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Discover Native American Authors at the Internet Public Library

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Lorri Mon
Internet Public Library
University of Michigan
4029 SEB
610 E. University
Ann Arbor, MI
48109-1092
native@ipl.org

April 18, 1997

ANN ARBOR, MI., April 18, 1997--The Internet Public Library (IPL), a project based at the University of Michigan School of Information, is pleased to announce Native American Authors (/ref/native/) an exciting new addition to the Internet Public Library. This project honors the achievements of approximately 400 Native American authors. The Native American Authors resource was envisioned as way to help people around the world learn about and celebrate the achievements, lives and works of these important authors.

Authors profiled are affiliated with North America, and native by bloodline rather than federal tribal recognition. The web site primarily profiles contemporary native american authors. The creators of this site contacted nearly 100 Native American authors and other members of the Native American community for input and guidance in creating this Native Authors web resource.

Those in search of current information on Native American authors can browse the database of writers by author name, book title or tribal affiliation. Each author entry is comprehensive, including a biography, a listing of books written with accomanying bibliographic information, and the writers tribal affiliation. Many entries also include photographs of authors, as well as links to biographies, reviews, interviews, and books or poems on-line.

This website was created by five graduate students at the School of Information and Library studies at the University of Michigan. Within a three month period, Nicole Campbell, Karen Jania, Lorri Mon, Michelle Sampson and Yolisa Soul researched approximately 400 authors, 700 books, 200 URLs to create this valuable Web-based research tool.

The Internet Public Library is a project based at the University of Michigan School of Information, partially supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The library began as a graduate student project in 1995, and is now staffed by professional librarians with assistance from students and volunteer librarians from around the World. The library maintains a collection of network-based ready reference works; responds to reference queries, creates resources for children and young adults; evaluates and categorizes resources on the Internet, and provides a space for exhibitions. The library strives to be a source of innovation in the networked environment, seeking partnerships with organizations with compatible goals.