A Beginner's Guide to the Internet/INTERNET.ISO/text/lists/morelist/listserv

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  A Resource Guide to Listservers, BITNET, Internet, and Usenet
                        Dennis W. Viehland
                      University of Arizona
                          September 1991
               Sent Sun, 28 Nov 1993 11:08:19 -0700
           From the BITNET list server at ARIZVM1 (1.7f)
           <[e-mail]>

This Resource Guide started as a presentation to the Association
for Institutional Research (AIR) 1991 Forum ("The Effective Use of
Listserv Software to Enhance Professional Electronic
Communication").  After my presentation obligations were fulfilled
I realized there were a lot of important topics that I had not
covered.  Several individuals at AIR gave me encouragement to
pursue this subject further and I also found that there is an
emerging need for some guidance in this area at the University of
Arizona.  Thus I embarked on this task of consolidating a number
of papers, email messages, listserver notices, etc. into this
Resource Guide.

This Guide is principally about listservers.  However, one cannot
talk about listservers without some discussion about the highways
that move listserver messages (BITNET and Internet) or the
complementary Internet service called Usenet.

The Resource Guide is placed on-line on the listserver at the
University of Arizona.  To obtain a copy send the command GET
LISTSERV GUIDE to LISTSERV@ARIZVM1 (see Appendix G for
instructions to retrieve this file).

Comments about this Guide and its contents are welcome, please
forward to [e-mail] (effective Oct 15, 1991).

Acknowledgements:  Thanks to Tom Field (Univ of New Mexico) for
his advice as co-presenter at the AIR Forum.  Other specific
acknowledgements are noted throughout the Guide.  Thanks most of
all to my colleagues--especially Ernest Payne--at the University
of Arizona for granting me the opportunity to compile this
Resource Guide.


                - - - - -Table of Contents- - - - -

Introduction to Lists/Listservers
--What is a listserver?
--What is a list?
--What is Usenet?
--Features of lists:
  --one-to-many electronic mail
  --search archives of previous discussions
  --fileserver for archives, list files, and help files
--Tips to using lists
  --learn to use campus email first
  --save your subscription letter
  --requesting information from the list
  --providing feedback to the list
  --automatic mail reply programs
  --set nomail
  --use "reply" with caution
--List "Netiquette"
  --keep messages relevant to list topic
  --one subject per message
  --avoid ALL CAPS
  --attach reference message
  --avoid flaming
  --include a meaningful subject line
  --avoid mailbox overload

Advantages of Electronic Mail/Lists
--marginal costs are near zero
--mail can be read when it is convenient
--email is faster than postal mail
--telephone tag is avoided
--messages are usually better thought out
--barriers of race, sex, and first impressions are minimized
--enhances information sharing and one-to-many communication
--its fun!

Disadvantages of Electronic Mail/Lists
--hidden costs can be high
--false sense of expertise
--it can become addictive (its fun!)
--it is never confidential
--written words are more easily misunderstood
--mistakes can be amplified
--list mail can fill disks and clog the network

Types of Lists
--Membership
  --open
  --closed
--Editing control
  --newsletters
  --digests
  --edited forums
  --unedited forums
--Peered lists

Appendix A:  List Topics
--What lists are available?
  --obtaining a "list of lists"
  --obtaining an annotated list of lists
  --Directory of Electronic Journals and Newsletters
  --Directories of Academic E-Mail Conferences
--List topics
  --computer lists
  --personal interest lists
  --local lists
  --academic lists
  --professional lists
--Lists of interest
  --institutional research/administration lists
  --administrative computing lists
  --library systems lists
  --administrative systems lists
  --academic computing, computing admin, other computing lists
--Descriptions of selected lists

Appendix B:  Glossary
--BITNET                 --NERN
--BITNIC                 --NETNORTH
--CREN                   --NSFNET
--EARN                   --TCP/IP
--.EDU                   --USENET
--INTERNET               --INTERNET/BITNET

Appendix C:  Other Listserver, BITNET, and Internet Resources
--BITNIC Documentation
  --list global
  --bitnet servers
  --listserv groups
  --bitnet overview
  --using servers
  --bitnet userhelp
  --articles index
  --netinfo index
--User Guide for Institutional Researchers
--Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet
--Library Databases
  --Internet-Accessible Library Catalogs and Databases
  --UNT's Accessing On-line Bibliographic Databases
--User's Directory of Computer Networks
--Internet Resource Guide
--Inter-network mail guide
--Internet databases
  --geographic name server
  --NBS time
--Bulletin boards
  --US Naval observatory
  --National weather service
  --Institute of Computer Science and Technology

Appendix D:  Listservers as File Servers
--Listserv filelist
--File update information
--Automatic file distribution

Appendix E:  Searching Listserver Archives

Appendix F:  Usenet
--What is Usenet?
--Newsgroup hierarchy
--Listserver vs Usenet

Appendix G:  Listserver Help Manual
--Definitions
--Listserver commands in this Manual
--Receiving and sending mail messages on lists
  --Send a mail message to a list
  --Send a mail message to a list member
--Listserver commands
  --Join a list
  --Resign from a list
  --List information and a current membership list
  --Set nomail
  --Obtain a list of list files
  --Obtain a file from a list
  --Obtain a record of previous messages on a list
  --What other lists are available at a specific node
  --What other lists are available on all other listservers
--Getting help
  --Request listserver on-line help
  --Request a list of information guides


       - - - - -Introduction to Lists/Listserver- - - - -

Listserver technology can be considered an extension of electronic
mail.  Whereas email is one-to-one communication, listservers
allow one-to-many communication.  Simply put, mail sent to a list
sends an electronic message to many persons instead of just one.

Listservers are used for discussion and information sharing.
Typically a person faces a problem that needs solving or has a
question that needs a answer.  The problem or question is sent to
the list (i.e., to ten's or hundred's of individuals who have
expressed an interest in the subject of the list).  Recipients of
the message who can give advice or answers will respond back to
the user who send the message or to the list--in which case the
response is recirculated for potentially more replies and
responses.

--What is a listserver?  a listserver is a special kind of user
account; instead of a person at the end of an electronic address
there is software that maintains mailing lists, stores files, and
responds to your commands.  The principal purpose of listserver
software is to facilitate one-to-many communication for network
users.

A listserver can also be used as a file server.  ASCII files can
be posted on the listserver and list members (or nonmembers in
some lists) can request copies of the files, receive automatic
notification that a file was updated, or request that new or
updated files be sent (these fileserver features are discussed in
Appendix D).

Other names and concepts used to describe a listserver and its
function are inter-institutional conferencing, mail explorer
program, distribution list, email conferences, or inter-
institutional campus-wide information system.

The best known listserver is LISTSERV@BITNIC.  BITNIC (BITNET
Network Information Center) contains a large amount of listserver
information (see Appendix C) and performs a coordinating function
for other listservers.  Similarly, there are regionally-located
"backbone listservers" that contain an variety of frequently-
accessed information (e.g., an inventory of all lists on all
listservers).  Backbone listservers allow efficient distribution
of network information.

The electronic address for a listserver is LISTSERV@node.

--What is a list?  a list of persons used by the listserver to
distribute mail.  The best way to think of a list is as an
"electronic mailing list."  When mail is sent to the list it is
automatically forwarded to all addresses contained within the
list.

The electronic address for a list is list@node.

**KEY POINT**:  Note the difference between LISTSERV@node and
list@node.  A mail message to be distributed to the list members
is sent to list@node; commands such as SUBSCRIBE, GET FILE, INDEX,
and REVIEW are sent to LISTSERV@node.  Be careful not to confuse
these two; occasionally a user sends a command to list@node and
everyone on the list receives this command as a mail message.

--What is Usenet?  Usenet is an Internet-based distributed
bulletin board system that resembles conferencing systems
available on PC-based bulletin board services.  Usenet subscribers
post messages to subject-related "newsgroups" on a local server.
These messages are routed to Usenet servers at thousands of
locations around the world.  Other subscribers access these
servers to read the messages and, if desired, post a reply which
is redistributed to all servers.

Like listservers, Usenet is one-to-many communication, but its
underlying metaphor is a bulletin board, not electronic mail.
Despite similar purposes, the technology, users, discussions, and
services on Usenet are considerably different from that found in
listservers .  For more information on Usenet see Appendix F.

Features of Lists/Listservers:
--one-to-many electronic mail communication:  mail messages sent
to list@node are distributed to list members, as are replies to
these messages
--archives of previous list discussions:  log files of previously
sent mail messages are maintained on most listservers, allowing
list members to access previous discussions for review or search
purposes
--fileserver:  in addition to log files, listowners may use the
list to post files that would be useful for list members; list
members can then download copies of these files.  Finally,
listservers maintain a number of listservers help files for users
to access.

Tips to Using Lists:
--learn to use your campus mail system first; learn about sending
mail to colleagues across campus, learn to use your email editor,
develop a habit of accessing email regularly--then join lists.
--save the letter that you receive confirming your subscription to
the list; it contains important information about the distinction
between the listserver address and the list address, how to resign
from the list, etc.
--when requesting information from list members you may want to
ask that they send their responses to you directly; generally the
response rate will be higher because people are more willing to
share information privately than publicly.
--provide feedback to the group.  After you have the information
you requested, write up a summary and send it to the list so
others will benefit from what you have learned (but avoid names
and institutional identifications unless the information-sharing
requires it).
--do not use automatic mail reply programs (i.e., programs that
reply to incoming mail with a message such as "I'm out of the
office now, I will be back in two weeks.").  These programs
unnecessarily increase network traffic and clutter list members'
mailboxes.
--if you are going on vacation or want to "stop out" of a list for
a while, use the SET NOMAIL command (see Appendix G for
instructions).
--be careful when using the REPLY command; mail intended for an
individual will be received by everyone on the list if you reply
to a list message.  At best, this creates confusion and increases
network traffic needlessly.  At worst, it can be personally
embarrassing.

**KEY POINT**  Messages intended for individual members of a list
must be re-addressed using that person's userid@node address.
Because list mail originates from the list, if you read a message
and use the REPLY command your response will be delivered to
everyone on the list.

