he
shared database of the Headquarters Dag Hammarskjoeld Library and the UNOG
Library; the UNOG Library's automated catalogue; Profound, a collection of
databases in the business and economics field; and the catalogue of RERO (Reseau
des bibliotheques romandes et tessinoises), a network of Swiss libraries with
which the UNOG Library is affiliated;

b) Consultation of a selection of multimedia CD-ROMs composed of intertwined
audio, textual, photographic and video segments (e.g. Encarta 97, dictionaries
and encyclopedias, l'Etat du monde, Elysee 2, Nuklear);

Viewing of multistandard videocassettes and DVDs (digital versatile disks) of
documentaries and films on topics of international relevance (e.g. humanitarian
affairs, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi);

Usage of computerized working tools for text-processing (WordPerfect) and
electronic mail (e-mail, cc:mail); and

Access to the Internet, particularly the UNOG homepages in English and French,
the homepages of Permanent Missions and other international organizations, and a
selection of links provided by the managers of the UNOG Cyberspace.

A second cyberspace with six computers opened in April 1998 on the second floor
of the library, with the same facilities and a fantastic view on the Lake of
Geneva and the surrounding Alps.

The Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an
international organization based in Paris, has been quick to put the Internet at
its staff's disposal, and to create on extensive Intranet. Peter Raggett,
Deputy-Head of the OECD Main Library, made the following comments in his e-mail
of June 18, 1998:

"The Internet has provided researchers with a vast database of information. The
problem for them is to find what they are seeking. Never has the 'information
overload' been so obvious as when one tries to find information on a topic by
searching the Internet. Information managers have a large role to play in
searching and arranging the information on the Internet.

When one uses a search engine like Lycos or AltaVista or a directory like
Yahoo!, it soon becomes clear that it can be very difficult to find valuable
sites on a given topic. These search mechanisms work well if one is searching
for something very precise, such as information on a person who has an unusual
name, but they produce a confusing number of references if one is searching for
a topic which can be quite broad. Try and search the Web for Russia AND
transport to f