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AUTHOR Hudson, Judith; Turck, Kathleen A. TITLE Electronic Access to Research on Women: A Short Guide. INSTITUTION State Univ. of New York, Albany. Inst. for Research on Women. PUB DATE 92 NOTE 12p. AVAILABLE FROM Institute for Research on Women, c/o Iris Berger, SS341, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12222 ($2.50 shipping and handling). PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055)

EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Access to Information; *Computer Networks; Databases; Data Collection; Electronic Mail; Feminism; Higher Education; Information Networks; Information Retrieval; Library Materials; Online Systems; Primary Sources; Reference Materials; Research Methodology; *Research Tools; Resource Materials; Womens Studies IDENTIFIERS BITNET; *; *Listsery Discssion Groups

ABSTRACT Electronic access to research on women is available in a variety of forms, from both primary and secondary sources. Both types of sources are growing dramatically in number and scope. This guide provides information on resources directly available to the researcher through electronic communications media. It includes enough technical information to get the user started. The use of ylectronic mail (e-mail) provides access to research and greatly :facilitates the research process. Two communications networks frequently used by academic institutions and researchers are BITNET and the Internet. Suggestions for using these and e-mail are given. A list is provided of computer discussion groups (facilitated by software known as Listserv) that may be of interest to researchers on women. Other tools that may be useful include news groups,different file distribution methods, Telnet, electronic conferencing, electronic journals, full-text databases, and numerical data sources. Secondary sources are briefly discussed. Researchers must be aware that the technology is developing-so quickly that the guide is becoming out-of-date even as it is being written. (SLD)

*********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Education./ Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This CIOCUThIllrit hasbeen reproduced as eceived from the person originating it or

Poi M S Of new Or Opno0o3 sta tint m t his dOcu- ment do not necessarilyrepresent official Electronic Access OERI positron or policy to ResearchonWomen:

A Short Guide

Judith Hudson and Kathleen A. Turek

Institute for Researchon Women University at Albany, SUNY

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE TH MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED E Judith HudAnn Kathleen A. Turek

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCI BEST COPY AVAILABLE INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC).' Copyright © 1992 Judith Hudson and KathleenA. Turek. Printed copies of this guide are available from: Institute for Research on Women c/o Iris Berger SS341 University at Albany 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222 For each copy, send a check or money order for$2.50 to cover shipping and handling made out to: Research Foundation of SUNY Prepayment is required. Sorry, we cannotaccommodate C.O.D. orders. Permission is granted to make and distributeverbatim copies of this entire guide provided the cover sheet andthis copyright and permission notice are preserved on all copies.

