August 2, 1996
A Publication of Internet Scout
Computer Science Department, University of Wisconsin
A Project of the InterNIC
The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators, the InterNIC's primary audience. However, everyone is welcome to subscribe to one of the mailing lists (plain text or HTML). Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.
The Scout Report Web page
Research and Education
- Early America Review
- US Government Documents--Two new resources
- Indigenous Studies WWW Virtual Library
- Resources for Teaching about the Americas--RETAnet
- The Biology Place
- INTL-DOC International Documents Discussion List
General Interest
- IPO Central
- AMA Physician Select
- United States Vital Records Information
- European Business Centre
- Shoreland's Travel Health Online
- GolfTalk Discussion List
Network Tools
Early America Reviewhttp://earlyamerica.com/review/
Archiving Early America:
http://earlyamerica.com/index.html
Two sites of interest to students of 18th Century America are the Early America Review and Archiving Early America. Early America Review is a new quarterly e-journal produced by DEV Communications, Inc., that is aimed toward both scholarly and lay readers. In that spirit, the first edition contains a long scholarly article on Benjamin Franklin and the Presbyterians by a Creighton University history professor, an introduction to the novel The Quintumviri by Circian, a letter from Jefferson to Madison ("...a little rebellion now and then is a good thing"), a poem, and a crossword puzzle (available only with Macromedia Shockwave). Early America Review is also enhanced with RealAudio clips. Both Shockwave and RealAudio are available from the site. Archiving Early America contains selected facsimiles (in .jpg format) from the Keigwin and Mathews Collection of early American documents. Most of these facsimiles are taken from early American newspapers and magazines and include the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Northwest Ordinance, and Jay's Treaty, among others.
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University of California GPO Gate
http://www.gpo.ucop.edu/
University of Memphis Migrating Government Publications
http://www.lib.memphis.edu/gpo/mig.htm
While the US government has gone to great lengths to make information available to the public (GPO [Government Printing Office] Access, discussed in the December 8, 1995 Scout Report is an example), two government document libraries have set up web sites that add great value to this service. The GPO Federal Depository Library at the University of California is a GPO gateway that makes selected databases browsable as well as searchable. For those not savvy to the intricacies of searching techniques, a quick look at such databases as Economic Report of the President, Economic Indicators, US Government Manual, and Public Laws immediately shows how much more access this new resource provides users. UC gateway provides access to databases by subject as well as title. The University of Memphis Government Publications Department, recognizing that many government documents will soon be available in electronic format only, has set up two sites (arranged by title and by Superintendent of Documents classification) that connect users directly to the documents, without regard for where the document was created. Although the Memphis sites are not comprehensive, they serve as an example of how libraries can take a leading role in helping users navigate the increasingly crowded waters of electronic government information.
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Indigenous Studies WWW Virtual Library
http://www.halcyon.com/FWDP/wwwvl/indig-vl.html
The Center for World Indigenous Studies has established an Indigenous Studies World Wide Web Virtual Library site. It is a pointer site that contains links to over one hundred sites and pointer sites, arranged geographically: Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Central and South America, Europe, and the Pacific. There is also a list of General Resources, with pointers to background and context information. At present, some of the sites are annotated. This site is developed in conjunction with the Aboriginal Studies and the Circumpolar and Aboriginal North American WWW Virtual Libraries (links to both sites are provided). Maintainers of Web resources relevant to indigenous studies are urged to register their URLs for inclusion.
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Resources for Teaching about the Americas--RETAnet
http://ladb.unm.edu/www/retanet/
RETAnet works with secondary teachers, educational specialists, and scholars to make accessible resources and curriculum materials about Latin America, the Spanish Caribbean, and the US Southwest. The lesson plans incorporate the study of Latin America into various subjects, including Spanish, Social Studies, Science, Math, Art and Language Arts. Many lessons are cross-disciplinary and some integrate the Internet into activities. The site also offers links to the embassies of each country included in RETAnet's scope of study, and a selective listing of other valuable Internet resources of use to teachers. Under construction is a Resource Materials Database which will help teachers locate videos, hands-on kits and teacher packets to use in teaching about the Americas. Most of the resources will focus on Latin America's history, politics, culture, and its relationship with the United States, but there are also items that deal with immigration and identity in the United States' Southwest and Caribbean cultures. RETAnet is an outreach project of the Latin America Data Base (LADB), a part of the Latin American Institute at the University of New Mexico. The site is the result of an educational project funded by the US Department of Education.
