logon: type library Logoff: from main menu Community Resource database SCOTT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY Opac: DRA Telnet scott.lib.mn.us Logon: type library Logoff: type quit Note: Keyword searching is not available. WASHINGTON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY Opac: Dynix Telnet wcm.washington.lib.mn.us Logon: type library Logoff: from main menu Address change: MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES (PALS) Opac: PALS Telnet pals.msus.edu Logon: none Logoff: type $$SOFF ========================= PUBLIC LIBRARIES CATALOGS ========================= Public libraries are faced with the challenge of connecting to the Internet, making sense of its diverse resources, and figuring out how to make these resources available to the communities they serve. Unlike the academic libraries that dominate the net and its conversations public libraries seek to provide service to everyone in a community: the toddler, the student of all ages, the entrepreneur, the consumer, and both the insiders and outsiders of our society. To get a feel for the how some public libraries view their mission, read Seattle Public Library's Mission Statement which is available on its online catalog system. You have to like a organization that sets out to be "the best public library in the world by being so tuned in to the people we serve and so supportive of each other's efforts that we are able to provide highly responsive service" and encourages both staff and patrons "to laugh often and out loud." Many public libraries are adding value to the online catalog by providing access to a variety of commercial and in-house resources. Vancouver Public Library's Quick Reference File is a treasure house of information. The list of Canadian Prime Ministers was searched on 10/29 and it already included the prime minister elect. This file shows consider time and effort in selecting, entering and updating a wide variety of useful information. Cleveland Public Library uses a Gopher to provide an array of Internet services to the public. The motto at the top is "Open shelves, open minds...". The gopher organization mirrors the familiar layout of many urban central libraries so it should be easy for users to find the materials they need. Patrons (not Internet visitors) enjoy access to a selection commercial databases. Some public libraries are pioneering efforts to provide improved service through online collaboration with other libraries in a region. The outstanding example of this is the Portals system in Oregon. By working together libraries are attempting to "create the capabilities of an electronically accessible research library through shared resources of both public and private institutions." The list of public libraries on the net is expanding rapidly. The following libraries, located in urban centers in the United States and Canada, are worth checking out. Major Public Libraries in the United States ------------------------------------------- Altanta-Fulton Public Library (CARL) Telnet pac.carl.org Logon: Login: type pac Select vt100 Select Other Library Systems Select Atlanta Public Library Logoff: type //exit Boston Public Library (CARL) via Boston Library Consortium Telnet blc.lrc.northeastern.edu Logon: Select BLC Select VT100 Logoff: Type //exit Note: Currently contains only serial holdings Carnegie Library of Pittsburg Telnet clp2.clpgh.org (192.204.3.2) Logon: Username: type catalog Select VT100 Logoff: Type quit Chicago Public Library via Illinet Telnet illinet.aiss.uiuc.edu Logon: type b and hit RETURN Select Illinet (1) Select IOMENU (3) Hit TAB and type CPL (or 45) Logoff: Type m then hit x twice Cleveland Public Library (DRA) Telnet library.cpl.org (192.58.246.4) Logon: Hit CTRL-Z Logoff: From catalog: Hit CTRL-Z; from gopher: hit q Gopher front-end Denver Public Library (CARL) Telnet pac.carl.org Logon: Login: type pac Select vt100 Select Denver Public Library Logoff: type //exit Detroit Public Library (Notis) vai DALNET Telnet cts.merit.edu (35.1.48.149) Logon: Which host? type wsunet Type vt100 Type luis Type luis Logoff: Type stop then logoff Hartford Public Library (CARL) Telnet pac.carl.org Logon: Login: type pac Select vt100 Select Other Library Systems Select Capitol Region Library Council Select Hartford Public Library Logoff: type //exit Houston Public Library (CARL) Telnet pac.carl.org Logon: Login: type pac Select vt100 Select Other Library Systems Select Houston Area Library Automation Network Select Houston Public Library Logoff: type //exit Los Angeles Public Library (CARL) Telnet pac.carl.org Logon: Login: type pac Select vt100 Select Other Library Systems Select Los Angeles Public Library Logoff: type //exit Multnomah County Library (Dynix) Telnet 192.220.128.20 Logon: Type fastcat Logoff: Hit CRTL-T Site: Portland, OR New York Public Library Telnet nyplgate.nypl.org (149.123.1.2) Logon: Login: type nypl Select 