THE PURPOSE OF STUMPERS STUMPERS is a networking resource for reference questions that have people, in essence, stumped. After failing to find a satisfactory answer to your query in the usual library reference sources, turn to the people on STUMPERS. You could get an answer and, possibly, learn about a new reference source. STUMPERS has a moderator who performs maintenance duties to its electronic message waves and who helps to keep the list focussed on reference queries and answers. Beyond that, STUMPERS is a self-monitored list for the people by the people. It is the subscribers who make STUMPERS run. THE TECHNOLOGY INVOLVED STUMPERS is an e-mail based electronic conference that operates across computer networks all over the world. It is a mailing list rather than a bulletin board in that MAILSERV's function, as far as STUMPERS is concerned, is to forward electronic correspondence to subscribers. THE QUIRKS OF STUMPERS There are two things that are unusual about STUMPERS when compared to other electronic mailing lists: A) STUMPERS uses software called MAILSERV to forward e-mail to participants. It does NOT use LISTSERV. LISTSERV commands will NOT work on STUMPERS, so please pay close attention to the "Procedures and Protocol" part of this document. It should save you alot of time and grief. B) Most electronic mailing lists are named "-L" and use that "-L" in the list mailing address; not STUMPERS. STUMPERS' e-mail address uses "-LIST". Thus, the address to send e-mail to the entire list is: STUMPERS-LIST@CRF.CUIS.EDU ^^^^ A message sent to the address STUMPERS-L@CRF.CUIS.EDU will NOT get out to the list. ^^ STUMPERS PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOL 1) Posting Questions: Questions should go directly to the list. The address for sending questions to the list is: STUMPERS-LIST@CRF.CUIS.EDU ^^^^ While it might be nice to know which sources have already been searched to no avail on your query, it is not required that these are listed as two people can find very different things in the same source. Please remember to use the SUBJ: line in your message. It is a courteous alert for people at the receiving end as to what the message is about. If there is no SUBJ: line, often your message will simply be deleted by too-busy people who might otherwise have been able to give you an answer if you had just taken the time to alert them to the message's content with a SUBJ: line. 2) Posting Answers: Answers should also go directly to the list so that all can see the answer. Please cite the source of your answer whenever possible, even if the source is "general knowledge" or "my Uncle Henry." The address for sending answers to the list is: STUMPERS-LIST@CRF.CUIS.EDU ^^^^ Everyone on the list has seen the question. Everyone on the list would like to see the answer -- especially the source of the answer. Being a list of mostly reference librarians, the source of the answer is what we really want to learn. It's the purpose of STUMPERS. (The SUBJ: line comes in handy for those people with no interest in a particular subject. In those cases, the DELete key can be used.) In cases where the questioner asks that an answer be sent directly to a personal e-mail account, please COPY the list with your answer by putting the list address in your message's CC: line, or by stacking the list address after the questioner's personal e-mail address. Again, please remember to use the SUBJ: line in your message. It is a courteous alert for people at the receiving end as to what the message is about. If there is no SUBJ: line, often your message will simply be deleted by too-busy people who might otherwise have been able to give you an answer if you had just taken the time to alert them to the message's content with a SUBJ: line. 3) Unsubscribing: If you want to be removed from STUMPERS, do NOT send your request to the list. No one on the list can help you unsubscribe. The list does not need to be filled up with unsubscribe messages. Send your unsubscribe message to MAILSERV, and if MAILSERV fails you, then send a message to the moderator. (Directions for both procedures follow below.) MAILSERV is the first choice for unsubscribing because MAILSERV is available 24 hours, while the moderator is around approximately once every 24 hours. a) Unsubscribing Through MAILSERV: If you want to be removed from STUMPERS, do NOT send your request to the list. Send the message "UNSUBSCRIBE STUMPERS " to the following address: MAILSERV@CRF.CUIS.EDU Please remember to use the exact e-mail address that you had used to subscribe to STUMPERS. As elementary as this may sound, many people subscribe to the list under one address and then down the road change e-mail addresses. When it comes time to unsubscribe, their e-mail address on our list does not match their working e-mail address and much frustration ensues. b) Unsubscribing Through The Moderator: It is NOT unusual that you might have a problem with MAILSERV unsubscribing you. E-mail addresses have to match up exactly and they often do not. If you are having difficulty unsubscribing through MAILSERV, then BY ALL MEANS send an e-mail message, asking to unsubscribe you, to the moderator at: ROSLIBREFRC@CRF.CUIS.EDU It is perfectly acceptable and even expected that you do so. 4) Subscribing: If you want to subscribe (or resubscribe) to STUMPERS, do NOT send your request to the list. No one on the list