ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


44 /  C&RL News ■ January 2002

I n t e r n e t  R e v i e w s Joni Roberts and Carol Drost, editors

BotSpot. Access: http://w w w .botspot.com .
In the near future, librarians may need to 

become masters of delegation more than ever, 
especially in light of 
the information ex­
plosion. But instead 
o f a s s ig n in g  r e ­
s e a r c h - i n t e n s i v e  
projects to humans, 
they will divvy up 
projects to software. 

It behooves the savvy information profession­
als to bookmark BotSpot and visit the site 
periodically.

First, what are bots? As the creators of 
BotSpot explain, bots (also know n as intelli­
gent agents) are “software with a mission.” 
Bots have been developed to make our lives 
easier, saving us time and labor. They can 
help us cope with or alleviate information 
overload. Specifically, bots are used for in­
formation retrieval or resource discovery, and 
they have applications in “data mining,” which 
involves searching for patterns in unwieldy 
masses of information. They also busily work 
in the background, hunting and gathering spe­
cific types of information, such as news or 
stock prices.

BotSpot’s objective is to classify and orga­
nize bots by subject, and it lives up to its pur­
pose. Surfers can display a list of all bots or 
view bots by category. Each product includes 
an annotation and many are even reviewed. 
Just as subject-specific search engines have pro­
liferated on the Web, there are innumerable 
bots, as well. There are bots for news, bots for 
shopping, bots for data mining, bots for stocks, 
bots for surveillance, and bots for Web search­
ing. Most tools are free to download.

O ther essential areas of BotSpot include 
“Best of the Bots,” an annotated listing of 
handpicked tools; “Bots by Category," which 
spells out the myriad applications that bots 
can have in daily life; and “FAQs on Bots,” 
which links to associations, technical papers, 
magazines, newsletters, etc. (some of this 
content is a bit technical).

O ne hallmark of a solid Web site is its 
interaction w ith the user o r visitor, and

BotSpot meets this standard. BotSpot solicits 
feedback and participation. Visitors can also 
participate in Usenet-like discussions, and lurk 
and post in the “BotSpot Forum.”

The site’s initial page has a basic search 
box (in addition to a site map), which should 
be more prominently displayed. It’s unclear 
how  to use the search engine until viewing a 
page of results, which links to more search 
options and help files.

No one can foretell the future of informa­
tion retrieval, but here’s a suggestion: librar­
ians may need to add bots to their search 
toolbox along with Web subject directories 
a n d  p o rta ls, b o n a fid e  se a rc h  e n g in e s , 
metasearchers, and Invisible Web gateways.

We’ll want to visit BotSpot to check the 
pulse of artificial intelligence on the Web. And 
as w e polish our crystal balls, let’s remind 
ourselves that human beings create bots …  
not the other way around. Therefore, some 
of us will still be employed!— C. Brian Smith, 
Judson College, bsmith@judson-il.edu

S ta tis tic a l A s s e ss m e n t S erv ic e  
(STATS). Access: www.stats.org.
As students develop information literacy 

skills, they learn the importance of critically 
evaluating reported statistics. Without a strong 
statistical background or research training, 
however, they may find it difficult to ques­
tion the results of a study. The Statistical As­
sessment Service (STATS) Web site can help.

The mission of STATS, a self-described 
“nonprofit nonpartisan organization,” is to 
assist journalists to “more accurately and ef­
fectively” understand and report “scientific, 
quantitative, and social research.” Its advisory 
board includes several academics. Reporters 
can call on STATS analysts for help in under­
standing statistics; the STATS staff also regu­
larly publish opinion pieces analyzing media

Joni R. Roberts is associate university librarian fo r public 
services and collection developm ent a t W illa m e tte  
University, e-mail: jroberts@willamette.edu, and Carol A. 
Drost is associate university librarian fo r technical services 
at Willamette University, e-mail: cdrost@willamette.edu

http://www.botspot.com
mailto:bsmith@judson-il.edu
http://www.stats.org
mailto:jroberts@willamette.edu
mailto:cdrost@willamette.edu


C&RL News ■ January 2002 /  45

coverage o f research. Articles written by STATS 
staff are republished o n  the site.

