ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 162 / C&RL News ■ M arch 2004 I n t e r n e t R e v i e w s Joni R. Roberts and Carol A. Drost, editors M a r i o n B r e c h n e r C i t i z e n Ac c e s s Project. Access: www.citizenaccess.org. In the post-September 11 environment, state laws dealing with freedom of information and public access to government information have become an issue of concern to many people. The Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project is an am bitious undertaking w ith the goals of compiling a comprehensive list of public ac­ cess laws in all 50 states an d using a ratings system to determine the availability of public records in each state. The project uses legal research to examine statutory, case, and con­ stitutional law in each state and then calcu­ lates a rating from “completely open” to “com­ pletely closed,” based on open meeting and open record laws. Also included is a m ost recent statement of law rating to indicate recent de­ velopments and trends in each state. There are two basic entry points for navi­ gating the site. In the “Resources” section, the site reviews the primary law of each state, com­ piles information about the law (books, jour­ nal articles, guidebooks, etc.), lists relevant organizations in each state related to open ac­ cess and/or freedom of information, and links to any independent audits of the laws of the state. The “Search” section offers four ways to query the searchable database being compiled. These include the options of seeing ratings for access law categories in a single state; examin­ ing summaries or “capsules” of individual pro­ visions of access laws for each state; compar­ ing ratings and capsules of individual provi­ sions o f access laws of tw o states; or seeing comparative ratings for one access law category across all 50 states. “Tips” is an im portant section of the site, especially for users less familiar with the law and legal terminology. It includes a synonyms list, an FAQ, a glossary of term s used, and a list o f available topics. Most im portantly, it supplies important information about the ad­ visory board and an extensive description of the m ethodology used in producing the rat­ ings, a key element of the project. The difficulties associated w ith a project like this include the sheer volume of data, the time-consuming review process the board un­ dertakes, and the constantly changing status o f the law. It is still a w ork in progress and currently has incomplete information in a num­ ber of areas. There are also ongoing problems that limit the functionality of Netscape brows­ ers o n som e of the pages. The nature of the information on the site will require continu­ ous updating. The developers acknowledge that keeping up with legal developments in all 50 states is a tall order, but they are committed to the expansion and maintenance of the site. Some knowledge of the law or legal issues w o u ld b e helpful in using the site, b u t the unique nature of the project makes it useful to anyone researching public record laws. It is rec­ ommended for all college or university levels.— P a trick Reakes, U niversity o f Florida, pjr@mail.uflib.ufl.edu Webopedia. Access: www.webopedia.com. Webopedia is a free online dictionary that de­ fines words, phrases, and acronyms related to com­ puters and the Internet. The definitions are ex­ plained accurately and with limited use of techni­ cal language. Some words used within the defini­ tion are linked to their own definition for further study. There is often a list of related terms and additional resources included with the definition. The dictionary terms can alternatively be browsed by category. According to the Webopedia Web site, new terms are added on a daily basis, and resource links are added periodically. Another useful feature incorporates a “Quick Reference” section, which is useful for finding common Internet and computer facts. There is also a “Did You Know?” section that addresses Joni R. Roberts is associate university librarian fo r public services and collection developm ent at W illa m ette University, e-mail: jr oberts@willamette.edu, and Carol A. Drost is associate university librarian fo r technical services at Willamette University, e-mail: cdrost@willamette.edu http://www.citizenaccess.org mailto:pjr@mail.uflib.ufl.edu http://www.webopedia.com mailto:jYoberts@willamette.edu mailto:cdrost@willamette.edu C&RL News ■ M arch 2004 / 163 popular questions like “Are Deleted Files Com­ pletely Erased?” and “Flow Web Servers Work.” Perhaps the most innovative feature this site offers is the “Search Tool” (free software must be initially downloaded). One can search the Webopedia dictionary from any Web page by highlighting the word or phrase and clicking a special bookm ark on the Web browser. The definition is displayed in a new window if it is covered in the dictionary. This resource, sponsored by Jupitermedia Corporation, is fairly easy to use and navigate in comparison to similar services. Although the amount of advertising tends to clutter the site, it is well-organized and reliable. The Webopedia site states that full-time editors obtain the in­ formation from multiple sources (e.g., univer­ sities and technical publications) and that “defi­ nitions are never based on just one source.” This resource is geared towards the general public, but those involved in computer science may benefit from it the most. This is recom ­ m e n d ed for all users.—John Repplinger, Willamette University, jrepplin@willamette.edu The K insey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. Ac­ cess: www.indiana.edu/~kinsey/index.html. The Kinsey Institute, a private, nonprofit organization affiliated with the University of Indiana, serves as a leader in international schol­ arship for sexuality, gender, and reproduction. Although founded in 1947, the origins of the institute reach back to 1938 w hen the “Asso­ ciation of Women Students petitioned Indiana University for a course for students w ho were married or contemplating marriage.” Alfred C. Kinsey, a zoology professor, heeded the call and soon becam e a preem inent figure in the field of hum an sexual behavior research. To­ day, the Kinsey Institute’s primary mission is to prom ote interdisciplinary research by col­ lecting, preserving, and providing access to an array o f special collections by developing graduate-level curricula and by sponsoring ex­ hibitions, workshops, and research in the areas of sexuality, gender, and reproduction. This well-designed, award-winning Web site provides “researchers, professionals and the general p u b lic” w ith inform ation about the Institute and other resources for the study of hum an sexuality. However, the collections themselves are not targeted to the general pub­ lic. The materials are not digitized, nor are they available to the public except during sched­ uled public tour dates. Due to the sensitive, often explicit, nature of the collections, they are only available onsite to “duly qualified stu­ dents of sexuality, including university faculty, other scholars and professionals, and univer­ sity students at least 18 years old.” The stacks are closed and items are noncirculating. Though not a digital repository, the Web site does serve as a portal to important infor­ mation about the institute and its policies and provides access tools to assist with resource discovery. In addition to offering current, de­ tailed pages about its services, events, research and curricular initiatives, the site dedicates m uch attention to the description of its col­ lections: “the mundane, the arcane, the exquis­ ite, and the scientific.” The wide-ranging col­ lections include art, artifacts, film, books, in­ terview transcripts, data, and codebooks. Many of the print and audiovisual items have records in the Kinsey Institute Library Catalog. The Kinsey Institute fo r Research in Sex, Gender, and R e p rod u ctio n The institute does make available to all visi­ tors to the site the full-text of its newsletter, “Kinsey Today,” as well as a few codebooks, both in PDF format. “Related Resources” also offers links to an assortment of useful m ate­ rial, including online bibliographies, journals, data archives, and Web guides, for anyone in­ terested in sexology. However, the Kinsey Institute site will be most beneficial to those with academic objec­ tives. The site is recom m ended for students, faculty, and professionals engaged in human sexuality research or curious about the current resources available to them in the expanding fields of sexuality, gender, and reproduction.— Sheri Webber, Purchase College, sheri.webber@ pumhase.edu Call for writers If you’re interested in writing for Internet Reviews, please contact editors Joni R. Rob­ erts, jroberts@willamette.edu, or Carol A. Drost, cdrost@willamette.edu. mailto:jrepplin@willamette.edu http://www.indiana.edu/~kinsey/index.html mailto:jroberts@willamette.edu mailto:cdrost@willamette.edu