ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

How to become an Internet power user …

Larry Schankman is reference librarian at Mansfield University, Mansfield, Pennsylvania; e-mail: lschank@clark.net

Power. That’s what we really want from the Internet, right? We want information, and we want it now! As librarians, we are ex- pected to share our skills with others. Ulti- mately, our goal is not just simply to provide people with the information they desire, but the knowledge of how to find that information themselves.

But most of us are not technicians. Our primary concern is not with protocols, technology, or keystrokes. Rather, we seek pure information, regardless of format. Naturally, we must know how to find it ourselves. Following are some tips based on what I call the seven habits of highly successful Internet users.

1. Power users recognize that patrons want information, not just a physical object (i.e., book or journal).Let’s face it, most libraries don’t have everything. The Internet provides (connected) librarians with equal access to public-domain information and data. Regardless of how we feel personally about computers and the so-called virtual library, our patrons need us to provide them with timely information. Librarians are trained in the practicalities of retrieving, organizing, and presenting information to effectively resolve a patron’s need for knowledge or personal empowerment. A positive attitude towards this power helps us both individually and as a profession.

2. Power users comprehend technobabble and know all the latest trends in Internet access.Today’s Internet is an everevolving phenomenon, still in its infancy. New software and searching tools gain preeminence quickly. Keep in top form by monitoring the latest news and trends affecting the nets. Talk to computer center staff to assure that your organization’s mainframe or host server utilizes the latest protocols and services. Read regularly at least one Internet magazine,¹ and subscribe to a current awareness discussion group or listserv (see sidebar).

3. Power users network with colleagues and monitor issues and news within their areas of interest.Find a listserv or usenet group which shares your interests. Monitor the discussions and become active yourself. Power users are not passive lurkers. Network with your peers; it is easy, fun, and rewarding. Download current copies of the Directory of Scholarly Electronic Conferences or Charles Bailey’s List of Library-Related Lists and Electronic Serials to identify lists (see sidebar).

4. Power users search the Internet efficiently with tools such as Veronica, Archie, Aliweb, and WAIS.Don’t let the silly terminology intimidate you. One minute with Veronica, Archie, or one of the equivalents in World Wide Web (e.g., Aliweb, WWW Worm, or Web Crawler) can save hours of manual searching. Most gophers offer Veronica searching of files and directories throughout the Internet somewhere within their menu structure. Archie searches mostly files in ftp archives.² Several of the better gophers place these feature conveniently on the opening screen.³

If you don’t see the actual word Veronica‚ you can find it among such menu items as All the Gophers in the World, Search All of Gopherspace‚ or Other Gopher and Information Servers. After you select the Veronica option, you might have to specify a particular host (there are only a few Veronica databases worldwide⁴). Eventually you will see a prompt at which you can type keywords (e.g., Haiti and Clinton). Veronica will not only locate files, directories, and objects (sounds, videos, pictures), but will even connect you to the appropriate site after you highlight and select one of the hits. Note that not all Veronica sites index all resources, and many sites are often busy, so you may need to try several sites.

5. Power users distinguish themselves by their apparent ease and mastery in locating new resources.New gophers and web servers pop up daily, though most mirror the same master sites. Some power users memorize dozens of Internet addresses and glide along the keyboard effortlessly. That’s power. But this is not a test, we can use a cheat sheet. Dozens of books, lists of lists, and directories⁵ exist (see the sidebar). Compile your own list to suit your needs and keep it near the reference desk.

6. Power users are not intimidated by th‹ quantity and diversity of information sources.At first find just one good, uncomplicated site, preferably a gopher since they’re easy to use and require only a basic Internet hookup (graphical programs like Mosaic require special connections or a Local Area Network, and some knowledge of URLs, Universal Resource Locators). Read one of the many books⁶ or free how-to guides to become familiar with these resources (the sidebar lists some gopher sites with collections of such guides).

Examine all the menu choices to gain intimacy with the directory structure and information content. Keep a notebook with screen prints or written path directions near the reference desk. Navigating the Internet is just like finding your way in a new town: initially you need to ask for directions and consult maps, but eventually you’ll know your way around instinctively, short cuts and all. The following are my favorite gophers in order of preference:

• honor.uc.wlu.edu 1020 [must include the number]

• vienna.hh.lib.umich.edu

• gopher.cic.net (see especially the Resource Discovery Tools directory)

• nysernet.org

• gopher.uidaho.edu.

