>From julie@siggraph.csustan.edu Tue Jan 3 14:56:36 1995 Return-Path: Received: from siggraph.csustan.edu by ishi.csustan.edu (NX5.67d/NX3.0S) id AA04993; Tue, 3 Jan 95 14:56:34 -0800 Received: by siggraph.csustan.edu (NX5.67d/NX3.0S) id AA00627; Tue, 3 Jan 95 14:49:59 -0800 Date: Tue, 3 Jan 95 14:49:59 -0800 From: Julie Gorman Message-Id: <9501032249.AA00627@siggraph.csustan.edu> Received: by NeXT.Mailer (1.100) Received: by NeXT Mailer (1.100) To: john@ishi.csustan.edu, lamie@altair.csustan.edu Subject: FYI Status: RO John & Ed, I've had recent discussions with both of you in regards to research on the Internet. I am on the PACS-L@uhupvm1.uh.edu mailing list (it gets a lot of mail) but a majority of the people on it appear to be librarians. Anyway, I though you both might find the following post interesting. julie Begin forwarded message: Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 14:35:53 CST Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum Sender: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum Comments: RFC822 error: Invalid RFC822 field - "(LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 0983; Thu, 29 Dec 1994 19:10:47 -0600". Rest of header flushed. Comments: Resent-From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Dear fellow librarians: As a reference librarian at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania and a long time (2 years) user of the Internet, I have long been struck by how much the Internet could profit from the firm hands of a few dozen experienced librarians. Having recently come back from the Internet World '94 conference, I have begun to realize that commercial services have already rushed in to fill the vacuum. Nevertheless, I propose the following project because I remain stubborn in my commitment to the value of the not-for-profit community and nonpartisonship in the evaluation of information sources. One of the truly new and invigorating aspects of the Net is that it is not necessary to have huge resources in order to make a contribution. In fact, most of the resources on the Net are still due to the dedicated efforts of one or two volunteers working with little fiscal support from their institutions. I believe this creates an opening for small library groups to make a contribution to this growth and to reclaim some of the territory that belongs to academia. For instance, one of the most pressing and much-described needs on the Net today is for consistent review and selection of good and useful sources. I believe that librarians, who have long been offering this same service for paper-based products, are the most natural and well-qualified candidates for performing the same role in the networked world. Naturally, I am aware that efforts in this direction are already afoot, but so far most of the efforts I am aware of are paper-based and therefore practically by definition out of date. But paper-based resources cannot be kept reasonably up-to-date in the world of the Internet. The Mansfield Cybrarian, a home page offered by the Mansfield University Library, is a small and pioneering attempt in this direction. Though crude at present, it does hint at what might be accomplished if librarians could be gathered to commit to a regular routine of Internet cruising and site description. It lacks a standardized method for describing the sources, but a local group is in the process of formulating a descriptive form, an example of which appears on the Cybrarian subpage "Literary Links" at the Alternative X description. Click on the evaluation button to see the proposed format. By adopting a standard method for ordering and describing Internet resources we would be enhancing the value of the Internet for our patrons by using the same formula that has proved so successful in more traditional librarianship. We would be adding value in a way that cannot be done by automated resources at present, using our professional skills in information evaluation. Please email me at bcollins@epix.net if you would like to know more about this project and the commitments it entails. Thank you and have a happy holiday. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Boyd R. Collins Automation Manager Mansfield University Libraries Mansfield University Mansfield, PA 16933 Work Phone:(717) 662-4668 bcollins@epix.net FAX: (717) 662-4993