3 Electronic Access to Research on Women: A Short Guide 1

Introduction were when researchers were dependent would use an address that included the on the or the postal service person's name, street and number, city, Because the study of women is an (known as "snail mail" to users). state,andzipcode. Similarly, interdisciplinary effort, research on Email is both a primary and secondary computer mailing programs need to womenisconductedinmany source. One can use email to do know the person's computer name disciplines in the humanities, social research or to have direct access to (userid or username) and the computer sciences, physical sciences, and in the research and one can use email to address.The entire el .ctronic mail professionaldisciplinessuchas solicit sources. address is represented as: businessandsocialwelfare. Consequently, although the body of Useofelectronicmailrequires, userid@computeraddress researcherswhoareidentified however, that researchers learn the primarily with women's studiesis rudiments of computer technology and where the computeraddress is one set small, there are many who contribute master the jargon of communications of characters such as ALBNYVMS, which and use such research. Identifying and networks.Luckily, this is becoming islikelyaBITNETaddress. finding the work of these contributors much easier than it once was. Several Alternatively,thecomputeraddress is an ongoing challenge, and the introductorymanualshavebeen might be two or more sets of characters of computer access written, such as Zen and the Art of the separatedbyperiodssuchas and information retrieval has not yet Internet' and Hitchhiker's Guide to the CSC.ALBANY.EDU, an Internet address. made this search process much easier. InterneeFurther, these references It has, however, markedly increased areoftenavailableelectronically.' If you use a machine on both BITNET the variety of resources available to Learning electronic mail skills and and theInternet,you have two researchers.' obtainingtheintroductoryguides electronic addresses, a BITNET address become thefirststepsinoverall and an Internet address. Further, there Electronic access to research on women mastery of the electronic resources. may be different forms for these is available in a variety of forms. addresses. Theseincludebothprimary and The two communications networks secondary sources.Primary sources frequentlyusedbyacademic If you are mailing from a UNIX thatprovidedirectaccessto institutions and researchers are BITNET machine connected to the Internet, but informationincludeelectronic and the Internet. BITNET (the Because not directly to BITNET, your BITNET discussiongroups,datafile It's Time Network) connects mostly addresses, such as TUREKOALBNYVMS distributions,electronicjournals, academic institutions. The Internet is should have ".bitnet* appended to electronic conferencing, numerical data not one network; rather it is a very them, e.g., TUREKOALBNYVMS.BrITIET. archives,andfull-textdatabases. largenetworkofnetworksthat Checkyourlocalcomputing Secondarysourcesthatprovide connectsacademicandresearch documentation for the type of electronic information on how to find research on institutions, government and military addressing appropriate for your site." wo:nenincludetheindexing and installations,and commercial and abstracting services that list periodical privateorganizations. Internet Discussion Groups articlesand,onoccasion,other connections are fast and offer more materials. One characteristic of both services than BITNET (including remote Email is useful for corresponding with types of resources is that they are login into other computers). Many people you already know at other growing dramatically in number as academic and research computers are institutions; but it also provides a well as in scope. on both BITNET and the Internet. mechanism for finding associates and collaboratorsthroughelectronic Some early trends in computer-based Electronic Mail discussion lists, which are used to resourceshavebeenpreviously discuss topics of common interest. identified.' This guide provides an The mechanics for sending electronic Subscribing to a list is comparable to update that concentrates on resources mail differ from machine to machine signing up for a group of pen pals all directly available to the researcher and frommailprogramtomail interested in the same subject.Lists throughelectroniccommunications program, but the basic concepts remain help researchers gather information as media.It includes enough technical the same. Email is very much like its well as disseminate the results of their information to help get you started, post-officecounterpart: a work. but, for detailed technical information, correspondentwrites a letter and you are encouraged to consult the indicates the recipient's address. The On BITNET electronic discussions can be technical references cited as well as letteristhendeliveredtothe facilitated automatically by software local computing documentation at your recipient'smailbox. Withemail, known aslistserv. Thelistsery site. however, letters travel from computer software serves both as an email to computer, rather than via the Postal distribution mechanism and as a file Electronic Communications Service, and the mailboxes involved are server. The characteristics of listsery electronic, residing on computers. This interest lists or discussion groups are Commu: icationsnetworksand electronic communication requires that discussed in this section, and the file computer-mediated communications are the computers be physically connected serving capabilities of thelistsery electronic tools that provide access to (or "networked") in some way, in the software are discussed later. research on women. The use of same fashion that must be electronic mail or email not only connected to work. The way that the Currently,there are almost three provides access to research, but greatly computersareconnectedalso thousand listsery discussions on topics facilitatestheresearchprocess. determinesthetypeof electronic as diverse as health, Japanese culture, Because emailspeedsup