ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Internet Reviews

Sara Amato, editor

The College and Univer- sity Home Pages. Access: http://www.mit.edu: 8001/people/cdemello/ univ.html.

The value of this site lies in the simplicity of its design and its purpose—that of an online directory. It was cre- ated by technical analyst and former MIT student Christina DeMello when she could not find a comparable service on the World Wide Web. This excellent collection of hypertext links to university and college homep- ages in 70 countries gives one access to a gold mine of material. Servers in a number of coun- tries mirror these pages; no ungainly homep- age graphics slow one’s search. The homep- age leads to a geographical index, an alphabetical-by-title index, and to another site devoted only to American schools.

The coundess links followed from these few pages, though, blur the borders between the roles of college catalog collections, The World of Learning, and The International Handbook of Universities. With a few clicks one can locate entire college catalogs, course syllabi and materials, links to research organizations and available publications, and even electronic request forms for admission packets (University of Florida). Just as easily and as quickly, though, you might find yourself browsing ChinaNET and examining the “union list” of Webservers in China. Keep in mind both the dynamic nature of such a resource and its vehicle, the Internet; expect to find a wildly variable amount of information from site to site, depending on the degree of campus Web construction. While no substitute for standard reference sources, the College and University Home Pages can make your job at reference easier and more fun. Besides, the next time someone needs help finding information on international study programs offered for foreign students at the Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, the answer is only as far away as your keyboard.— John Creech, California State University at Monterey Bay

The National Coalition of the Homeless. Ac- cess: http://nch.ari.net/. The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) is a political advocacy organiza- tion committed to ending homelessness. The homeless or formerly homeless are active in all levels of the or- ganization and make up 20% of the board members. Other board members include ser- vice providers, academics, and organizers.

This Web site is designed primarily to educate the public about homelessness and to rally support for related legislative and policy issues. In the process, it also provides a wealth of information and resources for undergraduates, graduate students, and other researchers, albeit generally within the framework of the cause. In addition, the site links to other Internet resources on homelessness and poverty.

As part of its public education effort, NCH provides information to thousands of people each year, including practitioners, community groups, researchers, government staff, the general public, and the media. The Homelessness Information Exchange (HIE), the NCH national clearinghouse of information about homelessness and public policy, maintains a comprehensive database of research from which staff members answer questions for the public and compile reports. The HIE also publishes an annual annotated bibliography on homelessness. A complete list of NCH 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 of the homeless such as healthcare, joblessness, chemical dependency, mental illness, domestic violence, children, and education. Each factsheet also contains relevant policy issues and an extensive bibliography for further research. In addition, the NCH newsletter, Safety Network, highlights new reports and research from a variety of sources, an annotated list of which is also available at this site.

Current legislative and policy issues relating to homelessness are presented and the status on them updated regularly. There are opportunities all along to become involved either by providing information and contributions or becoming politically active in a variety of ways. NCH operates on individual contributions and receives no public monies.

Sara Amato is automated systems librarian at Central Washington University; samato@tahoma.cwu.edu

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 of street newspapers written, produced, and/or distributed by homeless people. The Art and Literature Project features a collection of po- 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 of children.

This site is attractive, current, and well 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 of half a dozen homeless persons who 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. Ac- cess: http://www.crossnet.org.

The World Wide Web is an ideal medium for international and national organizations to ex- change and disseminate information. Both of 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 “Weekly News” section (available in French) subdivides into sections like “Flood Relief,” “Good Neighbors,” and “Statutory Contributions.” Both researcher and browser will 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.

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 one’s interest. The “International Federation Appeals and Situation Reports” (in reverse chronological order back to February 1994), includes monetary appeals and detailed breakdowns of expenditures. Tables included in the paper version but unavailable with Lynx were accessible using Netscape. The “/” symbol was used for key-word searching.

A report (available in French and Spanish) on the International Conference held December 3–7, 1995, included a history of past conferences, fundamental principles, current conference daily bulletins, copies of resolutions, and proceedings (by this month). Graphics loaded slowly in this section. “Disaster Information” 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 We Are,” and “What We Do.” Rounded out by excellent links to such diverse places as the National Hurricane Center, Weathernet, and the FBI, Crossnet is very service oriented and offers a chance to contribute one’s html skills to help develop further Web pages. Promised future developments include a virtual museum, public service announcements, and its own Internet Access Provider.—Elaine Hoffman, SUNY Stony Brook; EHOFFMAN@CCMAIL.SUNYSB.EDU ■