What does Britannica Online contain?
The electronic encyclopedia contains more than 65,000 full-text encyclopedia articles and year-in-review articles in one searchable database. For those familiar with the print version of Britannica, the online version contains the Macropaedia, Micropaedia, Propaedia, and Book of the Year, in addition to an Index and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. The articles contain text and pictures. Some articles contain bibliographies on the topic and some articles have links to related Internet sources.

How can I search?
You can search Britannica Online by keyword, phrase, or question. For example, you can search for information on New York City by typing "Where is New York City?" into the dialog box on the Britannica Online Home Page. In addition to this kind of natural language searching, Britannica Online also allows you to search using AND, OR, NOT and ADJ, (which stands for "adjacent to"). Using these Boolean operators, a search for "(new ADJ york ADJ city) NOT state" also would give you information on New York City. For articles that contain bibliographies you can search for a topic or an author's name and the word "bibliography"; a search for "bibliography AND alcott" would put the Louisa May Alcott bibliography at the top of the results list.

Can I browse?
You can browse through Britannica Online. If you select "Explore Britannica" from the bottom half of the Britannica Home Page you have access to a few different browsing tools. The editors of Britannica have collected articles on topical areas such as the Presidential elections and The Atlanta Olympic Games. The 1994, 1995, and 1996 Book of the Year are available for browsing. You can browse through the Propaedia which provides a listing of articles by topic. If you really want to browse without bounds, you can select "random article" and let Britannica Online select an article for you.

How can I get to Britannica Online?
The URL for Britannica Online is http://www.eb.com/, but remember, your computer must have access to the World Wide Web and must be on the campus network. The system will not recognize you as a "CCSU subscriber" if you are not on the campus network. Britannica Online also is available on the workstations in Reference Department on the third floor of the CCSU Library.

Where can I get more information on Britannica Online?
The best way to learn about Britannica Online is to try it out, but other help is available. First, there are numerous help screens available in Britannica Online itself, or you can send a message to "tellus@eb.com" for direct communication with Britannica Online staff. If you prefer, you can call the Reference Department at the CCSU Library at (860) 832-2060. Lastly, the Library is offering an Information Workshop on Britannica Online on Thursday February 27. 1997 from 11 a.m. to noon. It will be held in the Curriculum Lab on the third floor of the Library. The workshop is free and open to everyone.