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THE DISSEMINATOR ISSN:1208-2473 V.8, N.2 March 2001 An electronic newsletter from the Nova Scotia Provincial Library 3770 Kempt Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 4X8 (902) 424-2457; FAX (902) 424-0633 Also available on the Web at: http://www.library.ns.ca/provlib/disseminator To subscribe to THE DISSEMINATOR, send a message to [log in to unmask] and enter the following text in the body of the message: subscribe dissem-list yourfirstname yourlastname. Comments on or suggestions for THE DISSEMINATOR should be directed to Gillian Webster at [log in to unmask] IN THIS ISSUE News from the Regions News from the Library and Information Technology Program, Nova Scotia Community College News from the School of Library and Information Studies, Dalhousie University Nova Scotia Provincial Library News Hot Tips and Updates COLUMNS Reference on the Net LINKed Professional Reading NEWS FROM THE REGIONS Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL) Internet Line Speed By the end of March, seven of the region's outlets had their Internet connections upgraded. This was made possible through the Department of Education's Ednet renewal project. Computer Training/Information Sessions An HRDC Youth Internship project has been approved and is now making it possible to provide computer training sessions in three of the branch libraries, Annapolis Royal, Bridgetown, and Lawrencetown. Training sessions include an after school programme, a seniors' morning, and one-on-one tutorials. This is a pilot project with the goal of expanding the programme throughout the region in the next year. CAP funding approved for other locations is also providing staffing for similar programs in Middleton, Kingston, Berwick, and Port Williams. This funding will continue until the beginning of the summer when students are anticipated to carry on some of this programming. Community Mentors have been hired through CAP sustainability funding in Annapolis and Digby counties. These mentors will be doing a series of workshops on small businesses and career development in Annapolis Royal and Middleton during May. Smart Communities The official launch of the Smart Community Demonstration Project took place on February 24, 2001. An exhibit table was staffed in cooperation with the Western Counties Regional Library as one of the partnering organizations involved with the project. The event was well attended with many visitors inquiring about library services. The kiosks or PATs (Public Access Terminals) will be appearing within the next month or so beginning in the Town of Middleton. These kiosks will deliver services online including library services. Branch Reports A series of photography workshops, facilitated by staff member, Mark MacFadyen, is taking place at the Wolfville branch. This series is a creative introduction to amateur photography and is intended to help participants take better pictures and provide a forum to answer questions and talk about photography. March Break Programmes included magic shows in Annapolis Royal, Middleton and Kentville Libraries; Mermaid Theatre puppet and mask-making workshops in Wolfville, and special computer programs in several branches. Summer grant applications are being prepared for Annapolis Royal, Middleton (through the Friends of the Library), and Wolfville libraries for a student to assist with programming and promotion of the provincial summer reading theme "Don't Bug Me, I'm Reading." Cape Breton Regional Library (CBRL) The first day of spring was a busy one for CBRL. On March 20th, the circulation at the McConnell Library became automated, with the Glace Bay branch following suit the next day. On-line circulation in the remaining branches is scheduled in the near future with the North-side branches - North Sydney, Sydney Mines, and Florence next in line for the transition. The circulation desk at the McConnell was rearranged and extended to accommodate an automated circulation environment. The staff attended two automation in-services to prepare them for the transition. Faye MacDougall did the first run through on March 12th. A second full day in-service on the following week reinforced all that staff knew and then some! Mike Purcell and Shirley MacLeod from the Nova Scotia Provincial Library provided invaluable support and were at the desk helping and guiding staff during the first few days. Their support was especially appreciated when the system went down for about an hour on the very first day!! Disconcerting at first, the system failure, due to a power outage in Halifax, proved to be a good learning experience. Overall the transition from a manual circulation system to an automated one is going very well, and the staff are adjusting quite nicely. Funnily enough, one of the most difficult aspects of using the new system is leaving the book-card IN the back of the book when signing out!! Colchester-East Hants Regional Library (CEHRL) Lynda Marsh, Administrator, Youth Services was "captured" on video not once but twice! Two students from an English class at Truro Junior High School videotaped an