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The Biology Place
http://www.biology.com/
If you are interested in what the future of educational resources on the Internet may look like, visit the Biology Place. This resource for teachers in the biological sciences will have a "grand opening" on August 19th, but is available now for previewing. For four weeks after the site's opening, all resources will be free of charge; then each teacher (along with up to 250 of his/her students) will be charged a fee for an academic-year registration (site licenses are available). Nine high school and college faculty members are responsible for content areas: chemistry, cells, genetics, evolution, diversity, plants, animals, and ecology. Although only the genetics section is fully active during the prototype stage, each section will contain student activities, selected web resources, and research news. Instructors will also find teachers' forums and curriculum materials.
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INTL-DOC International Documents Discussion List
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/idtf/intl-doc.html
INTL-DOC, a new LISTSERV for international document librarians and users of IGO material, has been set up at Northwestern University and is now open to subscribers. While INTL-DOC is intended primarily for individuals working with IGO documentation, queries concerning the literature of foreign national governments and of international affairs in general will be welcomed.
To subscribe send email to:
LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ACNS.NWU.EDU In the body of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE INTL-DOC yourfirstname yourlastname
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http://www.ipocentral.com/
IPO (Initial Public Offerings) Central, provided by The Reference Press, contains a wealth of information on IPOs. It features a complete list of companies that "filed for an initial public offering of common stock on or after May 6, 1996, the first day that all US companies were required to file electronically," along with EDGAR Online SEC filings. This directory can be accessed alphabetically or by date, and the latest filings are available under a separate menu item. IPO Central also highlights one featured IPO per week, with a free link to a Hoover Online profile on that company. "The Insider" offers short analytical columns on IPOs, and the "Beginner's Guide" has links to basic IPO information to help the novice. The site also offers links to other IPO-related sites. IPO Central does not at this time offer a searchable interface to its directory, but the providers promise improved search features soon. Note that listings are removed from the directory after six months and that EDGAR Online is in no way related to SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) EDGAR.
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AMA Physician Select
http://www.ama-assn.org/
Click on Physician Select or AMA Health Insight/AMA Physician Select
More information on credentials:
http://199.186.22.101/aps/physcred.html
Physician Select FAQ:
http://199.186.22.101/aps/faq.html
The AMA (American Medical Association) has made its Physician Select database available via the web. This searchable database contains credential information on all US licensed physicians. There are over 650,000 MDs and Doctors of Osteopathy in this database, which can be searched by physician's name and state, or by any of over 20 medical specialties and state, from Allergy & Immunology to Urology. By clicking on "Definition" under each specialty, users can find (but not search) information on the subspecialties included under it. Information returned includes office address and phone number, gender, residency training, year graduated, whether board certified, and whether the doctor is a member of the AMA. In addition, users are informed whether the doctor has obtained a Physician's Recognition Award, signifying annual documented completion of 50 hours of continuing education. A planned enhancement that allows for searching by treatment of specialized illness or condition is not yet available. Note that the Shockwave movies on the page have no effect on the searching of the database.
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United States Vital Records Information
http://www.vitalrec.com/
Amateur genealogists beginning their searches through the vital records at the state or county level will find useful resources on this web site. Organized by state and then by county, these pages present instructions on how to make inquiries concerning vital records. In addition to general guidelines on what data to include in a request for birth, marital, and death records, each state's page has addresses for both state and county records offices and information about fees. All fifty states and several US possessions are included. There are also links to other local and national genealogy resources, as well as state and local historical societies, which can often be a good source for genealogical information.
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Global Business Centre
http://www.euromktg.com/gbc/
According to the editors of this multilingual directory site, European Web sites represent 23% of all sites worldwide and yet are difficult to locate using English-only search engines and directories. This web site aims to remedy this shortcoming by offering a guide to web sites in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Nederlands/Flemish, Portuguese, and Scandinavian. Each language-specific page groups sites in the corresponding countries into categories: business, journals, cyber cafes, leisure, culture, jobs, tourism, and shopping. In addition, there is a page listing Eastern European web sites. A US-based server and a UK-based server are available; users may select the nearest site. Users with business, travel, or other interests in Europe will find this site informative; those wishing to practice their language skills by reading and interacting with pages written in another language will also enjoy this site.
