Re; Electronic publishing: Where is FLORA ONLINE ?

[Adolf Ceska]

FLORA ONLINE was (or still is?) an electronic journal, once closely
associated with TAXACOM. It has published over twenty-five issues. I had a
bookmark for the gopher where it was archived, but that bookmark does not
work for me any more. I have some issues on 5 1/4 " diskettes, but I
cannot read them, because I have only a 3 1/2 " disk drive. I am sure that I
can find a large floppy reader, but I am certain that I won't find a
librarian who would be able to find me the following "paper" :
Aiken, S.G. & M.J. Dallwitz. 1991. Festuca (Poaceae) of North America -
Interactive identification and information retrieval. Flora Online 26.
(January 14, 1991)

I am NOT looking for this particular paper, I use it only as an
example. Please notice that this paper appeared just about five years ago.

I am a self-appointed editor of BEN (Botanical Electronic News) an in its
almost four year existence, BEN published notices on over sixty species
new for the flora of British Columbia.  These records have been ignored by
people who compile data on the B.C. flora.

It is amazing how much information is in the "cyberspace." At the present
time this information is in its plasmodial stage and there is an urgent
need for "electronic librarians." There are some nodes that help us to
find what we are looking for ("Helsinki" web site, Australian National
Botanical Garden gopher, library catalogues accessible from melvyl,
etc.), but the "electronic publishing" is still in its infant stage.

I am an avid proponent of electronic publishing (cf. BEN), but I am very
skeptical about its role in publishing new species. What is the meaning of
"LITERA SCRIPTA MANET" in this electronic age?

Adolf Ceska, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
aceska at freenet.victoria.bc.ca