Highlights of
the New Penn Web

The Penn Home Page (front cover) leads to five views of the Penn Web, (such as the Faculty and Colleagues Worldwide, right), each structured to emphasize items most used by major audience groups. There is overlap among the views, and the last view includes an alphabetical catalog of Penn organizational Web pages. For those without a graphical Web "browser," a text-only version (below) of the Penn Web is available through Lynx (see "Accessing the Penn Web" below). For a limited transition period, Penn's old home page and the PennInfo Main Menu will also be available. All PennInfo information is accessible from the Penn Web, and all of it will migrate to "native" Web format as it is updated. Learning resources and development tools are being compiled to assist campus information providers. The initial draft of a new Penn Web Style Guide, offering practical information on Web page design and implementation, graphic and stylistic elements, was also released last Friday (link no longer available).

The WebStamp


The WebStamp symbol on a Penn Web page means that it contains official University of Pennsylvania information, certified to be accurate and current. The WebStamp is being phased in as documents are reviewed by their owners.

Each official Penn Web page contains the electronic address of the person responsible for its creation and maintenance, and names the official University authority certifying its content. Comments regarding the page should be directed to the responsible individual, or to the certifying authority.

Feedback Invited


Enhancements to the Penn Web are being guided by a steering committee and advisory group including representatives of all twelve schools and the major administrative centers. Questions about the Penn Web and suggestions for improvements and extensions should be directed to the Penn Web Committee, c/o Office of the Vice President and Secretary, Suite 400, 133 South 36th St./3246, or webcom@pobox.upenn.edu.

Two 'Buttons' to Get to Know


The "Search" button provides full-text searching of indexes covering several Penn Web servers now--and by October is expected to cover all.

The "Calendar" button opens a unified, University-wide listing of events, searchable by numerous criteria, such as event type, name or location Local calendar "czars" in schools and departments can easily update and maintain their entries--and have them automatically routed to Almanac for print publication.

Accessing the Penn Web (http://www.upenn.edu)


There are several ways to access the Penn Web, depending on your software or type of network connection. The most popular are summarized below.

A graphical view: A graphical view of the Penn Web requires graphical browsing software, a high-speed network connection, and a relatively powerful computer (see "More on Netscape", below). Netscape 1.1N is the supported browser at Penn. Other graphical browsers offer fewer or different features, resulting in less attractive screen layouts and inability to access some popular features such as the Penn Library's interactive, on-line forms. Non-graphical browsers such as Lynx have these and additional limitations (e.g., no sound, video, or still images).

Via Netscape Web browser (Macintosh or Windows): Type http://www.upenn.edu/ under "Open Location:" in the Netscape File menu.

A non-graphical view: No special browsing software is needed; a browser named Lynx is available on most campus host computers. If you already use the network for e-mail, the Library's on-line catalog, or other networked resources at Penn, you should be able to use one of the methods below.

More on Netscape, its Hardware/Software Requirements