ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries March 1 9 9 3 /1 2 7 In addition to being able to communicate with another individual, it is easy to send a message to a group of people. This can be a remarkably efficient way to share information or to get committee work done. Typically, e-mail messages are informal and that is one of the reasons why it makes com­ munication so fast. Most people are comfort­ able firing off quick comments or questions without composing a formal memo. While the informality is one of the most appealing fea­ tures of e-mail, it can also be one of its pitfalls. Almost everyone learns the hard way that some­ times it is best to resist the temptation to re­ spond immediately to something you find dis­ agreeable. These are new frontiers, and the etiquette for electronic communication is still evolving. Another way e-mail is used is to access what are commonly referred to as LISTS. The lists on the network are forums for online discussions on every conceivable topic: there are lists for botanists, medievalists, cat lovers, gays, tornado watchers, and vegetarians. There are numer­ ous library lists: there are lists devoted to cata­ loging and authority control, serials, interlibrary loan, library automation, library administration, and virtually every automated system has a list for users to discuss problems and share infor­ mation. The lists are really an incredible resource. At Rutgers we are installing the Innopac serials control system, and to gather information I sent a query to the Innopac list asking how other libraries have ap p ro ach ed installation in a multisite setting. The response was wonderful! A dozen librarians from all over the country offered all sorts of advice and relayed personal experiences. Nothing drives home the concept of “global village" faster. By Mary Page A beginning overview o f the Net J ust over three years ago, William A. Britten’s excellent article on Bitnet and the Internet appeared in these pages.1 For many librarians, even those familiar with the basic concepts and terminology, Britten provided the first real over­ view of the network. For me, it was the first time I made the connection between the NREN and the e-mail that I was just beginning to use in my daily work. Using Britten’s “network- ography” to venture even further, I was en­ couraged to take a few tentative steps into Networkland. Since then the netw ork’s re­ sources have grown exponentially, and several new tools have been introduced to help us find our way. With so many changes, it might be useful to review briefly the network’s capabili­ ties, its development, and what we should keep an eye on for the future. In te rn e t capabilities If you have never used the Internet, here is a brief description of its three main capabili­ ties: electronic mail, remote login, an d file transfer. E-mail. In its most basic form, electronic mail, or e-mail, is electronic messaging between individuals. I use e-mail to communicate with the people I work with every day as well as with librarians at other institutions. E-mail pro­ vides a fast and easy way to communicate. I may not see my boss for days, but I still feel that w e are in close contact, because I can let her know what I’m working on and ask ques­ tions and get quick answers without the frus­ trations of telephone tag. A personal v ie w of the Internet Mary Page is head o f technical services, Library o f Science a n d Medicine, Rutgers University 128 / C&RL News Glossary of Internet terminology Archie. A database and related programs that allow users to search for information stored at various remote sources. B ackbone. A high-speed connection within a network w hich connects smaller (and slower) networks. The NSFNet is the backbone network of the Internet in the U.S. Client. A program on a local computer which requests services from a remote com­ puter. Client/server software splits up the tasks of retrieving information from remote computers. The “client” handles the inter­ face and display operations on the local com­ puter, while the “server” focuses on infor­ mation retrieval from the source computer. See server. E-mail. Electronic mail; online messag­ ing between computer users. E-serial (o r e-joum al). A periodical dis­ tributed in electronic form. FTP (File Transfer P rotocol). Allows users to transfer files from a remote com­ puter to their host computer. Gopher. Client/server software provid­ ing improved, keyword access to Internet resources. Host. The computer on which you have interactive sessions, or which serves as your source of networked services. Internet. The international network of networks based on the TCP/IP protocol. OSI (O pen Systems Interconnect). A set of standards for computer connections. In some ways it “competes” with TCP/IP, which is the most common protocol in the U.S. Protocol. Rules which govern the trans­ mission and receipt of data. Server. A program that provides services, usually access to a database or data files, w hen requested from a user at a remote com­ puter. See client. TCP/IP (Transm ission Control Pro- tocol/In tem et Protocol). The standard pro­ tocol for transmitting data over the Internet. Telnet. Provides a connection to a re­ mote computer over the Internet, or remote login. WAIS (Wide-Area Inform ation Serv­ ers). Client/server software for searching and retrieving information from various databases. Source: Roy Tennant, John Ober, a nd Anne G. Lipow, Crossing the Internet Threshold: An Instructional Handbook (Berkeley, Calif.: Library Solutions Press, 1992). Rem ote login . The second major capabil­ ity of the Internet is remote login, which is the ability for a user on one computer to connect with another computer at a remote site. On the Internet users refer to telnetting into an­ other computer, because the access command is telnet. (Telnet is not to be confused with Telenet, the telecommunications service that allows access to online databases through a mo­ dem with a local call.) Once you have telnetted to another computer, you can use the remote system as if you were sitting at one of its hard­ wired terminals. Through the Internet hundreds of online library catalogs can be accessed, as well as information for educators on NASA pro­ grams, weather and meteorological information, geographic data, headline news, stock market reports, and Supreme Court decisions. File tran sfer p ro to co l. The third major feature of the Internet is the File Transfer Pro­ tocol (FTP) which is the ability to transfer data files from one computer to another. FTP is simi­ lar to telnetting in that you access a remote computer. The difference is that FTP connec­ tions are used specifically to locate and trans­ fer data files which may be software programs, text files, or any kind of file that can be stored on a computer. In many cases, these files are complete documents which can be transferred from a remote computer into a file on your mainframe computer, then downloaded to your PC and manipulated through word processing software. Examples of the kinds of documents th at are available include lyrics to songs, Shakespeare sonnets and plays, and any num­ ber of instructional guides to the Internet itself The three major services on the Internet— electronic mail, remote login, and file trans­ fer—make a wealth of resources available to anyone with network access. However, most new users find the network awkward to use. There are a number of commands to memo­ rize, and most experienced users will tell you that they’ve found themselves hopelessly lost at one time or another. In fact, the resources on the Internet have been described as a vast library without access points. You really have to know what you’re looking for and where to find it to successfully negotiate the Internet. In te rn e t n a v ig a tio n tools Fortunately, help is on the way. A number of new services are being developed to make the Internet easier to use and searching more so­ phisticated. Receive first class treatment at Ballen... no matter what your size. Whether your order is for a thousand books or just one, whether you are a prestigious university, medical school, or a little-known junior college, every Ballen customer receives our legendary one-to-one customized service. That means you’ll have a personal Ballen customer service representative to answer questions, report status and solve problems. You’ll have a specific location in our staging area for maximum quality control. You’ll have instant access to important information through BallenNet™, our interactive on-line service for order entry data and current order status. Even direct telephone access to a Ballen corporate officer, if necessary. And despite our elephantine inventory of over 100,000 titles, with thousands of books shipped every week, our return rate squeaks in at less than 1% — the industry’s lowest. Find out how you can reap the big benefits of Ballen’s personal service. Call Toll-Free (800) 645-5237 or Fax (516) 864-5850. Education Research Ju st Became Easier W ith the New ED-INFO C D T h e ED-INFO CD is a comprehensive national Data Facts statistical data base containing information on all a) Data are obtained from administrative records public elementary and secondary schools and school maintained by State Education Agencies (SEAs). districts in the United States. b) Public school file