Library-Oriented Lists and Electronic
Serials
Wei Wu
Library-Oriented Lists & Electronic Serials (referred to in this article as "the List") is a compilation of electronic discussion lists, distribution lists, and serials which are of interest to library professionals and others. Currently the List is available on the Internet at http://info.lib.uh.edu/liblists/liblists.htm.
The List has served librarians and information professionals since 1990. As the current editor of the List, I would like to present a description of its history, content and organization, the procedures used to maintain it, and its function as a gateway to library-oriented lists and serials.
History
The List was created in 1990 by Charles W. Bailey, Jr., assistant dean for systems at the University of Houston Libraries. He maintained, revised, and frequently published it on the PACS-L (Public Access Computer Systems List) mailing list from August 1990 to July 1994. At that time library-oriented mailing lists and electronic serials on BITNET and the Internet were still in their infancy, resulting in a lack of guides to use these new information resources. Mr. Bailey created the List to help library professionals gain access to the new world of electronic publications and resources.
Before I started to compile the List in December 1996, the List was managed by Ann Thornton and Steve Bonario—both formerly of the University of Houston Libraries—from August 1994 to June 1995.
Initially, the List was distributed and published through the PACS-L mailing list as well as through printed journals and directories. It was made available through the University of Houston Libraries Gopher server in February 1994. The List was first available on the World Wide Web in early 1995 when Ann Thornton and Steve Bonario converted it to HTML format. Since then, the List has been available on the Internet primarily through the University of Houston Libraries Web server (http://info.lib.uh.edu/).
Content and Organization of the List
The List has three main components: electronic mailing lists, electronic serials, and an assemblage of newsgroups. An electronic mailing list is an extended e-mail service. A mailing list contains a single e-mail address for the list and a group of e-mail addresses for the subscribers of the list. Messages sent to the list address are sent to each subscriber by e-mail. Consequently, interactive discussions can be achieved by sending messages to the list address. An electronic serial is a serial published and distributed electronically through Internet services such as e-mail, Gopher, or the Web. A newsgroup is similar to a mailing list in that it also facilitates interactive discussion. Instead of reaching subscribers through e-mail, newsgroups require their readers to use a news reader service.
With all these various types of information resources, the List has grown into a collection of more than 270 titles. It started with separate sections for lists and serials as well as related instructions to help users to gain access to them. As the sections continually grew, more systematic indexes were added to help users to locate information resources. In 1995, both the lists and the serials were combined into one alphabetical list. Subject indexes were added. In 1996, a search option became available for users to do keyword searches of the List.
Today the subject index of the List has 34 areas. The subject indexes cover all 274 titles currently included in the List and relate to a wide array of library and information fields. Cross-references are also available for lists with a multidis-ciplinary scope. For instance, you will find SYSLIB-L under "Internet-Oriented" and "Library Automation and Technology." While looking at the instruction for the SYSLIB-L list, you can access related lists on similar subjects by simply clicking the links to the subject indexes.
Another feature of the current List is the use of the "mailto" tag in HTML. If you have your Web browser configured to send e-mail, you can click on the link and subscribe to the list immediately. This feature prevents users from writing down wrong addresses.
Keeping the List Current and Accurate
To maintain the List and keep the information current and accurate, I frequently consult other library-related lists. I also search several general archive and directory services to identify new lists as well as update the existing entries in the List.
Following are some of the archives and directories related to lists and serials that I frequently consult.
• CataList, the Official Catalog of LISTSERV Lists
http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html
• Directory of Electronic Journals and Newsletters
http://www.arl.org/scomm/edir/index.html
• Directory of Scholarly and Professional E-Conferences
• Liszt, the Mailing List Directory
• New List Announcements
http://listserv.nodak.edu/archives/new-list.html
• TILE.NET/LISTS, Reference to Internet Discussion Lists
Most of these sources are keyword searchable. Some of them use listserv software to generate the directories. They have been very helpful to me both in updating the existing lists and in finding new titles for the List. Furthermore, I frequently test the existence of list host servers using various types of network utilities, such as Finger and Ping, retrieving a list of active lists, and sending a command to the host server to request information on these individual lists.
Despite all the measures routinely taken to update the List by utilizing the on-line sources and the network utilities, some changes are inevitably overlooked. I greatly appreciate the help and suggestions of colleagues and friends in the library and around the world who often send me information regarding the List and its links. I have found the information they provide very helpful in updating items that would otherwise go unnoticed.
How to Use Mailing Lists
As long as the List is maintained by a human being with a full-time job, delayed and outdated information is possible. Knowing something about how mailing lists operate can be very useful when you encounter problems in using the List.
Although there are still some mailing lists that are managed manually, most of the mailing lists included in the List are operated through a software program called a list server. The most common types of list servers are LISTSERV, LISTPROC, MAJORDOMO, MAILBASE, and MAILSERV. Most of these programs adopt convention and common commands for users to gain access to their lists.
As it is true with most of these software programs, the subscription address and the submission address for a list are different. The subscription address is usually like this:
listserv_software@host_name
and the submission address is usually like this:
list_name@host_name
The subscription address allows you to join and leave the list, and also provides help on the software and the list upon requests. These requests are handled by the software program. Any requests and commands you send to this address should be accurate, otherwise the software will not process the requests properly.
For instance, to subscribe to the PACS-L list, send the following message (using your name instead of mine):
SUBSCRIBE PACS-L Wei Wu
to the subscription address:
LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
The submission address is the agent that conveys the discussion, and is the virtual chat room where subscribers meet. This is the address you use to post a message. A message sent to this address will be seen by all the people on the list.
For example, to post a message to the PACS-L list, send an e-mail message to: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU.
Besides the above commonly used commands, there are other commands you can send to the subscription address to get help and other information. Most of these commands follow certain conventions, but some of them either are software-specific or vary a little bit from one software package to another. It is always a good idea to save the confirmation message when you first subscribe to a list, as it contains this type of important information.
How Librarians and Information Professionals Use the List
I started to use the List several years ago when I was a library school student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. One of my professors recommended the List to me when I was looking for some electronic journals to catalog. I not only cataloged several of the e-journals, but also developed a bibliographic essay based on the List for my reference class project. Since starting to edit the List, I have heard from library school students who have used the List for their course projects and for whom the List has opened a door to the real world.
The majority of the List users are librarians and information professionals. Individuals use it to find the lists of interest to them. Because of the ever-growing nature of the list services, few people can consistently keep up with all the list changes. For some people, there is a tendency to drop a list they have subscribed to and lose track of it when they want to resume their subscription. Therefore, the list has become a up-to-date source to new and return users. Some librarians use the List as a tool to provide training and continuing education workshops, using it as a training aid in teaching the use of mailing lists. Some librarians find it helpful to use the List as a guide to generate and maintain their own list in their subject area.
Author’s note: my special thanks go to Charles W. Bailey, Jr., for his trust in letting me continue his work and for his help in my writing of this article. My thanks also go to Christine Peterson, Automation Consultant at Texas State Library, for her suggestions and invaluable advice.
References
Bailey, Charles W., Jr. "Library-Oriented Computer Conferences and Electronic Serials." In Building Information Literacy Using High Technology: A Guide for Schools and Libraries, Roxanne Mendrinos, 47–53. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1994.
________. "Library-Oriented Computer Conferences and Electronic Serials." In Team Power: Making Library Meetings Work, Barbara I. Dewey and Sheila D. Creth, 113–119. Chicago: American Library Association, 1993.
________. "Library-Oriented Lists and Electronic Serials." In Internet Connections: A Librarian’s Guide to Dial-Up Access and Use, Mary E. Engle et al., 131–139. Chicago: LITA, 1993.
________. "Library-Oriented Computer Conferences and Electronic Serials." In Directory of Computer Conferencing in Libraries, Brian Williams, 72–73. Westport, CT: Meckler, 1992.
________. "Library-Oriented Computer Conferences and Electronic Serials." In Directory to Fulltext Online Resources, Jack Kessler, 74–76, 85–87. Westport, CT: Meckler, 1992.
________. "Library-Oriented Computer Conferences and Electronic Serials." In Libraries, Networks and OSI: A Review, with a Report on North American Developments, Lorcan Dempsey, 113–114. Bath, England: UK Office for Library Networking, 1991.
________. "Library-Oriented Computer Conferences and Electronic Serials on BITNET and Internet." Database Searcher 7 (February/March 1991): 22–23.
________. "Network-Based Computer Conferences and Electronic Serials for Librarians." Research & Education Networking 2 (September 1991): 8–9.
Bonario, Steve, and Ann D. Thornton. "Library-oriented lists and electronic serials." Microcomputers for Information Management 11 (September 1994): 209–26. J