At the beginning of each academic year, Shippensburg University (Pennsylvania) organizes small group book discussion sessions designed to draw freshmen into the academic culture and develop critical thought processes. Considerations in selecting books for discussion and in preparing for and orchestrating the sessions are outlined. Some unresolved…

The origins and current use of H-Net, an online humanities network on the World Wide Web, are examined. H-Net currently sponsors 73 electronic discussion lists that reach subscribers in 68 countries. Discussion groups have not met expectations for scholarly exchange, possibly because of plagiarism and copyright concerns. New ventures include book…