1 Logoff: Type Q then exit from main menu Access to NYPL Dance Collection, Research Libraries Catalog, MILCS Regional Catalog PORTALS - Portland Area Library System Telnet portals1.lib.pdx.edu or 131.252.129.60 Logon: None Logoff: Type q Joint venture of public and private libraries in Portland, OR Seattle Public Library (Dynix) Telnet spl.lib.wa.us (192.137.180.2) Logon: Login: type library Select vt100 Logoff: from main menu Community information, selected internet resources Canadian Public Libraries ------------------------- Ottawa Public Library (DRA) Telnet ottlib.carleton.ca (134.117.1.28) Logoff: Hit Ctrl-Z then select exit Regina Public Library (Geac) Telnet opc.rpl.regina.sk.ca (192.197.209.10) Logoff: Type end Saskatoon Public Library (DRA) Telnet charly.publib.saskatoon.sk.ca (192.197.206.1) Logon: Username: type public PAC>> type pac Logoff: type exit then quit Vancouver Public Library (Dynix) Telnet vpl.vancouver.bc.ca (134.87.100.1) Logon: login: type netpac password: type netpac1 Select vt100 Logoff: from main menu Community information, city council minutes, consumer index Quick reference file (superb!!) ============================= ONLINE CATALOGS - A WISH LIST ============================= The following table is from the revised version of Accessing Online Library Catalogs - the guide I use in my introductory workshop at Metropolitan State University. Note: not all online catalog systems offer all the options noted below. Online Catalog Card Catalog Coverage varies varies Author, title and subject searches X X Keyword searches X Call and other number searches X Limit searches by date, format, language, etc. X Boolean searches X User selectable display format (limited) X Context sensitive help (sort of) X Capture/download search results to disk X Additional databases varies Available only when the library is open X Available even when the library is closed X This table shows the power and flexibility of the online catalog as an alternative to the earlier card/book/fische catalogs. Unfortunately most online catalog software programs show the signs of their age and close ties with dumb terminals. Wishlist for the user: 1. A break key. How many times have you waited for the system to tell you that it couldn't locate anything when you already saw the typo? 2. User definable records. 3. Support for remote access and all it entails. 1. True multi-record scrolling of output. 2. ASCII and and tagged output for downloading. 3. Support for the equivalent of offline readers used on some bulletin boards. Design your search offline, upload it, wait just a bit, and download the search results to examine at your leisure. 4. Better online help - truly context sensitive. 5. Support both expert and casual users. Make both menu and command searching available. 6. List of library staff contacts - both email and/telephone numbers. 7. Information about the library and its collection. With the exception of one opac (which shall remain nameless) none of the online catalog programs that I am familiar with make the mistake of over-estimating their users' abilities - instead users are treated like the (dumb) terminals they supposedly use. Online searches can mirror and extend complex thought patterns - even lead to new and more interesting conceptual combinations. ============================ KEEPING UP WITH THE INTERNET ============================ It seems that very couple of weeks a new service is announced with the stated purpose of tracking Internet resources. Some specialize while others try to cover everything. All present wonderful opportunities for forward-itis - a well-known disease of special interest lists. If you want to keep-up without being overwhelmed, subscribe to the following lists. For regular updates about new Internet services and online catalogs, subscribe to HYTEL-L. This list distributes updates and new additions to Peter Scott's Hytelnet system. It is the best single source for information about new telnet connections on the Internet. Send your subscription to listserv@kentvm.bitnet. For just about everything else subscribe to Net-Happenings-Gleason Sackman's gleanings from a variety of lists and information services. Send your subscription requests to listserv@is.internic.net. ======================================= DOWN THE GOPHER HOLE... JUST FOR LAUGHS ======================================= In each newsletter I try to mention some mildly entertaining or interesting spots I have found around the Internet. Given the number of other folks who try to do the same thing my fund of little known hot spots hasn't been as helpful in putting together this issue. So I turned to gopher and more specifically a veronica search for neat stuff. I searched for neat (76 entries), hot (700+ entries), cool (600+ entries) and stuff (1400+ entries). I managed to resist the urge to look at all the entries and just sampled them. My not too scientific findings: 1. There is evidence of humor to be found on the net. The Minnesota Women's Center database can be found under "Hot Flashes." 