ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries June 1996/377 Internet Reviews Sa ra A m a to, editor MAD Scientist N etw o rk . Access: http://pharmdec. wustl.edu/YSP/MAD.SCI/ MAD.SCI.html. For more information contact Joe Simpson, simpson@npg. wustl.edu or Lynn Bry, lynn@pharmdec.wustl.edu. “Science is go o d for you” begins the W eb page for the M AD S cientist N e tw o rk (MSN), an interactive Web site dedicated to answering questions in all areas o f sci­ ence. MSN is a project con­ ducted under the auspices o f the Saint Louis Science Education Network, which in turn is a branch o f the Young Scientist Program which was founded in 1991 with funds from the Wash­ ington University Medical School Alumni Asso­ ciation. Online since September 1995, MSN is staffed by “scientists actively engaged in science edu­ cation and research at institutions around the world.” When I visited the site in April there were more than 200 members listed ready to answer your questions. All levels o f expertise are represented. More than half o f the partici­ pants are either Ph.D.s, M.D.s, or scientists on staff at research or educational institutions. About a quarter o f the participants are gradu­ ate students and the remaining quarter a mix o f high school teachers and others o f indeter­ minate qualifications, my favorite being “Col­ lective Enigma Elucidator.” While most o f the participants are from the United States, there are also members from the United Kingdom, Australia, Chile, Spain, Israel, Japan, and France. The average turnaround time for a question to be answered is seven to ten days, but I saw some answers posted within hours. Questions are submitted by filling out a short form which is transmitted to the site’s administrators. The question is then forwarded to one o f the mem­ bers for an answer. Most answers are pretty good attempts to present factual data. One person wanted to know how much cat urine it would take to kill a six-foot- tall evergreen tree. Appar­ en tly he/she w as b ein g taken to court by the neigh­ bors for their kitty’s lethal discharges. The answer, by a grad student in horticul­ ture, was honest about be­ ing uncertain o f the amount needed. However, he went on to give a pretty good ex­ planation o f how urine, be­ ing high in soluble salts, could be collecting in the soil around the evergreen’s roots and could, in fact, be killing the tree. He ended his answer with a recommendation for the questioner to control his cat (a typical response from a non­ cat-owner). Overall, MSN is a well-intentioned system for answering science questions that meet cer­ tain criteria. Members w on ’t answer questions involving the diagnosis or treatment o f an indi­ vidual or animal. They also w on ’t entertain questions marginally related to science or o f a social/political nature, like “should evolution be taught in schools?” or “should drugs be le­ gal?” While using MSN can be fun and often accurate, you will always have to be a little suspect o f the answers. There are similar inter­ active W eb sites on the Net, such as Ask an Immunologist at http://glamdring.ucsd.edu/oth- ers/aai/askAAI.html; Ask Dr. Neutrino (phys­ ics) at http://137.222.30.23/dr/ask.html; and Ask Dr. Math at http://forum.swathmore.edu/ dr.math/dr-math.html.—Jim Rible, Southern Oregon State College; rible@wpo.sosc.osshe.edu W o m e n ’s W e b W o rld : The Fem inist M a ­ jo r it y O n lin e . Access: http://w w w . feminist.org. The Feminist Majority is a nonprofit organiza­ tion that is committed to political, economic, and social equality for women; its name signi­ fies that a majority o f women and men identify themselves as feminists in major opinion polls. The goal o f the Feminist Majority is to conduct research and share information about wom en’s issues and to mobilize grassroots political ac­ Sara Amato is automated systems librarian at Central Washington University; samato@tahoma.cwu.edu http://pharmdec mailto:lynn@pharmdec.wustl.edu http://glamdring.ucsd.edu/oth- http://137.222.30.23/dr/ask.html http://forum.swathmore.edu/ mailto:rible@wpo.sosc.osshe.edu http://www mailto:samato@tahoma.cwu.edu 3 78/C&RL News tion in support o f equality. W om en’s WebWorld serves this purpose admirably, with many ben­ efits for those who seek a feminist perspective on current events. It can be difficult to keep informed about