The Seguin-Guadalupe County Public Library is now on the web! While the library has been providing high speed Internet access to customers since November of last year (we currently have 6 Internet terminals), we just recently brought our web page online.

Making its debut in February, the library web page (www.seguin.lib.tx.us) provides information about the library and special programs, access to the library's online catalog, and a list of selected links we feel are informative and fun. Our goal is to create a site that is useful to customers of all ages.

Need to know if we have the most recent novel by John Grisham or books on the Y2K bug? Now you can find out what the library owns with a few simple clicks and keystrokes. To search our catalog from the comfort of home simply select the library catalog icon on the web page (www.seguin.lib.tx.us/catalog.htm) and follow the instructions on the screen.

For children, we offer the Kids Page. This page provides information about upcoming children's programs and special events. Also included on the kids page is "Nothing But Net," a list of annotated links specifically geared toward children.

For online homework assistance, "Nothing but Net" includes links to sites such as "The Nine Planets," which provides information, photos, and diagrams on the planets in our solar system, and "Homework Central," which contains over 30,000 kid safe links to research and information in 2,200 academic areas. These sites, as well as the other links on the page, are excellent starting points for homework help when you can not get to the library.

Understanding that everyone needs a little break for some fun, we have also included links to sites such as "The Headbone Zone" and "FunBrain.Com." These pages contain interactive games and other learning adventures for children ages 8 - 17.

Sometimes the vast amount of information available on the Internet can be rather intimidating and overwhelming. If you find this to be the case, our Internet Resources page (www.seguin.lib.tx.us/resources.htm) may be of assistance.

The links on this page are arranged into five broad subject categories ranging from City and County links to Reference and Texas sites. In the City and County section, you will find links to the City of Seguin's home page, which provides City information as well as local demographics, and local businesses and community organizations such as the Mid-Texas Symphony, city guide Seguin.Net, and the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Reference section includes links to reference resources such as Encyclopedia.com, Project Vote Smart, and the White House Briefing Rooms. You can also access catalogs from other libraries from around the world as well as find links to a variety of online dictionaries and thesauruses.

The Internet Resources page also has a Site of the Month area and Staff Recommended Sites section, which provide links to staff-selected sites that fun, entertaining and informative. The links in these areas change monthly so be sure to check for new sites.

While we are very excited about our new web site and the new technology we now have available for our customers, we want to emphasize that we are continuing to build and enhance our print resources. The electronic resources simply allow us to expand our collection beyond the physical walls of library.

We invite and encourage the citizens of Seguin and Guadalupe County to take a few minutes out their busy days to stop by the library and take a look at what we have to offer. After all, this is really your library.

Since August 1998, Jacki Gross has been the Assistant Library Director of the Seguin-Guadalupe County Public Library. She holds a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. Prior to coming to Seguin, she worked at the San Antonio Public Library and the Universal City Public Library.

To contribute to the Internet Beat column, contact column coordinator Gloria R. Rivera at riverag@connecti.com or 303-5526, fax 372-1418; http://www.seguin.net.