Environmental Guide to the Internet

Book by Murphy, Toni

These two guides are intended to help the ecologically minded pursue their interests online. The Environmental Guide to the Internet is an annotated directory that lists nearly 100 listservs (electronic discussion groups) covering environment-related topics such as alternative energy, biodiversity, eco-feminists, and water quality; dozens of Usenet groups; 45 electronic journals and newsletters (such as Climate Change Bulletin, Earthlink, Rainforest News, and Wind Energy Weekly); 29 bulletin board systems (both governmental and nongovernmental); and other miscellaneous sources, all available on the Internet. Schupp, who specializes in business intelligence analysis at TASC, has focused on easily available electronic sources for a wide audience, not just specialists, and has included subscription and archive information for each source. Sources are arranged alphabetically with a keyword index. This should prove very useful, as no comparable directories are available at this time. Be forewarned, however, that electronic sources appear and disappear like comets. The second edition of Eco-Data (the first appeared in 1993) focuses on electronic bulletin boards?both government and private?that contain environmental information. Over 100 boards are listed alphabetically, with modem numbers, baud rate, price (if any), and author comments. While heavy on environmental and engineering topics, it also includes a range of miscellany (herpetology, water lilies, nature photography, Mexico, fire emergencies, etc.). Information is current, and the author's personal impressions are helpful, but the book's usefulness in a library setting is hampered by the lack of a keyword index. The chapter on "understanding the Internet" isn't really necessary, and the World Wide Web is barely mentioned. If funds are limited, choose Schupp's book over this one.?Laura Lipton, Miller Horticultural Lib., Seattle
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.