address. and bee-keeping. Hundreds of lists are communication,themechanicsof devoted to computing and technical research are much easier than they If you were to send postal mail, you topics, but new lists are being formed Electronic Access to Research on Women: A Short Guide 2 every day.Many of these new lists to women on the University at Albany lines. For example, to post a message focus narrowly on specific areas of campus. One person regularly posts to WMST-L, send electronic mail to interest to a group of researchers. the events and meetings for the coming WMST-L@UMDD. Hence, the likelihood of finding a list week. The list also has been used to relevant to your particular research post minutes of meetings, to make needs is increasing. announcements, and to ask questions. Remembertosendlist Electronic discussion groups may be Subscribing and Unsubscribing management commands such moderated, where entries are reviewed as "subscribe' to LISTSERV before being posted to the group, or not To subscribe to an electronic interest and send messages to be moderated. The listserysoftware list, send an email message addressed posted to the name of the list. allows a list to be either public, where to" listserv" at the computer that membership may be open to anyone or sponsors the list. Leave the subject of private, where the discussion group is the message blank.Your message restricted to specific groups. A guide for users of discussion lists is should have just one line: included in Zen and the Art of the One exampleof a publiclistis SUBSCRIBE listname "Your full name" Internet.It is highly recommended WMSTL@UMDD which serves the that you read through the guidelines academic and professional needs of where listname is the name of the list for using the Internet. You should also people involved with Women's Studies to which you are subscribing.For be familiar with your particular mail asteachers,researchers,and/or example, to subscribe to WMST-L, send program to notice what happens if you program administrators. The list gives mailto LISTSERV@UMDD orto "reply" to a list message; you don't people an opportunity to ask questions [email protected]. Leave the want to send a reply meant for the and exchange information about such subject of the mail blank, and include sends, only to the entire list! issues as teaching strategies, useful just one line as the text body of your texts and films, innovative courses, mail: Some discussion lists are also available currentresearch,fundingsources, in digest form.Instead of getting building Women'sStudiesmajors, SUBSCRIBE WMST-L "Judith Hudson" severalemailmessages fromthe minors,andgraduateprograms, discussion list each day, you would get relations between Women's Studies and To discontinue your participation, send one compilation of the day's (or week's) other "minority studies* programs, and a one-line email message to "listserv" messages. The WMST-L list has had a problemsthatWomen'sStudies at the computer that sponsors the list. digest option since the end of January, programs encounter.WMST-L also Leave the subject of the message blank. 1992. On days when the mail volume welcomesannouncementsabout warrants it, the digest is broken into relevant conferences, calls for papers, UNSUBSCRIBE listname two or three files rather than one, and job opportunities and publications. you automatically receive them all. To Both women and men participate in where listname is the name of the list receive the daily digest version of WMST-L. you are leaving. WMST-L rather than individual mail messages, send the following two-line On the other hand, SYSTERS is a email message to LISTSERV@UMDD (if private list established in 1987 by Other Listsery Commands your WMST-L subscription is under AnitaBorg'exclusivelyfor your BITNET address)or There are other commands that you LISTSERVIgUMDD.UMD.EDU (ifyour professionalwomenincomputer can send to the listsery at a particular science. Discussions on this list are subscription is under your Internet site such as "review" to get a list of list address): confined to issues of importance to participants and "get"to ask for professionalwomenincomputer archived files.If you will be away for science,bothinacademia and in AFD ADD WMST-L PACKAGE some time,you cansetyour SET WMST-L NOMAIL industry. Items include pleas for participation to "no mail" while you are career advice, questions about how to gone. List management commands If at some point you wish to stop handle "difficult" interview situations suchasthese must besentto and sexualharassment,questions receiving the WMST-L digest, simply LISTSERV and not to the discussion send LISTSERV a message that says: about who is doing what research on list. what topic, requests for guidance on writing papers, and even what to wear AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE when presentingthosepapersat Reading and Posting Messages conferences. This discussion list is one If you do that, you also may wish to' creative solution that addresses the When others post messages toa include a second line that says: isolationproblemfacedby many discussion list to which you subscribe, women in computer science. you receive their messages in your SET WMST-L MAIL regular email. You read these email The discussion lists mentioned so far messages as you would any other to resume receiving regular mail from includenational and international electronic mail. WMST-L. participants. However, discussion lists can be very limited. An example of a When you want to post to the list, you Subscriptions to electronic discussion locallistis one sponsored by the send email addressed to the name of groups allow researchers to enlarge Women's Concerns Committee at the the list at the computer that sponsors their networks immensely, eliminating State University of New York at the list. You should fill in the topic of the need to be acquainted with or to Albany.WCC-L@ALBNYVM1 was your mail in the subject field.The kncPersonally individuals who can established to discuss issues of interest body of the mail can be one or many proviak. desiredinformationand