List "Netiquette"
--keep messages relevant to the topic of the list.
--cover only one subject per message.
--do not type messages in all caps, WHICH HAS THE EFFECT OF
SHOUTING.  They should be used for effect, not for regular
communication.
--when responding to a message, either "attach" the original
message (if it is short) or lead your response with a clear
reference to the original message (e.g., Regarding John Smith's
September 5 message requesting recommendations for EIS software,
our experience is that....).  This maintains a clear connection
between the original message and responses to it.  A common
network convention is to use the > character in the left margin to
indicate text from a previously posted message.
--avoid flaming:  beware of making strong, emotional, or angry
statements, which is called flaming.  It is easier for written
messages to be misunderstood than spoken words.  Never write a
message in anger and if you have any doubt about how a message
will be received delay it for a day ("sleep on it"), share it with
a friend for an opinion, and/or print it out and read aloud.
Sarcastic comments should be identified with the "sideways smile"
:-).  If you feel compelled to flame, warn the readers so their
response will be appropriate.
--include a meaningful subject for the message.  Including a
subject in list messages helps recipients preview and organize
list messages.  Additionally, the subject is the only words that
appear in the archives.
--once you join a list, make sure you check your mailbox
frequently and regularly to avoid mailbox overload.  A list may
send a couple of messages a year, or 30 or more messages a day;
and an inactive list may suddenly come to life and become very
active.

**KEY POINT**  An obligation of list membership is that you
regularly check your mailbox and delete messages you don't want to
save.  This keeps your institution's disk space available for
others.


   - - - - -Advantages and Disadvantages of Email/Lists- - - - -

Because listserver technology is an extension of electronic mail,
many of the advantages and disadvantages of electronic mail also
apply to lists.  Accordingly, most of the arguments cited below
are equally applicable to email and listservers, exceptions are
noted.

Advantages of electronic mail/lists:
--marginal costs are near zero.  Email isn't free, but the
resources have been paid by the colleges and universities who
belong to the network; the user's time is the only true cost
--mail can be read when it is convenient
--email is faster than postal mail
--telephone tag is avoided because the recipient doesn't have to
be on-line when you send your message
--messages communicated in writing are usually better thought out
than phone call messages
--barriers of race, sex, and general first impressions are
minimized; these barriers shouldn't affect face-to-face
conservations, but they often do
--participation in lists enhances information sharing and one-to-
many communication
--its fun; using email has some of the same excitement that ham
radio operators experience

Disadvantages of electronic mail/lists:
--although direct costs are zero, hidden costs are frequently
overlooked; communication by email usually takes longer than
communication by phone and phone call savings can be eliminated by
the extra time spent in composing and responding to issues that
could be resolved in a short phone conversation.
--false sense of expertise; the recipient of information from a
list may be unable to objectively compare the credibility of
information provided by members of the list
--it can become addictive (see "its fun" above); some who would
not think about reading personal books or magazines at their desk
can become involved in lists relating to personal interests and
spend an extraordinary amount of time in reading and responding to
these lists
--it is never confidential (this applies to lists, of course, but
also to so-called "private" electronic mail)
--written words are much more easily misunderstood than spoken
words; because voice inflections and body language are missing
users must choose words much more carefully than in conversation;
words written in anger cannot be recalled
--mistakes can be amplified--a few wrong keystrokes and a message
intended for one person is seen by several hundred (applies to
lists)
--list mail can fill disks and clog the network (e.g., 25
identical mail messages sent to 25 individuals on the same campus
uses up 25 times the disk space one mail message would)

SOURCES:  William (Joe) Moore  "Inter-Campus Electronic Mail --
Tool or Toy?"  CUMREC '90 Proceedings (author: CC19@SDSUMUS)

Winicur, Daniel H.  "Bitnet, Internet, and Electronic Mail Lists:
What Are They and How Do I Get Started?"  AACRAO conference, 1990
(author: WINICUR@IRISHMVS)


               - - - - -Types of Lists- - - - -

Membership
--Open lists:  open to all who wish to participate.  When one
sends a request to subscribe one is joined to the list
automatically and the listowner is notified of the new member.
Most lists have open membership.

--Closed lists:  membership is controlled by the listowner.  When
one sends a request to subscribe he/she is notified that their
request has been forwarded to the listowner.  Usually the
listowner will respond by promptly honoring the request and
subscribing the person to the list.  Occasionally the listowner
will respond with a questionnaire asking for some information
about the prospective member, why he/she wants to join the list,
etc.  Only rarely is membership denied.

Editing Control
--Newsletters:  Newsletters represent the highest level of list
editorial control. Communications to the list are forwarded to the
listowner who assembles them into a newsletter format for
circulation as a single message to the list members.  This is the
most "user friendly" format for list subscribers because no error
messages reach the subscriber, a table of contents is provided,
messages are assembled in a meaningful order (e.g., all job
postings are grouped together) and the messages are uniform in
format.  This is the most difficult for listowners because editing
the newsletter can require considerable time and effort.  There
are a number of such newsletters of interest to institutional
researchers including the AIR BITNET Newsletter, SCUP BITNET News,
and the NACUBO Forum.

--Digests:  Frequently used in lists with heavy volume, messages
are forwarded to the listowner who assembles all messages from a
day into a single message, removes all junk mail and error
messages, and sends out the messages collectively as a digest.
Newsletter features such as a table of contents, uniform margins,
and editor's comments are not included.

--Edited Forums:  In edited forums messages are captured by the
listowner who usually passes them on without comment or
significant delay.  As in digests the listowner exercises some
editorial control (i.e., only meaningful messages reach list
subscribers), but list traffic arrives as individual messages.

--Unedited Forums:  This is the "default" value for list editing.
Any message sent to list@node is immediately sent to all list
members.  Unedited lists require no effort from the listowner, but
such lists may receive error messages, junk mail, and other mail
not useful to the list member.

Peered Lists
A peered list is distributed to several listservers; this
distribution reduces traffic network in high volume lists.  For
example, instead of sending 2,000 individual messages to servers
throughout the country, maybe 25 messages will be sent to 25
regional servers, who will forward the messages to the 2,000 users
in their respective regions.  For popular lists with high volume,
this can lead to a significant savings in network traffic.


            - - - - -Appendix A:  List Topics- - - - -

What lists are available?
--A "list of lists" is maintained at the BITNIC listserver and on
all backbone listservers.

To receive this list of lists send the LIST GLOBAL command (see
Appendix G for specific instructions) to LISTSERV@BITNIC.  You
will receive a file (not a mail message) that contains the network
ID (listname), full address (list@node), and list title of all
available lists.  On May 14, 1991 there were 2,529 lists available
through BITNET.

--An annotated list (listname, listowner, and brief description)
of some of these lists is available by sending the GET LISTSERV
GROUPS command to LISTSERV@BITNIC.

--Directory of Electronic Journals and Newsletters:  published by
the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in July 1991, the
Directory lists title, description, and other information (e.g.,
how to subscribe, how to submit material) for 26 electronic
journals and 63 newsletters.  The editor is Michael Strangelove,
Network Research Facilitator, University of Ottawa
([e-mail]).

The Directory is available in printed copy from Office of
Scientific & Academic Publishing, Association of Research
Libraries, 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20036
USA  Cost for ARL member libraries is $10 and for non-members for
$20 (add $5 postage per directory for foreign addresses).  Contact
Ann Okerson ([e-mail]; 202-232-2466) for more
information.

The Directory is available in electronic format by sending the GET
EJOURNL1 DIRECTRY and GET EJOURNL2 DIRECTRY commands to
LISTSERV@UOTTAWA.

--Directories of Academic E-Mail Conferences: a companion to the
Electronic Journals and Newsletters Directory noted above, this
publication is a collection of several hundred academic lists.
The editor is Diane Kovacs, Reference Librarian for the
Humanities, Kent State Univ Libraries ([e-mail]).
Contact ARL (address above) for order information.

The Directories are available in electronic format from the
listserver at Kent State University.  To obtain one of the
following files send a GET FILENAME FILETYPE command or mail
message to LISTSERV@KENTVM.

Filename  Filetype  Comment
--------  --------  -------
ACADLIST  FILE1     Humanities and Social Sciences (A - Lib)
ACADLIST  FILE2     Humanities and Social Sciences (Lin - Z)
ACADLIST  FILE3     Agriculture, Biology, Environmental and
                    Medical Sciences
ACADLIST  FILE4     Physical Sciences (Astronomy, Chemistry,
                    Geology, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics)
ACADLIST  FILE5     Academia General Interest (including academic
                    freedom), Administration, Business, Grants

(NOTE: a FILE6, tentatively titled Computing and Information
Technology, is being prepared by Dennis Viehland, University of
Arizona)


No summary of lists can do express the diversity of lists that are
out there.  From the May 14 lists of lists, here is a sampler of
list topics:

--Computer Topics
Topics that discuss computers, networks, or systems dominate the
list, easily over half of all list topics.  Dominant computer
topics:

Commercial product information and user groups:  Amiga, FOCUS,
Hewlett-Packard, hypercard, IBM-PC, Information Associates,
Kermit, Macintosh,  VAX,  DB2, Ingres, Oracle, Novell, PageMaker,
Quattro, SQL, TeX, WordPerfect, etc.   Commercial companies are
allowed access to the Internet (they carry the .com extension) and
bug fixes, troubleshooting, etc. can be announced and distributed
through these lists.

Computer issues and applications:  ethics, computer games, help
desk managers, listowners, computer newsletter editors,
supercomputers, public domain software, risks in use of computers,
virus alert, etc.

--Personal Interest
Perhaps the most controversial lists are those that discuss topics
of personal interest.  These tend to be controversial because:
a) some of them discuss sex, politics, religion, and other
subjects that are, well, controversial
b) some institutions have raised concerns about "clogging the net"
with such topics when network bandwidth and institutional
resources are needed for work-related projects and communication
c) similarly, what is the impact on work productivity as staff
read and response to topics that are not relevant for work.

A sampler of personal interest topics:  bee biology, bisexuality,
desert storm, horses, birding, cats, rare books, films, firearms,
fly fishing, Judiasm, juggling, mountaineering, pets, nutworks
(jokes), real Coke users, science fiction, scuba diving, Star
Trek, and vegetarianism.