interview with Lynda on what types of books interest children from primary to grade six. Several weeks later the community cable channel in Truro interviewed Lynda on the importance of reading for children for the program Plugged In. The staff and board are formulating a strategic plan for CEHRL. Staff had a Monday session to think through the purpose and priorities of CEHRL and library board members gave up a Saturday to consider purpose and priorities from their perspective. On March 5th the staff and board met as a group for a full day of combining their ideas to help shape the future. Staff hope to complete the planning process by June 30th. Teen Friends of the Library have received permission to "adopt" the Civic Square in Truro as their environment project. The Teen Friends will help to clean the grounds in the area and have plans to learn about the history of the seven buildings on Civic Square. Automation and Technical Services Administrator Leslie Foster and trainer Lori MacKenzie have been working with local groups that have received computers through Industry Canada's VOLNET program. Representatives of these nonprofit groups are attending pre-arranged sessions in the Gates Learning Centre to receive basic e-mail and Internet training so they can train others in their organizations. Cumberland Regional Library (CURL) Cumberland Regional Library programmes for children on popular fictional characters Harry Potter and Anne of Green Gables were held during the March break, along with crafts and activities. For adults, there was a Creative Memories workshop on creating artistic photo albums and also some cross-stitching classes. A laptop computer was recently purchased, thanks to a Labour Market Development Agreement grant, to help provide a variety of services such as signing out library books in schools and seniors homes. The laptop will also allow staff to offer Web Awareness presentations to parents and Internet training to the public. Additional CAP funding has been approved for Amherst, Pugwash and River Hebert. Each site will receive an additional new computer and laser printer. Eastern Counties Regional Library (ECRL) Numerous activities throughout the Eastern Counties region helped people forget about the winter weather. Spring break was a busy period and branch staff had several activities lined up for the younger patrons. At the La Picasse Centre in Petit de Grat, several partners provided activities to highlight the Rendez-Vous de la Francophonie 2001. The Richmond Cooperative Community Radio, offered a special French edition throughout the week. An Acadian supper, a talent show and craft exhibition were offered by la FANE. The Pre-School and the Library presented story-telling for the very young and the Library prepared a treasure hunt for the older children. An evening of Acadian stories for adults was also hosted by the Library and the Centre. Thanks to the RCMP Adopt A Library Literacy Program and the generous donations of local companies and residents, the children's treasure chests in Canso and Sherbrooke are filling up with small prizes for active readers and a corporate donation will be used to purchase new children's books. The Library welcomes Joyce Rankin to its staff. Joyce will be working on a one year project to develop Family Reading Activities throughout the region. Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library (PARL) On March 20th at 11:00 a.m. there was a launch ceremony of the Pictou and Antigonish War Cenotaphs Internet web page in the Program Room of the New Glasgow Library. To recognize this event a large number of community representatives from all levels of government were invited to take part. As well members of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Department of National Defense were asked to join in marking the occasion. Created with the assistance of LibraryNet, the site will provide information on the veterans whose names are listed on the 16 Cenotaphs located in the two counties. The in-depth site includes a local map of the counties with locations of the monuments, a list of resource material available at the New Glasgow Library, a long list of site links, and a site search function. This last feature is a great time saver. For example, just type in a veteran's name and you will be taken to the Cenotaph on which they are listed. Designed and researched by PARL staff members Fern MacDonald and Jolene Shaw, this special project represents much time and effort on their part. As more information continues to be made available to the team from family members, it seems that additions and updates to the site will be ongoing. Far from complete, PARL staff trust it will provide valued facts for individuals conducting genealogical research locally and beyond. To view this new web page users must first go to the library website. Here you will see the re-designed and updated Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library homepage. With a fresh, modern look and a clean interface, it is easier to use, making your search for the right library service fast and straightforward. Just select and click