ASSOCIATES (vol. 5, no. 2, November 1998) - associates.ucr.edu
Michael D. Brooks
St. Joseph's University
brooks@sju.edu
There you are sitting at the Reference Desk when a patron comes up to you and asks if you know of any web sites that could give them some information about insects. So you spring into action, refer to your trusty list of useful web sites and tell them to go to http://www.insect-world.com/main/six.html.
The patron will find themselves at "The Insect World Front Page" which contains a link called The Wonderful World of Insects where they will be introduced to all kinds of information about insects. This site is an amateur entomologist’s dream come true. Much of this information is useful to junior and high school level students and above. There are numerous links to a variety of sites.
Unfortunately, some of those links do not work (at least they didn’t for me). But this is a minor drawback. The site is so extensive, it would be unreasonable to think or believe that all the links will work.
One nice feature is a built-in search engine that will take you to the various files contained on the site. There is the option of searching a "short index" of the files on the site or actually searching topics listed in the engine.
A person can pick and choose among an extensive list of insects to look up. The information is linked to allow a human browser to go from article to article, parts of articles, or view pictures of the types of insects being searched.
In addition to article information and pictures, there are links to other insect-related sites and organizations that are dedicated to the study of insects. There is even a glossary of terms.
For the really dedicated entomologist, access to organizations and schools with programs in the study of insects that supply material and equipment for such study is made available.
There is a "Book Review Page" which list books and book publishers about insects. Books can be searched by subject or publisher. Reviews of journals, CD-Roms are available.
The designer of this web site has a page where he requests financial support for the continued existence of the site. Contributions to the site are solely at the discretion of the person doing the browsing. Listed along with his reasons for obtaining financial support are links to sites that have listed his as one of the best on the Web. One, a link to the University of Exeter: http://www.ex.ac.uk/, lists the "The Insects Home Page" as one of a series of "sites of special interest." It is highlighted by a quote from the December 1995 issue of Internet Magazine.
For anyone who loves to study bugs, this site is a worth a look. Its links and sources will take days, weeks, or longer to actually go through. Perusing this site, to a junior or senior entomologist, is equivalent to a kid being in a candy store.
Copyright 1998 by Michael D. Brooks
First North American Serial Rights Only.