5 Electronic Access to Research on Women: A Short Guide 3 making geographic location irrelevant. COMSERVE%RPIECS.BITNET@ To subscribe to the SYSTERS group, New lists are created daily to serve VM.ITS.RPI.EDU. described above, contact Anita Borg varied and specific needs.All that is at email address SYSTERS-REQUEST@ needed to participate in most of the WIML-L@IUBVMisdevotedto DECWRL.DEC.COM. groups is network access and the women'sissuesinmusic electronic address of the discussion librarianship. For more information group. on the list, contact Laura Gayle List of Lists Green,atemailaddress Other discussion groups that may be of LGREEN@IUBVM. List subscription Because there are now thousands of interestto researchers on women requests should be addressed to listswith new lists being added include: [email protected] or regularly. a printed copy of the list of LISTSERV@IUBVM. all the discussion lists would be out of EDUCOM-W@BITNIC, a moderated date almost as soon as it was printed. discussion of issues in technology WWP-L@BROWNVM focuses For that reason, the current list of lists and education that are of interest to generally on issues of teaching and is made available online in several women;designedtopromote research with respect to texts by locations.You can obtain it via the discussion of how EDUCOM' can women in English published from listsery program file server mechanism help address those issues in its 1350-1850 and discusses specific or you can use anonymous ftp as services to members. Subscription activities of the Brown University described later. The list of lists is so requests should be addressed to Women WritersProject. long that you are encouraged to see if LISTSERV@BITNIC (BITNET)orto Subscriptions should be addressed to your site maintains a public copy so [email protected]. that you don't have to get this large LISTSERV@BROWNVM or file. However, if you need to get your [email protected]. [email protected], own copy via listserv, send a one-line another moderated group, provides a email message to LISTSERV@BITNIC, WISENET, Women in Science and with a blank subject: shared for Engineering,isa discussionto feministsaround theworldto promote women and girls of diverse list global discuss shared interests in a friendly backgroundsinscience, atmosphere. Requestsfor mathematics,andengineering. subscriptions should be addressed to This list of lists is alphabetical by the Subscriptions should be addressed to name of the list.It may be helpful to FEMAIL-REQUEST@LUCERNE [email protected]. .ENG.SUN.COM or FEMAIL-REQUES'Igo search the list on several keywords to locate lists of interest to you.For [email protected]. FEMECON-L is a discussion list for example, if you are interested in feminist economists.Participants studying influential factors in the low FEMINIST@MITVMA, owned by the share research, syllabi, pedagogy number of women in the sciences, you Feminist Task Force of the American discussions, job listings, and other wouldlikelywanttoexplore Library Association, discusses issues concernsofcommoninterest. such as sexism, racism, pornography, WISENET, Women in Science and Addresssubscriptionsto Engineering,atLISTSERV@ censorship, and ethnic diversity in [email protected] or UICVM.UIC.EDU, mentioned above. You librariesandlibrarianship. MAILSERV@BKNLVMS. might also discover SAIS-L, Science Subscriptions should be addressed to AwarenessandPromotion,at LISTSERV@MITVMA. SWIP -Lisaninformation and LISTSERV@UNBVMLBITNET and TAG-L, discussion list for members of the Education of Gifted and Talented FEMREL-L@UMCVMBdiscusses Society for Women in Philosophy Children, at [email protected], issuesrelatingtowomen and and others who are interested in which are not specifically women's lists religion.Participantsinthe feministphilosophy. Address but instead related to your particular discussions of feminist theology are area of research. The list of lists is also welcome from all religions, creeds, subscriptions to LISTSERV@CFRVM or [email protected]. quite long and includes many computer beliefs, and opinions, as long as and technical lists.A number of individual differences are respected. helpful summaries categorize the lists. Subscriptions should be addressed to [email protected] is a LISTSERV@UMCVMB. forum and support group for gay and bisexual women open to all women One useful version of the list of lists is and limited to women. Requests for the 4th Revision' of the Directory of GENDER@RPIECS is a moderated subscriptions should be addressed to ScholarlyElectronicConferences,' groupdevotedtodiscussionof which is available eletronically in file questions and issues pertaining to [email protected]. format.The electronic files include the study of communication and MichaelStrangelove'sDirectory of gender. Participants are invited to BIFEM-LOBROWNVM is a group Electronic Journals and Newsletters. pose questions, supply information, similar to SAPPHO and open to The files are numbered and organized discuss,and debateanytopics women only. Subscriptions should be alphabeticallybytopic: (1) relevant to the general area of addressed to LISTSERV@BROWNVM or anthropology through education, (2) gender. The group is restricted to [email protected]. futurology through Latin American academically focussed discussion by studies, (3) library and information communicationstudents,faculty, [email protected] sciences through music, (4) political andprofessionals. Subscription focuses on gay and lesbian concerns science through writing, (5) biological requests should be addressed to on campus. Subscription requests sciences, (6) physical sciences, and (7) COMSERVE@RPIECE, to COMSERVE@ should be addressed to business and general academia. Lists VM.ECS.RPI.EDU,orto [email protected]. of interest to researchers on women Electronic Access to Research on Women: A Short Guide 4 may appear in any of the files, but the talk newsgroups tend to feature long Other types of files are also available listsmentioned aboverelatingto andoftendebate-oriented via listserv. At UMDD, files containing women are described in the fourth file. discussions syllabi of various Women's Studies courses have been made available.If Another useful compilation, by Diane newsincludesthenewsgroups you were a faculty member preparing Kovacs, is Directories of Academic E- concerned with the news network, to design a new course at your MailConferences. Thesetwo group maintenance, and software educational institution, you could check references are available by sending the archives for ideas about what is email toLISTSERV@UOTPAWAwith just being done elsewhere. these two lines as the body of your mist includes themes not easily mail: classified into the other headings or To find out what syllabi are available, whichincorporatethemesfrom send a message toLISTSERV@UMDD get ejourn11 directry multiple categories such as fitness, (BITNET) or [email protected] get ejournl2 directry job-hunting, law, and investments (Internet) with no subject and the one- line message saying: "index syllabi". You will receive a (longer) list similar Newsgroups Three newsgroups likelyto be of to the sample shown on the next page. particularinteresttoresearchers Newsgroups are another electronic include"soc.feminism", "soc.women", Once you have the file list, to obtain mechanism for exchanging information. and "soc.gender-issues". one of the syllabi files, send LISTSERV Newsgroups are similar to discussion another message (addressed as above), groups,butthetechnical Additional information on newsgroups with no subject, saying implementation isdifferent. Each is given in Zen and the Art of the newsgroup focuses on a particular topic Internet.' This book details specifics GETfilename filetypeSYLLABI fordiscussion,butmessages(or aboutreadingandpostingto postings) do not arrive in your regular newsgroups, including the netiquette where filename filetype is the name of electronic mail.Instead, you call a for being polite and considerate of the file.For example, to get the special computer program" to read a others in your posts. Masculinity & Patriarchy syllabus, ask newsgroup. The set of machines that for the file called "masculty patriacy" participate and circulate newsgroup bysending LISTSERV@UMDD the articles is called . Newsgroups Data File Distribution message: are available to machines on the Internet. As with listsery discussion Information stored on computers is get masculty patriacy syllabi groups, newsgroups can be local or saved in units called files. A file can global. Somenewsgroupsare have textual information that is easily Syllabi of several introductory courses moderated and some are not. Overall, readable and editable with a text editor and a variety of specialized courses are newsgroups seem to be more chatty program.Many files of information available and files are added to the than the discussion groups, but they stored at various sites are intended for syllabidirectory regularly. Using often contain information that may be public consumption.There are two Listsery software as a fileserver works useful to the researcher. primary methods for providing access for BITNET sites, but there is a much to these files of information. If the files faster means to get files for Internet Thenamingconventionsfor are not too large, a listsery program on machines. newsgroups are different than those for the computer can be a fileserver and discussion groups.Newsgroups are distribute the files upon request.In organized in a tree structure and addition or alternatively, the local Anonymous FTP named according to their specific areas computer administratorcan make of concentration. Generally, newsgroup special security provisions to allow FTP File Transfer Protocolis the names look like Internet addresses in outsiders to sign on their computing primary method of transferring files that they are groups of characters system and use anonymous ft:.to over the Internet. On many systems separated by periods. There are seven transfer the files quickly cr,-,rthe "ftp" is also the name of the program major categories of newsgroups: Internet. used to transfer the files. The rate of transfer using ftp over the Internet is comp addresses topics of interest to very fast by comparison with sending computerprofessionalsand files over BITNET, on the order of hobbyists such as computer science, Listsery File Distribution 5-10K per second. softwaresources, hardware, and software The Listsery software that manages The general procedure to transfer files mailing lists for discussion groups, as using ftp requires that you connect to sci includes discussions relating to described above, may also be used to the remote machine. Generally, system research in and applications of the distribute files. Sometimes these files administrators set up a special userid established sciences are archives of the related discussion for "guests" to use. When the system lists.For example, you could request asksforyouruserid,youtype socaddressessocialissues and the archived postings from WMST-L by "anonymous" and then use your true discussions relating to various world sending commands tothelistsery userid as the password. Examples of cultures. program UMDD, All of the messages using anonymous ftp to obtain files are posted to WMST-L since the list was detailed in Appendix A. rec includes groups oriented towards started in May 1991 are available in hobbies and recreational activities log files.

