Librarians at O’Keefe Library of St. Ambrose University located in Davenport, Iowa have put together a directory specifically designed to organize Internet sites by subject areas relevant to their curriculum and other interests of their academic community. This site was initiated by Marylaine Block in 1995 under the name Where the Wild Things Are: Librarians’ Guide to the Best Information on the Net. In 1997 the current name, the Best Information on the Net (BIOTN), was established. The main index offers 20 subject categories:
- 1.
Important sites by major
- 2.
Hot paper topics
- 3.
Search (the web)
- 4.
Databases (and how to use them)
- 5.
Reference Desk
- 6.
Faculty Resources
- 7.
Administration resources
- 8.
Electronic reading room
- 9.
News
- 10.
Picture sources
- 11.
Internet Resources
- 12.
Surviving College
- 13.
Looking for work
- 14.
Grad School
- 15.
Neat New Stuff I found this week
- 16.
Other Indexes on the Web
- 17.
What’s new on the Net
- 18.
Disability resources
- 19.
Resources for Librarians
- 20.
O’Keefe Library Home page.
In addition to these broad categories, there is an a‐w index of subjects to assist the user. Sites in the directory have been chosen both for the quality of information provided and for their appropriateness to the curriculum and mission of St. Ambrose University. The selection policy is posted.
This directory of over 150 pages is a resource for the students and faculty of St. Ambrose University. It is also available for net users; however, locally licensed electronic resources are restricted. Library research tutorials and handouts linked to subject areas are online for all users. Students may find the page of buttons for important sites by major fields of study the preferred route to information. If this doesn’t answer their research needs, there is a link to the web with several search engine options. St. Ambrose’s students and faculty have the alternative of telephoning a librarian if they cannot find the information needed or experience difficulties in using the directory. Actually, the directory is self‐explanatory and ultra‐simple to use. These outstanding qualities make researching a pleasure. BIOTN is available in a large type version. No special software is required to access or use this directory.
Awards recognizing outstanding quality of the site come from such esteemed and popular sources as Lycos, Wired, Education Index, Library Journal, Yahoo! Internet Life, and Choice. Those rating BIOTN place it among the highest quality directories. This reviewer found the site a handy directory, easy to use, well organized and free of charge. It is highly recommended for those who find their research interest included by category in the main index, subject of their major field, or indexed subjects.
Students and faculty of St. Ambrose University have surely placed a bookmark on the site. It is highly recommended for anyone looking for directories to bookmark or to aid library patrons. Comparisons should be made with directories prepared by commercial operations such as the Encyberpedia Index: the living encyclopedia http://www.encyberpedia.com/ency.htm of Windows 2000 (review in Vol. 3 No. 12) and Britannica Internet Guide http://www.britannica.com of the Britannica Encyclopaedia, Inc. (review in Vol. 3 No. 9). Academic libraries supporting a similar curriculum may choose to place a link to BIOTN. Clearly, it is a model for others to check even if they are building their own directory.