--Local Lists
Many institutions use listservers as an internal conferencing
system or a campus-wide information system.  Almost all messages
in these lists are intra-campus users communicating with each
other, but they are included in the national lists of lists as
well.  The University of Kansas, for example has no fewer than
twenty such lists including KU Students Records Information
System, KU Library Bibliographers, and so on.  Other examples
include Portland Community College IBM Lab news, McGill power
outages distribution list, Univ of Arizona on-line consulting, and
local weather report lists.

--Academic Lists
Faculty are discovering electronic communication in increasing
numbers and the growing number of academic-oriented lists reflect
this emerging interest.  There are a number of general interest
lists (e.g., history, geography, humanists, literature,
philosophy, physics, political science) as well as lists with very
specific academic interests (e.g., readers of Jane Austen, gene
mapping, Benjamin Franklin scholars).

--Professional Lists
Many of these lists are of interest to institutional researchers
(e.g., AIR-L, SCUPNews, ASSESS).  Other examples of professional
lists include academic computing center directors forum, student
government global mail network, academic advising, AIDS/HIV News,
and an amazing number of lists for librarians.


A review of the global lists of lists in September 1991 identified
the following lists to be of interest to institutional researchers
and computing professionals.  This is a selected list, there are
hundreds of lists that could have been included but, because of
space limitations, only the following lists are noted.
Instructions for joining these lists are included in Appendix G.

                   Selected Lists of Interest to
     Institutional Researchers and Computing Professionals

Institutional Research/Higher Education Admin Lists
---------------------------------------------------
AAUA-L@UBVM          American Association of Univ Administrators
AAUREG@PUCC          AAU Registrars List*
AIR-L@UNMVM          AIR BITNET Newsletter - University
                     Institutional Researchers/Planners
ASHE-L@UMCVMB        Association for the Study of Higher Education
ASSESS@UKCC          Assessment in Higher Education*
CAIRNET              California Assoc for Institutional Research*
COMMCOLL@UKCC        Community College Discussion List*
EDAD-L@WVNVM         Educational Administration Discussion List
EDI-L@UCCVMA         Electronic Data Interchange Issues
EDPOLYAN@ASUACAD     Professionals and Students Discussing
                     Educational Planning*
ERL-L@TCSVM          Educational Research List (TCSVM)
HEDS                 Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium*
IAN                  Intercollegiate Athletics Newsletter*
NACUBO@BITNIC        NACUBO College and Univ Business Officers*
SCUPMA-L@AUVM        Mid-Altantic SCUP Newsletter
SCUPNEWS@UCBCMSA     SCUP BITNET NEWS - Society for College &
                     University Planning*
SPEEDE-L@VTVM1       AACRAO electronic transcript discussion
STLHE-L@UNBVM1       Forum for Teaching & Learning in Higher Educ

Administrative Computing Lists
------------------------------
CAUSEASM@VTVM1       Constituent Group for Administrative Systems*
CNIDIR-L@UNMVM       CNIDIR-L - Coalition for Networked Informatio
CUMREC-L@NDSUVM1     CUMREC-L Administrative Computer Users Group
DASIG@SUVM           Data Administration Special Interest Group*
EISSIG@ASUACAD       Executive Information Systems Special
                     Interest Group*
SERVERS@BNANDP11     Servers Machine Discussion List
SQL-L@DB0FUB11       (Peered) SQL Discussion List
SQL-L@FINHUTC        (Peered) SQL discussion List
SQL-L@MITVMA         SQL Info Exchange
SQLINFO@UICVM        Forum for SQL/DS and Related Topics
UNINFSEC@CUVMC       Univ Administrative Information Security*

Library Systems Lists
---------------------
CARLS@UMAB           COLORADO ALLIANCE OF RESEARCH LIBRARIES
CWIS-L@WUVMD         Campus-Wide Information Systems
PACS-L@UHUPVM1       Public-Access Computer Systems Forum

Administrative Systems Lists (Vendors)
--------------------------------------
CUFS-L@MIAMIU        (Peered) A discussion of the CUFS system
DARS-L@MIAMIU        Degree Audit Reporting System Discussion
FAMSTECH@ASUACAD     Financial Aid Systems - Technical Discussion
AMSSIS-L@UAFSYSB     AMS/SIS Discussion
BANNER-L@WVNVM       Student Information System Discussions
FOCUS-L@ASUACAD      FOCUS-L
IA-ADS@MARIST        IA's ADS Discussion
IA-FRS@MARIST        IA's FRS Discussion
IA-HRS@MARIST        IA's HRS Discussion
IA-SIS@MARIST        IA's SIS Discussion
IAIMU-L@ULKYVM       IDMS-based I/A software discussion list
IDMS-L@UGA           Cullinet IDMS Discussion
INFOHRIS@TTUVM1      HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM (HRIS)
OHEUG-L@UMDD         ORACLE Higher Education Users Group
QM-L@YALEVM          QuickMail (CE Software) Users
SCT-L@LLUVM          Banner System Implementation

Academic Computing, Computing Admin, Other Computing Lists
----------------------------------------------------------
ACADDR-L@MCGILL1     Academic Computing Centre Directors Forum
ACSOFT-L@WUVMD       Academic Software Development
MD4F@CMUCCVMA        (Peered) User Services List (ADVISE-L)
BILLING@HDETUD1      Chargeback of (computer) resources
C+HEALTH@IUBVM       Computing and Health
CW-EMAIL@TECMTYVM    Campus-Wide Electronic Mail Systems discussio
EDUCOM-W@BITNIC      EDUCOM-W - EDUCOM Women and Information Techn
HD-MGRS@MITVMA       IS Help Desk Managers
HDESK-L@WVNVM        Help Desk Discussions
INTECH-L@ULKYVM      Instructional Technology Discussion

*for more information about these lists see the description of
lists below; descriptions are listed alphabetically, not
necessarily in the order in which they are listed in this table

SOURCE:  List of all LISTSERV lists known to LISTSERV@BITNIC on
21 Sep 1991


Descriptions of Lists
---------------------
Many lists seek additional members by advertising their existence
in electronic newsletters, journals, and professional conferences.
The following list descriptions have been compiled from these
sources, and others, to describe the list and provide membership
information.

--AAUREG:     AAUREG is a LISTSERV file of registrars from the
Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 58
large research Universities in the United States and Canada.  The
main purpose of AAUREG is to facilitate communication among the
registrars of member institutions.  Consequently, the LISTSERV
file, designated AAUREG@PUCC, allows users on the list to send and
receive E-mail messages to each other.  AAUREG is maintained by C.
Anthony Broh, Registrar at Princeton University.  Messages to AAU
Registrars can be forwarded to AAUREG by sending E-mail to
BROH@PUCC.


--AIR-L: AIR BITNET Newsletter for institutional researchers and
college and university planners. Circulated biweekly (nominal
schedule).  To subscribe send a sub air-l name and institution
command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. To submit material, send to tfield@unmb
or tfield@unmvm or air-l@unmvm. Listowner is Tom Field, (505) 277-
7656; 306 Scholes Hall, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
87131


--ASSESS:  The Assessment in Higher Education discussion list
([e-mail]) has been established to provide for informal
dialog on assessment issues and policies as well as information on
current practices in higher education.  The purpose is to provide
a forum for the exchange of ideas, models, resources, and
practical strategies on student assessment of learning and
institutional effectiveness.  Assessment practitioners, policy
makers, and others interested in assessment are invited to join.

To subscribe to the assessment discussion list, send electronic
mail to [e-mail] with the following as the first line
of text in the message body:  SUBSCRIBE ASSESS Your Name and
Institution

You will receive notification from the listserv that you have
subscribed to the list.  If you do not receive notification,
please let us know!  If you want to send a message to everyone
subscribed to the ASSESS list, send your message via electronic
mail to [e-mail]

Note:  Listserv commands such as SUBSCRIBE and UNSUBSCRIBE should
be sent only to the listserv address [e-mail].  If
you send commands to [e-mail], your text will be sent
to all subscribers of the list and will not be executed.

Listowner is:
Thomas E. Kunselman, Information Specialist
Office of the Assistant Chancellor
#7 Administration Building
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0032
Telephone:  [phone]
Bitnet:     VAATEK@UKCC
Internet:   [e-mail]


--CAIRNet:  CAIRNet is an electronic broadcasting and messaging
network sponsored by the California Association for Institutional
Research (CAIR).  A monthly CAIRNet newsletter is published over
CAIRNet.  CAIRNet is being hosted by the University of California,
Irvine (UCI).

To receive CAIRnet messages and the newsletter, it is necessary to
join CAIRnet. CAIRNet is available to anyone, and membership in
CAIR is not required (although the current President of CAIR
encourages you to join). If you wish to be added to CAIRNet,
please send an e-mail note to Bob Daly, CAIRnet administrator, via
BITNET at bobdaly@uci.


--CAUSEASM:  Sponsored by the CAUSE Administrative Systems
Management Constituent Group.  The Group is organized to focus on
problems encountered in planning, developing/purchasing,
implementing, operating, and managing administrative systems. The
group meetings annually at CAUSE conferences.  Listowner is A.
Wayne Donald, Virginia Tech University (awdcms@vtvm1); (703) 231-
7694.  To subscribe send a subscribe CAUSEASM <your full name>
command to LISTSERV@VTVM1.


--COMMCOLL:  is an electronic discussion group for faculty, staff,
and administration at two-year institutions.

Access to COMMCOLL is available internationally thus forming a
global network of two-year college educators who recognize the
importance of teaching in communicating knowledge to the next
generation.  The use of COMMCOLL is a a major breakthrough in
facilitating instant communication among faculty, administrators,
and staff at two-year institutions.

Appropriate messages for COMMCOLL include: polls; information-
gathering questions;  feedback on one's research; program
proposals and development;  calls for papers;  meetings, media,
and job announcements; consultation with other faculties
discussing problems and solutions facing campuses around the
world; as well as any other issues pertinent to creating and
enhancing teaching effectiveness in two-year institutions.

