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Email Discussion/Mailing Lists


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What are they and how do I find one?

The Internet provides thousands of discussion and mailing lists via email, covering a wide array of topics and academic interests. They provide an excellent resource for students, teachers, and scholars who have specific research questions, who wish to stay informed of the latest happenings in their field, or who just wish to interact with others sharing similar interests.

Once you have subscribed to a discussion group, you can submit questions to all members, submit questions to a specific member or members, or just monitor the numerous discussion topics covered each week.
The following sites provide access to hundreds of lists on a variety of topics:

  • CataList - L-Soft Listserv Lists, "the official catalog of LISTSERV lists," offers thousands of public mailing lists on the Internet. This directory can be found on the Web at:
    		•
    http://www.lsoft.com/lists/list_q.html
    Enter your search term into the Look for: box, and select Start the search.
  • listTool.com offers over 800 mailing and discussion lists in categories such as literature, art, music, law, computers and Internet, news, medicine and health, culture and society, and business. This directory can be found on the Web at:
    		•
    http://www.listtool.com/
    Here you can look through a listing of all categories, including how many lists each category has, or you can search for lists by keywords.
  • TILE.NET/LISTS also references Internet discussion lists on a variety of topics. This directory can be found on the Web at:
    		•
    http://tile.net/
    For your Category type, select lists. Then, enter your search term into the Text To search for: box and press Enter.
  • The Directory of Scholarly and Professional E-Conferences "evaluates and organizes discussion lists, newsgroups, MUDS, MOO'S, Muck's, Mushes, mailing lists, interactive Web chat groups etc. (e-conferences) on topics of interest to scholars and professionals for use in their scholarly, pedagogical and professional activities." This directory can be found on the Web at:
    		•
    http://www.kovacs.com/directory/
    Here you can search by keyword(s), or by selecting a topic from the Broad Category and Sub-Categories drop-down menus.
    To subscribe to a discussion/mailing list:
    Subscription instructions may vary from list to list. However, the general format consists of the following:
  • Send an email message to the host computer on which the list lives (this is your "Subscription Address"). Leave the subject line blank. The text of your message should read as follows:

    SUBSCRIBE LISTNAME Yourfirstname Yourlastname

    For example, to subscribe to the following mailing list:

    List Name: ANCIEN-L
    Subscription Address: listserv@ulkyvm.louisville.edu
    Submission Address: ANCIEN-L@ulkyvm.louisville.edu
    Contact Address: James A. Cocks; JACOCK01@ulkyvm.louisville.edu

    Send the following email message:

    To: listserv@ulkyvm.louisville.edu
    From: janesmith@columbiasc.edu
    Subject:
    Cc:
    Bcc:
    Attachments:
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subscribe ANCIEN-L Jane Smith
  • Do not include any other text in your message, and leave the subject line blank, as this is being read by a computer program and not by a person. The program will not understand and will bounce back your command if it is not worded as specified.

    If you are having difficulty, send an email message to the Contact Address for help.



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    Page last modified by Sarah Hood
    Date: 6/13/06
    [Columbia College]
    [Edens Library, Columbia South Carolina]