Library sends Penn on 'Web hunt'

The World Wide Web has opened up a whole new range of possibilities for computer users. Students can now make plane reservations, order compact discs, read the complete works of Shakespeare -- or win a Gateway 2000 Pentium computer, fully equipped and configured to fit every scholarly need. This latest addition is the grand prize for the 1996 Great Library Web Hunt sponsored by the University's library system. The contest began yesterday. "We hope to demonstrate to the Penn community and the on-line community what resources are out there," Associate Director for Library Development Selden Smith said. "We hope this will really open their eyes to what is out there." The Internet hunt challenges contestants to explore the Web and evaluate their navigation skills by asking them to locate certain sites. The contest is open to both University students and the general public, but only University affiliates are eligible to win prizes. The questions for the first round were posted yesterday afternoon at "http://www.library.upenn.edu/friends/showcase/webhunt/webhunt.html". Contestants have until 12 p.m. Friday to turn in a printout of their answers to a box in Van Pelt Library. Those participants who answer every question correctly will move on to the second round. The top 49 students from the second round will be eligible for the semi-finals. Seven semi-finalists will then compete in real time at the library for first place on November 2. The Web Hunt is the centerpiece of the electronic library's celebration of ENIAC's 50th anniversary. "We were just kicking out ideas to celebrate the library showcase during Homecoming Weekend," Smith said. "This is the most exciting of the things we are doing." In addition to the Pentium grand prize, all seven finalists will receive gift certificates from The Book Store. "It both encourages and rewards the information-finding skills that are at the heart of effective use of the Library," said Vice Provost Paul Mosher, who directs the library system. "We draw attention to an essential element of the Penn library's mission." While the contest highlights the electronic aspects of the library, Smith assured those who may be anxious about the new technology that the print library is still quite vital. "The electronic library in no way displaces the traditional library," he said. "We need both and our goal is to have both."