issues affecting women. This site monitors pub­ lications and highlights several stories daily in “Feminist News.” An archive o f news items can be searched using the Excite search en­ gine and, in many cases, links are provided to related stories, reports, or W eb sites. j A “Publications and Research” page pro­ vides bibliographies o f feminist publications as w ell as full-text reports o f the Feminist Majority Foundation’s research on topics such as clinic violence and equity in medi­ cine, sports, and business. The “Feminist Inter­ net Gateway” includes well-annotated lists o f W eb resources on topics such as women and politics, women and work, and women’s health. Perhaps the most striking characteristic o f W om en’s W ebWorld is its emphasis on activ­ ism, since a primary goal o f the Feminist Ma­ jority is to exercise feminists’ political power as a majority. The W eb site makes activism prac­ tically effortless. The “Take Action!” feature spotlights legislative and media issues o f con­ cern to feminists, provides a lookup utility for representatives’ e-mail addresses, and supplies text o f suggested messages. This is an excel­ lent example o f a nonprofit organization using the power o f the W eb to advance its mission. Faculty and students can join the “Feminist University Network” or simply search its data­ base to locate experts, speakers, or others shar­ ing their interests. A “911 for W om en” page includes resources ranging from hotlines for victims o f sexual harassment and domestic vio­ lence to opportunities for employment and in­ ternships. The W eb site is well organized, with clear links to specific categories o f information as well as useful highlights o f new or timely in­ formation on the homepage. There is a search engine for the entire site— a helpful addition, since the various sections are quite extensive. W om en’s W ebW orld will provide a feminist perspective on topics in many disciplines and should be o f interest far beyond w om en’s stud­ ies programs.— Lori Robare, University o f Or­ egon; lrobare‹@oregon.uoregon.edu. O n ta rio Centre for Religious T o leran ce. Access: http://www.kosone.com/people/ ocrt/. The W eb site for the Ontario Centre for Reli­ gious Tolerance has three goals: to dissemi­ nate accurate information; to expose religious fraud, hatred, and misinformation; and to dis­ seminate information on “hot” religious topics. The site fulfills these three goals admirably and with a certain amount o f style. It has nine main access points, includ­ ing “35 Religious and Ethical S ystem s,” “Spiritual T o p ic s ,” “ R e lig io u s ly H ot Topics,” and a very large file o f media ad­ dresses. Th e W eb site, p ro ­ duced by the Ontario Centre for Religious Tolerance, was established in 1995. Among its future plans is to write a series o f essays on what the Bible really says about sex. Contributors chose a Christian text because the majority o f North Americans identify themselves as Christians. The information is very well done, balanced, and thorough. In addition, the individual en­ tries are well done whether the religion is con­ troversial or not. For example, the information on Satanism is very balanced and informative; it cuts through the scare tactics, misinforma­ tion, and hype and presents a balanced pic­ ture. The other entries are equally w ell bal­ anced and thorough. In most cases, the online articles have references and further W eb sites to explore. There are a number o f well-written essays on spiritual and, as they call it, “not so spiri­ tual” topics. These include tolerance, intoler­ ance, cults, ritual abuse, bisexuality, homosexu­ ality, and spanking o f children. There is a test on religious tolerance for readers/viewers to take. There is also a remedial recommendation so that the reader may become even more tol­ erant. This W eb site is also well organized. The organization and layout show attention to de­ tail and a good artistic sense. This is an excellent resource for anyone seeking well-researched, balanced information on religious and spiritual groups. The writing is lively and intelligent, clearly aimed at pro­ viding a neutral picture to researchers and in­ formation seekers.— Gail Wood, State Univer­ sity o f New York College o f Technology; woodg@alfredtech.edu ■ http://www.kosone.com/people/ mailto:woodg@alfredtech.edu June 1996/379