Argus Associates announces revision of the Clearinghouse.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 19, 1995--Argus Associates announces a major revision of the Clearinghouse for Subject Oriented Internet Resource Guides, an Internet based collection of more than 200 subject specific guides which provide access to thousands of free Internet information resources.

The Clearinghouse, a popular resource with more than 1 million uses per year, helps Internet users from all over the world find the information they need. Sample Clearinghouse guide topics include biotechnology, film and video, employment opportunities, personal finance, K-12 education, and environmental studies. The topical guides provide objective descriptions and subjective evaluations, as well as instructions for accessing the resources. Guides are developed and maintained by authors on remote computers all over the world. These authors make their guides freely available as a valuable service to the global Internet community.

Karen Schneider, President of Blue Highways Internet Services and editor of Internet Reference Success Stories is one of many satisfied users. Karen explains "the Clearinghouse is a vital first stop for any major research project. Many of its subject guides are the best in their area, and the guide to nonprofit public service organizations is hands-down one of the most useful resources on the Internet."

Major improvements to the Clearinghouse include a new organizational scheme, an enhanced graphical interface, and a series of title pages that provide consistent information about each guide. "We're very excited about the new Clearinghouse and we're already working on additional improvements," says Louis Rosenfeld, president of Argus Associates. Argus, an Internet consulting firm that specializes in the design of large-scale World Wide Web sites, officially became a co-sponsor of the Clearinghouse in February 1995. In a cooperative arrangement, Argus manages the development and administration of the Clearinghouse and the University of Michigan provides the telecommunications infrastructure.

Future plans for the Clearinghouse include the integration of a keyword search capability and guide evaluations. "At present, guides in the Clearinghouse vary widely in terms of quality," says Rosenfeld. "In order to make the Clearinghouse more popular and successful, we need to set a higher standard," he explains. "By evaluating the guides according to the level of description, evaluation, organization, and presentation, we hope to nudge authors to improve and maintain their guides."

The Clearinghouse was founded on the belief that in order to make the Internet a useful information environment, human effort must complement automated searching and browsing tools. Argus believes that the value-added model, which involves the participation of "digital librarians" in the selection, description, and evaluation of information resources will become more important in the near future. "As the volume of Internet information continues to increase exponentially, search engines and automated directories will be overloaded," says Rosenfeld. As this happens, Argus expects that users will increasingly turn to value-added services such as the Clearinghouse for fast and easy access to online information.

Argus can be reached at 313.913.0010 or by email at [e-mail] or via the World Wide Web at improve//argus-inc.com/

NOTE: In the e-mail address above an ``at'' sign should appear between the words ``info'' and ``argus''. An ``at'' sign should also appear between the words ``lou'' and ``argus'' in the e-mail address listed below. Also, two slashes should appear between ``improve'' and ``argus'' in the World Wide Web address.

CONTACT: Argus Associates, Ann Arbor

Louis Rosenfeld, 313/913-0010

[e-mail]