Christian wrote
>Therefore, placing information on the net is one point.
>Making it cognitively available is another point.
>
>If the challenge becomes too high for individuals to reach knowledge, they
>will not be able to make the effort or even know that they have to make it.
Very true! I've spent much of my working life helping those with
knowledge make it accessible to those who need it. Though not a great
expert on anything else, I do know how to do that.
Mary Sue Ittner and the other PBS members who work on the wiki do a
great deal toward this end. And yes, I know I should contribute more,
but I'm slow about editing my photos down to wiki size. Like the
cleaner who doesn't do windows, I'm the editor who doesn't do
graphics (though I know how to direct someone who does).
I'm not a web designer, but I work as a copy editor for Oxford
University Press, which is moving a lot of its famed reference works
into online sites available by subscription. This has made me aware
of the many devices that help readers navigate clearly and quickly
through a reference site. My current work is on annotated
bibliographies of a vast number of fields of study. I'd like to
develop a similar bibliography for the PBS wiki sometime -- one that
wouldn't cost users $200 a year to access! If I have some free time
this winter, perhaps I can collaborate with someone to develop it.
The PBS could even make a little money from it if there are links to
vendors who sell the books ("affiliation"). The Oxford bibliographies
also include web resources with links the user can click, and I think
this is not hard to set up?
Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA