BKCRSTHR.RVW 931229 Library Solutions Institute and Press 2137 Oregon St. Berkeley, CA 94705 510-841-2933 510-841-2636 or 1100 Industrial Road, Suite 9 San Carlos, CA 94070 fax: 415-594-0411 "Crossing the Internet Threshold", Tennant/Ober/Lipow, 1882208013, U$45.00 alipow@library.berkeley.edu jlo-lis@cmsa.berkeley.Edu rtennant@library.Berkeley.Edu This book is useful for newcomers to the Internet. This book is useful for trainers. This book is useful for librarians. Ultimately, this book is most useful for those training librarians who are new to the Internet. The contents cover the basics as an introduction to the Internet. There is an "Internetworking Overview" which is a bit long for a beginner but helpful for a trainer. "Important Information for Beginners" is important, but primarily to those needing either to get a connection to the Internet or to keep current with Internet developments. The bibliography is generally sound and with helpful annotations. (There are some gaps, such as no mention of O'Reilly and Associates "!%@::" (cf BKDEMAC.RVW), but most of the other references one might name are more recent publications.) Three chapters cover email, remote login and file transfers (ftp). There are very helpful "fact sheets" on the basics of related functions, such as archive and gopher, as well as projects such as Freenet. In addition, there are trainers' aids, and appendix materials. A newcomer to the Internet might find this material a bit disorganized, but very definitely helpful and useful. It is heartening to see the very strong emphasis on Internet etiquette and culture which all too often gets short shrift, even in introductory guides. The grouping of discussion lists and electronic journals with email is a logical extension which is not always made. The work is not limited to the novice, though; many Internet users would find the fact sheets to be a handy quick reference. The material here was originally developed for a workshop and, unfortunately, it is all too obvious at some points. The Internet maps and certain other materials could be useful in seminars, but have no associated explanatory materials. The exercises are useful but missing information at certain points. For example, the list of special databases to try out does not always have full information on how to log in. This would, of course, be supplied in the workshop, and can be figured out by an experienced "net surfer," but it would be nice to see more help for novice users. The training resources, as well, would require some work. The "Introduction to Networking" overhead, for example, is far too cluttered, and, realistically, should be subdivided into at least five parts. This is, however, the first of a series of related works. As the material is subdivided, and the different audiences defined, the material will undoubtedly improve. The work shows a fundamental understanding and promise which bodes well for future editions, once organization and isolated materials are improved. Still, the book is useful to all those parties mentioned in the opening paragraph. For those serious about Internet training, or the use of the Internet in a library situation, this should definitely be on your bookshelf. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKCRSTHR.RVW 931229 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 DECUS Symposium '94, Vancouver, BC, Mar 1-3, 1994, contact: rulag@decus.ca