>A Society for Cinema Studies committee has been (slowly, casually)
>exploring ways in which the online world currently serves film/TV scholars.
>I've chaired this committee for two years now and I figure it's time to
>make some recommendations and possibly take some action.
>
>I would greatly appreciate the participation of SCREEN-Litarians in this
>effort.  There are many corners of the Internet that I haven't peered into.
>Plus, a discussion of this nature might help make us all more aware of the
>resources out there.
>
>The outline I'm currently working with is divided into two parts:
>
>1.  The types of materials/services avaiLable online ("online" equals,
>principally, Internet resources, but might extend to commercial services or
>dial-up BBS's).
>2.  Modes of providing those materials/services.
>
>I'm open to suggestions in both areas:  What is currently available online?
>What needs to be added to that?  How are these materials/services provided?
>How could they be provided in the future?
>
>Seems like I recall someone putting together a guide to online film/TV
>resources.  Does anyone know if this exists?
>
>So, here's what I've sketched out tonight:
>
>ONLINE MATERIALS/SERVICES--CURRENT
>
>E-mail discussion groups
>
>Databases of film credits
>
>Archive/library catalogs
>
>MOOs/MUDs/IRC for "real time" conferences
>
>ONLINE MATERIALS/SERVICES--POTENTIAL
>
>SCS materials
>        Directory (available only to members?)
>                Including *e-mail* addressesses
>                Grad student directory, too
>        Conference calls/info
>        Conference papers/abstracts
>        Reports of SCS committees
>                E.g., archival materials committee
>        Job listings
>
>Course syllabi--in collaboration with UFVA's "course files"?
>
>A FAQ for film/TV Internet resources
>        Topics to cover from film/TV studies angle:
>                Discussion groups
>                Databases of film credits
>                Online archival catalogs (e.g., Library of Congress)
>                Commercial information services
>                MOOs/MUDs/Internet Relay Chat
>                Transferring files via the Internet (too many variables?)
>                Scholarly use of e-mail (too rudimentary?)
>        Print it in CINEMA JOURNAL initially, updates online
>                Make updates available for FTP, LISTSERV and dial-up access
>        Make it hypertext, allow folks to bounce to those resources
>
>Searchable databases
>        SCS directory
>        Scholarly databases
>
>POSSIBLE MODES OF PROVIDING THESE MATERIALS/SERVICES
>
>SCREEN-L discussion group and archive
>        Services
>                Discussion of film/TV studies
>                        Available currently through e-mail, Usenet, dial-up
>                                BBS
>        Materials
>                *Text* files, but not binary ones
>                        Retrievable via e-mail (thus accessible by
>                        commercial sources like CIS, AOL, Prodigy, etc.)
>        Cost
>                None
>                Currently run on LISTSERV software on the U. of Al
>                        mainframe computer
>
>SCREEN-L II (?)
>        Services
>                Solely for announcements related to film/TV studies
>                Moderated; low traffic
>        Cost
>                None, if co-sponsoring insitution found (e.g., UA s TCFnet)
>
>Gopher/WWW/FTP server
>        Services
>                Online searching of databases
>                Hypertext access to resources
>        Materials
>                Text files
>                Binary files--word processing, graphics, sound
>        Cost
>                Unix box and someone to create/run it
>                Hang it on a co-sponsoring institution's 'Net connection?
>                        $10,000?
>
>Internet accessible (via Telnet) MOO/MUD/BBS
>        Services
>                 Real-time,  live discussions
>        Materials
>                Text files
>        Cost
>                See FTP/Gopher/WWW above
>
>Dial-up BBS
>        Services
>                Bulletin board-style discussion
>                        I.e., "posting" of messages
>        Materials
>                Text/binary files
>        Cost
>                $500-1,000 to buy some harddisk space
>                Link to the Internet server's files?
>
> =====================================================================
>  Jeremy Butler                                [log in to unmask]
>  Associate Professor                            [log in to unmask]
>  Telecommunication & Film Dept. * University of Alabama * Tuscaloosa
> =====================================================================
>
             *         *         *        *         *          *
 
Jermemy,
There is a wonderful list of online Film & Video Resources on Internet.
This list was put together by Kristen Garlock, and Lisa
Wood,([log in to unmask]). The Resource Guide is a complete a reference
source as I have seen.
 
Stephen O'Riordan
Film/Video Archives
Media Center, UCSD
9500 Gilman Dr.
La Jolla, CA  92093-0504
Tel: 619/534-7981  Fax:  619/534-7180
[log in to unmask]