C471 Exercise 1: CHMINF-L
Updated: 1 September 2004
Key Points: Listserves are important ways that people communicate with each other
on the Internet. The CHMINF-L list has been a viable discussion list for a virtual
community of over 1400
chemists, librarians, and chemical information professionals in various
occupations since 1990.
C471 students are required to spend at least one week on CHMINF-L.
The LISTSERV program permits the creation of a searchable archive of postings, so the Web archives of past
communications on the two lists can be searched as databases. In that sense,
the archives are knowledge bases, that is, archives of the collective wisdom of many
people. One part of this exercise requires you to
search the CHMINF-L archive.
Finally, you must identify one other listserv in an area
of chemistry that looks interesting to you.
1. Join CHMINF-L. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE:
- Send the e-mail message:
SUBSCRIBE CHMINF-L yourfirstname yourlastname
(substituting your first and last names, of course)
- to: listserv@listserv.indiana.edu
You may choose to signoff CHMINF-L after one week.
2. Look at the CHMINF-L
archives. Find the June 1999 press release announcing the
availability of STN on the Web. What is the URL for STN on the Web in
North America?
3. Link to the guide Listserves,
Discussion Lists, and Newsgroups for Chemistry
and select one discussion list that looks as if it would interest you. Which one
did you select (CHMINF-L does not count here!)?