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NAVIGATING THE INTERNET: AN INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP Richard J. Smith University of Southwestern Louisiana rs@usl.edu session.11b ############################################################ ################## A BRIEF LOOK AT RESOURCES AVAILABLE VIA REMOTE LOGIN (CONTINUED) Christinger Tomer <ct@coltrane.lis.pitt.edu> School of Library and Information Science University of Pittsburgh August 16, 1992 Today, many librarians believe that users, particularly those in academic settings, want electronic library services that integrate access to the OPAC with access to bibliographic databases, standard reference works, and full text sources. In that regard, the Baker Library's electronic services may be regarded, properly, as crudely prototypical of services likely to emerge during the next 5-10 years. In addition, it should be noted that the search based on the word "courage" would be even more successful if the Dartmouth OPAC offered the user the capability of being able to construct a single query and then poll two of more databases simultaneously or sequentially. That's where Z39.50 and WAIS become relevant. The former is the NISO standard for library applications, the latter is a compatible prototype for client-server architectures that enables to a user to propagate a specific search across a local- or wide-area network. In a Z39.50-compatible environment the user will be able to search an array of sources and receive an integrated results set, rather than the separate sets provided by the Baker Library's current system. In the networked environment, libraries are not the only information providers offering valuable services. At an increasing number of institutions, the campus-wide information, or CWIS, is such a service. The screens produced below illustrate some of the basic features of the CWIS at Rutgers University, including access to the electronic version of what reference librarians call a "ready reference" collection. Th last screen in this set illustrates the output of a search of the Concise Oxford Dictionary of the English Language for the word "network." |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | Screen 9 | | | | INFO: Rutgers University Pilot Campus-Wide Information System | | Main Menu Commands... | | | | Command Purpose | | ------- ------- | | About_Rutgers General Information about the University | | Academics Courses, Schedules, Registration, Special programs | | Computing Computing facilities, services and network information | | Campus Courses and events specific to each campus. | | Directories Phone directories, Faculty research info., Univ. Forms | | Using_INFO <<What is INFO, how to use it, how to send suggestions>>| | Library Libraries, information resources, reference material | | News_n_Events News, Weather | | Services Students,Faculty/Staff services, police info | | University University , Community | | For other info, call the Student Info. and Assistance Center at 932-9090. | | | | Find Search for keywords for Goto command. | | Quit Exit from information system | | | | INFO: Rutgers University Pilot Campus-Wide Information System | | Main Menu> library | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | Screen 10 | | | | Libraries, Information resources, reference material | | Menu Commands... | | | | Command Purpose | | ------- ------- | | Library_Menu Rutgers University Libraries Information | | Reference Online dictionary and other reference material. | | Federal Federal databases available for search | | MRDF Machine Readable Data Files | | | | Previous Return to previous menu | | Find Search for keywords for Goto command. | | Source Age and provider of information. Where to go for more.| | Quit Go back to main menu | | | | Libraries, Information resources, reference material | | Menu> reference | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | Screen 11 | | | | Online reference material | | Menu Commands... | | | | Command Purpose | | ------- ------- | | Dictionary Concise Oxford Dictionary, 8th Ed. | | Thesaurus Oxford Thesaurus | | Familiar Oxford Dictionary of Familiar Quotations | | World CIA World Factbook | | US US government: Constitution, etc. | | Religion Bible, Book of Mormon, Koran | | | | Previous Return to previous menu | | Find Search for keywords for Goto command. | | Source Age and provider of information. Where to go for more.| | Quit Go back to main menu | | | | Online reference material | | Menu> dictionary | | Word (? for help): network | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | Screen 12 | | | | Concise Oxford Dictionary, 8th Ed., Copyright 1991 Oxford Univ. Press | | | | /network/ <<"netw3:k>> n. & v. | | | | n. | | 1. an arrangement of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines, like the | | structure of a net. | | 2. [Transport][Railways]a complex system of railways, roads, canals, etc. | | 3. a group of people who exchange information, contacts, and experience | | for professional or social purposes. | | 4. [Computing]a chain of interconnected computers, machines, or operations.| | 5. [Electr]a system of connected electrical conductors. | | 6. [Broadcasting]a group of broadcasting stations connected for a | | simultaneous broadcast of a programme. | | | | v. | | 1. tr.[Broadcasting] broadcast on a network. | | 2. intr. establish a network{sense 2 new from Suppl. Jan 88}. | | 3. tr.[Computing] link (machines, esp. computers) to operate | | interactively{sense 3 new from NEWS Jan 88}. | | 4. intr. be a member of a network (see sense 3 of n.). | | | | Word (? for help): | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Finally, perhaps the best example of the dedicated database service the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service information server, currently accessible through the University of Michigan's Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences. To access the server, the user must request a remote login by issuing the following command string: telnet 141.212.196.79 3000 The last element of the address above is the communications port that has been dedicated to providing access to the weather information server. To obtain a current report for a specific location, the user searches through a listing of abbreviations for major U.S. cities. With the correct abbreviation in hand, the user then employs that abbreviation in conjunction with a simple menu to request the latest report for the city in question. The menu looks like this: |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | Screen 13 | | | | CITY FORECAST MENU | | --------------------------------------------------- | | 1) Print forecast for selected city | | 2) Display 3-letter city codes for a selected state | | 3) Display all 2-letter state codes | | M) Return to main menu | | X) Exit program | | ?) Help | | Selection: | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| To illustrate the results, in response to a request for information about the weather in Pittsburgh this morning, August 13, the following report is issued: |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | Screen 14 | | | | | | PITTSBURGH METROPOLITAN AREA FORECAST | | NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA | | 333 AM EDT THU AUG 13 1992 | | | | TODAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGH | | NEAR 75. WIND EAST ABOUT 5 MPH. | | TONIGHT...CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. LOW IN | | THE UPPER 50S. WIND EAST 5 TO 10 MPH. | | FRIDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGH | | NEAR 75. | | | | FRAZIER | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| The information in this database is updated at least four or five times each day by National Weather Service official in more than 300 cities. It also includes all of the special weather advisories issued at the local and regional levels. CONCLUSION The Baker Library's OPAC, the CWIS at Rutgers, and the weather server at Michigan are but a few of the resources available today across the Internet, and pace of development seems only to quicken with each passing month. Yet, the value of these resources to the Internet community is often limited, because users are unaware that specific resources exist or are available to them. It is a situation that is likely to change. The continuing evolution of simple yet effective tools like Peter Scott's HYTELNET application suggests that a general change in this environment may not be far off. In the meantime, however, users will be obliged to contend with an environment in which access to the resources available via remote login is neither obvious nor well-organized. It will remain the domain of the explorer. Navigating the Internet: An Interactive Workshop Copyright (C) 1992 by Richard J. Smith, All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for individual usage.