on the online service or feature that you require. To surf the site and view the new design, please go to www.parl.ns.ca. The children's programming department will receive a major boost this spring as three new employees started on April 2nd to increase programmes available to young patrons. Funding has also been allocated for supplies to support this programming so PARL is looking at purchasing a portable puppet stage very soon. These positions have been made possible by funding from the local HRDC office and the efforts of Caring and Active Mothers of Pictou County in conjunction with the African community. This venture will have coordinator Becky Alexander and her assistants Brandi Bennett and Melissa Barron keeping children busy until they return to school in September. The East Antigonish Rural Access Site at The Monastery School had a successful open house ceremony to mark the beginning of new outreach services offered by PARL. This project received support from the Recreation Department of Antigonish County and PARL's Books By Mail staff. In programming news, on March 21st, PARL hosted a free public information session entitled the Straight Talk on E-Commerce. Presented by local resident Jim Fitt, it provided aspiring individuals with the guidance they need to begin conducting business online. It also helped those with Internet experience who wish to update their present web pages to accommodate the collection of funds online. On Wednesday, March 28th, PARL hosted Patricia Collins as she presented her talk What is Astrology. Mrs. Collins explained the intricacies of classical Natal astrology and its benefits as a self-awareness tool. March 29th, Wolfville author Andria Hill sat in the Big Pink Chair as she read from her book, Mona Parsons: From Glamour to Danger, From Canada to Nazi Europe. If the way a well-worn copy of this book has been circulating around PARL's offices is any indication, her book will be very popular. Pictou County can claim a connection to this amazing story as Mona's father lived in the small farming community of Sunny Brea, situated south of New Glasgow. The official opening for the new River John Library and Innovation Center was April 5th. Residents of the village saw staff members the weekend before wearing a path between the old structure and the new one across the street as the collection is moved to its new home. A grand opening ceremony with much pomp and circumstance will be held later in the spring. Once again the free Income tax sessions were very successful with a large turnout of citizens taking advantage of this volunteer service. To celebrate the end of our Children's Choice Hackmatack Book Awards group, children's author Sheree Fitch spoke to the avid readers via speaker phone. PARL staff reached her at her temporary home in Quebec City as they prepared to perform a scene taken from the pages of her book The Other Author Arthur in the puppet theatre. As usual, Sheree was thrilled to speak her young fans, entertaining them with a few poems. In closing, PARL's Program Room enjoyed some of its biggest crowds ever over March break as more than 300 fans attended two days of stories, puppet shows, and local children's entertainers Shine Sue and Pickles The Clown. PARL staff were both honoured and a bit saddened to learn that Carroll Lee Farrell, aka Pickles The Clown, choose PARL to be the location of her last performance after eight years of birthday parties and shows in Pictou County. South Shore Regional Library (SSRL) It's that time of year again Tax volunteers are sharpening their pencils and working their way through returns at six income tax clinics in the South Shore Region. For the first time since SSRL began co-ordinating the tax clinics 14 years ago, there are no clinics in library space. Instead, partnerships with groups such as family resource centres, the Town of Lunenburg, and the Nova Scotia Community College have expanded the tax clinic network into other community centres. Poetry Month on the South Shore Spring breezes will be blowing poetry onshore three Wednesdays during National Poetry Month. Lunenburg poet Carole Langille will read in Liverpool April 10th at the DeWolfe Memorial Library. Langille, short listed for the Governor General's Award for her 1997 collection In Cannon Cave, is also part of a Brick Books 25th anniversary celebration at Harbourfront in Toronto later in the month. Don Linehan of West LaHave will read at the Lunenburg Library April 17th. His works include Birds of Fire (poetry, 1986) and The Mystery of Things (nature poetry and prose, 1989). Deanna Young of Port Williams will read at the Bridgewater Library April 24th. Her collection Drunkard's Path will be published by Gaspereau Press this October. Local poets will be invited to take part in open mike spots at each reading. The series is made possible with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets in celebration of National Poetry Month. Western Counties Regional Library (WCRL) Writing Workshop The Writers Federation of Nova Scotia, in collaboration with Western Counties Regional Library, will be hosting Happy Endings/Bright