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- Approved-By: Diane Kovacs <DKOVACS@KENTVM.KENT.EDU>
- Message-ID: <"d00go=N000000000*"@MHS>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.libref-l
- Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 09:52:43 EDT
- Sender: Discussion of Library Reference Issues <LIBREF-L@KENTVM.BITNET>
- From: bmark%mcis.messiah.edu@Kentvm.Kent.edu
- Subject: Ref. librarians + the Internet
- Comments: To: libref-l@kentvm.kent.edu
- Lines: 54
-
- ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
- I've found the discussion about finding time, fear of, etc.,
- learning to use the Internet interesting and very relevant to many
- of us who are newly networked. For those feeling "out of it" I
- have a few suggestions which have helped me (both personally and
- as BI coordinator). Note: I am a fellow struggler, not an expert.
-
- 1) If you have a computer lab anywhere on your campus which is
- Internet accessible, make an appointment for yourself or with
- a colleague (just as you make an appointment for anything else
- which *must* be done). We have found that to attempt to learn
- while in the library can be frustrating due to interruptions.
- Once secluded, see 2)
-
- 2) *If you're totally lacking a conceptual framework about what
- in the world "it" all means, I suggest Jean Polly's "Surfing
- the Internet: An Introduction," WILSON LIBRARY BULLETIN, June
- '92, pp. 38-42+ It's concise, easy to understand, and helped
- me "get the picture."
- *A colleague and I have made great use of Internet Hunt *results*,
- especially the most recent ones which give great step-by-step
- directions. (I posted on another list the fact that our
- computer science faculty were so thrilled to see the hunt
- results that they incorporated some of the questions with
- answers into their January-term Intro. to Computer Science
- class, "because it gives the students a place to start."
- If you have no idea what is out there, this is a good place
- for timid souls to begin. Take a colleague along for courage :-)
-
- 3) Our small 19-member library consortium's Instruction Committee
- has had one meeting (last year--a panel discussion giving intro.
- to the Internet, describing basics, and from one of our more
- advanced members, how they use for ref.) and an upcoming
- workshop which will include: hands-on session of traveling
- around the Internet; how to teach the same; and panel discussion
- including computer services staff and librarians.
-
- 4) Before all of our librarians got on lists, and since all of them
- as liaisons do BI & Ref, I forwarded them interesting (to me!)
- messages which I judged to be of interest to them for awhile.
- Now all of them are on lists of one sort of another. Our
- Computing Services has made the List of Lists easily accessible
- on our campus network. As active liaisons we also forward
- relevant messages (since library lists often such wonderfully
- discipline-relevant messages on them).
-
- 5) I have much, much more to learn and am making an appointment
- for myself for spring break to spend more uninterrupted time
- doing just that. Thanks to all of those so far ahead of us
- novices for showing the way (esp. all those people who provide
- the great answers [and questions] to the Internet Hunt).
-
- Once you force yourself to sit down and actually do it (you
- non-techies) it's really not so very intimidating.
-