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Listservs for Maine Librarians

MELIBS-L | MEINFO-L | MEFIND-L | MaineCat-L | MaineCatalogers-L | Minerva-L | MinervaCats | SOLAR-L | NMLD-L | SMLD-L | MeWireless-L | LibraryTrustee

The Maine InfoNet manages various listservs.  Subscriptions are free.

MELIBS-L:

MELIBS-L hosts discussion of issues, events, activities and questions related to library service in Maine.  Maine State Library announcements are posted here as well. Note, however, that broadcast ILL requests are prohibited on MELIBS-L.  They should go to MEFIND-L instead.
Archives: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/melibs-l.html

MEINFO-L:

MEINFO-L is a "read-only" medium solely for distribution of Maine State Library announcements. If one subscribes to MELIBS-L there is no need to also subscribe to MEINFO-L as announcements are posted in both places.
Archives: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/meinfo-l.html

MEFIND-L:

MEFIND-L was created in response to requests from libraries wishing a medium for broadcast ILL requesting. It is used principally by libraries not linked to Maine InfoNet for statewide interlibrary loan requesting. The Maine State Library encourages libraries to consider joining SOLAR and using it and MaineCat for the most effective approach to online requesting and lending.
Archives: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/mefind-l.html

MaineCat-L:

Matters of interest to participants in the MaineCat Statewide Catalog are the subject of this mailing list.
Archives: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/mainecat-l.html

MaineCatalogers-L:

As requested by participants of the Maine InfoNet Summit, this list is for discussion of cataloging issues by catalogers from any Maine library.
Archives: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/mainecatalogers-l.html

Minerva-L:

Efficient communication between Maine InfoNet, Maine State Library, and Minerva libraries, and among the staffs of Minerva libraries, is essential to making the most of the large and complex integrated library system that underlies Minerva. This list is used to distribute breaking news and critical information. Staff of Minerva libraries can and should use the list to discuss the details of issues related to circulation, online requesting, cataloging, statistical reports, acquisitions, serials, or anything else pertaining to Minerva. More info can be found on the Minerva-L page.
Archives: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/minerva-l.html

MinervaCats:

MinervaCats focuses on cataloging practice, database quality and related issues as they apply to the Minerva online library system. Anyone working at a Minerva library who does cataloging should be subscribed to this list. This list runs on different list software than most of the other lists here.
Users may subscribe at: http://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/minervacats
Archives: http://mailman.informe.org/pipermail/minervacats/

SOLAR-L:

SOLAR-L facilitates communication among libraries using the SOLAR online system. It runs on different software than most of the other lists described here.
To subscribe, go to http://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/solar-l
Archives: http://mailman.informe.org/pipermail/solar-l/.

NMLD-L:
This is a list for all libraries of all types in the Northeastern Maine Library District. This is a list similar to MELIBS, but designed for the libraries in our district.
To subscribe, go to http://lists.maine.edu/cgi/wa?SUBED1=nmld-l&A=1
Archives: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/nmld-l.html

SMLD-L:
This is a list for libraries of all types in the Southern Maine Library District.
To subscribe, go to https://lists.usm.maine.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1=SMLD-L&A=1

MeWireless-L:

The Walk In Wireless and other matters related to offering public Internet hotspot services in libraries generally are the subject matter for this mailing list. For more details on the list go to the MeWireless-L page.
Archives: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/mewireless-l.html

Library Trustees:

This is a list for all library trustees to facilitate communication.

To subscribe, http://lists.maine.edu/cgi/wa?SUBED1=librarytrustee-l&A=1

Once subscribed, it is necessary to follow the emailed instructions to confirm the your subscription before it starts.

Archives, change subscription options or leave the list: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/librarytrustee-l.html

Subscribers may post to the list by sending e-mail to: LibraryTrustee-L@lists.maine.edu

The directions below pertain to all the listserves except for SOLAR-L and MinervaCats.   MELIBS-L is used in the examples. 

Subscribing

To subscribe to a mailing list, omit the subject line and send the following email message to LISTSERV@LISTS.MAINE.EDU:

Subscribe MELIBS-L firstname lastname

Substitute your own firstname and lastname. You will receive a return message asking you to confirm by reply mail that the correct email address was indeed submitted. Once your request has been processed, you will start receiving all messages sent to the discussion list.

If you wish to send a message to all list subscribers, address it to MELIBS-L@LISTS.MAINE.EDU. (Exception: MEINFO-L does not accept postings from subscribers.)

You may leave the list at any time by sending a message with the first line SIGNOFF MELIBS-L  to LISTSERV@LISTS.MAINE.EDU.

You may also subscribe, change subscription options, post messages and view the message archive at the following web URL:

http://lists.maine.edu/archives/melibs-l.html

The mailing lists are hosted at the Orono site of UNET, an arm of the University of Maine System, and are moderated by Maine State Library staff. Questions may be emailed to the list manager Doreen Bartlett, doreen.bartlett@maine.gov

General Tips on Mailing List Usage

General Tips are followed by information on specific listserv commands.

