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_Current_Cites_
Volume 5, no. 7
July 1994
Information Systems Instruction & Support
The Library
University of California, Berkeley
Edited by Teri Andrews Rinne
ISSN: 1060-2356
Contributors:
John Ober, Margaret Phillips, David Rez, Richard Rinehart,
Teri Rinne, Roy Tennant
Electronic Publishing
Price-Wilkin, John. "Using the World-Wide Web to Deliver Complex
Electronic Documents: Implications for Libraries." The Public-Access
Computer Systems Review 5(3) (1994):5-21. [URL: gopher://info.lib.uh.
edu:70/00/articles/e-journals/uhlibrary/pacsreview/v5/n3/pricewil.5n3]
-- The University of Virginia is clearly on the forefront of using
existing and emerging standards for electronic text markup (e.g.,
SGML, HTML) to deliver rich (marked up) text and images to its users
and the Internet at large. This article briefly describes the
technologies used by the University of Virginia Library's Digital
Image Center, and provides a series of specific examples of how
scholars have used these capabilities to create interesting and
instructive online works. For those with access to NCSA Mosaic or a
similar World-Wide Web browser, at least some of the URLs provided
in this article should be explored for some excellent examples
of what is possible using existing technology. Price-Wilkin and his
colleagues are definitely pushing the envelope and anyone who is
working in the SGML/HTML/WWW arena would do well to pay attention
to what they are doing at the University of Virginia. -- RT
Wilson, David L. "Creating Electronic Texts" Chronicle of Higher
Education 40(41) (June 15, 1994):A19+. -- This article provides an
overview of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) that attempts to
develop a set of international standards for producing electronic
texts. Proposed by a panel of scholars, these guidelines are
expected to benefit researchers, librarians and archivists. -- MP
Multimedia and Hypermedia
Lazarus, Anthony. "School's Out on CD-ROM: Private Developer
Invests in Public Education" Digital Media 4(1) (June 8, 1994):
37. -- San Francisco State University's multimedia program has
received an interesting arrangement for funding from a private
CD-ROM publisher. the Interactivity Research Lab at SFSU
recently entered into an agreement with Wadsworth publishing
and Haukom Associates to produce 3 new CD-ROM titles based on
their educational experience. The CD-ROM titles will cover an
intro to multimedia, as well as designing and producing
multimedia titles. The agreement is notable because it was not
a grant that the university is using to fund a broad project,
but rather each student and faculty member who works on the
project will be compensated and share in the profit from sales.
The titles may be marketed toward other institutions with
multimedia programs, but will not be limited in focus to
educational institutions. Of course this brings up the obvious
issues of control over academic programs, and although private
funding is nothing new to universities, this direct arrangement
poses new implications as well as possibilities for new digital
media programs. The actual titles produced will hopefully be of
equal interest to this novel funding arrangement. -- RR
Peterson, Norman, and Wilhelm, Laurn. "Multimedia in a
Traditional Library Setting" Computers in Libraries 14(6) (June
1994):23-26 -- The main issue this article deals with is
integrating information technology into the educational process.
In a very clear manner, the authors explain that the first step
should be to integrate this new technology into the education
of teachers. To accomplish this, the education program at the
University of Wyoming entered into a partnership with the
library to provide a computer laboratory for students of
education, and for pilot classes they may teach to local high
school students. The crux as they saw it was that multimedia
needed to be used as a tool in learning, and not necessarily a
subject itself, nor as merely an add-on to traditional ways of
educating. Seeing digital technology as a tool helped the
decision to locate the laboratory where other learning tools are
located: the library. Placing the tools within the library eased
issues of access, and leveraged use of scarce computer resources
among many programs. The article is very useful in its outline of
the issues raised in integrating new technology into education,
and as a guide for setting up an educational computer laboratory.
-- RR
Networks and Networking
Andreessen, Marc and Eric Bina. "NCSA Mosaic: A Global Hypermedia
System" Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and
Policy 4(1) (Spring 1994):7-17. -- In this overview article, two
of the developers of the NCSA Mosaic World-Wide Web client program
describe what has been referred to as the "killer" Internet
application. Unfortunately, the article does nothing to dispel the
common misconception that Mosaic is equivalent to the World-Wide
Web and vice versa. In fact, it may add to the confusion by implying
that the World-Wide Web (HTTP) servers that are used as examples in
the article can only be accessed via Mosaic. Nonetheless this
article can serve as a useful overview of Mosaic, examples of its
use, and future capabilities. -- RT
Dowling, Thomas. "Internet Resources for Engineering" College
and Research Libraries News 55(6) (June 1994): 52-353+. -- Another
in the regular series of articles in C&RL News that lists essential
Internet resources in specific academic disciplines. This article
focuses on resources in engineering. -- MP
Frazer, Karen D. "Congress Watch: An Update on Current National
Information Infrastructure (NII) Legislation" NSF Network News
1(2) (May/June 1994):2,7.