While messages sent to COMMCOLL are received by all subscribers,
users may then contact specific individuals via BITNET to pursue
particular projects, issues, and interests.  Since computer
systems differ, please be sure to include your userid and node at
the end of each posting.

To subscribe to the COMMCOLL list send e-mail to LISTSERV@UKCC (on
BITNET) or [e-mail] with the following command in the
text (or body) of the mail:
SUBSCRIBE COMMCOLL yourfirstname yourlastname

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Anne
Kearney, Assistant Professor of History, Jefferson Community
College - University of Kentucky, 109 East Broadway, Louisville,
KY 40202; BITNET: JCCANNEK@UKCC; INTERNET: [e-mail]


--CUMREC:  a list for the discussion of administrative computer
use; geared to help managers of information systems share
information to help make decisions about hardware/software
purchase, resource management, etc.  Non-technical administrators
are encouraged to participate.  Listowner is Joe Moore
(CC19@SDSUMUS).


--CWIS:  this list is for discussing the creating and
implementation of campus-wide information systems.  The term CWIS
includes systems that take information and services available to
the public on campus via kiosks, interactive computing, and/or
campus networks.  Services routinely include directory
information, calendars, bulletin boards, databases, and library
information.

To subscribe send an interactive command or e-mail message to
LISTSERV@WUVMD:  SUB CWIS-L FirstName LastName.

The CWIS-L listowner is Steve Middlebrook (C94882SM@WUVMD).


--DASIG:  DASIG's purpose is to provide those interested in data
administration policies, procedures, and organizational structure
an opportunity to exchange views about that environment, and share
solutions about ensuring clear and consistent definition,
accuracy, completeness, accessibility, and security of
computerized administrative data. Listowner is Richard D. Sheeder:
[e-mail]


--EDPOLYAN:  "Education Policy Analysis" is designed to foster the
discussion of topics related to education policy in both K-12 and
higher education.  It is intended that papers on education policy
will be distributed through the list for comment and reaction.
Recent journal articles on education policy will also be reviewed
and discussed.  General discussion of education policy issues will
be encouraged.

As of August 1990, discussions on EDPOLYAN have been active and
lively, centering on such topics as site-based management, second-
career teachers, large-scale assessment, curriculum reform, school
finance, and many others. An average of three communiques are
posted to the list each day, the average length of these
compositions being over 200 lines. From every indication, items
posted to the list stimulate a great deal of private communication
between list subscribers.

Listowners are Gene Glass (ATGVG@ASUACAD) and Dewayne Matthews
(AGD2M@ASUACAD), College of Education, Arizona State University.


--EISSIG:   Executive Information Systems Special Interest Group
(EISSIG) is a network that can be used to ask questions, discuss
current issues, and share experiences about the application of
information technology for decision support in colleges and
universities.  Although the title emphasizes executive information
systems, EISSIG is intended to facilitate communication about any
component of decision support, including EIS, executive support
systems (ESS), decision support systems (DSS), and information
centers (IC).

To join EISSIG send a  subscribe EISSIG Name - Institution
command to LISTSERV@ASUACAD.  Listowner is Hans Ladanyi,
University of Maine-Presque Isle, 181 Main Street, Preble Hall,
Presque Isle, ME  04769; [phone] ext 235;
[e-mail]


--HEDS:  A discussion list to facilitate communication among
members of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium.
Contact:  Dunn@TUFTS or JMAULDIN@TUFTS


--Intercollegiate Athletics Newsletter (IAN):  Purposes:  1) to
provide current information on the expanding world of research on
student-athletes and intercollegiate athletics 2) to network IR
personnel involved in NCAA/NAIA reports,  internal athletics
research, reports for governing boards, Federal requirements, etc.
3) to provide a means to exchange ideas, opinions, and seek
assistance in related matters.  Sponsor: AIR Intercollegiate
Athletics SIG   Published: no set schedule (there have been 16
issues in 2 years);  Editor: Bruce Ingram Mallette, Assistant
Director of Institutional Research, North Carolina State
University

To subscribe:  send Name, Title, School, Email address to,
N741364@NCSUADM


--NACUBO:  The NACUBO E-MAIL FORUM (National Association of
College and University Business Officers) is an edited discussion
group list open to all higher education business officers and to
those with an interest in business and financial management in
colleges and universities.

All topics dealt with by large and small, public and private
college and university business, finance and administrative
professionals are welcome.  It is designed to foster the exchange
information - questions and answers - in order to be most useful
to  participants. Sample topics include: investments and
endowments, retirement plans, tuition financing, account coding,
budgeting, funding formulas, inflation indicators, computing in
physical plant operations and management, software for business
and administrative functions, fixed asset systems, personnel
policies, payroll systems, IRS regulations, financial analysis,
and grant and student loan accounting.  Issues of the NACUBO E-
MAIL FORUM are distributed weekly and rely upon subscriber
submissions.

To subscribe send electronic mail or interactive message to
[e-mail] (the exact syntax may vary depending on
your local system) with the following message:
subscribe NACUBO Firstname Lastname - Institution (abbreviated);
For example:  subscribe NACUBO Joy Doe - Utopia St U, St.Croix.

All contributions to NACUBO@BITNIC are forwarded to the Editor,
who compiles a weekly newsletter sent to all subscribers. New
subscribers can obtain past issues directly from LISTSERV@BITNIC;
for an index, send this command to LISTSERV@BITNIC via e-mail or
interactive message: index nacubo.. NACUBO listowner is  Janet
Chayes, Connecticut State University <chayes@ctstateu>

A special goal is bringing more chief business and finance
officers and their staffs into the wonderful world of electronic
mail, both at their own institutions and across the country
through BITNET and the INTERNET.  All readers can help achieve
this goal by sharing it with your colleagues and encouraging their
submissions.  If you are not your institution's business or
finance officer, you can help significantly by showing them how to
join.  Thanks !!


--SCUPNEWS:  "SCUP Bitnet News" is a service of the Society for
College and University Planning (SCUP) designed to promote the
mission of the society and support its activities.  "SCUP Bitnet
News" provides frequent and timely exchange of information among
its members as well as non-member interested in higher education
planning through the use of BITNET, an electronic communication
medium.

Contents of the newsletter are selected on the basis of interest
and value to the membership, particularly those which advance the
state of the art in planning; improve the understanding and
application of the tools, techniques, processes and strategies of
planning; advance the professional development of the membership;
and widen the base of support for planning in higher education.
The biweekly electronic newsletter includes notices of national
and regional SCUP meetings and other relevant meetings; pertinent
news items; identification of useful articles, books, or other
materials; requests from the members for information on current
issues or concerns; job postings of interest to the members; and
other time-sensitive information of membership relevance.

To subscribe to "SCUP Bitnet News," send an electronic mail note
to the editor (Joanne Cate:  budlao@uccvma; 415-987-0963) or the
associate editor (Betsey Creekmore:  pa94858@utkvm1) with your
name, your e-mail address, institution, address, city/state/zip
and telephone.  Upon receipt of your request, notification will
follow that your name has been added to the subscription list.
You will also receive via electronic mail the two most recent
issues of the newsletter.


--UNINFSEC:  "University Administrative Information Security" is
for college and university administrative people interested in
discussing issues in and around information security.  The list is
unmoderated and has a closed membership.  To qualify for
membership requires the completion of a short application.
Applicants should be currently employed in the information
security field or a field that is very closely related (e.g.,
academic information security, risk assessment, contingency
planning, etc.).  We hope that those who wish to join will want to
actively participate.

Here is a sampling of the issues the group hopes to discuss:
-what information security policies are in place at your
university?
-what is your university doing about security awareness?
-what is your university doing about network security?
-what is your university doing about virus education?
-what anti-virus software are you using?  do you like it?
-how do you personally keep up-to-date with the information
explosion in information security?
-how do you secure source code and what is the mechanism for
change control?
-what controls are in place (or missing) for privileged account
access/monitoring?
-what are your major security concerns at the present time?
-what are your security plans with regard to disaster recovery?
-are you using or planning to use a "hot" or "cold" site?
-have you done a risk assessment?  how detailed?
-have you had a recent security audit? what were the results?
The list is endless, but you get the idea of the sorts of things
we are interested in.

Please have the appropriate person(s) at your institution contact
either Bill Bauriedel ([e-mail]) or Drita
Ivanaj ([e-mail]) for a copy of the application.
Qualified individuals will then be given instructions for
accessing and using the Listserv.


            - - - - -Appendix B:  GLOSSARY- - - - -

NOTE:  see the Definitions section of the Listserver Help Manual
(Appendix G) for more definitions of listserver terms.

BITNET:  (Because It's Time NETwork) is a general purpose academic
network chartered to facilitate noncommercial information exchange
among its members.  Founded in 1981 to link CUNY with Yale there
was concern at first as to whether there would be enough
interested universities to form a critical mass of users.  The
fears were unfounded as BITNET has grown to over 500 American
college and universities plus colleges and universities in Canada
(where it is known as NetNorth), Europe (where it is known as
EARN), Latin America, Australia, Africa, and the Far East.
To receive an electronic users guide to BITNET send a GET BITNET
USERHELP message or command to NETSERV@BITNIC.  (See also
INTERNET/BITNET definition below.)


BITNIC:  (BITNET Network Information Center) was organized in 1984
to provide BITNET users with technical and policy guidelines,
management, and administrative procedures, information compilation
and dissemination services, and technical development and support
services.


CREN:  (Corporation for Research and Education Networking):  The
managing agency for BITNET formed by the merger of BITNET and
CSNet (Computer Science NETwork) in late 1989.  The merger
represents a consolidation of network management and provides
easier access to CSNET colleagues--BITNET users are unaffected.


EARN:  the European Academic and Research Network, BITNET's
counterpart in Europe, is a computer network for academic and
research institutions located in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
Founded in 1984, EARN is linked to BITNET (USA) and NetNorth
(Canada), forming one topologically interconnected network.


