+ Page 1 + ----------------------------------------------------------------- Public-Access Computer Systems News Volume 4, Number 13 (1993) ISSN 1050-6004 Editors: Dana Rooks (LIBL@UHUPVM1) and Linda Thompson (LIB1J@UHUPVM1). Issued on an irregular basis by University Libraries, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2091. ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS New Internet Newsletter, 1 The Global Network Navigator, 2 Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Available on FirstSearch, 4 Scholarly Communication Proceedings Available, 4 RLG's Eureka Now Available, 5 OCLC Extends Reference Services Hours Around the World, 5 NEW INTERNET NEWSLETTER Internet Business Report (IBR) is a primary information source for vendors and business users looking to create commercial opportunities on--and thereby bring value to--the global Internet. Published monthly, IBR will deliver timely and valuable information in a concise 8-page format that helps readers to stay abreast of the vast array of new technologies, services and products appearing on the net each day. In addition, Internet Business Report will track the business alliances being created to support this fast-emerging new market. More than a mere pastiche of news clips and sound bytes, IBR will surface and explore those critical trends and developments shaping the evolution of the Internet's culture and commercial infrastructure. The premiere issue includes a special 8-page supplement with contributions from: Bill Braasch, president of Data Base Architects, on how even small firms can use the Internet to develop international markets Esther Dyson, editor and publisher of Release 1.0, on the Internet's potential dark side Ed Krol, author of The Whole Internet (O'Reilly & Associates), on the whole USENET + Page 2 + John Markoff, Silicon Valley reporter for The New York Times, on getting all the news all the time Brad Templeton, president of ClariNet Communications Corporation, on selling information services on the net As well as articles on the Commercial Internet Exchange, The Electronic Newsstand, the changing policies of commercial services with regard to Internet mail, and the Internet as the primary locus of new technology-related business development in the 1990s. Charter subscriptions are $279 per year (US & Canada; $350 overseas). After October 31st rates will be $395 per year ($450 overseas). To subscribe, send e-mail including your complete billing address to: ibr-subs@cmp.com In addition to your paid subscription, you will receive the premiere issue free. DO NOT SEND CREDIT-CARD INFO THROUGH E-MAIL--you will receive an invoice with your first issue. If you prefer to charge your subscription to Visa, MasterCard or American Express, fax your address information, card number and expiration date to: 516-562-5468. CMP Publications also publishes 13 award-winning technology newspapers and magazines, including Network Computing, CommunicationsWeek, InformationWeek, Open Systems Today, Windows Magazine and Computer Reseller News. The company has more than 300 reporters and editors covering the high-technology markets. THE GLOBAL NETWORK NAVIGATOR O'Reilly & Associates launches a new experiment in online publishing, The Global Network Navigator (GNN), a free Internet- based information center that will initially be available as a quarterly. GNN will consist of a regular news service, an online magazine, The Whole Internet Interactive Catalog, and a global marketplace containing information about products and services. The Global Network News provides a continuously updated listing of interesting news items by and about the users of the Internet, including announcements of new information services. Each issue will present articles developed around a common theme, such as government or education. Regular columns will cover such topics as how to provide information services on the Internet or help for new Internet users. It will have several innovative departments, such as Off The Wall Gallery, that exhibits in digital form the works of new artists, and Go Find Out, a section containing reviews of the Internet's most interesting resources. + Page 3 + One of the most popular features of O'Reilly's The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog, by Ed Krol, is the catalog of information resources on the Internet. GNN features an expanded, interactive version of this resource catalog that can be used online to navigate to the Internet servers containing those resources. The Online Whole Internet Catalog organizes Internet resources in the following categories: - The Internet - Arts - Current Affairs - Libraries, Reference & Education - Science - Government and Politics - Technology - Business - Humanities - Work and Play In the Online Whole Internet Catalog, subscribers can not only read about these resources, they can actually connect to them with a click of the button. Getting good information from a company about their products or services is almost as valuable as the product or service itself. The Global Marketplace provides referrals to companies providing this kind of information online through the Internet. The Global Marketplace also contains commercial resource centers in which subscribers may find white papers, product brochures or catalogs, demo software or press releases for the companies advertising in GNN Marketplace. Global Network Navigator is an application of the World Wide Web (WWW), developed at CERN in Switzerland. Users can choose any WWW browser, such as Mosaic (available for UNIX, Windows, and the Mac) from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. In addition, O'Reilly & Associates will make available Viola, an X-based hypermedia software environment in which we've developed a sophisticated WWW graphical browser. Viola makes it possible to distribute object-oriented documents that use formatted text, graphics, icons, and scripts. All World Wide Web browsers can be used to access network services such as gopher and WAIS, independent of the Global Network Navigator. The Global Network Navigator is available over the Internet as a free subscription service during its launch. GNN will be funded by sponsors who provide commercial information of interest to our readers in GNN Marketplace and through advertising in GNN News, GNN Magazine and the Online Whole Internet Catalog. To get information on subscribing to Global Network Navigator, send e-mail to info@gnn.com. + Page 4 + CONCISE COLUMBIA ELECTRONIC ENCYCLOPEDIA AVAILABLE ON FIRSTSEARCH Quick, easy access to information in the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia has been made quicker and easier with its full-text inclusion in The FirstSearch Catalog, OCLC's online information service designed for library patrons. The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, published by Columbia University Press, comprises over 18,000 succinct entries that extend beyond definitions found in dictionaries and includes cross references to help locate additional information. A team of academic advisers reviews each entry for currency and accuracy, and the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia is updated monthly. The encyclopedia is located under the "General and Reference" category on the FirstSearch topic selection screen. Article headings and text are included in a subject search. Help screens are designed to assist the user through the searching process. The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia is the fourth full-text database to be made available on FirstSearch. Disclosure Corporate Snapshots, a database of approximately 11,000 companies filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission; the Business Organizations, Agencies, and Publications Directory, a guide to international business information sources; and EventLine, with entries on conventions, conferences, and symposia, are also available in full text in FirstSearch. The FirstSearch Catalog is available from OCLC on both a per-search and subscription basis. The FirstSearch Catalog is designed for library patrons, with an end-user interface that allows patrons to move easily through the online search process in just a few simple steps, without training or online searching experience. With the addition of the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, FirstSearch now offers 38 databases to users. For additional information, contact Nita Dean, 614-761-5002. SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE The proceedings from the Symposium on Scholarly Communication-New Technologies & New Directions have now been published and are available from the publisher: Meckler Publishing Co., 11 Ferry Lane West, Westport CT 06880, 203-226-6967. + Page 5 + RLG'S EUREKA NOW AVAILABLE Eureka, the new easy-to-use patron-oriented search system from the Research Libraries Group, is now available to interested institutions. The system, designed for novice as well as sophisticated online searchers, provides access to the rich resources of the RLIN bibliographic files and CitaDel article-citation and document-delivery service. Eureka is ideal for institutions wishing to supplement their local online services with unlimited campuswide access to these important resources. Eureka was previewed by 15 institutions between January and August 1993, with users logging over 60,000 Eureka searches during that time. From their feedback, Eureka was modified and enhanced to become the powerful search system that is available today. Users require no formal training or special documentation to be able to perform even the most complex Eureka searches from the start. Readily available online help assists users step by step. Eureka is available by annual subscription or by search block. With an annual subscription, institutions get unlimited access to the RLIN bibliographic files. Subscribing institutions also automatically receive free access to the newest CitaDel file, Inside Information, the table-of-contents database just introduced by the British Library, and a free copy of Ariel, RLG's document transmission software for the Internet. A Eureka annual subscription to the RLIN files also entitles institutions to substantial discounts on all CitaDel file subscriptions. Eureka has been designed for easy integration into existing local online library and campuswide information networks. It is accessible from any terminal or personal computer with VT100 terminal emulation; telecommunication options include the Internet, SprintNet, and direct dial. For more information about Eureka and annual subscriptions, please contact the RLIN Information Center, 800-537-7546; e-mail: bl.ric@rlg.bitnet or bl.ric@rlg.stanford.edu; fax: 415-964-0943. OCLC EXTENDS REFERENCE SERVICES HOURS AROUND THE WORLD OCLC Reference Services are now available 23 hours a day Monday through Saturday, and 20 hours on Sunday. The FirstSearch Catalog, The EPIC service, and Electronic Journals Online can be accessed through the Internet from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 6 a.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday, U.S. Eastern Time. + Page 6 + The services are available through other telecommunications systems from 3 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, and Sunday from noon to midnight, U.S. Eastern Time. Later this year, OCLC will offer its Reference Services 23 hours a day, seven days a week through all telecommunications methods. The new hours of availability will be particularly helpful to users in Europe and Asia. In London, OCLC Reference Services are available all day except from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. In Tokyo, the system is up all day except from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Prior to the Aug. 28 extension, OCLC Reference Services were available 114 hours each week. Now Reference Services are available 158 hours each week over the Internet, and 138 hours each week using other access methods. As a result of the change, OCLC's PRISM Keyword Searching feature, which uses Reference Services indexes, will be available beginning at 4 a.m. instead of 6 a.m., its previous start-up time. With 23-hour availability, databases will be updated "live"--while the system is available to users. For additional information, contact Nita Dean 614-761-5002. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Public-Access Computer Systems News is an electronic newsletter that is distributed on BITNET, Internet, and other computer networks. There is no subscription fee. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 (BITNET) or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet) that says: SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name Last Name. PACS-P subscribers also receive two other electronic serials: Current Cites and The Public-Access Computer Systems Review. Public-Access Computer Systems News is Copyright (C) 1993 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All Rights Reserved. Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their collection, in electronic or printed form, at no charge. This message must appear on all copied material. 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