If your organization does not have gopher capability telnet to one of several “public” gophers (ask your support technicians to explain your options). When prompted for a login, most telnetable gophers expect you to type “gopher.” If you are asked for a password, either the lo- gin is incorrect or the site does not allow out- siders to dial in. Below are some of the better public sites with “gopher” or no login required:

The main menu of Washington and Lee University’s “Honor” gopher.

• consultant.micro.umn.edu

• gopher.msu.edu

• inform.umd.edu

• sunsite.unc.edu

• vienna.hh.lib.umich.edu (login = mlink).

First-rate gophers contain the most useful items on the opening screen. The main menu of Washington and Lee University’s “Honor” gopher is on page 719.

7. Power users maintain a database of subject-oriented sites and individual text/ data flies.Often you’ll need more than just an all-purpose gopher. Power users are busy, driven people with specific needs. The internet has a database for everyone.

Find specific material from a list of lists or Internet direc- tory. Maintain a directory list of important ftp⁷ and World Wide Web sites as well. Sev- eral info-scouts have prepared articles and pathfinders iden- tifying Internet resources by subject. The University of Michigan maintains one of the best known databases of such guides in the Clearinghouse for Subject-Oriented Lists.⁸

Find an archive that maintains texts or data in your area of interest and learn the essential commands to search and retrieve files. Most importantly, anticipate likely reference questions and download useful ma- terial onto your local computer before ques- tions arise. Strive for a successful “live” session by knowing your destination in advance. This requires preparation and practice. Searching the Internet should be no different than an online, for-fee search: ill-preparedness may lead to unpleasant results. As my final advice: feel the excitement of cyberspace and explore!

Notes

1. See especially: Internet Research (ISSN 1066-2243); Internet World (ISSN 1064-3923); The World Wide Web Newsletter (ISSN 1350- 2263); and selected coverage in library-oriented journals such as Computers in Libraries, Database, and Online.
2. Two of the best Archie databases via go- pher are: archie.internic.net and unlinfo2.unl. edu 2007 (include the number).
3. Gophers with Veronica on the main menu include gopher.tamu.edu, gopher.uchicago. edu, gopher.uidaho.edu, gopher.unr.edu, infolib.lib.berkeley.edu, and refmac.kent.edu; see page 719 for a screen print from honor.uc. wlu.edu 1020.
4. To search Veronica directly, without navi- gating menus, type in one of the following URLs: gopher://veronica.sunet.se:2347/7; go- pher://info.psi.net:2347/7; gopher://sound garden.micro.umn.edu:8001/7.
5. Current directories include ARL’s annual Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters, and Academic Discussion Lists (Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, Office of Scientific and Academic Publishing); Eric Braun’s The Internet Directory (New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1994); Ed- ward T. Hardie’s Internet Mail- ing Lists (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1994); and Internet World’s On Internet 94, edited by Tony Abbott (Westport, Conn.: Meckler, 1993). All are fairly complete, though no one directory can keep up with the constant ad- ditions and changes.
6. Two free lists available via gopher are John Maku- lowich’s Bibliography of Intro- ductory Internet Books at gopher.cni.org (path given in appendix), and Kevin Savetz’s Unofficial Internet Book List at library3.library.carleton.ca in directory = Elec- tronic Resources/Internet Guides/Books about the Internet.
7. For a good list of essential ftp-accessible documents, download internet-cmc.txt from ftp.rpi.edu in directory = pub/communications; the list is also available via gopher at many sites, including gopher.cni.org in directory = Coalition FTP Archives/Publicly Accessible Documents/Guides to Network Use/December, John; Computer Mediated Communications and Internet Tools.
8. Una.hh.lib.umich.edu (telnet login = “gopher”) or gopher.lib.umich.edu in directory = What’s New and Featured Resources; una’s ftp directory = /inetdirs; for a list of several resources by topic download my “Social Sciences and Humanities” guide.