[URL:http://www.internic.net/newsletter/may-june94/congress.html]
Frazer describes major categories of NII concern, including
Regulatory Reform, Universal Access, Security and Privacy,
Intellectual Property, and Access to Government Information, while
also providing a summary table of current legislation. This is one
of several articles in this valuable overview of network activity
published bimonthly by the InterNIC. -- JLO
Kessler, Jack. "Networked Information in France, 1993: The Internet's
Future?" Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and
Policy 4(1) (Spring 1994):18-30. -- In this entertaining and insightful
article, Kessler examines four major issues and events that are related
to the present and future state of French networking: 1) the
Bibliotheque de France, 2) the Bibliotheque des Arts, 3) the Minitel,
and 4) the French publishing industry. Kessler compares French
networking with the U.S. Internet and muses on the differences of these
models and the likelihood of one or the other proving to be replicable
in other nations. -- RT
McClure, Charles R., John Carlo Bertot, and Douglas L. Zweizig.
_Public Libraries and the Internet: Study Results, Policy Issues,
and Recommendations_ June, 1994. Available from the U.S. National
Commission on Libraries and Information Science. -- This final report
of a study commissioned by the National Commission on Libraries and
Information Science provides few surprises in results (e.g. 20.9% of
U.S. public libraries are connected to the Internet, though libraries
serving larger communities are more likely to have access than those
serving smaller communities; there are significant regional variations
in access) but does provide thorough and readable sections outlining
issues and making recommendations. Here the authors use the extensive
survey to support a list which includes suggestions for policy makers
(e.g. "Promote Statewide Networks," "Use Public Libraries to Deliver
Government Information and Services") and for public librarians
themselves (e.g. "Increase Knowledge and Training Related to the
Internet," "Collaborate with Other Local Organizations"). -- JLO
"Putting the Information Infrastructure to Work: A Report of the
Information Infrastructure Task Force's Committee on Applications
and Technology" Committee on Applications and Technology of the
Information Infrastructure Task Force, 1994.
[URL: gopher://iitfcat.nist.gov:95/0/.catitem/Library]
-- This "draft for public comment" is an interesting source of
the scope and assumptions underlying the NII. There is a specific
section about libraries which begins with the sublime --
"Policymakers must determine how to sustain, in the electronic
age, the democratic and equal access to information that free
public libraries have provided in the age of print" (Librarian
of Congress, James H. Billington) -- and concludes with the
straightforward -- "libraries are central to the success of the
NII." In between, sections describe the "application arena" of
libraries, the current state of networking and libraries, some
goals and objectives, and finally name strategies by which to
move from the present to the envisioned future. A version of the
library portion of the document has been marked up in HTML, for
access through World-Wide Web clients, by Nick Arnett at
Multimedia Computing Corporation. This better formatted version,
with some embedded links to other named sources, is available at
http://www.portal.com/~nicka/libnii.html. The document has already
generated discussion and comment, some of which is available
through the Internet. The interested reader might check, for example,
the _ALA Washington Office Newsline_ 3(31) (July 11, 1994) for the
ALA draft response to the paper (available on the ALA gopher at
[URL: gopher://gopher.uic.edu:70/11/library/ala/ala-xi/40712000]).
-- JLO
Rinaldi, Arlene. _The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette_ Florida
Atlantic University, July 1994. [URL: ftp://ftp.lib.berkeley.edu/
pub/net.training/FAU/netiquette.txt, .ps, netbrochure.ps] -- This
succinct yet thorough guide to network etiquette is a useful
compendium of tips and guidelines for all network users. It comes
in three formats: 1) a brochure PostScript format that is designed
to be copied on two sides of one sheet of paper and folded, 2) a
full-sized formatted document of nine pages in PostScript format,
and 3) a straight text version. The brochure format is handiest for
distributing to a class or a group of users, but the print size is
fairly small. -- RT
Tennant, Roy, John Ober and Anne G. Lipow. _Crossing the Internet
Threshold: An Instructional Handbook_. 2nd Ed. Berkeley, Library
Solutions Press, 1994. -- An updated edition of the popular handbook
that was one of the first to provide information professionals with
a structured approach to teaching the Internet. The second edition of
_Crossing the Internet Threshold_ once again proves to be an important
resource that provides a practical, organized and informative
introduction to the Internet. Designed as both a self-paced workbook
for new users and a guidebook for teachers, the second edition includes
new chapters on Gopher, World-Wide Web and WAIS as well as an expanded
glossary, updated exercises in e-mail, telnet and ftp, and more slides
that can be copied onto transparencies. -- MP
Veljkov, Mark D. and George Hartnell. Pocket Guides to the Internet
Westport, CT : Mecklermedia, 1994: v. 1. Telnetting; v. 2. Transferring
Files with File Transfer Protocol; v. 3. Using and Navigating Usenet; v.
