Date: Tue, 21 Aug 1995 22:48:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Doctor Bob"
To: TOURBUS@colossus.net
Subject: TOURBUS 09/21 - The Internet Public Library
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TOURBUS - 21 Sep 1995
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\___/ \___/ "Why Surf When U Can Ride The Bus?" \___/
Today's Stop: The Internet Public Library
What is the Internet Public Library?
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The IPL is an online library of and for the Internet community. It's
an experiment to discover the unique hybrid of librarianship and the
Internet. It's mission is to provide services and information which
enhance the value of the Internet to its varied community of users.
Today the 'Bus stops at the IPL, found on the Web at:
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu
If you don't have your own private T1 line, or you run a non-graphical
browser such as Lynx, you might prefer the text-only version at the
address below, since the graphical version will take a lot longer to
load each page.
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/index.text.html
Welcome to the IPL Lobby
------------------------
Every good library has a lobby - a place where one can comtemplate the
riches the lie just beyond the uhh... lobby. In the small town where
I live, the lobby is better known as "the hallway". While in this
hallowed place, you can wipe your feet on the fraying rug, visit the
bathroom or proceed to the library proper.
The Lobby at the Internet Public Library is kind of the same, except
they don't have a rug or a bathroom. But let's see what we can find
here to make up for the lack of these amenities.
From the Lobby, you can access the following "divisions" of the library:
Reference
Youth
Librarian Services
MOO
Or visit one of the following rooms:
Classroom
Exhibit Hall
Reading Room
The Reference Center
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Let's take a peek at the Reference Center. The "Ready Reference
Collection" contains links to selected documents which the IPL Reference
Staff has determined to be of high quality and content.
You can find information on:
Business, Computers, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Government
Health, Internet, News/Current Events, Science and more.
You can also search the Ready Reference Collection by keywords. I
checked out the Computer section (http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/ref/RR/COM)
and found the " Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing"
In the words of its creator: "The FOLDOC is a searchable dictionary
of acronyms, jargon, programming languages, tools, architectures,
operating systems, networking, theory, mathematics, telecomms,
institutions, companies, projects, history, in fact anything to do
with computing." Yes, but does it come with free steak knives?
OK, let's try a search on "ISOTROPIC HEAT TRANSFER". Hmmm, no hits.
How about "astronomy"? Ahh, that's better. Now we can check out
"The Face of Venus Home Page" at our leisure. There's a lot of weird
stuff out on the net, folks.
If you get stuck, you can even send a question to the IPL staff by
filling out a form,or by sending e-mail to iplref@umich.edu. You
should read the submission guidelines, though, before sending questions.
They probably won't be able to help you with your calculus homework.
Kids Only
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Alright, we're checking ID here. But this time you have to be UNDER
21 to get in, or at least lie about your age - which is pretty easy
to do in cyberspace.
The "Youth" link back in the IPL lobby will take you to the IPL Youth
Division, a place for kids to explore, learn and interact.
Don't miss J.J. the librarian, and his sidekick, Bookie the bookworm.
who are there to make you feel welcome and comfortable.
"PUT MY STORY ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB" is a chance for kids to be
published online. Winning entries to the IPL Youth Division Young
Writer's Competition will become part of the IPL collection.
There's also "STORY HOUR" and "DR. INTERNET" who will help you
explore math, science, fun and facts on the Internet.
Pencils Down!
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Actually there are no pop quizzes in the THE IPL CLASSROOM, another
link accessible from the Lobby.
You should definitely pop in and check out the Introductory Tutorials
section, which features a number of guides related to using the Internet
and finding out more about its resources. If you poke around a bit,
you'll find a link to my "Accessing The Internet By E-Mail" guide which
will help you access the IPL by e-mail if that's all you have.
Read Any Good Books Lately?
---------------------------
No? Then by all means pop into "READING ROOM" at the IPL.
The reading room contains bookshelves you can browse for entertaining
reading, and links to sites providing other full texts.
Visit the Shakespeare shelf, or check into the various catalogs of
online books, such as:
* Alex: A Catalogue of Electronic Texts on the Internet
* Books On-line
* The Electronic Bookshelf
That should keep you in digital ink for a while - see you next week!
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TOURBUS - (c) Copyright 1995, Patrick Crispen and Bob Rankin
All rights reserved. Redistribution is allowed only with permission.
