ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 596 / C&RL News ■ September 2002 I n t e r n e t R e v i e w s Joni R. Roberts and Carol A. Drost, editors Public Agenda Online. Access: http:// www.publicagenda.oig/. Public Agenda Online is a free, Web-based public information service managed by Public Agenda, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Public Agenda was founded in 1975 by former Secretary o f State Cyrus Vance and social sci­ entist and author Daniel Yankelovich, and its mission is to provide balanced information on key public issues. Public Agenda gathers pub­ lic opinion data from a wide variety of sources, including surveys conducted by most major opinion research organizations. In some areas, Public Agenda has conducted extensive re­ search itself. Public Agenda then prepares re­ ports and studies and offers the data via sev­ eral venues on its Web site. Public Agenda Online highlights key public issues and hot top­ ics and offers information about the parent or­ ganization, its staff, newsletter, and sponsored programs and workshops. A column down the left-hand side o f the homepage offers links to different sections of the site. “The Issues” includes 21 topics rang­ ing from the economy and the environment to medical research and social security. Each issue is divided into two sections: Understanding the Issue (provides factual information on each is­ sue) and Public Opinion (offers data gathered from a variety o f opinion research organiza­ tions). This area of the site offers a wide range of data and commentary on each given issue, in­ cluding polling data, selections from current newspapers and magazines, and brief position statements on an aspect of that issue. Also on the homepage are “In the Head­ lines,” which looks at current news items, and “About Polling,” which gives an overview of the polling process and opinion research; a good site map; and a keyword searching option. One can also view summaries o f in-depth Public Agenda Research Studies. These reports range from 30 to 60 pages, and the most current pub­ lished report is available at no charge for a lim­ ited time (in PDF format) to registered users; previously published reports are available in print only, for a fee. The audience for Public Agenda Online ranges from researchers and policy-makers to concerned citizens and activists. For an aca­ demic audience, this site serves as a starting point for students who want to understand how the public weighs in on key issues. Other sources o ffe r p o llin g data (su ch as pollingreport.com or the Gallup Poll in print or online), but Public Agenda Online combines statistics and commentary in an organized, easy- to-understand format.— Caroline L. Gilson, DePauw University, cgilson@depauw.edu Early Modern Women Database. Ac­ cess: http://www.lib.umd.edu/ETC/LOCAL/ emw/emw.php3/. The Early Modern Women Database, created as a portal to more than 200 Web resources for the study of women in early modern Europe and the Americas, focuses on the time period from the 14th to early 19th centuries, although primary and secondary resources from antiquity to the present are represented here as well. Materials range from bibliographic databases (including catalogs of libraries worldwide) to full- text resources, image collections, manuscript and archival collections, and sound recordings. The majority of the resources included are freely ac­ cessible, and those requiring a subscription license are clearly noted. The database was produced through the col­ laborative scholarly and technical efforts of mem- J o n i R. R o b e rts is a sso cia te u n iv e rs ity lib r a r ia n f o r p u b lic s e rvice s a n d c o lle c tio n d e v e lo p m e n t a t W i lla m e t t e U n ive rsity, e -m a il: jr o b e r ts @ w illa m e tte .e d u , a n d C a ro l A . D ro s t is associate u n iv e rs ity lib ra ria n f o r te c h n ic a l services a t W illa m e tte University, e -m a il: c d ro s t@ w illa m e tte .e d u http://www.publicagenda.oig/ mailto:cgilson@depauio.edu http://www.lib.umd.edu/ETC/LOCAL/ mailto:jroberts@willamette.edu mailto:cdrost@willamette.edu C&RL News ■ September 2002 / 597 bers from the Arts and Humanities and Science and Technology teams at the University o f Mary­ land Libraries. This is an extremely straightforward data­ base to navigate with little frills. Search features include a “Browse A ll” by title, subject, type, time period, language, and geographic area, al­ though at the time o f review only the title and subject browse selection retrieved results. Ad­ ditionally, users can browse within each o f the aforementioned categories to narrow their fo­ cus or query. Subjects include art and architec­ ture, history, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy and religion, science and technol­ ogy, and multidisciplinary. Geographic areas include Americas, France, Germany/Holy Ro­ man Empire, Great Britain, and Spain and Por­ tugal. Researchers also can perform a simple key­ word/phrase or advanced search from the opening screen. Results are displayed alphabeti­ cally and contain a brief description o f the re­ source. The advanced search mode allows us­ ers to select values via a series o f pull-down menus, with the added bonus of limiting by free access, subscription only, or no access limits. Resources vary from the comprehensive “Internet Women's Histoiy Sourcebook,” which presents information within broadly defined his­ torical periods and areas; to a site devoted solely to Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, a Mexican poet and nun from the 16OOs; to “Sophie: A Digital Library of Early German Women’s Writing.” The site appears to be well-maintained and updated, and only a handful of Web resources had moved or retrieved error messages during the review period. The intended audience for the Early Modern Women Database includes high school students and scholars. Because of the simple navigation and display, anyone whose interest lies in early women’s studies within an international humanities framework will thor­ oughly benefit from this scholarly collection of resources. Recommended.— Gail Golderman, UnionCollege, goldemr ig@iunion.edu The M ississippi W riters Page. Access: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms- writers/. The Department of English at the University of Mississippi has created a site dedicated to those writers either born in Mississippi or who spent a significant portion of their lives in Mississippi. While still partially under construction, the site offers visitors biographical information on Mississippi writers, as well as a list o f th eir p u b ­ lished titles, any awards or honors he or she has received, a bibliography for further reading, and any applicable Web sites. Contributors to the site include English pro­ fessors from the University of Mississippi, Ph.D. candidates, librarians, and graduate students. The Writers Page has specific guidelines for including an author in the database, as well as instructions on how to contribute to the site. The navigation bar on the homepage provides quick and easy access to each feature of the Web site. From the homepage, visitors can click directly on “Writers Listings” to locate the 260 authors included in this site. Users may choose one of several methods to browse the listings: by author’s last name, publication title, a location in Missis­ sippi associated with the author, the year o f the author’s birth or death, or by genre (drama, fic­ tion, nonfiction, or poetry). A noteworthy addition to the browse option is a map o f literary landmarks, where links are made directly to an author using a map, A timeline o f “Literary History” connects authors to a spe­ cific year or date. A recent title list complete with annotations and book reviews is available, as well as news and events regarding Mississippi writers. If visitors want more information on literature in Mississippi, they can find a listing o f regional magazines and journals under “Publishers” or they can find a list o f literary organizations in Missis­ sippi under “Other Features.” Particularly enter­ taining is the “On this day in Mississippi literary history” feature, visible on the homepage, which gives viewers just a morsel o f literary history in Mississippi. The site is well organized, easy to navigate, and consistent in its design. Users can search the site itself, and a keyword search for the au­ thor database is coming soon. While informa­ tion on some o f the authors still needs to be added, the site has been active since 1996 and is up-to-date. The Mississippi Writers Page fills a unique niche for those studying American literature or for anyone interested in learning more about Mississippi writers.— Debbi Renfrow, National University, drenfroιv@nu.edu ■ mailto:goldemig@imion.edu http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-