infrastructure suitable for the new age of cyberspace.

While the University graciously provides the financial support for the "Electronic Core Collection Initiative" as described on pages 1 and 12 of this newsletter, each CUNY Library still has the major responsibility to develop its own strong onsite resources to support the curriculum offerings of its parent institution. LaGuardia Library's effort in this regard is described on pages 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11 and 12. But more importantly, the Library faculty serve with distinction on all major CUNY-wide Library committees and taskforces to ensure, as much as possible, the relevance (for our academic programs) of products being considered for CUNY wide licensing.

As I see it, we are not currently in dire lack of electronic resources here at LaGuardia. But our faculty and students do need to acquire the requisite skills to search what we do have, and to integrate them into the teaching and learning process.

Technology is a mixed bag. It has its promises and its threats and that keeps it exciting and challenging all at once. What we all have to get used to is the constant and rapid change inherent in the technological realm. Take for example, our Online Public Access Catalog - CUNY+Plus - which most faculty and students are now familiar with, is going to be transformed, in a couple of months, into a web-based product.

The advent of the "CUNY+Web" will serve many useful purposes. It will keep us marching comfortably and and elegantly along the digital superhighway. Users will have, at the click of the mouse, access to a lot more information than they have ever imagined. For instance, the web-based catalog for books and media will offer our students much more connectivity to various areas of its content and provide in addition, hypertext links to related websites. Full text products will yield instant results that may be printable, e-mailable or downloadable at the convenience of the researcher. On the other hand, there will be some challenges to contend with. The challenge will be real.

• Web Pac will replace the old "DPAC" database for accessing books and media.
• Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe will provide access for newspapers and magazines in place of "DNEW".
• Info Trac Web will offer access to magazines in place of "DPER".

These new products will introduce new interfaces and completely different search mechanisms that need to be learned. And more than ever before Library patrons will be faced with the challenge of evaluating and selecting needed