2. X-mosaic must be cool and neat too - at least according to the gopher menu descriptions. 3. Some gopher gurus move lots of stuff to tape back-up but leave the pointers behind to see how "hot" they can make gopher users around the world. One thread of messages I really wanted to read was "Re: women: neat toys." The title suggests all kinds of interesting possibilities. Unfortunately the items were not really avaiable on the gopher. Perhaps someone else will start a thread about "Re: men: neat toys" or "Re: humans: neat toys" in time for Christmas shopping. 4. Lots of folks have quite different ideas of what constitutes neat stuff. Who would have thought that the CIA World Fact Book of 1992 or a 1991 copy of Yanoff's list were neat? Or the Clinton Health plan? 5. It's possible to find stuff you wish you hadn't such as a suggestion that some porno flicks would be good for use with grade school children. 6. One of the most intriguing entries under "neat stuff" was an message about the use of the longbow during the middle ages. It raised all kinds of questions that inquiring minds want answers for, such as: Just how many arrows did the Harry carry? Did Dick pick up the arrows that missed their targets? Unfortunately, the longbow enthusiasts might not realize that their veronica searches should focus on "neat stuff." =================== RECOMMENDED READING =================== "Learning about the Internet Online" by Janet L. Balas, Computers in Libraries, October 1993. Reviews two of my favorite bulletin board systems: the Library User Network and MetroLine as sources of information about Internet. "Surfing the Internet for the History of Medicine" by Peter Hirtle of the National Archives is available via anonymous FTP from FTP Beach.UTMB.Edu in directory: CADUCEUS as file: Hist_Med.Resources. Papers from the 7th Biennial VALA Conference and Exhibition: DRINKING FROM A FIRE HOSE : MANAGING NETWORKED INFORMATION. The Conference was held in Melbourne, Australia in early November. A number of the conference papers at available on the La Trobe University Gopher. My favorite was Craig Anderson's "Public Library Use and the Internet" which explores both American and Australian approaches to the topic. The papers by Andrew Treloar and Linda O'Brien are also worth reading. Papers from the Harvard Conference on Public Access to the Internet are available on the Merit Gopher (nic.merit.edu 70). Under Strategic Environment for Digital Networking you will find a really interesting paper - in spite of its title - "Internet Architectural and Policy Implications for Migration from High End User to Low End User" by Terrance P. McGarty, Carole Haywood, and Michael Einhorn. Another very useful paper is "The Role of Public Libraries in Providing Public Access to the Internet" by Carol C. Henderson. ============================= SPECIAL COLLECTIONS REVISITED ============================= Thanks to the many readers that suggested additions to the list of special collections. The expanded list and related subject index will be incorporated in the next edition of A Guide to Internet/Bitnet. The new guide will be available in late December or early January. One piece of obvious advice was missing from the "How to find special collections" list: ask a librarian for suggestions. Librarians are familiar with not only the standard references on subject collections but may also have personal knowledge of subject strengths and special collections in your area. ==================== METRONET - THE LIST ==================== The METRONET list is for discussion of issues related to libraries and information centers in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Greater Minnesota, and beyond. The list also distributes MetroFax (weekly) and MetroBriefs (monthly). The list is sponsored by Metronet - a multi-type library organization serving academic, public, and special libraries in the region. Archives of METRONET and related files are stored in the METRONET FILELIST. To receive a list of files send the command INDEX METRONET to: LISTSERV@ndusvm1.bitnet or listserv@vm1.nodak.edu. To subscribe to METRONET, send the following command to LISTSERV@ndsuvm1 or LISTSERV@vm1.nodak.edu in the BODY of e-mail: SUBSCRIBE Metronet yourfirstname yourlastname For example: SUBSCRIBE METRONET Alexander Ramsey =============================================================================== Please do NOT reply directly to the list or this newsletter. Send corrections and/or comments to: Dana Noonan Metronet (612) 825-9312 (612) 224-4801 noonan@msus1.msus.edu (612) 224-4827 (fax) Library User Network BBS (612) 772-7635 Metroline BBS (612) 224-8086 =============================================================================== Metronet >--< linking Twin Cities area libraries and media centers