Because STATS articles are aim ed at report­
ers and their audiences w ho are not steeped 
in research methods and statistical analysis, the 
writing is clear and the explanations are easy 
to follow. Therefore, the site is quite useful for 
students writing papers on current affairs in­
volving scientific or social science research. 
STATS articles cover a range of topics that are 
popular in undergraduate papers, including 
drug use, gun control, smoking, global warm­
ing, and media violence.

T he site itself is easy to navigate, w ith links 
to th e most current stories found in the body 
o f the hom epage. Casual visitors may be  will­
ing to  brow se th rough sections containing 
older articles ( “Newsletters,” “Asides,” “STATS 
Spotlight,” etc.), but it’s no t obvious w hat each 
section contains. Users looking for analysis 
o f particular issues should brow se through 
th e subject links o r use th e search engine.

Titles o f STATS articles are also not neces­
sarily indicative o f content. For exam ple, a 
search o n  “day care” yielded an article listed 
as “STATS at Work: U nconventional Wisdom, 
Washington Post." After selecting this article, 
o n e can see from the subtitle that it is about 
day care and asthm a in children.

STATS is kept up-to-date; articles published 
since th e Septem ber 11 terrorist attacks dis­
cuss racial profiling an d  the statistical d a n ­
gers o f flying versus driving. STATS offers a 
m onthly new sletter w ith e-mail alerts—a nice 
feature for anyone trying to  im prove his or 
h e r statistical literacy.—Julie Linden, Yale 
University, julie.linden@yale.edu

U.S. A rm y  C enter fo r M ilita ry  History.
Access: http://w w w .arm y.m il/cm h-pg/.
The C enter for Military History (CMH) is 

responsible for “the appropriate use of his­
tory throughout the U.S. Army.” While mainly 
focused tow ard the education of military per­
sonnel, the center provides m uch material o f 
interest to a w ider audience.

T he site contains an extensive range o f 
material. Changing exhibits are prom inently 
featured an d  include “Native Americans in the 
U.S. Army,” “R em em bering D esert Shield/

D esert Storm 10 Years Later,” an d  “Remem­
bering the K orean War.”

Particularly notew orthy at the time of this 
review  is a strong bibliography o n  Afghani­
stan. Primary and secondary resources include 
online publications, other Web sites, and print 
materials covering general history, the Taliban, 
Islam, an d  th e Soviet-Afghan War, as w ell as 
current analysis. T he page is being updated 
frequently, and, while displaying a som ew hat 
conservative bent, should prove valuable to 
p eo p le seeking a better understanding of the 
current situation.

O ther resources o f interest include a chro­
nologically arranged list o f Medal o f H onor 
recipients from all services, w ith additional 
inform ation o n  th e history o f the m edal and 
a list o f Black World War II recipients. The 
FAQ page may b e  o f interest to reference li­
brarians w h o  are helping patrons locate ser­
vice records or o th er Army information. The 
“O nline B ookshelf” contains a grow ing num ­
b e r of electronic publications, including unit 
histories and several of the famous “green books” 
on World War II. An “Artwork and Images" sec­
tion offers digitized com bat art an d  p h o to ­
graphs, an d  
is p a r tic u ­
larly strong U.S. A R M Y  
in  W o rld  
War II, Ko­

C E N T E R  OF 
rea, and the  
G u lf W ar 

M IL IT A R Y
c a te g o rie s . H IS TO R Y
M u c h  o f  
this material has no t b e e n  w ell publicized, 
a n d  is a w elcom e addition to available re­
sources.

E specially n o te w o rth y  fo r stu d e n ts o f 
h istory are th e  “CMH H ow  to  G u id e s,” cov­
ering oral history tech n iq u es an d  the p re p a ­
ra tio n  o f a n n u a l u n it histories. In c lu d e d  in 
this s e c tio n  is a n  o u td a te d  g u id e  to  c o n ­
d u c tin g  m ilitary h isto ry  re s e a rc h  o n  th e  
In te rn e t. T he re m a in d e r o f th e  site is c u r­
re n t a n d  m aintained by historians an d  CMH 
p erso n n el.

T he site is attractively designed, but infor­
m ation can b e  hard to locate d u e to the lack 
o f a site m ap or search engine; however, it 
will be o f value to anyone interested in U.S. 
history o r A m erican military operations.— 
Mark A. Stoffan, University o f North Carolina 
at Asheville, mstoffan@bulldog.unca.edu ■

mailto:julie.linden@yale.edu
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/
mailto:mstoffan@bulldog.unca.edu