Only a few minutes ..

[Even Flood]

At 23:48 20.11.95 -0800, you wrote:
>Hallo friends,
>
>Unexpectedly I have to give a presentation of WWW (and the importance of it 
>for the library) for some really high bigshots (incl. university curators).
>My time span will be 5-10 minutes!! 
>
>That's my problem. How can I say and demonstrate something about 
>Internet/WWW in that time AND indicating the importance of it for the 
>library (and for the university).
>
>Do you have suggestions?
>Do you have (or know about) a super short story available on the net?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Jaap Verbaas
>University Library Nijmegen
>-
>j.Verbaas at ubn.kun.nl
>
> Hallo friends,
> 
> Unexpectedly I have to give a presentation of WWW (and the importance of it 
> for the library) for some really high bigshots (incl. university curators).
> My time span will be 5-10 minutes!! 
> 
> That's my problem. How can I say and demonstrate something about 
> Internet/WWW in that time AND indicating the importance of it for the 
> library (and for the university).
> 
> Do you have suggestions?
> Do you have (or know about) a super short story available on the net?
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Jaap Verbaas
> University Library Nijmegen
> -
> j.Verbaas at ubn.kun.nl

That is a challenge! I would start on doing some
background studies on the audience - what are their
professional and private backgrounds. If you can
get examples with something usefull in their
interest areas or hobbies, that will be a help.
Try to go for the hobbies - more likely that
you will find something fun. Remember that
anyone with a message has it on the net.
In presenting I would say something about hypertext
and what it is (how it works), then point out 
that WWW is a distributed hypertext linking of 
computers all over the world, then go on to show
and tell.

One more thing - do not oversell it!! We have had
some sad examples here of leaders who become so
captivated they say "Everything is on the net - why
should libraries have recources? Books? Specialists?
Most reference queries are still answered outside the
WWW.

Even Flood
Senior Research Librarian                 "Come, and take choice of
Norwegian DIANE Center                       all my library, and so
Technical University Library of Norway       beguile thy sorrow."
N 7034 Trondheim, Norway                       (Shakespeare)
Phone: +47 73 59 51 62, Fax +47 73 59 51 03
even.flood at ntub.unit.no