Beginnings, Saturday, April 28th and Sunday April 29th at the Yarmouth branch library. The workshop is designed for adult writers of children's stories. Sylvia Gunnery and Ron Lightburn will conduct the Saturday session along with public readings from 1-2 p.m. Carol McDougall and Noreen Smiley will be on hand on Sunday to address the business aspect of writing. Friends in Action The Clark's Harbour Friends of the Library are planning the second annual Mother's Day tea at the library in May. Plans are also in the works for a Chinese Auction, and participation in the Clark's Harbour parade on Canada Day. The Shelburne Friends of the Library recently purchased approx $400 in reference materials for the McKay Memorial Library in Shelburne. They also purchased a shelving unit for teens valued at $800.00. The Yarmouth Friends of the Library are sponsoring the 3rd annual Great Speckled Easter Egg Hunt on April 14th. Thousands of eggs will be hidden throughout the library for the half hour event. Admission is $2.00 at the door. Participants will bring their own baskets. The Pubnico Friends of the Library are getting ready to stage a new play called Dreadful Doings at the Cider Mill. Their first production The Scheme of The Driftless Shifter and a skit called Alice & the Bookworms was produced in 1999 and played to a full house at Argyle school for two nights. The first performance of Dreadful Doings ... is scheduled to take place in April. NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (LIT) PROGRAM, NOVA SCOTIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Recent events at Halifax Campus included a seminar on library associations and a workshop on book repair. On March 7th, a panel of guest speakers from library and library-related associations spoke to first year students. The panel consisted of Michael Colborne, representing CLA; Peter Webster, ALA; Don Goss, NSLA; Sara Brodie, HLA, and Linda Raskin, ARMA. Each representative spoke for approximately 15 minutes about the history, purpose, and value of their association for students and library workers in general. On March 20th, students in the Multimedia Services course attended a one-day workshop on book repair and preservation conducted by Julia Landry of Leaf by Leaf Book & Paper Conservation Services. Students learned some basic preservation techniques and how to do simple repairs to hardcover books. Continuing our spotlight on part-time faculty, this month's featured instructor is Jennifer Millman. After graduating from the Halifax Library Technician Program in 1995, Jennifer worked as a library assistant with the Department of Education and Culture and with the Nova Scotia Legislative Library. She is also the principal partner in the consulting firm, LITE (Library Indexing, Technical, and Education Services). Jennifer teaches the Introduction to Libraries and Information Retrieval course in both the face-to-face program and via distance education and brings to the Program the perspective of a practicing library technician. The "Preparing for PLAR" (prior learning assessment and recognition) course is now available in draft format. For more information contact Marlene Mortimore at [log in to unmask] or visit the NSCC web site at http://www.nscc.ns.ca/programs/LibraryandInformationTechnology.html. NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES (SLIS) The YA Hotline: 24 Years and Still Going Strong This month's column is contributed by Vivian Howard, current editor of the School's YA Hotline. The YA Hotline Newsletter, first begun by Professor Larry Amey in 1977, is now one of the longest-running YA journals in the world. It is a unique newsletter, produced by students enrolled in the Young Adult Literature and Media Interests class offered by the School, and circulated to some 200 subscribers, both local and international. The pedagogical objectives of the newsletter are clear: working on this project gives students valuable experience in writing, editing, illustrating, and publishing. Even more important, students become knowledgeable about a specific topic in YA literature as they conduct research for their theme issue. As they work on the newsletter, students move beyond the classroom to meet and exchange information with youth services librarians, youth workers, and young adults themselves. >From its modest beginnings as a type-written, cut and paste production to its current polished version, the YA Hotline has continued to explore issues of interest to youth and those who work with them. Recent issues have examined family relationships (issue 65), multiculturalism (issue 64), death (issue 63), and witchcraft and the occult (issue 60). In the near future, look for a "Best of the YA Hotline" volume to be published by Scarecrow Press. Subscription information for YA Hotline may be found at: http://www.mgmt.dal.ca/slis/Publications/YAHotline.html. Future columns will highlight other projects ongoing at the School. For further information about these or any other SLIS activities and programmes contact the Director, Bertrum MacDonald, at [log in to unmask], (902) 494-2472 or visit the web site at: