e90
		   Penn State University Libraries
			 Information Server
			   Revised 11/24/95
 
   gopher  n.  1. Any of various short tailed, burrowing mammals of 
   the family Geomyidae, of North America.  2. (Amer. colloq.) 
   Native or inhabitant of Minnesota: the Gopher State.  
   3. (Amer. colloq.) One who runs errands, does odd-jobs, fetches 
   or delivers documents for office staff.  4. (computer tech.) 
   Software following a simple protocol for tunneling through a TCP/IP 
   internet.

   gopher+  n.  1. Hardier strains of mammals of the family 
   Geomyidae.  2. (Amer. colloq.) Native or inhabitant of  Minnesota,
   the Gopher state, in full winter regalia (see  PARKA).  3. (Amer.
   colloq.) Executive secretary.  4.  (computer tech.) Software
   following a simple protocol for  burrowing through a TCP/IP
   internet, made more powerful by  simple enhancements (see CREEPING
   FEATURISM). 

 
Welcome to the Information server at the Penn State University Libraries!
 
This information server is technically known as a gopher server and is
part of an international network of gopher servers.  The gopher
concept was created and initially implemented at the University of
Minnesota.  The software they wrote has been contributed to the public
domain and is available free of charge.  Since its initial conception,
many other organizations, mostly universities, have contributed
software to this effort.  Gopher software is now available for all of
the well known operating systems.
 
The gopher server software you are now accessing is a new VMS version, a
Gopher+ server 2.1VMS-3,  developed at the Penn State University Library
Computing Services office, running under OpenVMS 6.2 on a Digital Equipment
Corporation AlphaServer 8440. This server was developed locally by Library
Computing Services, jointly with developers at other DEC VMS sites across the
Internet.  Comments are gladly accepted at Gopher@psulias.psu.edu and at
GopherAdmin@psulias.psu.edu.

For VMS Gopher implementors, the source code is available under the menu
selection for "Library Computing Services", submenu "VMS Gopher+ 2.1VMS-3".

The purpose of this server is to provide information about and from the Penn
State University Libraries, to provide access to other information  servers at
Penn State and outside of Penn State, and to provide information  about
Gophers and the Internet.  

For access to information here at Penn State and around the world, select:

   The Electronic Bookshelf

For access to information specific to the Penn State University Libraries'
online catalog, LIAS, select:

   LIAS

If you only want information about Penn State, or wish to access other 
information servers such as PENpages or the international gopher network and 
other information servers on the Internet, select the main menu item labeled:

   Penn State University Gopher

The client software that you are using to read this article is called
a gopher client.  Instructions for taking advantage of all of the
features of your gopher client are available from the client.  How you
get the instructions depends on your operating system.  All of the
clients recommended by the Penn State University Center for Academic 
Computing have some form of built-in help.
 
If you need help in using or acquiring gopher software, you may contact
the CAC Help desk at 12 Willard (814 863-1035), or at 215 Computer Building
(814 863-2494).
 
If you have any questions or comments about THIS gopher server, you may
send them to the Gopher Postmaster at Gopher@psulias.psu.edu.  Questions of 
a technical nature might better be addressed to GopherAdmin@psulias.psu.edu.
.

0