October 7, 1993
Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189
New Online Information System Available
The Library of Congress announces the availability of a new
online information system, LC MARVEL (Library of Congress
Machine-Assisted Realization of the Virtual Electronic Library).
The new system can be accessed over the worldwide computer
network known as the Internet. LC MARVEL serves as the
Campus-Wide Information System (CWIS) for the Library of
Congress and also provides information services to the U.S.
Congress and constituents throughout the world.
It is a simple-to-use online gateway to worldwide Internet
offerings as well as a source of electronic information about
the Library, its collections, and activities.
LC MARVEL uses the Gopher software, a publicly available menu-
based software program developed and distributed by the
University of Minnesota. Most information offered by the system
is text-based and can either be viewed on a computer screen or
mailed to an individual's electronic mailbox. In addition to
text-based information, graphic images also are provided.
However, viewing these images is dependent upon the user's
software interface.
The Main Menu of LC MARVEL consists of the following selections:
1. About LC MARVEL
2. Library of Congress: Facilities, Activities, and Services
3. Research and Reference
4. Library of Congress Online Systems
5. The U.S. Congress
6. Federal Government Information
7. Services to Libraries and Publishers
8. Copyright
9. Employee Information
10. The Global Electronic Library (by Subject)
11. Internet Resources
12. What's New on LC MARVEL
To access LC MARVEL over the Internet, use the telnet command to
connect to marvel.loc.gov and login as marvel. This will
connect you to the "generic" telnet Gopher client. Initially,
only 10 ports will be available to outside users for direct
telnet connection. However, it is most effective to connect to
LC MARVEL using Gopher client software, or via other
Gopher-based systems by pointing to marvel.loc.gov, port 70 (the
10 user limit does not apply to this access method).
Although the Library of Congress charges no fees for access to
LC MARVEL, many Internet access providers do charge fees to
connect to the Internet.
Individuals and organizations that do not already have access to
the Internet should contact their local library for further
information or call the InterNIC Information Services Referral
Desk at (800) 444-4345, Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
(Pacific time), which can send a list of Internet access
providers.
In addition to worldwide access over the Internet, public access
to LC MARVEL is currently available on-site in the Library of
Congress's Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room and the
National Demonstration Laboratory. Additional sites are planned
for the future.
Several menu choices on LC MARVEL should be of particular
interest to the Library's constituents. The menu item "Library
of Congress: Facilities, Activities, and Services," for
instance, contains information on hours and services, on-site
and traveling exhibitions, and full text of LC press releases.
"Services to Libraries and Publishers" offers information on how
to obtain an ISBN (International Standard Book Number), ISSN
(International Standard Serial Number), and how to participate
in the Preassigned Card Number (PCN) program, Cataloging in
Publication (CIP) program, and cooperative acquisitions
programs. Another menu item, "Internet Resources," presents
access to the Internet through a variety of searching tools
and by geographic location. Librarians will benefit from easy
access to online public library catalogs worldwide in addition
to the Library of Congress Information System, which contains LC
catalog records and other information files. Two other menu
items, "The U.S. Congress" and "Federal Government Information,"
gather electronic resources on Congress and the entire federal
government (e.g., searchable congressional directories and
committee assignments, full text of GAO reports, the U.S.
Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, etc.). Under the
"Copyright" heading, the full text of circulars and form
letters from the Copyright Office is available.
Constituents of the Library will find many useful resources in
the "Research and Reference" menu item. Information is
available about individual reading rooms and services to
researchers. Documents in the "Employee Information" menu are
not restricted to Library staff and may be of some interest to
those outside the Library (e.g., full text of internal
publications, searchable Library regulations, emergency
information, job postings, Combined Federal Campaign
information, etc.)
LC MARVEL is still "under construction" and will be enhanced and
improved continuously. New features and information are always
noted in the "What's New on LC MARVEL" menu.
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PR 93-121
10/7/93
ISSN 0731-3527