http://www.mgmt.dal.ca/slis. NOVA SCOTIA PROVINCIAL LIBRARY NEWS MultiLIS The most recent upgrade to the MultiLIS system which took place in January will facilitate new patron functionality within the web version of the catalogue. The web services should be operational in the next few months. These new services - placing requests directly from the catalogue, renewing items and reviewing your account - will be easily done by users from their own personal computers. This is a big jump in the services offered to users outside the walls of the library. Budget 2001-02 The Province's 2001-02 budget was tabled in the Legislature on March 29th. Although the funding formula for regional libraries, recommended by the Regional Public Libraries Funding Review Committee in October 2000, will not be implemented in April 2001, regional library boards did receive an $100,000 increase in funding. The increase will be distributed on the existing formula. The new formula will be implemented in April 2002. The Provincial Library's budget remains the same as in 2000-01. Job Evaluation in the Civil Service With the signing of the Civil Service Master Collective Agreement on May 1st, 1998, the Province of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union agreed to jointly develop a new job classification system and then to review all civil service bargaining unit jobs both full-time and part-time. The current system has been in use for 20 years and is simply inefficient and outdated. For example, the current system was designed before desktop computers were common and accordingly, does not accurately measure the value of the work we do today. The new system is fair and credible as well as easier to understand and administer. This benefits both employees and supervisors. Provincial Library staff, along with all other bargaining unit employees, have spent the better part of the month of March preparing job fact sheet questionnaires for the Province's job evaluation project. This has been a difficult and time consuming process, however, we are all hopeful for a positive outcome, along with new, updated and accurate job descriptions. The whole process is expected to take about 18 months. HOT TIPS & UPDATES ASSOCIATION FOR MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION IN CANADA CONFERENCE, JUNE 3-6, 2001 AMTEC is Canada's national association for educational media and technology professionals. This year's conference is being held from June 3-6, 2001 at Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia. The theme is: Making it Work: Effective Educational Technology in The New Millennium. This year's keynote speakers will be: Sister Dorothy Moore, Director of Mi'kmaq Services, Nova Scotia Department of Education; Tom Rich, Deputy Minister of Education for Nunavut; and Mark Starowicz, creator and producer of Canada: A People's History, As It Happens, The Journal and other icons of Canadian Broadcasting. Besides information on these distinguished speakers, the website, http://amtec2001.ednet.ns.ca, has a searchable database of concurrent sessions for the convenience of attendees who seek sessions in specific topics or about specific levels of education. The momentum is building, and so is registration. The early bird registration deadline is April 21st. Pier 21 is booked, but hey, the organizers can't order the lobsters until they know how many guests there are, so get those forms smoking in! See you in Halifax, June 3rd, when The Honourable Myra A. Freeman, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, will officially open the conference at a welcoming reception. TELECONFERENCE "AGENTS, BOTS AND INTELLIGENT DOTS: THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS" On March 23, 2001, a number of people from the Nova Scotia library community attended the teleconference, entitled: "Agents, bots and intelligent dots: the technology behind electronic documents," broadcast via satellite from the College of DuPage, Illinois, and hosted locally by the Nova Scotia Provincial Library. During the session, presenter D. Scott Brandt, Associate Professor of Library and Information Science at Purdue University, aka "Techman," described the various technologies behind electronic documents and explored search engine functionality. He mentioned markup tools such as Extensible Markup Language (XML), Hypertext Markup language (HTML) and the Dublin Core metatag set, and commented on the need for the development of a commonly accepted standard. He explained the difference between search engines which operate as lexicons and build relationships with words, such as Oingo, and others that function according to relevance ranking. In general, participants seemed pleased with the information that was provided during the session, but some remarked that they had expected a more in-depth look at markup languages and metatags and their applications. A videorecording of the teleconference can be borrowed via ILL request from a public, government, university or community college library to the Nova Scotia Provincial Library. Other material in our Professional Development Collection can be searched