ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Internet Reviews

Sara Amato, editor

This month is the first time that this column lists a World Wide Web (WWW) address. For those of you not familiar with the WWW there are public access WWW sites available to which you telnet. The two listed below are cited in the Yanoff list of special Inter- net connections. Login as “www”. Telnet: www.njit. edu; telnet: ukanaix.cc. ukans.edu. These are VT100- based clients, and will only give you the textual information. There are WWW clients that allow for graphics display, such as NCSA’s Mosaic and Cello. These brows- ers allow you to take advantage of the full rich- ness of WWW resources.

Soviet Archives. Access:There are several ways to access this resource: World Wide Web: http://sunsite.unc.edu/expo/soviet.exhibit/ soviet.archive.html; telnet://marvel.loc.gov login as “marvel”—direct telnet to Library of Congress gopher Marvel is limited to 15 outside users; gopher://marvel.loc.gov:70/l; file:/ /seql.loc.gov/pub/soviet.archive/

The Soviet Archives is a collection of 31 documents and background notes from an exhibit entitled “Revelations from the Russian Archives” that was displayed at the Library of Congress in 1992. The 31 documents were selected from over 500 made available by the Russian Archives. The documents span the period from the October 1917 Revolution to the failed coup of August 1991. They are arranged for the purpose of the exhibit in two main sections: “Internal Workings of the Soviet System” covering domestic policy, and “The Soviet Union and the United States” covering foreign policy. According to the introduction to the exhibit written by James Billington, Librarian of Congress, this exhibit is “the first public display of the hitherto highly secret internal record of the Soviet communist rule."

The 32 documents selected for the exhibit include communiques from the KGB; letters by Lenin, Kruschev, and Gorbachev; and documents describing construction problems with Chernobyl. Foreign policy documents include references to the American Famine Relief efforts led by Herbert Hoover, World War II POWs, and ex- changes between Kruschev and Kennedy during the Cu- ban Missile crisis. Each docu- ment is translated and in- cludes an accompanying background text to put it in historical perspective.

Using Mosaic, one is able to browse the documents and call up images of sample pages from the original. Next to the document image is a scroll icon that will call up the translation of the sample pages. Because the image is not the complete document, the translation does not necessarily match the docu- ment image exactly. However, using Mosaic, one gets more of a feel of moving through the exhibit as it was originally arranged, and see- ing visual images of the documents as they ac- tually exist.

A copy of an online brochure of the exhibit is available via ftp in a variety of formats and includes the complete text of the background notes along with the translations of the documents on display. In the “Readme” file is a complete explanation of the arrangement of the document, image, and background note files. The identifications of the translators and the author of the background notes are not included in the documentation on the exhibit.

If one keeps in mind that 74 years of Soviet history are covered by this exhibit, it is impressive for what it includes, but also makes one want to see more. While the exhibit may not provide a serious scholar with everything he/ she may need, it provides a glimpse at primary sources that provide insight into some of the significant events during the period covered. It is not a complete history of the period, but does provide an overall introduction to the inner workings of a society that was controlled by repression and propaganda.—Terri Fishel, Macalester College; e-mail: fisbel@macalstr.edu

UM-St Louis Government Information Gopher. Access:gopher://umslvma.umsl.edu: 70/1/1/library/ govdocs; gopher umslvma.umsl.edu; 8. The Library; 9. Government Information

The U.S. Department of Commerce intends to load its popular CD-ROM databases [National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) and National Economic, Social, and Environmental Data Bank (NESE)] onto the Internet by the end of 1994. Meanwhile, the University of Missouri at St. Louis (UMSL) offers full-text gopher access to many popular and useful NTDB/NESE titles today. Gopher offerings appeal to both serious researchers and the merely curious alike.

For detailed government and business data, the UMSL reference librarians serve up classics such as the Overseas Business Reports (marketing and trade reports for 25 countries); Country Reports-Economic Policy & Trade Practices (economic and trade assessments of nearly 100 international markets); Economic Reports of the President; North American Free Trade Agreement; Small Business Administration Industry Profiles and State Profiles; and full text of the Health Security Act.

Ready reference resources include the CIA World FactBook, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Industrial Outlook, Background Notes; and press releases and statements of the president and vice-president.

Currently the Government Information menu consists of 31 items, mostly full-text government documents and statistical databases. Some selections, such as Library of Congress Marvel and Wiretap, serve as gateways to other popular gopher sites. Approximately half of the selections originate directly from the monthly NTDB and quarterly NESE CDs. New items are loaded upon arrival of the CDs.

UMSL’s extraction of data from electronic sources perhaps represents a new model for reference service. In the words of Raleigh Muns, one of the UMSL reference librarians charged with maintaining the library node, “our plans are to transfer our expertise in collection development, presentation, organization, etc., from the physical world to the electronic world. The general techniques of extracting pieces of government CD-ROMs and arranging them in more palatable formats are very empowering.” Let’s wish the UMSL Library much success by utilizing this virtual treasure trove of publicdomain information.—Larry Schankman, Mansfield University; e-mail: Ischankm@ υmhostl mnsfld.edu

New York-Israel Project. Access:Gopher:// nysemet.org:70/l 1/Selected Gateways to many resources/NY-Israel project; gopher nysernet. org; 7. Selected Gateways to many resources; 3. NY-Israel project

A large Jewish gopher available on Internet is the New York-Israel Project which exists to “create a network for Jewish religious, educational, and social service organizations worldwide to … share information and data among themselves.”

Of interest to scholars is the JSJeJ Abstract Review (jewstudies@israel.nysernet.org) described as “a monthly review of items found in Jewish Studies print journals.” This is a listserv to which you may subscribe, and the archives are housed here under “Electronic Journals/Jewish Studies Judaica eJournal.”

Among the databases already established are:

1. Tanach—an online Tanach, divrei Torah and other commentaries on Jewish Bible and texts (listed under “Jews and Judaism”).

2. Answers—“text and graphics answering attacks on Judaism by Holocaust revisionists and Christian missionaries (listed under “Holocaust Information”).

3. Sephardic Electronic Archive (SEA)—part of whose purpose is to exchange information about Sephardic Jewry, announcing conferences and “research conducted in other geographical areas” (listed under “Jewish Lists”).

The entire gopher site is enormous but fairly easy to use. Although it is directed at the general Jewish public it has many materials that would be of use to teachers or students of Jewish studies. The information seems to be fairly up-to-date with the oldest I found being from 1990. Much documentation is available about the project and there are many plans for expansion. Hopefully, more access will be added to the Jewish libraries section than just the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Another useful aspect of the gopher is that it acts as a gateway to many other gophers of potential interest to Jewish studies, especially selection 8, Israeli gophers, which leads to such databases as Scientific Research Israel (Israel Projects/Israel Science Research and Develop- ment/Scientific_Research) and special editions of the Jerusalem Post (Israel Projects/Israel Info/ Jerusalem-Post)”.

The New York-Israel Project is administered by Warren Burstein (warren@israel.nysernet. org) and Chaim Dworkin (chaimøisrael. nysernet.org) under the direction of Avrum Goodblatt (goodblat@israel.nysernet.org).— Elaine Hoffman, State University of New York at Stony Brook; e-mail: HOFFMAN&CCMAIL. SUNYSB.EDU