8 Electronic Access to Research on Women: A Short Guide 5

Sample Index Syllabi File

LOC last - change * filename filetype GET PUT -fm lrecl nrecs date time File descript * SYLLABI GETLOG WMS N/A V 94 75292/07/0314:22:59File download statistics * EDUC ANDGENDER ALL WMS V 75 59692/05/2008:42:13Education & Gender FEMINISTTHEORY1 ALL WMS V 72 16392/04/0709:16:03Wiener syllabus FEMINISTTHEORY2 ALL WMS V 72 22792/05/1817:42:46Gill Syllabus FEMINISTTHEORY3 ALL WMS V 78 45692/06/0316:06:30Morton Syllabus FEMLIT THEORY1 ALL WMS V 76 4092/04/0317:52:51Feminist lit. theory HEALTH WOMENS1 ALL WMS V 75 34092/06/0316:11:09Health care soc.& history INTRO KAHN ALL WMS V 77 24892/04/0316:34:57Intro to WS INTRO KELLERJH ALL WMS V 75 36592/04/0317:54:52Intro to WS INTRO MORGAN ALL WMS V 69 12092/04/0317:56:05Intro to WS MASCULTYPATRIACY ALL WMS V 70 19492/04/0709:18:09Masculinity & Patriarchy MEDIA COMMUNIC ALL WMS V 71 7792/04/0709:17:26Media, Rhetoric, Communication METHODS BIBLIO1 ALL WMS V' 63 51092/07/0319:12:33RESEARCH METHOD2 bibliog MUSIC PRFRMNCE ALL WMS V 75 25292/05/1817:42:33Music, Performance, Gender POLITICSGLOBAL ALL WMS V 77 65092/04/0317:57:29Pol. of Global Problems RESEARCH METHOD1 ALL WMS V 78 81592/07/0110:24:55Grad course U Adelaide RESEARCHMETHOD2 ALL WMS V 67 58292/07/0319:10:00Hall syllabus U Alberta SCIENCE 2SYLLABi ALL WMS V 76 70192/05/1817:37:15Gender & science URBAN SOC_MVTS ALL WMS V 68 46592/05/1817:38:22Urban Social Movements WOMEN WRITERS1 ALL WMS V 76 28092/05/2610:31:03Contemp. Amer. lit. WRITERS WOMEN2 ALL WMS V 76 24692/06/0316:17:28British & Amer. lit. WRITERS WOMEN3 ALL WMS V 77 19092/06/0418:03:26American lit. WRITERS WOMEN4 ALL WMS V 78 20392/06/0418:05:34African Americanlit.

Literallythousandsoffilesare addresses, and other technical details focused on a series of papers on gender accessible over the Internet. The next of little interest to the non-technician. and technoscience.The papers were section briefly explores a few handy not only delivered at the Symposium, to-'s for researchers on the Internet Further, the use of archie, , and theywerealsomadeavailable thy.. make it easier to find specific files WAIS (Wide Area Information Server) electronically. Announcements of this or files on a specific topic. programs, have made it easier to find event asking for participation were filesofinterest."Increased posted on several listsery discussion participation in electronic mailing lists lists.Participants were supplied via Telnet and Other Tools has furthere the capability to spread email with instructions for accessing a the news about files of common interest dozen papers, and the content of the Many librarycatalogsandother to groups of users. The development of papers was discussed via electronic resources have been available online tools to make basic research access mailover the three days of the for some time. Programs such as telnet easier has been accompanied by some conference and several days beyond. were used to access them. However, developments in the use of electronic Some of thepaperssharedand lack of standards and uniform methods communications over the networks. discussed electronically included:" of access were often cumbersome.It was necessary for the researcher (or librarian) to have dozens of sets of ElectronicConferencing Computers and Their Bodies: Sex, varyinginstructionsforaccessing War and Cyberspace's various sites. Onepossibilitythatnetworking, electronicmail,andelectronic Gender andtheCultural Thus, until fairly recently procedures discussions offer is the possibility of Construction of Computing's for connecting to remote library sites electronic conferencing. An electronic and other services were often unwieldy conference would be somewhat like its ElectronicNetworks:Safefor and somewhatunreliable. Even traditionalconferencecounterpart. Women?" experienced users often encountered Papers are presented and discussions difficulties making the appropriate of those papers follow. However, in the Princess of Parallelograms and Her connections, and novice users found it case of the electronic conference, the Daughter: Math and Gender in the nearly impossibletonavigate the papers are provided electronically and NineteenthCenturyEnglish necessary procedures. comments are made electronically as Aristocracy's well, removing geographic distance and Online access to libraries and other tightbudgetsasimpediments TheSocialConstructionof an services has been simplified greatly by collegial conference activities. Engineering Curricula: Converting to thedevelopmentof userfriendly a Standpoint Model's interfaces including programs such as A unique multidisciplinary electronic libtel,archie and gopher. These conference was held April 12-15, 1992 Indiscretions: Disorderly Bodies and programs and others like them provide in connection with the 11th Annual the Constitution of Privacy" menu-driven screens eliminating the Gender Studies Symposium at Lewis needtoknowwhattypeof and Clark University, Portland Oregon. Theelectronicconferencemakes communicationsprogramtouse, The Electronic Salon: Feminism Meets possiblealargegeographic complicatedInternetnumerical Infotechwas anelectronicforum representation among the participants. U Electronic Access to Research on Women: A Short Guide 6