4. The Internet E-mail System; v. 5. Internet Utilities; v. 6. Terminal
Connections. -- With an increasing number of Internet "guides" showing up
on the bookstore shelves these six brief volumes may be unique by living
up to their billing as "handy instructional reference" tools for the
Internet. Each of the six volumes is small enough (averaging 56 pages)
to allow the user to quickly familiarize themselves with its contents.
These pocket guides are more useful to beginning and intermediate
Internet users rather than experienced Internet surfers. -- DR
Wielhorski, Karen. "Teaching Remote Users How to Use Electronic
Information Resources" The Public-Access Computer Systems
Review 5(4) (1994):5-20. [URL: gopher://info.lib.uh.edu:70/00/
articles/e-journals/uhlibrary/pacsreview/v5/n4/wielhors.5n4]
-- Wielhorski begins with a brief history of remote access to
electronic information. She follows it with a discussion of remote users
and a suggested categorization of their needs. Other topics discussed
include the respective roles of the library and campus computing center
in training remote users, which concepts should be covered, and how the
instruction should be delivered. Overall, this is an excellent overview
article of the challenges of instructing remote users and the ways in
which to meet that challenge. -- RT
Wilson, David L. "Metering the Internet" Chronicle of Higher Education
40(39) (June 1, 1994), A17-A19. -- This article offers an overview of
the recent controversy surrounding a potential change in the Internet
pricing system. As the National Science Foundation plans to transfer
control of its key traffic areas -- the so-called NSF backbone -- to
the private sector, a movement that calls on the NSF to prohibit private
companies from adopting any kind of usage-based pricing (as opposed to
the flat rates currently in practice) is gaining momentum among consumer
advocates and other net users. Proponents of volume-based pricing argue
that metered pricing may be necessary to discourage unnecessary traffic
on the Internet; they also argue that metered pricing is unlikely to be
applied directly to individual users. -- MP
Optical Disc Technology
Burke, David. "What You Need to Know Before Networking CD-ROMs" CD-ROM
World 14(6) (June 1994):16-22. -- Systems librarian Burke argues that
while some may view CD-ROM as a transitional storage medium, "those
shiny little discs will be a part of our lives--and our networks--for
a long time to come." With that in mind, Burke proceeds to describe
in detail the necessary steps to the "all-encompassing task" of
providing networked access to CD-ROM. These steps include selecting
a networked CD-ROM product, configuring the workstation, choosing
(or creating) the user interface to CD-ROM database selection,
deciding what to do about printing, and ensuring network security.
-- TR
General
Ensor, Pat. "SilverPlatter Embraces the Future: The Electronic
Reference Library Becomes a Reality" Computers in Libraries
14(6) (June 1994):28-31. -- This article outlines one solution to
the growing problem of libraries presenting users with multiple
interfaces to digital resources. The ideal solution is to have
one user interface for access to all of a library's computer-based
resources, whether they be CD-ROMs, Internet sites, or databases
on a local hard disk. These differing technologies and to some
extent the variety of content demand otherwise, but SilverPlatter
has made a valiant effort at unification, at least at the initial
user-access point. The Electronic Reference Library is a
software package available free to institutions that have
SilverPlatter titles already. It uses a client/server model to
deliver a front end to a LAN, from which point it branches out
to further access points. Each workstation can be configured
to access only those resources appropriate for its use,
and ERL supports remote access as well. ERL does not currently
support many protocols that are called 'standards' (Z39.50 is
one) but it will try to incorporate these in the future. This
last issue will be crucial in deciding the usefulness of a
universal access-point interface, but SilverPlatter has shown a
promising direction for software vendors targeting
information-providing institutions. -- RR
News Bits
"Current Contents of Computing and LIS Journals" College and Research
Libraries News 55(6) (June 1994). [URL: gopher://ukoln.bath.ac.uk:7070/
11/BUBL_Main_Menu/E] -- This valuable resource provides tables of
contents for a wide range of library and information science
publications and includes a small number of computing publications as
well. In some cases, short abstracts of the articles are provided. This
resource is a cooperative venture of library and information
professionals around the world, with contents transcribed and submitted
by volunteers. The tables of contents are searchable with the gopher
search facility, allowing the user to search the entire text of the
tables of contents, including abstracts when available, with keywords
and boolean operators. The only drawback to the system is its uneven
currency. While entries for some journal titles are up-to-date, others
lag behind by six months to a year. -- TR
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Current Cites 5(7) (July 1994) ISSN: 1060-2356
Copyright (C) 1994 by the Library, University of
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