ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 42/C&RL News Internet Reviews Sa r a A m a to , e d ito r The C o lle g e a n d U n iv e r ­ s ity H o m e P a g e s. Ac­ cess: http://www.mit.edu: 8001/people/cdem ello/ univ.html. The value o f this site lies in the simplicity o f its design and its purpose— that o f an online directory. It was cre­ ated by technical analyst and former M IT student Christina DeMello when she could not find a comparable service on the W orld W ide Web. This excellent collection o f hy­ pertext links to university and college hom ep­ ages in 70 countries gives one access to a gold mine o f material. Servers in a number o f coun­ tries mirror these pages; no ungainly hom ep­ age graphics slow on e’s search. The hom ep­ a g e le a d s to a g e o g r a p h ic a l in d e x , an alphabetical-by-title index, and to another site devoted only to American schools. The coundess links follow ed from these few pages, though, blur the borders betw een the roles o f college catalog collections, The World o f Learning, and The International Handbook o f Universities. With a fe w clicks one can locate entire college catalogs, course syllabi and ma­ terials, links to research organizations and available publications, and even electronic re­ quest forms for admission packets (University o f Florida). Just as easily and as quickly, though, you might find yourself browsing ChinaNET and examining the “union list” o f Webservers in China. Keep in mind both the dynamic na­ ture o f such a resource and its vehicle, the In­ ternet; expect to find a w ildly variable amount o f information from site to site, depending on the degree o f campus W eb construction. While no substitute for standard reference sources, the College and University Hom e Pages can make your job at reference easier and more fun. Besides, the next time someone needs help finding information on international study pro­ grams o ffe re d fo r fo re ign students at the Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, the an­ swer is only as far away as your keyboard.— John Creech, California State University at Monterey Bay Sara Amato is automated systems librarian at Central Washington University; samato@tahoma.cwu.edu The N a tio n a l C o a litio n o f th e H o m e le s s . A c­ cess: http://nch.ari.net/. The National Coalition for the H om eless (N C H ) is a political advocacy organiza­ tion com m itted to ending homelessness. The homeless or form erly hom eless are active in all levels o f the or­ ganization and make up 20% o f the board members. Other board members include ser­ vice providers, academics, and organizers. This W eb site is designed primarily to edu­ cate the public about homelessness and to rally support for related legislative and policy issues. In the process, it also provides a wealth o f in­ formation and resources for undergraduates, graduate students, and other researchers, albeit generally within the framework o f the cause. In addition, the site links to other Internet re­ sources on homelessness and poverty. As part o f its public education effort, NCH provides information to thousands o f people each year, including practitioners, community groups, researchers, government staff, the gen­ eral public, and the media. The Homelessness Information Exchange (HIE), the NCH national clearinghouse o f information about homeless­ ness and public policy, maintains a compre­ hensive database o f research from which staff members answer questions for the public and com pile reports. The HIE also publishes an annual annotated bibliography on homeless­ ness. A com plete list o f N CH publications, prices, and ordering information is included. The HIE also produces handy factsheets, which are available full text at this site. These summarize issues related to various aspects o f the homeless such as healthcare, joblessness, chemical dependency, mental illness, domes­ tic violence, children, and education. Each factsheet also contains relevant policy issues and an extensive bibliography for further re­ search. In addition, the NCH newsletter, Safety Network, highlights new reports and research from a variety o f sources, an annotated list o f which is also available at this site. Current legislative and policy issues relat­ ing to homelessness are presented and the sta­ tus on them updated regularly. There are op ­ http://www.mit.edu http://nch.ari.net/ mailto:samato@tahoma.cwu.edu January 1996/43 portunities all along to become involved either The “Disaster Response” area also covers the IFRC’s fundraising, education, training, and meetings. Snappy report titles like “Made in Heaven” and “Set and Match” pique on e’s in­ terest. The “International Federation Appeals and Situation Reports” (in reverse chronologi­ cal order back to February 1994), includes monetary appeals and detailed breakdowns o f expenditures. Tables included in the paper version but unavailable with Lynx w ere acces­ sible using Netscape. The “/” symbol was used for key-word searching. A report (available in French and Spanish) on the International Conference held Decem­ ber 3– 7, 1995, included a history o f past con­ ferences, fundamental principles, current con­ ference daily bulletins, copies o f resolutions, and proceedings (b y this month). Graphics loaded slowly in this section. “Disaster Infor­ mation” rounds out the site, which provides excellent links to other organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and the American Red Cross. Titled Crossnet, the American Red Cross site has similar information to the IFRC’s, including recent reports on disasters, relief efforts, and monetary and volunteer contributions. A search engine called Glimpse uses Boolean techniques. Still developing, this site has 23,000 visitors weekly; beautiful, multicolored graphics; and a clickable map or zip code entry to sections such as “What’s Hot,” “Where W e Are,” and “What W e D o.” Rounded out by excellent links to such diverse places as the National Hurri­ cane Center, Weathernet, and the FBI, Crossnet is very service oriented and offers a chance to contribute on e’s html skills to help develop fur­ ther W eb pages. Promised future developments include a virtual museum, public service an­ nouncements, and its ow n Internet Access Pro­ vider.— Elaine Hoffman, SUNY Stony Brook; EHOFFMAN@CCMAIL.SUNYSB.EDU ■ by providing information and contributions or becoming politically active in a variety o f ways. NCH operates on individual contributions and receives no public monies. Several interesting political and educational projects and ways to become involved are also highlighted at this site. Through the Street News­ paper Project, NCH is creating a network o f street newspapers written, produced, and/or distributed by homeless people. The Art and Literature Project features a collection o f p o­ etry, essays, and art produced by the home­ less. Other projects include voter registration for the homeless and efforts to increase aware­ ness about the educational rights o f children. This site is attractive, current, and w ell tended. Although there is no searching feature, it is easy to browse because it is brief and well organized. It is primarily text oriented, which will appeal to Lynx users and those in a hurry. But NCH is also developing a multimedia com ­ ponent to help personalize the homelessness issue. Homeless Voices features the pictures and voices o f half a dozen homeless persons w ho share their experiences in the Washing­ ton, D.C., area. These conversations are also, thankfully, available in text format, as the sound quality is crude and the files very time-con- suming to load. For information on homeless­ ness, poverty, and the related politics, this site cannot be missed.— Barbara Valentine, Linfield College International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies. Access: http:// www .ifrc.org. American Red Cross. A c­ cess: http://www.crossnet.org. The W orld W ide W eb is an ideal medium for international and national organizations to ex­ change and disseminate information. Both o f these sites are well organized, informative, and have striking graphics. The IFRC site, with its red-on-white cross and crescent, excellently explains its 163 members’ structure, services, and goals. A “W e e k ly N e w s ” section (a v a ila b le in French) subdivides into sections like “Flood Relief,” “G ood Neighbors,” and “Statutory C on trib u tio n s.” B oth research er and browser w ill find current, detailed infor­ mation on IFRC’s activities, participating nations, and budgeting. Going back eight months, it is an excellent tool for current events information. http://www.ifrc.org http://www.crossnet.org mailto:EHOFFMAN@CCMAIL.SUNYSB.EDU