[Note: Site title has changed since the original Scout Report review. Site formerly referred to in the Scout Report as "European Business Centre."]
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Shoreland's Travel Health Online
http://www.tripprep.com/
Shoreland, Inc., a company that supports health professionals who counsel international travelers, has made this web site available to the public. Users will find detailed travel advisory information for travelers to 229 countries, arranged alphabetically. The information presented is drawn from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and the US Department of State, as well as news, medical, and travel media. Users can also access a listing of travel medicine providers, as well as detailed, well organized information about general travel health concerns, preventive medications, and specific illnesses. Most of the information on this site is available from the agencies mentioned above, but Shoreland has gathered, organized, and cross-referenced it for ease of use and completeness.
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GolfTalk Discussion List
GolfTalk is a UK-based twice-monthly email publication of interest to all golfers offering reports on major tournaments and courses, special offers on equipment and clothing, golfing breaks, tips from professionals, a golfing TV guide and much more. Articles and suggestions from readers are encouraged. Although UK based, subscribers and contributions are welcome and encouraged from golfing enthusiasts everywhere.
To subscribe send email to:
Sportstalk@silverquick.com
In the body of the message type:
join Golftalk
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http://netsquirrel.com/roadmap96/index.html
ROADMAP96 is a free, 27-lesson Internet training workshop designed to teach new "Net travelers" how to travel around the expanding Internet without getting lost. The original Roadmap workshop, which debuted in the Fall of 1994, rapidly became the most popular on-line Internet training workshop. ROADMAP96 is a completely revised and updated version of the original. The lessons are written primarily for people with accounts on command-line systems like UNIX, VAX, and VM, but everyone is welcome to participate. The entire ROADMAP96 workshop will take place on the ROADMAP96 mailing list, which is a distribution-only mailing list, not a discussion list. The workshop covers E-mail as well as Listservs, Majordomo, Listproc, and other e-mail distribution systems; Usenet; FTP; Archie; Gopher; Veronica; address searches; the Web; and many other topics. Since many Internauts have only e-mail access to the Internet, ROADMAP96 includes lessons on how to retrieve Internet resources offered via FTP, Archie, Gopher, and other methods. InterNIC Registration Services is now providing ROADMAP96 with a permanent home. To participate in one of the free workshop sessions, which start every two weeks, subscribe to the ROADMAP96 e-mail distribution list. HTML, ZIP, and SEA versions of all of the ROADMAP96 lessons will eventually be available on the ROADMAP96 homepage. Note: be careful to include the 96 at the end of ROADMAP, or the subscribe command will not work.
Send email to:
listserv@lists.internic.net
In the body of the message type:
subscribe ROADMAP96 yourfirstname yourlastname
[Note: The resource mentioned above is no longer available.] [Back to Contents]
INFOMINE
http://infomine.ucr.edu/
From the library of the University of California, Riverside, comes this guide to academic Internet resources. Topic areas include: biology, agriculture, and medicine; government information; maps and GIS; physical sciences, engineering, computing, and math; social sciences and humanities; visual and performing arts; instructional resources; and a section on "Internet enabling tools." Each topic page allows the user to search by keyword, title, or subject, as well as to browse indices of all three. A "what's new" page is available for each topic. The site makes heavy use of server-side image maps, so visit the text page if bandwidth is scarce. Although the emphasis is on web resources, gopher sites are included as well. One of the strongest features of this site is each topic's "table of contents" page, which serves as a Yahoo-like hierarchical browsing tool and demonstrates the vast scope of this project.
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The Scout Report's Web page:
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report</ A>http://rs.internic.net/scout/report</ A>
FTP:
ftp://rs.internic.net/scout/[Back to Contents]Copyright Susan Calcari, 1996. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The InterNIC provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation: NCR-9218742. The Government has certain rights in this material.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, the National Science Foundation, AT&T, or Network Solutions, Inc.