.EDU:  an educational institution on the Internet.  All countries
(except the US) end with a two-letter domain evocative of the
actual name of the country (e.g., .DE = Deutschland or Germany;
.FI = Finland; SU = Soviet Union).  Within the US all addresses
end in .EDU (education), .COM (commercial research), .ORG (non-
profit organization), .GOV (government), .MIL (military), or .NET
(self-explanatory?).


INTERNET: (1) The Internet is a network of networks, a multi-
network system connecting more than 400 networks which link
government, corporate, and university research networks using the
Internet protocol (IP).  Backbone networks include NSFNET
(National Science Foundation) and ARPANET (Advanced Research
Project Agency Network, a federal defense network).  Basic
capabilities include:
--electronic mail (exchange of text messages),
--Telnet (a method of logging on to a remote host and using that
computer as if you were connected directly) and
--File Transfer Protocol (FTP--a method of transferring data from
one computer to another while ensuring the integrity of the data).

SOURCE:  Valerie Glauser, "Networking for the Neophyte" Penn
Printout, November 1989.


INTERNET: (2) The Internet is a collection of research,
educational, and commercial networks which are tied together by a
common networking protocol (TCP/IP).  Advantages of Internet over
BITNET are:
--faster transmission speeds,
--more connections (especially to commercial companies, military
bases, government agencies, etc.)
--capability to make a direction connection between the local
mainframe computer and the remote computer (remote log in; "end-
to-end" capability, in addition to the "store-and-forward"
capability of BITNET); however it assumes all the connecting nodes
are up, if not then the interactive session is not possible.


INTERNET: (3)  "a highway of ideas, a collective brain for the
nation's scientists, and perhaps the world's most important
computer bulletin board.  Connecting all the great research
institutions, a large Unix-based network known collectively as the
Internet is where scientists, researchers, and thousands of
ordinary computer users get their daily fix of news and
gossip....really a jumble of networks rooted in academic and
research institutions connecting over 400 countries, providing
electronic mail, file transfer, remote log in, software archives,
and news to users on the 2,000 networks....When one talks of the
Internet you have to envision a large number of networks, some of
which are major backbones like the NFS Net, other are statewide or
regional networks, others are networks within colleges or research
labs....all share the same communications protocol--the TCP/IP
protocol suite."

SOURCE:  David Coursey,"Riding the Internet" InfoWorld February 4,
1991, pp. 48, 57.


INTERNET/BITNET:  The Internet/BITNET connection exists through
gateways in many places. Properly addressed mail should have no
problem being interchanged between them.   (A gateway is a program
that passes mail between dissimilar mail systems).

Transmission speeds on BITNET are limited to 9600 baud, which is
fine for electronic mail and file transfer, but is too slow for
the convenient transfer of large amounts of data.  Transmission
speeds on the Internet are much higher,currently about 1.5
megabits per second, with a planned upgrade to 45Mb per second.


NERN:  (National Research and Education Network) proposed
successor to the Internet, funding is being sought in Congress to
spend $2 billion over five years on improving the Internet and
bringing it down to the high school level.


NETNORTH:  BITNET's counterpart in Canada


NSFNET:  a relatively new, high-speed network created by National
Science Foundation to provide remote access to supercomputers and
other resources needed for advanced academic and commercial
research and development.  NSFNET is a three-level network:  the
backbone (national trunk lines) interconnect 22 mid-level nets,
which in turn provide connection points for over 225 campus
networks.  Collective the NSFNET backbone, mid-level nets, plus
other interconnected networks (e.g., ARPANET, CSNET) are referred
to as the Internet.


TCP/IP:  Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol:  a set
of communication protocols that can be used in a multivendor
environment for connectivity and communications.  Based on Unix,
the TCP/IP file transfer program makes vast archives of software
available over the Internet.


USENET:  an Internet-based distributed bulletin board system that
resembles conferencing systems available on PC-based bulletin
board services.  Usenet subscribers post messages to subject-
related "newsgroups" on a local server.  These messages are routed
to Usenet servers at thousands of locations around the world.
Other subscribers access these servers to read the messages and,
if desired, post a reply which is redistributed to all servers.

The Usenet database is distributed to servers at colleges,
universities, and private companies. To read the messages on
Usenet subscribers use a newsreader.  Most newsreaders keep track
of what articles (messages) subscribers have seen and which they
have not.  Newsreaders allow users to be selective about which
newsgroups to look at regularly.  Newsreaders are available for
Unix, VMS, VM/CMS, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and other platforms.

(For more information on Usenet see Appendix F.)


 - -APPENDIX C: OTHER LISTSERVER, BITNET, AND INTERNET RESOURCES- -

BITNIC Documentation
--------------------
Help Manuals and other documentation available from BITNIC (BITNET
Network Information Center).  Send the following commands or
messages to LISTSERV@BITNIC:

LIST GLOBAL    :  a "list of lists" maintained at the BITNIC
listserver and on all backbone listservers  You will receive a
file (not a mail message) that contains the network ID (listname),
full address (list@node), and list title of all available lists.

GET BITNET SERVERS     : "a list of network servers and services";
includes file servers (e.g., ISACC, INFO@NSF), NETSERV file
servers, user directory servers (e.g., FINGER, NAMESERV, WHOIS),
LISTSERV file servers, LISTSERVE filelists, RELAY, and selected
list of electronic magazines.  For general information about
servers see the BITNET USERHELP file listed below.

GET LISTSERV GROUPS     : an annotated list of selected lists
(e.g.,  CUMREC-L is included); includes listname, listowner, and
brief description.  Also includes a listing of ARPAnet Special
Interest Groups with BITNET sub-lists.

GET BITNET OVERVIEW      : the best short description of BITNET,
its services, and membership structure.

GET USING SERVERS       : the best thing BITNIC has that could be
called a listserver user manual.  Includes introductory
information and commands, description of some lists, a list of
listserver sites, and some information on BITNET database.

GET BITNET USERHELP     :  the "official" BITNET user manual,
written by Chris Condon, to "familiarize you with the basic
concepts behind BITNET and how to communicate with people
throughout it."  It starts with "BITNET for the Complete Idiot"
and offers brief coverage of most BITNET topics including
listservers, gateways, interactive communication, etc.

GET ARTICLES INDEX    : a list of general interest articles
available for downloading.  You receive filename, filetype, a very
short title/subject, date of publication, size (lines), and some
introductory discussion.  The availability of these articles is
announced in CCNEWS (electronic newsletter for computing center
newsletter editors).  CCNEWS includes citation information as well
as an abstract.  To subscribe to CCNEWS send the following command
or message to LISTSERV@BITNIC:   SUBSCRIBE CCNEWS First_Name
Last_Name, Institution

GET NETINFO INDEX     : a list of BITNET-related articles (e.g.,
help manuals, back issues of BITNEWS and NETMONTH, BITNET
corporate information, BITNET site, node, and institutional
representative lists, etc)


Users Guide for Institutional Researchers
-----------------------------------------
"Electronic Mail and Networks:  New Tools for University
Administrators" by Dan Updegrove, John Muffo, and Jack Dunn
The paper discusses topics such as:
--What is Electronic Mail?
--How Does Electronic Mail Work?
--National and International Academic Networks
--Institutional Costs for Network Membership
--How University Administrators Use E-mail and Networks
--How to Get Connected
--How to Use These Networks
--Additional Resources
To receive a copy of the paper, send a GET EMAILNET.UPDEGR_D
command to LISTSERV@BITNIC


Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet
----------------------------------
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet by E. Krol is available from
the Stanford Research Institution Network Information Center (SRI-
NIC) as document RFC1118.  To obtain a copy of this guide:

At the system prompt of your computer enter  ftp nic.ddn.mil
At this prompt:                 Enter:
NIC.DDN.MIL>                    user
Foreign username:               anonymous
Password:                       guest
NIC.DDN.MIL>                    get rfc:rfc1118.txt
To local file:                  what you which to call the file
                                  in your directory
NIC.DDN.MIL>                    quit


Library Databases
-----------------
Many colleges and universities offer Internet access to their on-
line catalogs.  Two resources for accessing these catalogs:

--"Internet-Accessible Library Catalogs and Databases" co-edited
by Art St. George (stgoerge@unmb) and Ron Larson contains over 100
on-line library catalogs as well as Internet accessible campus-
wide information systems and bulletin boards.

To obtain a copy via BITNET, send a mail or a command to
LISTSERV@UNMVM.  The body of the mail or command should say GET
LIBRARY PACKAGE.  This command will retrieve four files, sent
separately (the ASCII file is too large to send over BITNET as one
file).

With Internet access you can obtain a copy via FTP; at the system
prompt of your computer enter    ftp ariel.umn.edu
At this promt:                  Enter:
ARIEL.UNM.EDU>                  user
Foreign username:               anonymous
Password:                       guest
ARIEL.UMN.EDU>                  cd library
ARIEL.UMN.EDU>                  dir
    available files are internet.library (ASCII), library.apple
    (Macintosh), library.ps (postscript)
ARIEL.UMN.EDU>                  get (filename of file you want)
To local file:                  what you which to call the file
                                  in your directory
ARIEL.UMN.EDU>                   quit

It is possible to automatically receive updated versions of this
Guide. For more information, send mail or a command to your
nearest Listserv node or, only as a last resort, to
Listserv@unmvm. The body of the mail or the command should say
INFO AFD.  You will be sent a file called Listafd Memo which
describes the automatic file distribution feature of the Revised
Listserv.

--"UNT's Accessing On-line Bibliographic Databases" contains 168
library systems covering 220 sites.  It is compiled by Billy
Barron (BILLY@UNTVAX) of the University of North Texas.

This guide is available by FTP on vaxb.acs.unt.edu.  Follow the
process outlined above.  At the DIR command you will see file
formats for ASCII (LIBRARIES.TXT), Postscript (LIBRARIES.PS),
WordPerfect 5.1 (LIBRARIES.WP5 - transfer in binary mode), as well
as LIBRARIES.ADR (Numeric IP addresses of Internet libraries), and
LIBRARIES.CONTACTS (contacts for some of the Internet libraries)

For BITNET users, as an absolute last resort, the files may be
requested via email (note: some networks such as UUCP may file
size limits that may prohibit the transfer of these documents
through electronic mail).

