Kenneth L. Busch

In libraries, patrons now often find that shelves of printed references have been replaced with computer terminals that access the array of electronic resources on the library intranet, as well as access to resources, information collections, and unsupervised sites and musings of the external web. Should casual readers look a bit more carefully through the reference lists for "Mass Spectrometry Forum" over the past year, they would find at first a smattering, and then recently more references cited by their URL (universal resource locator) or by their DOI (digital object identifier). Some resources might be found in both printed and electronic form. The contrast between availability and portability of the forms is dramatic. But more and more, resources that support our continuing education in mass spectrometry are found solely in electronic form, and, through web access, are available virtually anywhere.

The web, however, is more than a simple portal to educational resources for mass spectrometry (MS) that can be delivered and displayed electronically, but closely resemble the classic printed forms. Search engines provide the means to discover new resources, in both printed and visual form. Links between sites create the network of interrelated resources. Alerts can be set in a user profile so that newly posted resources (applications, technical notes, announcements, and new research publications) are brought to the attention of the users. Further, the web brings not only text, but images, sound, video, and interactivity to the user. None of this is any surprise in 2010; the expansion and maturation of the web has infiltrated modern life quite expertly. It is perhaps only when we hold a mass spectrometry book in our hand, and remember how eager we were to first purchase it and read it, that we might appreciate just how fundamental a change has occurred in our access to information resources.

A previous column (1), "Electronic Resources for Mass Spectrometry," appeared in 1996, which seems like (and is) ancient electronic history. The American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) was still publishing abstracts from the annual meeting in printed form. Recently, ASMS renamed the elected position of Member-at-Large for Measurements and Standards to Member-at-large Digital Communications to reflect changing responsibilities. The Journal of the Society is available electronically, conference papers are submitted electronically, and the Society creates webcasts for some sessions. An ASMS member can vote electronically for the elected positions, pay dues electronically, and update member information via the web. One of the challenges facing the member elected to this new position will be how all such electronic information should be archived, and how long it should be available, and to whom. It might seem that there is no substantial investment in maintaining electronic information, but there is in fact a substantial commitment to secure storage, ready access, and the availability of information in a digital form that will remain widely readable into the indefinite future.

It is time to revisit the web to survey the resources available to those interested in learning about MS, at all different levels. We begin with the obvious disclaimer that this overview cannot be comprehensive, but must be selective. Resources on the web are extensive, but there is no guarantee that they are not duplicative, and no assurance that the information presented is accurate. Of course the same is true for printed media, but while a poorly composed book can reach an audience of a few thousand readers, a website is available at the stroke of a key to millions. The price for accessibility is the speed with which inaccurate information can be dispersed, and the risk that such information cannot be traced or recalled. For commercial and other purposes, there are many sites that do not offer original content, but present collections of material from other sites, sometimes presented without proper attribution. The accuracy of the information on such aggregator sites must be evaluated carefully. Finally, and in contrast to the permanence of the printed page, the web is transient. Not only can the content of a web page change, but the availability of links also changes. The information might still exist on the web, but it is not clickable and can be accessed only with the full URL. As an example with which readers are surely familiar, search engines may index a site that is changed by the time a reader attempts to view it. Examination of cached sites and looking through the Wayback machine (2) provides some rudimentary tools to uncover information from the web that is not current.