Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 02:22:50 -0400
From: H-EDITOR Administrator 
Reply to: H-NET List Editing Skills 
To: Multiple recipients of list H-EDITOR 
Subject: H-Net at the ALA Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the American Library Association recently concluded in New York. The History Section of the RASD (Reference and Adult Services Division, to be known as Reference and User Services Association from September on), decided at the meeting to initiate an informal affiliation with H-Net. The HS sponsored a program on Sunday, July 7 entitled "Clio and the Net: Historians in an Electronic Age". With more than 200 in attendance, there were three presenters using Netscape from computers with smoothly operating live connections and projection on a large screen: Elizabeth Roderick of the Library of Virginia explored the documents and images on the LVA website, Ed Ayers of Virginia presented the Valley of the Shadow project, and I did the H-Net thing.

My presentation traced the history of H-Net and its current structure and ongoing projects. Then I gave a tour of the website's top level, with emphasis on the NCC Reports, Job Register, and especially the book reviews, and several individual lists accessed via the list of lists. My focus, in showing several listsites I was familiar with, was on discussion threads, text archives, and archival information.

All handouts, including the July 1 update of "H-Net Announces," included URLs and were in high demand -- I left the room last and found only a handful left of any of them. I encouraged those in attendance to examine our sites and offer their professional advice by clicking on webmasters' addresses where they appear, and recommended that they sign up for many lists. I hope membership editors will welcome librarian applicants into the fold. Expect a bump in the number of hits on our websites.

Jim Niessen, ALA/RASD History Section and HABSBURG