via the Regional Public Library Consolidated Catalogue on Web NcompasS at www.library.ns.ca. TELECONFERENCE "INTERNET DILEMMA: FILTERED OR NON-FILTERED" Why use Internet filters? How do Internet filters work? What are the legal issues surrounding the use of Internet filters in the United States? The issue of Internet filters is a concern to all libraries. In Canada some libraries are seeking legal advice to protect themselves against legal liability suits. In the United Stated debate over the use of Internet filters in libraries continues. During the teleconference professionals will review the current issues surrounding Internet use and the use of Internet filters in libraries in the United States. Discussion will include: the current laws surrounding Internet filtering and the steps libraries must take to comply with these; the issues leading to the US Congress decision to mandate the use of Internet filters in libraries receiving federal funding; an overview of how filters work; a look at how libraries can best educate their users in appropriate use of the Internet; concerns over information access verses censorship; and fears of "Throwing out the treasure with the trash." Speakers will include: Carrie Gardner, Coordinator, Library Media Services, Milton Hershey School, Pennsylvania; Andrew Jacobs, Jr., Author, Attorney, and former member, U.S. House of Representatives; Peter J. Rusthoven, Attorney, Barnes & Thornburg, Indiana; Michael B. Wessells, Manager, Timberland Regional Library, Washington. Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2001, 4:30-6pm Place: Nova Scotia Provincial Library (Classroom), 3770 Kempt Road, Halifax Registration will be on a first come first serve basis, to a maximum of 50 people. Admission is free. Please respond to Bernadette Kennedy by phone (424-3791) or e-mail [log in to unmask] by April 6, 2001. The session is part of the Indiana Library Federation's Annual Conference, "2001: A Library Odyssey". For more information on the teleconference visit the INCOLSA website at http://www.incolsa.net/events/filter.html. 2001 DIRECTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA LIBRARIES The 2001 edition of The Directory of Nova Scotia Libraries is now available. You can search this up-to-date and comprehensive listing of libraries and archival institutions online via the Provincial Library's homepage at www.library.ns.ca or you can access a PDF version and make your own copies by clicking on the "publications" button on our homepage. Those libraries which are either full deposit or selective deposit under the Nova Scotia Government document distribution system are eligible to receive one print copy free of charge. We will no longer be offering copies for sale. In the future, the PDF version of the Directory will be updated on an annual basis. The online web Directory database will be updated quarterly. The Directory of Nova Scotia Libraries has always been an indispensable tool for interlibrary loan and reference for librarians, educators, researchers, library suppliers and the publishing world. We hope that you will find this latest edition of the Directory useful and we welcome your comments and suggestions. REFERENCE ON THE NET Here are some more reference questions referred to the Provincial Library by the Regional Public Libraries. They were answered using resources found on the Internet. Q. Would like to have the value of an ivory carving appraised. A. The Librarians' Index to the Internet at http://lii.org/ is a good place to start searching for this question. At the search box here enter the keyword "appraisal" to locate some resources on this including the most useful for this question which is the online version of Maloney's Antiques & Collectibles Resource Directory at http://www.maloneysonline.com. You can search this using the keyword "ivory" to find listings of appraisers, clubs/associations, collectors, and experts who could be contacted for assistance with this. For more Canadian oriented information try searching the AssociationsCanada.com database at http://www.AssociationsCanada.com using either "appraiser" or "appraisal" as a keyword. This turns up a record for the Appraisal Institute of Canada which could be contacted for information on Canadian ivory appraisers. Q. Where can I find information and pictures on airboats or swamp boats which are used in the Florida Everglades? A. There are lots of Internet sites with pictures of airboats which can be found using any of the search engines but finding factual information on them is more difficult. A way of filtering out some of the commercial sites is to use the Power Search page on the Northern Lights search engine site at http://www.northernlight.com/power.html. Using the form there you can limit search results to particular kinds of documents such as education web sites, government web sites, non-profit web sites, learning materials and questions and answers. By doing this and using the keyword "airboats" several useful FAQs about airboats were found. LINKed Questions on identifying various collectible items and determining their value are an ever popular type