The World Wide Web and the Community of Scholars The Internet (WWW) has in spite of itself created a community of scholars who are working together to provide as much information in as many different disciplines so that it has achieved what earlier systems of distribution had not achieved--namely, an interdisciplinary information source. The pieces [files], from many sources, fit together harmoniously like a giant mosaic. The use of search terms such as keywords, subjects, authors, titles, bring together disparate files from a very wide universe of information. When scholars use the WWW for research, they may discover colleagues who are working in the same discipline as they, or they may find new discoveries in their field not tapped before. Since the researcher is not "locked" into a particular set of search terms it is possible for give a "free hand" to creativity by searching not only the titles, etc. but searching in the full text of the files posted on the WWW. E-mail is one of the services available on the Internet (WWW) and is one of the most important means of communication between colleagues or other researchers inside and outside the academic field which might point the researcher to new aspects of his/her topic. Peer review is possible through the exchange of information between scholars and colleagues. Although "flaming" is frowned upon as being discourteous individuals can express their opinions directly with the recipient and receive instaneous "feedback" faster than a speeding bullet. The e-mail function is International and it is as easy to communicate with colleagues in almost every country, as it is to contact a collegue within the same building. This naturally changes the face of scholarship and even publication of serious papers. Academic freedom is a factor as well, and one should understand that the "I'net" is not secure and one should take this into account when considering revealing facts or opinions which are of a sensitive nature. The WWW is also an important research source since it is possible to access the online public access catalogs (OPAC) of hundreds of the world's leading libraries, including the national libraries in foreign countries. The listings of the Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) may be ascertained through using the standard search engines using the name of the country and then clicking on the appropriate "hot links" from the homepage. Another source of information available through the Internet (WWW) is the listserv for comment and discussion in many fields of endeavor. These are very strongly subject/topic oriented and if one does not mind having a full mailbox they are another way that a scholar may keep up with developments in his/her discipline. Typical listservs are: GOVDOC-L; FEDREF-L; GILS-L; and so on. There is a variety of avenues to "subscribe" to listsevs and scholars need to check various indexes and directories for the exact procedure for starting the service. All the transmissions are done through the e-mail function of one's computer. Guides to the Internet (WWW) frequently provide the address and manner of subscribing for many listservs. The WWW (Internet), while it may not have been designed for publication of information, it most assuredly serves that purpose. A number of newspaper services, television stations, magazines, and journals have mounted homepages and publish up to date articles which may be printed out or downloaded to a disc. Most of these so-called e-journals or e-magazines [e-zines for short] are available at no cost and many have a "search" function on their homepage which will allow for subject, keyword, author, or title searches in their archives for articles posted earlier. Articles may include "white papers," or monographs on a topic which reflect the opinion of the author, sometimes with a disclaimer that the article may not reflect the policies of the author's institution or organization. Publication on the WWW (Internet) receives wide distribution whether on a personal homepage, an institutional homepage, or even on the listserv of one's discipline. There is almost no quicker method of publishing an article that through either mechanisms mentioned above. Internet publication is instantaneous and retrievable through search terms for the subject, and "feedback" can be as fast. It is possible for an author to begin a "thread" which is continued by colleagues across the nation and world. A thread being about a particular topic which is answered by one or more colleagues who wish to add their "two-cents worth" to the discussion. As mentioned above, "flames" or derogitory remarks or comments are frowned upon by many of the listservs which are "moderated" by the operator of the service. Professionalism within the WWW is usually high, but occasionally a not so nice comment is accidentally sent to the entire listserv and not just to the person addressed. This calls for red faces all around, if one scholar takes a colleague to task privately (or so he/she thought) and the posting ends up on the listserv for the whole world to see. There are two recent developments which are literally leaps into the future by the use of the WWW technology with a new "twist." Now it is possible to include "hot links" (i.e. hypertext) which as one reads the article the scholar can "click" on the Title or URL of another e-mail or WWW without having to exit from the function where the present article is being read to look at a referenced homepage or site. By using this device, it is possible to mount a "footnote" right in the middle of the article being read. This "branching" is optional, as footnotes are optional, if one does not wish to interrupt the train of thought. The second, is the use of "sidebars" on one side of the main posting which may contain definitions, additional information, or even hypertext "hot links." When one is used to moving back and forth freely between articles and links, it does not pose too big a distraction, and may lead to some interesting additional data or files. There are a number of Tutorials for learning to use the WWW (Internet) online. The lessons are self-paced and most can be downloaded to disc or print for future reference. Also, it is a comfort to novice surfers on the Internet to know that on almost any retrieved page of information, there is a HELP button (often the F1 function key), to get one back on track. The URLs for some of the better-know Tutorials which are listed by Ms. Judith Wolinsky, Reference Librarian at the Homewood Public Library: The U.S. Government provides large amounts of its research, including statistics in various fields. The Government Printing Office is working to migrate most of its print publications to electronic access. Some of the most useful homepages of various governmental agencies (federal and state) include the famous "hot links" which launch the researcher into the WWW with hardly a blink of an eye. The Americans Communicating Electronically (ACE) list these as helpful URLs: U.S. Government Information, Internet and other Electronic Resources, 2nd edition, 1966 by Glynis D. Long and Thomas G. Tate. The contents of this rather massive listing of federal and state agency listings are available online at the following URLs [The White House, including cabinet-level agencies] [Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Docs] [List of U.S. Government Agencies] [for state government information] Compiled and Written by Jack L. Ralston Fayetteville State University