LIBDEV General Instructions As a service to new subscribers (and reminder to seasoned LIBDEV veterans), we post this set of general instructions concerning the maintenance and use of subscriptions to LIBDEV, the electronic discussion forum for academic and research library development concerns sponsored by ALADN (The Academic Library Advancement and Development Network). This message contains useful information, including listserv commands for managing your electronic mail. You may wish to save this message for future reference. To send a message to everyone who is currently subscribed to LIBDEV, send mail to LIBDEV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. This is called "sending mail to the list", because you send mail to a single address and LISTSERV software makes copies for all the people who have subscribed. This address (LIBDEV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU) is also called the "list address". Please do not send any computer software commands to the list address, as they will be distributed to the subscribers and will not reach the listserv software. All computer software commands should be sent to the "LISTSERV address", LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. It is very important to understand the difference between the two addresses. The LISTSERV address is like a FAX number; the list address is like a normal phone line. If you program your FAX machine to call someone's regular phone number by mistake, the recipient will have an unpleasant experience. You might be excused the first time. If you make the same mistake repeatedly, THINGS COULD GET UGLY. The same principle applies to the LIBDEV electronic discussion list. Your error is magnified hundreds of times and lots of people will be annoyed if you use the wrong number. Useful Computer Software Commands: Going on vacation? You can send a "SET LIBDEV NOMAIL" command to the listserv address to temporarily suspend your mail. Use the "SET LIBDEV MAIL" command to resume receipt. Want to see what you missed while you were away, or before you joined LIBDEV? Contributions sent to the LIBDEV forum are automatically archived. The LIBDEV key word searchable archives are available on the world wide web at: http://listserv.arizona.edu/lsv/www/libdev.html or as a link from the ALADN main web page, at: http://www.library.arizona.edu/aladn to LIBDEV information. The LIBDEV electronic archive is a comprehensive record of all LIBDEV correspondence, from the historic test messages of February 1995 (when the list was established) to date. ___ Please do not post e-mail attachments of any kind to the LIBDEV list. There are several ways to distribute information electronically to LIBDEV subscribers : 1. Best method: Include the text of your e-mail as plain text within the body of your e-mail message. Always post messages as plain text, not html. 2. Post your information to a web page at your parent institution or Internet Service Provider and send everyone the web address (URL). 3. If you must share information in a proprietary format (MS Word, Adobe Acrobat, Excel spreadsheet, etc.), either: a. post the file as a downloadable link from a web page at your parent institution b. post the file to a publicly accessible ftp site at your parent institution c. offer to send the file to people who specifically request it, directly from you, by private e-mail correspondence (but never to the listserv address) If you do choose to share information in a proprietary format, please be certain that the originator of the file has up to date anti-virus software (your anti-virus software is out of date unless you are receiving new virus definition files at least once per month) ___ Too many mail messages? Try the "SET LIBDEV DIGEST" command, which prompts the listserv software to send you a single daily transmission containing the previous day's LIBDEV postings. If the "digest" option leaves you lonely for more mail messages, send a "SET LIBDEV MAIL" command to the listserv address to restore your mail to individual message delivery. You can tell the listserv software how you want it to confirm the receipt of messages you send to the list. If you mistrust the system, send a "SET LIBDEV REPRO" command and LISTSERV will send you a copy of your own messages, so that you can see that they are distributed correctly. After a while you may find that the "repro" feature is annoying, especially if your mail program does not tell you that the messages you receive are your own. If you send a "SET LIBDEV ACK NOREPRO" command to the listserv address, you will receive a short acknowledgment instead of the full text of your original posting. With most mail programs you will know immediately that this is an acknowledgment you can delete unread or read later. Finally, you can turn off the acknowledgment feature completely with a "SET LIBDEV NOACK NOREPRO" command. According to the University of Arizona computing center, your subscription options have been set to "REPRO" rather than the usual LISTSERV defaults. For more information about subscription options, send a "QUERY LIBDEV" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. LIBDEV is an open list. Feel free to share information with other librarians and development officers who might benefit from the discussion. Encourage others to subscribe. Subscription information is available on the WorldWideWeb at: http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/aladn/libdev1.html Information about ALADN, the organization that sponsors LIBDEV, is available at: http://www.library.arizona.edu/aladn on the WorldWideWeb. More information on LISTSERV commands can be found in the LISTSERV reference card, which you can retrieve by sending an "INFO REFCARD" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. You may leave the list at any time by sending a "SIGNOFF LIBDEV" or "UNSUB LIBDEV" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU. Administrative overhead and technical support for LIBDEV are provided by The University of Arizona Library, the Center for Computing and Information Technology, and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at The University of Arizona. Please address any questions about the operation of the list to: Robert Hershoff Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics 1041 E. Lowell Street Room 251 P.O. Box 210088 Tucson, AZ 85721-0088 (520) 626-2087 e-mail hershoff@u.arizona.edu revised 11 July 2001