SOURCES:
Billy Barron.  "Internet Library Guide" Public-Access Computer
Systems Forum  message, February 22, 1991.

Art St. George.  "Announcing New Release of Internet Library
Catalog"  Public-Access Computer Systems Forum  message, February
10, 1991.


User's Directory of Computer Networks
-------------------------------------
User's Directory of Computer Networks; Tracy L. LaQuey (editor);
Digital, 1990; 630p; ISBN 1-55558-047-5; $34.95

"a road atlas of academic and research computer networks....One
can use the directory to locate information such as the electronic
mail addresses and phone numbers and specialized resources such as
online library catalogs and information in databases and
configuration files"  Reviewed in "Choice", October 1989, p 289.


Internet Resource Guide
-----------------------
The NSF Network Service Center (NNSC) publishes a guide to
resources on the Internet. These resources include facilities such
as supercomputers, databases, libraries, or specialized services
on the Internet which are available to large numbers of users.
Each entry in the guide contains a description of the resource, a
description of who may use the resource, the type of access
supported (email, ftp, telnet), and contact points for further
information such as a phone number, email address, and name of a
contact person where appropriate. Each listing is approximately
one page of text.

The Internet Resource Guide (IRG) may be retrieved via anonymous
ftp from nnsc.nsf.net (postscript and ASCII versions are
available). The IRG files are stored in the resource-guide
directory.  The readme file in that directory will give
instructions on the IRG file organization, printing postscript
files of IRG, using FTP, and uncompressing the IRG compressed
files.  Use the following instructions to obtain a copy of the
README file.
At the system prompt of your computer enter    ftp nnsc.nsf.net
At this prompt:                 Enter:
NNSC.NSF.NET>                   user
Foreign username:               anonymous
Password:                       guest
NNSC.NSF.NET>                   cd resource-guide
NNSC.NSF.NET>                   dir
    see available files including README
NNSC.NSF.NET>                   get README   (all upper case)
To local file:                  what you which to call the file
                                  in your directory
NNSC.NSF.NET>                   quit

Updates to the IRG are distributed via a mailing list, and you can
join this list by sending a note to resource-guide-
[e-mail] (please specify whether you would like to
receive additions in plain-text or postscript form).

Note that VM systems have a difficult time handling some of the
.tar and .Z Unix files.  There are at least two alternative
sources for the IRG--institutions that keep a copy locally so
users don't have to get and compile the IRG:

Anonymous ftp to nic.cis.pitt.edu and get the files in:
[.documents.cis_documents] IRG.PS        (PostScript Version)
[.documents.cis_documents] IRG.DOC       (ASCII version)

Anonymous ftp to nic.cerf.net and get the files in:
[cerfnet/cerfnet_info] internet-accessible-catalog.txt   (ASCII)
[cerfnet/cerfnet_info] internet-accessible-catalog.ps    (PS)

SOURCE:  "RE: Internet resources" series of messages on CWIS-L
list (LISTSERV@WUVMD); July 24-26, 1990


Inter-Network Mail Guide
------------------------
"The Inter-Network Mail" by John Chew "documents methods of
sending mail from one network to another.  It represents the
aggregate knowledge of the readers of comp.mail/misc and many
contributors elsewhere."  Networks covered in the Guide include
applelink, bitnet, compuserve, fidonet, internet, and many others.

To obtain a copy of this guide send the command GET NETWORK GUIDE
to LISTSERV@UNMVM via mail or interactive message.  To learn how
to receive revisions to the Guide as they are made available send
the command INFO AFD to any LISTSERV.


Internet Databases
-------------------
In addition to Library databases other databases containing
information on a variety of topics are available to Internet
users.  For example:

Geographic Name Server:  provides on-line information about known
geographic locations including latitude, longitude, zip code, area
code, population, and altitude.  To access the Geographical Name
Server type TELNET MARTINI.EECS.UMICH.EDU/PORT = 3000 on an
Internet host.  After logging in, just type HELP for instructions.

NBS TIME:  The National Bureau of Standards offers a high
precision time service over the Internet.  It is possible to get
time accurate to fractions of a second by the following command
from an Internet host:  TELNET INDIA.COLORADO.EDU/PORT = 13.

Other, specialized databases exist as well for genetic
information, molecular biology databases, public domain
mathematical software, oceanographic information, and astronomical
data.  See the source listed below.

SOURCE:  Billy Barron "Internet Databases" Benchmarks (Univ of
North Texas Computing Newsletter), April/May 1990.  Obtained from
articles database of CCNEWS, the Electronic Forum for Campus
Computing Newsletter Editors, a BITNET-based service of EDUCOM.


Bulletin Boards
---------------
Accessible by phone lines rather than  the Internet, these
federally-sponsored databases allow institutional researchers with
modems to "dial for data."

US Naval Observatory:  time of sunrise, sunset, twilight,
moonrise, and satellite transits from a given geographic location;
the direction and distance between any two points on earth; the
Universal time.  Dial [phone] with modem settings of 1200,
even parity, 7 data bits.  Voice assistance is available at (202)
653-1525.

National Weather Service:  callers can get information on climate
conditions around the world, information such as temperature,
precipitation, weather indices, heating and cooling days and crop
conditions.  The information is gathered from over 8,000 stations
worldwide.  Dial [phone] with modem settings of 2400 baud,
no parity, 8 data bits.  To obtain information about the system
type NWS after connection, then enter TEMPPASS at the password
prompt.  All information must be entered in caps.

The Institute of Computer Science and Technology offers a number
of BBS lines with computer related topics.   For all numbers
listed below, use modem settings of 12200 baud, no parity, 8 data
bits.  Call [phone] to receive a packet describing the
services offered.
--Database Management Information Exchange:  [phone] or
948-2059
--Open Systems Interconnection BBS [phone]
--Computer Performance and Evaluation Group [phone]
--Microcomputer Electronic Information Exchange [phone]
--National Integrated Service Digital Network [phone]

SOURCE:  Eric Lipscomb and Kurt Grutzmacher.  "Dialing for Data"
Benchmarks (Univ of North Texas Computing Newsletter), April/May
1990.  Obtained from articles database of CCNEWS, the Electronic
Forum for Campus Computing Newsletter Editors, a BITNET-based
service of EDUCOM.


    - - - - -APPENDIX D: LISTSERVERS AS FILE SERVERS- - - - -

SOURCE:  Taken directly from Tom Field's Demo of "Effective use of
LISTSERV Software..." at AIR Forum, May 1991; posted as LISTDEMO
32D in TFIELD FILELIST at LISTSERV@UNMVM


Listserv can be thought of both as software and as a repository
for material that can be distributed by that software. There is a
correspondence in the structure of this Listserv repository
similar to the hierarchical tree structure of MS-DOS directories,
subdirectories and files. The LISTSERV FILELIST is the root
directory of this system, and the results of a "directory command"
addressed to this root directory will show both the files stored
in the LISTSERV root directory and any subdirectories that may
exist. Similarly a "directory command" addressed to a subdirectory
will show the contents of that subdirectory.  Instead of the DOS
DIR command, the basic Listserv command to determine the contents
of a given (sub)directory is either GET (sub)directory name
FILELIST or INDEX (sub)directory name.

The archive of list mail traffic is one type of archive. Listserv
also supports the placement of material into storage such that any
network user can obtain a copy of that material both on an "on-
demand" basis, as well as obtain either automatic notice of any
update made to that file and/or automatic forwarding of all
updates made to the file. To determine the existence of such
archives at a given site, send either a GET LISTSERV FILELIST or
INDEX LISTSERV command to LISTSERV@SITE. The results of this query
can be thought of as a listing of all "subdirectories" in
existence at that particular Listsite, as well as a listing of all
files in the Listserv directory.

Sending either a GET LISTSERV FILELIST or an INDEX LISTSERV
command to LISTSERV@UNMVM will show a TFIELD FILELIST among other
entries. TFIELD FILELIST is thus a subdirectory of LISTSERV
FILELIST at UNMVM. Sending either a GET TFIELD FILELIST or an
INDEX TFIELD command to LISTSERV@UNMVM will show the contents of
this subdirectory. One of the files in this subdirectory is
AIRDIR91 SUB, the directory of subscribers to AIR-L, arranged in a
form hopefully more useful than that obtained via the REVIEW AIR-L
command.  Once the existence of a file in an archive has been
determined, you can obtain a copy of that file by sending a GET
FILENAME FILETYPE command to LISTSERV@SITE. To obtain a copy of
the directory of subscribers to AIR-L, send a GET AIRDIR91 SUB
command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. Since this listing is volatile in
nature, being updated as the subscriber population changes, any
given copy of AIRDIR91 SUB will soon be out of date.

FILE UPDATE INFORMATION and AUTOMATIC FILE DISTRIBUTION
-------------------------------------------------------
While you can send a GET AIRDIR91 SUB command to LISTSERV@UNMVM
whenever you want the latest version of that file, you can use the
File Update Information (FUI) command to receive automatic
notification that the file was updated in the previous 24 hours,
or use the Automatic File Distribution (AFD) command to receive
automatically the latest version of the updated file whenever it
is updated (potentially more than once every 24 hours).

The form of the FUI and AFD commands is basically similar: FUI (or
AFD) ADD (or DEL, LIST, or QUERY) FILENAME FILETYPE PW=password.
To receive notice of updates in the previous 24 hours, send a FUI
ADD AIRDIR91 SUB PW=password command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. You choose
the password.   Whatever you choose, though, be sure to remember
it because without it it will cause problems in the future. Every
day AIRDIR91 SUB is updated, you will receive on the next day a
somewhat cryptic message from LISTSERV@UNMVM indicating an update
has taken place. You can ignore the message or at your discretion
send a GET AIRDIR91 SUB message to LISTSERV@UNMVM to get the
updated directory. If you want to discontinue these notices, send
a FUI DEL AIRDIR91 SUB PW=password command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. If
you want to see what files you are FUIed for, send a FUI LIST or
FUI QUERY (equivalent commands) to LISTSERV@SITE.