  1. Reply hazards Be careful with the "Reply" function. Make sure the comments you are sending are intended for the entire list and not just the person who posted the original message.  If the message you are sending does not directly relate to the subject of the original message, change the subject line accordingly.
  2. A Direct response to an individual is sometimes better than a response to the list Consider whether a given posting or reply to a posting has interest for MELIBS-L subscribers generally, or could be more appropriately sent directly to one or several individuals.  "Yes, I want that surplus set of Books in Print" is the sort of response that should go to an individual, rather than to the list as a whole.
  3. Problems with quoted messages Caution: If you quote text from a MELIBS-L message in a reply sent to MELIBS-L, delete the text "MELIBS-L@LISTS.MAINE.EDU" wherever it appears in the quoted text.  Failure to do so will cause the message to be rejected by the listserv software and languish, undelivered, until the list owner has time to manually forward it.
  4. Consideration Courtesy and reasonableness are appreciated.  Think first, then type.  Remember that email is a medium in which it is very easy to appear to SHOUT!!!! and engender responses proportional to the perceived volume of the shouting.
  5. Staying on topic, being patient MELIBS-L is intended as a relatively relaxed and tolerant environment.  Postings should have something to do with Maine libraries and the concerns of the Maine library community, but it is inevitable that some postings will be irrelevant to the interests of some subscribers.
    • Subscribers come from widely varied backgrounds and have a broad range of experience with technology and communicating in the electronic medium.  What is transparently obvious to some may represent a new and exciting and/or disquieting discovery to others.  Once again, the result is a mix of on-point and off-topic  messages depending on a particular subscriber's expectations and experience.
    • The administrative response to this is to avoid strict rules on what is posted and how, offer tips on good practice from time to time, and only respond to egregious mis-use of the list -- of which there has been very little over the years.
  6. ILL goes to MEFIND-L, not MELIBS-L Interlibrary Loan requests and responses do not belong on MELIBS-L.  Instead, they should be handled on MEFIND-L.  The procedure for subscription and use is exactly analogous to that for MELIBS-L, described below.
  7. No attachments Note that MELIBS-L does not support attachments to messages. This is mostly a security measure aimed at macro viruses that are frequently passed along in attachments.  Either cut and paste text into your message, or post directions as to how a user may request a large document or obtain it from a web page.
  8. Web management of your subscriptions Subscribers may now control their subscription settings, read messages, and even post messages, from the web.  Go to the following web URL to find out more: http://lists.maine.edu/archives/melibs-l.html

This facility duplicates and improves upon the individual commands described below.

Specific Listserv Commands

If you wish to manage your subscription via email commands, rather than going to the web management site at http://lists.maine.edu/archives/melibs-l.html, here are the details:

Subscribe

To subscribe to the Maine Libraries Discussion List, omit the subject line and send the email message:

 SUBSCRIBE MELIBS-L firstname lastname

to the address:

 listserv@lists.maine.edu

Substitute your own firstname and lastname. You will receive a return message asking you to confirm by reply mail that the correct email address was indeed submitted. Once your request has been processed, you will start receiving all messages sent to the discussion list.

Post a message

Create the message normally and send it to melibs-l@lists.maine.edu

Leave the list

Send the message SIGNOFF MELIBS-L to listserv@lists.maine.edu

Suspend / restart receiving messages

Send the message SET MELIBS-L NOMAIL to listserv@lists.maine.edu in order to suspend messages while you are on away; and the message SET MELIBS-L MAIL to resume receiving messages.

Force MELIBS-L to "echo" a copy of all your postings

Send the message SET MELIBS-L  REPRO to listserv@lists.maine.edu.  The message SET MELIBS-L NOREPRO will turn off this echoing behavior.

Force MELIBS-L to confirm distribution your postings

Send the message SET MELIBS-L  ACK to listserv@lists.maine.edu.  Turn off this feature with the message SET MELIBS-L NOACK.

View an Archive of Previous MELIBS-L Postings

Point your web browser to:

http://lists.maine.edu/archives/melibs-l.html

Receive all MELIBS-L messages as a single daily "digest" rather than individual messages

Send the message SET MELIBS-L  DIGEST to listserv@lists.maine.edu.  Revert to normal messages with the message SET MELIBS-L NODIGEST.

Get additional information about Listserv commands

Send the message INFO REFCARD to LISTSERV@LISTS.MAINE.EDU

More information on LISTSERV commands can be found in the LISTSERV reference card, which you can retrieve by sending an "INFO REFCARD" command to LISTSERV@LISTS.MAINE.EDU.

All of these actions may also be performed from the MELIBS-L web site:

http://lists.maine.edu/archives/melibs-l.html