History on the Web: A New Little but Useful Book

This is a comment on the useful and quickly read little book by historian Andrew McMichael, History on the Web: Using and Evaluating the Internet (Wheeling, Illinois: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 2005). It's held in Lockwood Library under the call number D16.117.M38.2005. Incidentally, this book is -- for sure -- physically "little."

Sections include A Short History of the Internet. This is a good and pithy overview. The author observes that it's silly to think the net evolved in response to the threat of nuclear war. The real task was figuring out a way to link remote computers with one another. How to Find History Sites. The difference between Yahoo and Google is explored and the author concludes that Yahoo is a better choice for history students. Using and Evaluating Online Materials. One of the examples used is the familiar quandry of Holocaust denial sites. The Rest of the Net. When and how to use mailing lists (e.g., H-Net) and newsgroups (alt and soc) is discussed. Putting Content on the Web -- Some Suggestions. Recommends student presentations and other assignments.

Instructors would benefit from a quick read. There are things to think about here -- at least a little bibliography and some suggested instructional Web sites would have been useful. The bloodhounds doing an online ssearch before venturing into the woods -- the cover cartoon -- is a nice touch.