Similarly, if you want to receive each and every updated version
of a file, send an AFD ADD FILENAME FILETYPE PW=password command
to the LISTSERV@SITE: for automatic delivery of all updated
versions of the AIR subscriber directory, send an AFD ADD AIRDIR91
SUB command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. Again, take care to remember your
password, and if you have set a password with either FUI or PW
(see below) you will need to use the same password with AFD.
Automatic forwarding of updated versions of files can be both
helpful and a nuisance depending on the frequency of updates and
the size of the file involved. If you want to discontinue such
automatic forwarding, send an AFD DEL FILENAME FILETYPE
PW=password command to LISTSERV@SITE. To review those files you
have AFD'd, send an AFD LIST or AFD QUERY (equivalent commands) to
LISTSERV@SITE.

If you want to set your password for use with FUI and/or AFD, you
can do so with the PW command. To establish a password, send a PW
ADD new-password command to LISTSERV@SITE. To change a password,
send a PW CHANGE old-password new-password command, and to delete
a password, send a PW DELETE old-password command.

For more information on FUI, ADF, and listserver passwords send
the GET LISTAFD MEMO command to any listserver.


   - - - - -APPENDIX E: SEARCHING LISTSERVER ARCHIVES- - - - -

This appendix introduces the use of LISTSERV database functions to
find and retrieve information from a listserver.  A more complete
description of these functions can be found in LISTDB MEMO,
available by sending the command GET LISTDB MEMO to any
listserver.

This tutorial assumes a simple search in batch mode.  The emphasis
will be on instruction by example, in this case trying to find
information about Lightship (a software package for executive
information systems) in the EISSIG list (Executive Information
Systems Special Interest Group). Abbreviations of most commands
are available (e.g., s for search), but for clarity all commands
will be spelled out here.

To identify all databases available on a listserver send a
DATABASE LIST command to the listserver.  This usually will be all
lists on the listservers, especially the archive files of each
list.

Searching listserver databases requires submission of a "commands-
job file" using the LISTSERV Command Job Language Interpreter
(similar to JCL on MVS). A sample CJLI job to find all occurrences
of the word "Lightship" in the EISSIG list might be as follows
(the numbers are extraneous, for reference use only):
(1)  //
(2)  database search dd=rules
(3)  //rules dd   *
(4)  search Lightship in EISSIG
(5)  index
(6)  /*

Lines 1, 2, 3, and 6 are standard commands used in almost every
command-jobs file.  Line 4 is the principal search command, asking
listserver to find the occurrence of the word Lightship in the
archives of EISSIG.  Line 5 requested an index of the search
output.

>From the listserver came two things--an e-mail message that
reports "the output of your job" (e.g., CPU time, device I/O) and
the actual output file called DATABASE OUTPUT, shown below:

>  > search Lightship in EISSIG
>  --> Database EISSIG, 5 hits.
>
>  > index
>  Item #   Date   Time  Recs   Subject
>  ------   ----   ----  ----   -------
>  000093 90/10/02 17:39   69   Lightship by Pilot Executive Syste
>  000094 90/10/03 08:18   22   Re: Lightship by Pilot Executive S
>  000101 90/11/02 11:13   33   The EIS package Lightship from Pil
>  000128 91/07/26 14:56   55   LightShip 3.0
>  000132 91/07/30 15:17   25   Previous news item

There are "5 hits" here.  The next task would be to download the
appropriate log files (e.g., GET EISSIG LOG9010) from the
listserver and read the specific messages that discuss Lightship.

Again, this has been a simple introduction to the database search
functions of listservers.  For a BITNET manual on this subject,
send the GET LISTDB MEMO command to any listserver.


             - - - - -APPENDIX F:  USENET- - - - -

What is Usenet?
---------------
Usenet is an Internet-based distributed bulletin board system that
resembles conferencing systems available on PC-based bulletin
board services.  Usenet subscribers post messages to subject-
related "newsgroups" on a local server.  These messages are routed
to Usenet servers at thousands of locations around the world.
Other subscribers access these servers to read the messages and,
if desired, post a reply which is redistributed to all servers.

Like listservers, Usenet is one-to-many communication, but its
underlying metaphor is a bulletin board, not electronic mail.
Despite similar purposes, the technology, users, discussions, and
services on Usenet are considerably different from that found in
listservers (see table below).

Newsgroups are organized by subject area into a multi-layered
hierarchy (see separate section below).  Although any user may
post to a newsgroup, some require messages to be sent to a group
moderator before they are broadcast across the network.
Newsgroups are created democratically:  someone suggests the
formation of a new group, users discuss the option, and then they
vote.  Currently there are well over 1,000 different newsgroups
shared by hundreds of thousands of subscribers world-wide.

The Usenet database is distributed to servers at colleges,
universities, and private companies. To read the messages on
Usenet subscribers use a newsreader.  Most newsreaders keep track
of what articles (messages) subscribers have seen and which they
have not.  Newsreaders allow users to be selective about which
newsgroups to look at regularly.  Newsreaders are available for
Unix, VMS, VM/CMS, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and other platforms.

The single best source of information for new Usenet users is the
newsgroup news.announce.newusers.  This newsgroup contains
messages such as What is Usenet?, Rules for Posting to Usenet, and
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.  News.announce.newusers
also contains a number of files that list and/or describe
available newsgroups.

Two books for background reading on Usenet (recommended by Mike
Baycroft, "Usenet" Message posted to PACS list (LIBPACS@UHUPVM1),
Feb 28, 1991):

"Life with UNIX" by Don Libes, McGraw-Hill, 1989.  Focuses more on
Unix as a whole than on how to use Unix programming,
administration, or networking tools.  On serious or trivial
topics, it answers questions that seem to be passed down as Unix
folklore or just ignored by other manuals.  The "UNIX Underground"
chapter describes uucp, Usenet, Internet, newsgroups, mailing
lists, FSF, Minix, Xinu, etc.

"The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide"
by John S. Quarterman, Digital Press, 1990.  Probably the best
collection of computer networking topics that can be read and
understood by non-technical types.  Excellent chapters on history
of news and mail, Internet, etc. including references to journal
articles and conference papers.  Latter half of the book is
devoted to descriptions of local, national, and worldwide
networks.


Newsgroup Hierarchy
-------------------
The Usenet is structured into a collection of newsgroups that
resemble a family tree with "parents" (comp or talk) and children
(comp.ai, comp.ai.shells, talk.religion).

The seven parent groups with the widest distribution are comp,
news, rec, sci, soc, talk, and misc.  Other "alternative
newsgroups" that nonetheless receive wide circulation are alt,
bionet, bit, and biz.  A host of other, more specialized lists
form a third tier of Usenet distribution (e.g., ieee, vmsnet,
k12).

Some newsgroups are restricted to local distribution, either to
geographic regions (country or state) or Usenet server.

Some newsgroups are moderated or monitored mailing lists--postings
by mailing submissions to the coordinator only.  Most newsgroups
are open and unmoderated.

A brief description of the most widely distributed parent groups
follows:

alt:  a collection of newsgroups that discuss subjects of a
personal or current-issue nature.  Some of these groups are not
carried by many Usenet sites because of their controversial
nature. (e.g., alt.fishing, alt.kids-talk, alt.romance, alt.sex)

bionet:  a newsgroup hierarchy for topics interesting to
biologists, originating from genbank.bio.net and carried on a
growing number of machines (e.g., bionet.molbio.genbank,
bionet.jobs, bionet.software)

bit:  a collection of newsgroups which are redistributions of the
BITNET LISTSERV mailing lists.  (e.g., bit.listserv.cumrec-l,
bit.listserv.cwis-l, bit.listserv.edpolyan, bit.listserv.next-l)

biz:  a distribution of newsgroups that are carried and propagated
by sites interested in the world of business products around them
-- in particular, computer products and services.  This includes
product announcements, announcements of fixes and enhancements,
product reviews, and postings of demo software (e.g.,
biz.dec.workstations, biz.comp.software)

comp:  newsgroups relating to some aspect of computer science, for
both computer professionals and hobbyists (e.g., comp.ai,
comp.infosystems, comp.music)

news:  groups relating to the netnews software (e.g.,
news.software.readers) or of general interest to all new users
(e.g., news.announce.newgroups, news.newusers.questions)

rec:  newsgroups oriented towards hobbies and recreational
activities (e.g., rec.arts.tv, rec.arts-dance, rec.travel)

sci:  groups relating to sciences other than computer science,
especially practical knowledge relating to research or application
(e.g., sci.chem, sci.med.aids, sci.physics.fusion)

soc:  groups for social interaction or discussion of social topics
(e.g., soc.culture.mexico, soc.singles, soc.feminism)

talk:  groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature
extended discussions without resolution (e.g., talk.religion
talk.politics.mideast, talk.religion)

misc:  groups addressing themes not easily classified under any of
the other headings or which incorporate themes from multiple
categories (e.g., misc.forsale, misc.kids, misc.wanted)

Again, these are descriptions of some of the most widely
distributed parent groups.  Other, less well-known groups include
ieee, vmsnet, k12, gnu, and many more.

Sources:
List of Active Newsgroups (posted on news.announce.newgroups,
September 21, 1991)

Alternative Newsgroup Hierarchies (posted on
news.announce.newusers, September 21, 1991)

Tim O'Reilly and Grace Todino, "Managing UUCP and Usenet"
O'Reilly & Associates, Feb 1989.


Listservers vs Usenet
---------------------
As noted earlier, like listservers, Usenet is one-to-many
communication, but despite similar purposes, the technology,
users, discussions, and services on Usenet are considerably
different from that found in listservers.  The following table
provides some contrasts between Listserver and Usenet technology.

                   Comparison of Listserver and Usenet

                             Listserver              Usenet
                             ----------              ------

Metaphor                     electronic mail         bulletin board

Organized by                 mail messages           subject

Closed discussions           yes                     no

Archives                     yes (most)              no

Network                      BITNET only             Internet and
                                                     BITNET (gateway)

Interface                    electronic mailbox      news readers

Basic structure              RE:in Subject line      Tree-like structure

NOTE: this table is DRAFT, not for publication.  Suggestions for
additions or corrections should be sent to the author.