of reference request. This Linked column features some sites which are especially useful for this. Kovels Online at http://www.kovel.com is the web version of the well-known Kovels Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide. The online version is very useful as a quick way to search by keyword for items. Prices are only available online to subscribers but the year in which the price appeared in the print version is given so if you have a collection of the print copies, you can look it up there. The site also has a searchable archive of articles on various types of collectibles. Maloneys Online at http://www.maloneysonline.com is the web version of the print Maloneys Antiques & Collectibles Resource Directory. It is a directory of a wide variety of resources including experts, appraisers, collector clubs, periodicals, dealers & collectors, museum & library collections, matching services for china/flatware/crystal, and collector reference book sources. You can post a question on a collectible item at Ask The Experts at http://www.ulster.net/~kelli/experts/ask_the_experts.htm which lists 159 experts on a wide variety of collectibles and antiques. The "Collectors and Collecting Topics" section of the Librarians' Index to the Internet at http://lii.org/search/file/collectors_and_collecting_ Antiques has links to useful resources on automobiles, books, coins, dolls, figurines, glassware, hallmarks, maps, paper money, postcards, silverwork, sound recordings, stamps, tableware and typewriters. Annotations are provided for these resources which are selected and evaluated by librarians. Similarly, the Collecting section of the Google Web Directory at http://directory.google.com/Top/Recreation/Collecting has a large number of categories of items and each is further broken down into more specific categories. Within each category, sites are listed in ranked order with the most useful sites first. Brief descriptions of each site are provided. Use the drop-down menu at AntiqueResources.com at http://www.antiqueresources.com to locate useful articles on collecting, preserving and restoring popular as well as more obscure items. This site also has an Antiques Glossary. You can search by keyword for sources of information on an item at World Collectors Net at http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com. This site also has a Collectibles Directory where there are web links organized by type of collectible and this is especially useful for locating information on china, pottery, figurines and toys. Another useful part of this site is the World Collectors Net Magazine where there is a searchable archive of fulltext articles. The Collector's Directory at http://www.collectingchannel.com/cdsLstCD.asp on the Collecting Channel web site has a useful search form which can be used to do very precise searches for the type of information which you are looking for on a particular collectible. Web sites which were featured in previous "Linked" columns are now arranged by subject category on the Reference Services page of the Provincial Library web site at http://www.library.ns.ca/provlib/brochure/refser.html. If you have any suggestions about future topics for this column please contact Carol Morris at [log in to unmask] PROFESSIONAL READING In this month's column, two books on the internet are featured. These items can be borrowed from the Nova Scotia Provincial Library through regular interlibrary loan channels: Jones, Debra. Exploring the internet using critical thinking skills: a self-paced workbook for learning to effectively use the internet and evaluate online information. New York: Neal-Schuman, c1998. [ Call #: Prof 025 .04 Jon ] This workbook by an internet librarian provides instruction and practice in developing the skills necessary to locate a variety of information resources on the internet, apply critical evaluation to select relevant, reliable data and identify bias and personal opinion in full-text online material. There are eight lessons which encompass a variety of topics, including a basic orientation to the World Wide Web, basic search techniques, search engines, internet sources for the news and E-mail resources, including listservs and usenet groups. Online practice exercises accompany each lesson. Poulter, Alan. The Library and information professional's guide to the World Wide Web. London: Library Association Publishing, 1999. [ Call # Prof 004 .678 Pou ] This book is intended for those who wish to begin to learn how to use the World Wide Web to structure and publish information. It does not cover how to use a web browser or how to search the World Wide Web. It is divided into four parts with cross-references between the parts to lead the reader. The authors try to provide just enough information to encourage newcomers to World Wide web technology to start using it successfully and also to give guidance to those who are already publishing on the World Wide Web. Credits go to: Heidi Julien, Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University Marlene Mortimore, Library And Information Technology (LIT) Program, Nova Scotia Community College