The Electronic Salon had participants Numerical Data Sources One full-text database available on not only from Oregon, the conference compact disk (CD-ROM) iscalled location,butalsofromIllinois, A primary source of numerical datasets Women: Partners in Development. Minnesota, Texas, California, South is the Inter-university Consortium for ThisCD-ROM databaseprovides Carolina, New York, Kentuckyand Political and Social Research (ICPSR). documents frominternational and even Western Australia. ICPSRcollects,archives,and educational organizations on women's distributes data from all areas of the developmentinsuchareasas The electronic publishing of conference social sciences with an emphasis on the agriculture, business, communications, proceedingsandpaperssuggests . Some datasets relate education, employment, health, law, anotheruseforelectronic specifically to women, while others, science, and technology. communications,thecreationof suchastheRetirementHistory electronic journals. Longitudinal Survey series, are coded for gender. Secondary Sources of Research on Women The Henry A. Murray Research Center ofRadcliffeCollegegathersdata Although more and more electronic Electronic Journals concerning women's lives and issues resourcesarebecomingdirectly relevant to women such as women's availableto the researcher, other Submissions for electronic journals are work, health, political participation, sourcescontinuetobeaccessible made electronically over the networks. retirement and aging. The datasets through libraries. Secondary sources of Thosesubmissionsarecirculated include the questionnaires used to access to research on women include electronically for review. The chosen gatherthedata and theCenter the indexing and abstracting services submissionsarepublishedand maintains lists of publications based on that list periodical articles and, on circulated electronically. The number the datasets. occasion, other materials. At present, of electronic journals is likely to grow three indexing or abstracting services rapidly in the coming years, but there WISTAT (Women'sIndicators and devoted specifically to women's studies is as yet little to report. Statistics),anumericdatabase provide bibliographic access to research containing national and international on women. They are Women's Studies Two examples of scholarly electronic statistics on women including estimates Abstracts, Studies on Women Abstracts, journals are Ejournal, published here and projections, is available on diskette and Women's Studies Index. None of at theUniversityat Albany and or on magnetic tape. thesearecurrentlyavailable PostModernCulture,publishedat electronically, although the publisher of NorthCarolinaStateUniversity. The United States government is a the Women's Studies Index, G. K. Hall, Ejournal deals with the implications of major source of numeric data that, has indicated that it plans to issue a althoughgathered by government CD-ROM version in a few years. electronic networks and texts and agencies for their purposes, can be used boasts over 2500 subscribers in 37 by researchers. The data is varied, but countries. Morethanadozen Online databases, supplied by vendors electronicjournalshavebeen includes much that is economic or such as BRS or DIALOG, provide established, but none of them deals demographic in nature. bibliographic data and a user interface directly with women, women's issues or that facilitates access. These databases research on women. Thus, electronic As computing expertise in research include citations to many reports of journals are as yet only a potential centersincreases,additionaldata research on women." Although these source of access to research on women. regarding research on women is likely databases were originally designed to to become available online. be used by a trained search analyst working with the researcher, some Nonetheless, because the electronic vendors have devekped a more user- journal provides an extremely fast Full-Text Databases friendly interface, such as BRS After methodtopublish and distribute Dark, which is designed to be used by research results, it is an area likely to Full-textdatabasesalsoprovide the researcher directly. see rapid growth in the next few years. primary access to research on women. Examples include WESTLAW and Other forms of electronic access to Inadditionto the resources and LEXIS, two full-text legal databases, research on women are CD-ROM capabilities provided through BITNET and VUTEXT, which contains the texts databases (e.g., Sociofile, Psychlit) and and the Internet, there are two other of selected newspapers. These services microcomputer-based databases (e.g., classes of electronic resources that are available online.None of the Memphis State'sResearch. shouldbenoted:numericaldata online full-text databases, however, Clearinghouse on Women of Color and sources and full-text databases. These deals specifically with research on Southern Women, the University at resources are discussed briefly in the women. Albany's PR-WOMENET), which are next two sections.' designed to be used by the researcher: One difficulty with databases is that Anotherelectronicsourceof Generally, the resources discussed up they generally require an information information about research on women until now have been freetothe retrievalexpert familiarwiththe is the Research In Progress Database researchers in the sense that access database to assist the novice user. The (RIPD), a listing of research projects involves no special membership fees. If materials are not stored in a format underway.The National Center for you have access to the Internet, you suitable for straightordirect ResearchonWomencollects also have access to these resources. searching. Minimally, some familiarity information on research projects on Thefollowingresources,however, with the indexing structure or the women and contributes records to the requirethe payment of additional querylanguageoftheparticular database. The RIPD is a special licensing or access fees. database is required. database of the Research Libraries Electronic Access to Research on Women: A Short Guide 7