Usenet Miscellaneous
--------------------
"If you are reading this article from a site not on the Usenet,
you may subscribe to Internet lists by writing to the request
address.  You form such an address by putting "-request" before
the "@" symbol, as in "[e-mail]".  This gets
your message directly to the list maintainer instead of
broadcasting it to all the readers of the list."

NetNews resource:
SEND LISTSERV@PSUVM GET NETNEWS PACKAGE
to get the Penn State User's Guide, Administrator's Guide, and
information on getting the package


      - - - - -APPENDIX G:  LISTSERVER HELP MANUAL- - - - -

The Listserver Help Manual is a revised version of "An Amateur's
Guide to Using EISSIG and Other Lists" by Dennis W. Viehland,
version 2.0, dated Sept 15, 1991, and available as EISSIG GUIDE
from LISTSERV@ASUACAD. As such, EISSIG is used to illustrate
commands and clarify definitions.

The focus of this Help Manual is assisting the beginning list user
in accessing and using listservers.  The Manual lists frequently-
used listserver commands, as well as directions on how to send
list mail and commands as well as definitions of frequently-used
listserver terms.

Definitions
- - - - - -
"Listserver" or "LISTSERV":  a listserver is a special kind of
user account; instead of a person at the other end of an
electronic address there is software that maintains distribution
lists, stores files, and responds to your commands.

"Backbone listserver":  a backbone listserver contains an
inventory of ALL lists on all listservers (see LIST GLOBAL command
below).

"List" or "Distribution list":  a list of electronic addresses
used by the listserver to distribute messages (to ask the
listserver for current membership of a list use the REVIEW
command).  A good way to think of a list is as an "electronic
mailing list."  The Executive Information Systems Special Interest
Group (EISSIG) is such a list.

"Listname":  the 1-8 characters by which a distribution list is
identified to the listserver.  Originally most listnames ended
with -L (e.g., ETHICS-L, AIR-L), but that is less common now.

"List title":  the "title" of the list (e.g., Ethics in Computing,
Executive Information Systems Special Interest Group).

"List@node":  the electronic address of the list--the address to
which mail and files must be sent in order to be distributed to
the list.  It is the listname plus the listserver node (e.g.,
EISSIG@ASUACAD).

"Listserver@node":  the electronic address of the listserver--the
address you use to join or resign a list, get help, etc. (e.g.,
LISTSERV@ASUACAD for all commands relevant for EISSIG).

**KEY POINT**:  Whereas you send mail to be distributed to
list@node, commands are sent to listserver@node.  Be careful not
to confuse these two; occasionally a user requests help from
"list@node" and everyone on the list receives the request.

"Listowner":  the person who maintains the list and has authority
to perform list maintenance functions (as in "Your request has
been forwarded to the listowner").  To find the name and
electronic address of the listowner of any list use the REVIEW
command (explained below).

"List editor":  the person who reviews material sent by users to
the list before allowing the listserver to distribute them (as in
"Your mail has been forwarded to the list editor").  Most lists,
do not have editors and mail is distributed "as is."

Acknowledgement:  some of these definitions came from
LISTSERV.MEMO by Eric Thomas, copyright 1986.

Listserver commands in this Manual
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Listservers can serve many functions including mail, interactive
messaging, file servers, and databases.  This Manual discusses
mail and file server functions. For information on other uses of
listservers see previous sections of this Resource Guide.

Listserver commands can be sent interactively or by mail.  Sending
commands interactively (i.e., from the system prompt) gives you
almost instant feedback about your request (e.g., "File
EISSIG.LIST has been sent to you" or "Your distribution options
have been updated").  However, if a node is down between you and
the listserver, then your interactive command cannot be delivered.
For this reason, mail--with its store-and-forward capacity--is
also widely used.

Interactive commands differ slightly depending on whether you are
using VMS on a VAX computer or VM/CMS on an IBM computer (for
those few of you out there using something other than VMS or
CMS...consult your help desk).

The commands listed below assume you are using VMS.  If you are
using CMS make the following substitutions:
1. use the command TELL instead of SEND
2. substitute the word AT for @
Some CMS examples are included in the first few commands to give
you a pattern to follow.

The commands listed below assume you are sending them
interactively.
Follow these instructions to send the commands by electronic mail:
1. place listserver@node on the TO: line
2. leave the SUBJ: line blank
3. place the command (e.g., INDEX EISSIG) on the first line
4. if sending more than one command, use one command per line
5. include no blank lines (i.e., no double spacing)
6. end each command, including the last one, with a hard return
7. avoid signature files or end your command sequence with QUIT so
the signature file is ignored

Receiving and sending mail messages on lists
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As noted above, a list can be thought of as an electronic mailing
list.  It differs from normal electronic mail in that
all_messages_sent_to_a_list_are_sent_to_all_members_of_the_list.
This works to your advantage when you want to ask a question or
share something with the group.  This works to your disadvantage
when you write a private response to a list message and
accidentally send it to everyone on the list.

**KEY POINT**  Messages intended for individual members of a list
must be re-addressed using that person's userid@node address.
Because mail originates from the list, if you read a message and
use the REPLY command your response will be delivered to everyone
on the list.

Messages to and from a list will arrive in your electronic mailbox
(in contrast to output from most listserver commands, which
generally arrive as network files).

Send a mail message to a list
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Send mail to all members of a list as you would send mail to
another userid.  After entering your mail facility, at the TO:
prompt enter:    TO:  list@node  (using, of course, the addressing
conventions you would use with electronic mail).

Send a mail message to a list member
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To respond to a list message and *not* send the message to all
list members, use the userid@node address of the individual who
sent the message (i.e., regular electronic mail).

Listserver commands
- - - - - - - - - -
As suggested earlier, there is a difference between sending mail
to a list and sending commands to a listserver.  The commands
listed below are listserver commands sent to listserver@node
rather than list@node.

The command structure given here is for interactive commands
(i.e., entered at the system prompt).  To send these commands via
mail, use listserv@node as the destination and include the command
(e.g., in the text of the message (see above for more specific
instructions).

Join a list
- - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node SUBSCRIBE listname your_name - institution
  or on IBM computers running VM/CMS:
TELL LISTSERV AT node SUBSCRIBE listname your_name - institution
If it is an "open" list you will receive a message that you have
been added to the list.  If it is a "closed" list you will be
notified that your request has been forwarded to the listowner.
Of course, you must know the node and listname of the list you
wish to join and substitute them in the command given above.  Your
name and institution help other list members identify who you are.

There is no need to include your electronic address in this
command, the listserver reads it automatically from the incoming
message.

Resign from a list
- - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node SIGNOFF listname
  or on IBM computers running VM/CMS:
TELL LISTSERV AT node SIGNOFF listname
This removes your name from the list.  Be sure to issue this
command from the computer account from which you joined the list,
otherwise the listserver will not recognize a different electronic
address and will ignore the command.

List information and a current membership list
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node REVIEW listname
You will receive a file (not mail) that provides directory
information about the list (i.e., parameters, listowner) and a
list of current members. The file LISTKEYW from LISTSERV@BITNIC
provides more information about the output of the REVIEW command.

Set nomail
- - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node SET listname NOMAIL
This command is used if you are invoking an automatic mail reply
program or, for some other reason, want to terminate mail from a
list without resigning.  To resume mail service alter this command
to say SET listname MAIL.  You can "catch up" on list messages
sent while your mail option was set to nomail by retrieving log
files (see below).

Obtain a list of list files
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node INDEX listname
You will receive a file (not mail) that lists the files currently
stored on the list (e.g., this document--LISTSERV GUIDE--is one
such file on ARIZVM1).  The most important information is the
filename and filetype, which are used to obtain the file.  The
file server on most lists contains two types of files, "regular"
files put there by the listowner and "log" files, which are a
record of all messages sent out on the list.

A synonym for the INDEX command is GET listname FILELIST.

Obtain a file from a list
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node GET filename filetype
Once you have a list of what files are available (see above), use
the filename and filetype to transfer a file from the listserver
to your computer.  For example, to obtain a copy of this Resource
Guide send the command GET RESOURCE GUIDE to LISTSERV@ARIZVM1.

These files will be sent to you as files, not mail, so you will
need to "receive" them to read them or post to your directory.

Synonyms for the GET command are SEND and SENDME.

Obtain a record of previous messages on a list
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node GET listname LOGYrMo
As noted above, in addition to regular files placed on a
listserver by the listowner, there are also log files that are a
transaction record of all messages sent out on a list.  Lists will
differ slightly as to how often these files are archived.  For the
EISSIG list, these files have filename = EISSIG and filetype =
LOGYrMo where YrMo is the year and month of transaction record
(e.g., LOG8909 = Sept 89).  New list members can "catch up" by
reviewing log files and long-time list members can go back and
find old messages with these files.

What lists are available at a specific node
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node LIST
A list of the lists on LISTSERV@node prints to your screen (or in
a message if the LIST command is sent by mail).

What lists are available on all other listservers
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@BITNIC LIST GLOBAL /string
This command works on backbone listservers (see definitions).
(Sending this command to a non-backbone listserver returns the
message "Only local information is available from this server" and
tells you the nearest backbone listserver.)  To do selective
searches on the listnames and list titles substitute any character
string for "string" in this command (e.g., using "executive" in
this case will show EISSIG and other lists with this character
string in their name or title).

Getting help
- - - - - -
A variety of help manuals and other documentation are discussed in
Appendix C above.  Here are two commands for getting on-line
listserver help.  You many ask any listserver for help or
information, but unless you accessed the listserver nearest your
institution, it is likely you will get a message such as "Note:
the nearest LISTSERV host to your node is LISTSERV@node.  Please
send your INFO commands to this address if at all possible."
Using the listserver closest to you, preferably at your own
institution, reduces traffic on the network.

Request listserver on-line help
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node HELP
A list of most commonly used commands prints to your screen.

Request a list of information guides
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND LISTSERV@node INFO ?
A list of information guides available from LISTSERV@node prints
to your screen.  On the latest list, I have found the LISTSERV
MEMO file to be most useful for persons new to listservers (to
order this file, see following command).


   - - - - -end of A Resource Guide to Listservers,...- - - - -

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