Internet Special Report (Scientific American)

[Union Endicott High School <ehslib@SPECTRA.NET>]

A special report on the Internet published in Scientific American (March
1996) is available online in full text at the following address.  I found it
very interesting when I read it in the Scientific American, you might want
to check it out.  Don't miss all the links on the left hand side of the
page.  It was a long article.


The Internet:: Bringing Order from Chaos
http://www.sciam.com/0397issue/0397intro.html

Excerpt:
                  " In short, the Net is not a digital library. But if it is to
                    continue to grow and thrive as a new means of
                    communication, something very much like traditional
                    library services will be needed to organize, access and
                    preserve networked information. Even then, the Net
                    will not resemble a traditional library, because its
                    contents are more widely dispersed than a standard
                    collection. Consequently, the librarian's classification
                    and selection skills must be complemented by the
                    computer scientist's ability to automate the task of
                    indexing and storing information. Only a synthesis of
                    the differing perspectives brought by both professions
                    will allow this new medium to remain viable. "



Gail M. Szeliga, Librarian
ehslib@spectra.net
Union Endicott High School
Endicott, NY 13760