> The question has arisen among academic librarians attending continuing > education/summer courses and conferences at other sites as to how they may > keep in touch with home base electronically if they 1) lack an account with > a commercial service and their home base offers no 800 number and also if > they 2) lack a portable machine with a modem. > > Are there any evolving conventions at various institutions for dealing with > this situation? Is the situation different at every spot in the universe? > What does your institution do when wandering scholars - and librarians - > show up, begging? > > My sense is that this is an area currently full of potholes and badly in > need of some general understandings. > There are many differences depending on the technology at home and away. The best possible situation that I have found, is that at the away facility there is a public terminal room which will allow me to telnet back to my home system. I would recommend that users obtain accounts on commercial systems, e.g. mcimail, compuserv. Most times accessing these services requires only a local call and finding a friend with a computer and modem is fairly easy these days. The commercial services are not very expensive for a few months' use. -phil > Kathryn Wright > Indiana State University > LIBKAT@INDST or [log in to unmask] > -- J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067 Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110 [log in to unmask] - Internet (314) 362-3617 [362-2694(FAX)]