InformationNetwork(RLIN),a started in the fascinating world of To obtain thefilecontaining the bibliographic utility provided by the electronic communication and using the document Hitchhiker's Guide to the 1 Research Libraries Group. Internet. Internet, sign on your computer and do whatever preparation your individual computer requires to use ftp." Then, Although fewof thesesecondary Appendix k Anonymous Fri) use these commands: sources are devoted solely to women, the majority cover journals that include Anonymous ftp is a primary method of ftp nis.nsf.net articles on women. A recent study of obtaining files over the Internet. To anonymous (at the login prompt) the coverage of women's studies and demonstrate the procedure here, ftp is yountstrid (at the password prompt) feminist journals by indexing and used to obtain files from three different cd internet/resources (to connect to abstracting services found that 40 sites below. In each case, the general the directory) percent were indexed by the relevant procedure is the same, (1) sign on your get hitohliikers.guide indexing and abstractingserices, local computer, (2) call ftp with the bye (or quit) (to sign off) many of which are available online or name of the machine with the files, (3) on CD-ROM." An associated study of sign on as anonymous, (4) "get' the There are hundreds of files available articles in women's studies journals files, and (5) sign off. from NIS.NSF.NET. Other files you may relatingtoanthropology,political be interested in include: science, psychology and sociology, found Example 1: Electronic Salon Papers that over 70 percent were included in rfc1206,AnswerstoCommonly thesocialsciencesabstracts and This paper mentioned a series of Asked'NewInternetUser" indexes." papers presented at an electronic Questions, 1991. conference,TheElectronicSalon: Conclusion Feminism MeetsInfotech. These rfc1290, There's Gold in Them Thar papers are available from LCLARK.EDU Networks, 1991. Electronic access to research on women using the following procedure: is growing by leapsand bounds as rfc1175, WheretoStart:A technology presents new methods of Signon yourcomputer anddo BibliographyofInternetworking storing and sharing information. whatever preparation your individual Information, 1990. Keeping up with what is available is a computer requires to use ftp." Then, never-ending challenge to researchers. use these commands: To obtain these other files, follow the Yet it is difficult to avoid using the new procedures outlined above in example 2 technologies if scholars are to keep ftp klark.edu to connect to NIS.N3F.NET, but then: current with what is happening in anonymous (at the login prompt) their fields. yourisserid (at the password prompt) cd introducing.the.internet cd gender (to connect to the directory) (connect to a different directory) In particular, researchers should obtain is or dir (to see a file list) get file.naane where file.name is access to electronic mail, subscribe to get INDEMpapers (for an index)` the name of the file you want e.g. those lists important to their work, and get nanse.file (for one paper) answers.to.new.user.questionsh become familiar with the techniques for mget .* (for all the papers) network.gold accessing information at other sites, bye (or quit) (to sign off) where.to.start" such as listserv, anonymous ftp, archie, zen.txt and libtel.Graduate assistants also If you choose to 'mget all the files, you should learn about these tools and may will see messages indicating which file As indicated by the name of the last serve as intermediaries in identifying is being transferred and how long it file, this site provides a text version of knowledgeableindividualsatthe takes to transfer each file. You may be Zen and the Art of the Internet (first library or campus computing center surprised are how very quickly the files edition). Alternatively, you could who can help researchers in their quest are transferred! obtain either the text or postscript foraccess. Computer centers and version of Zen by using anonymous ftp libraries have traditionally produced a Example 2: Hitchhiker's Guide to FTP.CS.WIDENER.EDU, as described in variety of written materials including and Other RFC Documents example 3 below. bothshorthandoutsandlonger manuals introducing and explaining At the beginning of this article, a Example 3: Getting Zen Files the use of their various systems. document entitled Hitchhiker's Guide Researchers should take advantage of to the Internet was mentioned.This The author of Zen and the Art of the working with library and computer document is one of a series of Request Internet, Brendan Kehoe, makes the center professionals in obtaining the forComment (RFC)documents first edition available on-line as well as requisite skills availablefromNIS.NSF.NET. current notes about the book. To Historically, RFC documents were obtain this file: Finally, it should be clearly noted that technicaldocumentsdesignedto technology is developing so quickly that develop policies, configurations, and ftp ftp.cs.widener.edu this guide is becoming out-of-date even network standards. A few of these anonymous (at the login prompt) as we write it! New discussion lists, documents have been adopted for youruseridensachinename new newsgroups, and new files of information value as FYI For Your (at the password prompt) available information appear on a daily Information documents.Hitchhiker's cd pub/zen basis. New applications of technology Guide is designated "rfc1118.txt" and dir (to see a file listing) are limited only by our imaginations. originally was available by this name, get README read.me" Nonetheless, this short guide should be which appears at the beginning of the get zen-1.0.PS zenl.ps 31 enough A get the interested researcher document. bye (or quit) (to sign off) 10 Electronic ACCC8S to Research on Women: A Short Guide 8