can help you subscribe. The list does not need to be filled up with subscribe messages. Send your subscribe message to MAILSERV, and if MAILSERV fails you, then send a message to the moderator. (Directions for both procedures follow below.) MAILSERV is the first choice for subscribing because MAILSERV is available 24 hours, while the moderator is around approximately once every 24 hours. a) Subscribing Through MAILSERV: Send the message "SUBSCRIBE STUMPERS " to the following address: MAILSERV@CRF.CUIS.EDU Please remember the exact e-mail address you use when you subscribe to STUMPERS. As elementary as this may sound, many people subscribe to the list under one address and then down the road change e-mail addresses. When it comes time to unsubscribe, their e-mail address on our list does not match their working e-mail address and much frustration ensues. b) Subscribing Through The Moderator: If you are having difficulty subscribing through MAILSERV, then BY ALL MEANS send an e-mail message, asking to subscribe you, to the moderator at: ROSLIBREFRC@CRF.CUIS.EDU It is perfectly acceptable and even expected that you do so. 5) Suspending STUMPERS mail: STUMPERS runs on MAILSERV. MAILSERV does NOT support automatic mail-suspension or resubscribe functions on STUMPERS. If you are going to be away from your computer account for a period of time and you don't want your disk quota eaten up by mail messages, then you must UNSUBSCRIBE from the list before your departure and then SUBSCRIBE to the list upon your return. The message "set stumpers no mail" will NOT work because that is a LISTSERV command and STUMPERS does not run on LISTSERV. It runs on MAILSERV. Again, "set stumpers no mail" is NOT a function supported by MAILSERV on STUMPERS. 6) Archives: STUMPERS has searchable archives. The STUMPERS archives can be accessed through our gopher server. From your terminal, simply type GOPHER CRF.CUIS.EDU At the Root Gopher Server menu, select the following: 8. LIBRARY RESOURCES/ At the Library Resources menu, select the following: 6. STUMPERS REFERENCE QUESTIONS ARCHIVE/ Everything you need to know about searching the STUMPERS archives is in the option ABOUT THE STUMPERS ARCHVIES. To read this option, select the following: 1. ABOUT THE STUMPERS ARCHIVES 7) Notes: STUMPERS does not support DIGESTS because DIGESTS is a LISTSERV function and STUMPERS runs on MAILSERV. Also, it is not possible for anyone to determine that you are signed up to the list through the use of the REVIEW command. We at STUMPERS do not believe in revealing the names of people on our list. 8) Hitchhiking "Hitchhiking," not subscribing to the list but merely posting an isolated query and then having the answers sent directly to one's personal e-mail address, is not really encouraged on STUMPERS. This list is a collaborative effort and hitchhiking only undermines that effort by circumventing the list. Everyone on the list sees the query, therefore, everyone should see the answer and learn not only from the answer but, also, its source. In cases where the questioner asks that an answer be sent directly to a personal e-mail account, please COPY the list with your answer by putting the list address in your message's CC: line, or by stacking the list address after the questioner's personal e-mail address. 9) Finally... This list is ultimately YOUR list. Please feel free to send any questions, problems, ideas, comments, feedback, or advice that you might have about STUMPERS to the moderator. That is part of the moderator's job. The address for sending e-mail specifically and only for the moderator of STUMPERS is: ROSLIBREFRC@CRF.CUIS.EDU Mail sent to ROSLIBREFRC@CRF.CUIS.EDU will NOT go out to the whole distribution list. It will be delivered ONLY to the moderator of STUMPERS. SUBJ: LINE FLAGS The users of STUMPERS have initiated a system of flags to be used at the beginning of a message's SUBJ: line to classify the content of a message. Please note that the use of this system is strictly voluntary. If you would like to use these flags, the style guide is thus: ? = A STUMPERS question. (ex: SUBJ: ? Groucho Marx Quote) ! = An answer to a STUMPERS question. (ex: SUBJ: ! Groucho Marx Quote) % = A half-baked answer to a STUMPERS question. (ex: SUBJ: % Possible Groucho Marx Quote) * = A thank-you message or a follow-up comment that is not a STUMPERS question or an answer to a STUMPERS question. (ex: SUBJ: * Thanks for help on Groucho Marx Quote) Again, this procedure is strictly voluntary. If you can remember the codes and you find that they are helpful, then by all means use them. HUMANS OF STUMPERS STUMPERS was created in 1992 by Anne Feeney, a student of Rosary College's Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Since Ms. Feeney's graduation from Rosary, STUMPERS continues to be moderated by a Rosary College GSLIS student. Currently, I am the moderator. If I can be of any assistance, please don't hesitate to send a message to me. PRINT OUT and save this document for reference (no pun intended). Very truly yours, FREDERICK FRIEDMAN-ROMMELL GSLIS, Rosary College Moderator of STUMPERS 7900 W. Division Street Internet: ROSLIBREFRC@CRF.CUIS.EDU River Forest, IL 60305 USA -- ---------------------------------- Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key -dannyb@panix.com (or dburstein@mcimail.com) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------