contains data on over 84,000 schools. Census finance data is also included. Compiled from data obtained from Nation c) Public education agency (districts) universe file Center for Education Statistics. (Department contains 17,000 records. o f Education), the ED-INFO CD contains three d) State file contains fall m embership by grade; full­ categories o f information: time equivalent teachers and other staff by major 1. General descriptive information (includes name, employment categories. Includes revenues by address, phone number, and type of locale.) source; current expenditures by major function; 2. Basic statistics (includes numbers of students and and per pupil expenditures. staff, and associated data.) 3. Fiscal data (includes revenues and current expen­ ditures.) The data base contains three levels o f information: 1. Schools 2. School Districts/Agencies 3. State (non-fiscal, fiscal) The three data files within ED-INFO can be used separately or in conjunction with one another to determine: 1. Size of school and pupil-teacher ratio 2. Size of school district 3. State expenditure for education and per -pupil expenditure 4. Racial/ethnic composition 5. Students by grade level and num ber of graduates 132 / C&RL News tion. The legislation is quite vague in describ­ ing what the NREN user community will be, raising several questions: Will the Internet con­ tinue to be publicly financed and operated? Or will it evolve into a com ponent of the telecom- List of network providers (Selected from the NSF Network Provider Service List) NSF N etw ork Service Center (for infor­ mation only), 10 Moulton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; (617) 873-3400. Alternet. U.S. and international, (800) 4UU- NET3. ANS. U.S. and international, (313) 663-7610 (Joel Maloff). JVNCNet. U.S. and international, (800) 35TI- GER (Sergio Heker, Allison Pihl). NEARNet. Northeastern U.S., (617) 873-8730 (John Curran). NYSERnet. New York, (315) 443-4120 (Jim Luckett). PREPnet. Pennsylvania, (412) 268-7870 (Tom Bajzek). PSCnet. Eastern U.S., (412) 268-4960 (Eu­ gene Hastings). PSINet. U.S. an d in te rn a tio n a l, (800) 82PSI82. SprlntLink. U.S. and international, (703) 904-2230 (Bob Doyle). Ed note: Although we do not have reports fro m anyone who has used this service, we have ju s t learned o f DELPHI, a n online ser­ vice provided by General Videotex Corpora­ tion in Cambridge, Massachusetts. DELPHI offers two membership plans, connection to the Internet, a n d a n online support service which includes a message fo ru m , g u id e­ books, downloadable software, a n d informa­ tion files. For information call: (800) 544- 4005 or (617) 491-3342. munications industry and be marketed as a ser­ vice? While it is generally acknowledged that network capacity must be expanded and im­ proved, it remains to be seen just how devel­ opment will proceed. Librarians have been pio­ neers on the Internet, aggressively exploring its resources and sharing what we find. While there are some persuasive arguments to be made for privatization, much of the network development to this point has been through volunteer efforts, creating a loosely organized community that values cooperation and the sharing of information. There is clear potential for conflict with proprietary interests. Librar­ ians do need to take a leadership role in the NREN’s development; perhaps the best way is to become accom plished Internet explorers w ho share what we find with our constituen­ cies. Notes 1William A. Britten, “BITNET and the Internet: Scholarly networks for librarians,” College a n d Research Libraries News 51:2 (February 1990): 103-07. 2(John Markoff, “Building the electronic su­ perhighway,” The New York Times (January 24, 1993): sec. 3, p. 1. Resources Dern, Daniel P. “Plugging into the Internet: The range of options for access is almost as broad as the range in Internet resources.” BYTEY7A0 (October 1992): 149-56. Kesselman, Martin. “CD-ROM/online update: The In tern et.” Wilson Library B ulletin 66:7 (March 1992): 76-78. Krol, Ed. The Whole Internet: User’s Guide a n d Catalog. Sebastopol, Calif.: O ’Reilly and Associates, 1992. Lukanuski, Mary. “Help is on the WAIS.” Am erican Libraries 23 (9) (October 1992): 742- 44. Malinconico, S. Michael. “What librarians need to know to survive in an age of technol­ ogy.” Journal o f Education f o r Library a n d Information Science 33 (3) (Summer 1992): 226-40. Polly, Jean Armour. “Surfing the Internet: An introduction.” Wilson Library Bulletin 66:10 (June 1992): 38-42. T ennant, Roy, John Ober, and Anne G. Lipow. Crossing the Internet Threshold: A n Instructional Handbook. Berkeley, Calif.: Li­ brary Solutions Press, 1992. ■