2.M.Pritchard,Sarah,'Trendsin 16. Gender and the Cultural Construction of Computer-based Resources for Women's Computing, adapted from 'From 'Impact' to Studies," Feminist Teacher, Vol. 3. No. 3 Social Process: Case Studies of Computers (Fall-Winter 1988), pp. 8-13. in Politics, Society, and Culture,' Chapter If you have anyproblem IV-A, Handbook of Science and technology getting anonymous ftp to work 3. Brendan P. Kehoe, Zen and the Art of the Studies,BeverlyHills:SagePress, properly from your computer, Internet: A Beginner's Guide, Second forthcoming,byPaulN.Edwards, Edition, New York: Prentice Hall, 1992. Department of Science and Technology contact your local computing Studies, Cornell University. center staff for assistance. 4. E. Krol, RFC1118: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet, University of Illinois Urbana, 17. Electronic Networks: Safe for Women? by 1989. Cheris Kramarae, Speech Communication, and Sociology, University of Illinois and 5. Directions for obtaining the Hitchhiker's Jeanie Taylor Center for Advanced Study, Appendix B: Gopher Guide are given in Appendix A. The first University of IIllinois. edition of Zen is available electronically from several sites. 18. Princess of Parallelograms and Her In September 1992, the first Internet Daughter: Math and Genderinthe accessible Women's Studies database 6. For example, on the VAXcluster at the Nineteenth Century English Aristocracy by was announced at the University of University at Albany all email being sent to Judith S. Lewis, Department of History, Maryland,CollegePark. The addresses on machines other than our University of Oklalwma. VAXes must be addressed in the form categoriesofinformationinthe in%"useriddcomputeracklress". On our IBM 19. TheSocialConstructionofan database include: mainframe, an email address on another Engineering Curricula: Converting to a machine is specified using the word 'at" StandpointModel by Laura Kramer, Calls for papers rather than the "0- sign ". To send mail to a of Sociology, Montclair State B1TNET site from one of the machines in our CoDepartmentllege. Conferences UNIX Cluster, you append '.bitnet" to the Employment B1TNETaddress. 20. indiscretions: Disorderly Bodies and the Film reviews Constitution of Privacy by Allison Fraiberg, Miscellaneous 7.Thestorybehindthecreationof DepartmentofEnglish,Universityof SYSTERS was detailed in Ann Gibbon's Washington. Syllabi article"CreativeSolutions:Electronic WMST-L Mentoring," Science, vol. 256, March 13, 21. For a more extensive description of 1992, p. 1369. numerical data sources relating to women Bibliographies were expected to be seeEleanorGossen, 'Womenin 8. EDUCOM is a nonprofit consortium of NonbibliographicDatabases'inSteven added shortly. This database is part of higher education institutions that facilitates Atkinson and Judith Hudson (eds), Women a much larger WAIS. To access the theintroduction,use,accessto,and Online: Research in Women's Studies Using Women's Studies database from your management of information resources in Online Databases, New York: Hawthorn networked machine: teaching,learning,scholarship,and Press, 1990, pp. 259-280. research. 22. For an extensive coverage of databases, Sign on to your computer and do see Women Online, edited by Steven D. whatever preparation your individual 9. The 5th version is due out in the summer Atkinsen and Judith Hudson, New York: computer requires to use telnet." or fall of 1992. Haworth Press, 1990. 10. Available in print and on diskette (DOS 23. Kristen H. Gerhard, Trudi E. Jacobson 1.telnet info.umd.edu WordPerfect and MacWord) from: & Susan G.Williamson. 'Indexing 2.gopher (at the login prompt) Adequacy and Inter disciplinary Journals: 3.press return to accept the default Office of Scientific & Academic Publishing The Case of Women Studies' C,ollege and Association of research Libraries Research Libraries (in press). terminal type (or enter another 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW supported type) Washington DC 20036 24. Judith Hudson and Rita Pellen. "Access 4.move the arrow to: 3 Info--Gopher ARLHQOUMDC.BITNET to Research on Women in the Social interface and press return (202) 232-2466 Sciences" (in preparation). (202) 462-7849 () 5.move the arrow to: 8 Teaching, and 25. At the University at Albany, using ftp on press return 11. These programs are called newsreaders. the IBM mainframe or on a machine in the 6.with the arrow on WomensStudies, Commonly used newsreaders include "rn," UNIXCluster,requires no special press return "icrn," and "nn." UNIX users fresuently use preparation. On the VAXcluster, however, GNU news from withinthe "Emacs" you must "Iireliare tcp" and then use "ftpu" 7.move the arrow to one of the program to read newsgroups. Check your instead of ftp . available topics and press return local system for the appropriate program for you to read news. 26. Use upper and lower case exactly. Items ending with / are directories containing more selections and items 12. Kehoe, Zen. 27. See note 25. ending with a period are files that can 28. If you are using ftp from a non-UNIX be viewed or emailed to yourself. You 13. A good example of the use of gopher is machine such as our VAXcluster, you must given in Appendix B. An Internet accessible rename thefilesto match your local can press ? for help after you login. By Women's Studies database at the University filename requirements or you will get an choosing other options besides the of Maryland, College Park is described. error message when you try to "get" the file. Women's Studies database you can experience the ease of exploration 14. All of the papers were archived at Lewi- 29. See note 28. using a gopher interface. and Clark College for The Electronic Salon: Feminism Meets Infotech in connection with 30. Use upper case as shown. the 11th Annual Gender Studies Symposiu m in April 1992.For directions on how to 31. See note 28 regarding file names. Notes access these papers from LCLARK.EDU, see 1. For a history of the development of Appendix A. 32. At the University at Albany, using telnet electronic resources see Clifford A. Lynch on the IBM mainframe or on a machine in and Cecelia M. Preston, " to 15. Computers and Their Bodies: Sex, War the UNIX Cluster, requires no special Information Resources," in Martha Williams andCyberspacebyDeborahHeath, preparation. On the VAXcluster, however, (ed), Annual ReLiew of Information Science Department of Sociology and Anthropology, you must "prepare top" and then use and Technology, vol. 25,1990, pp. 263-312. Lewis and Clark College. telnet ".

ly About the Authors

k

Judith Hudson

Judith Hudson is Head, Cataloguing Department of theUniversity Libraries at the University at Albany, SUNY. Her research interests include issues ofaccess to research on women and issues relating to the automation of library catalogs and cataloging.You may contact her at jh492@albnyvms or jh492 @uacscl.albany.edu.

Kathleen A. Turek

Kathleen A. Turek is an Assistant Director in the Computing ServicesCenter at the University at Albany, SUNY. She is the Manager of Academic Computing and she UNIXSupport Coordinator. Her research interests include applications ofcomputer technology and issues of gender related to information management. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Information Scienceat the University at Albany. You may contact her at turek@albnyvmsor [email protected].

UNIVERSITY SUNYAT ALBANY