). 
More and more IRIS members are using the web to distribute materials for courses they teach. In addition to course syllabi, many provide reviews, supplementary readings, or copies of slides used in lectures; some even lecture from the web. This enables them to use color figures, sound, animations, interactive Java applets, etc. to enhance the communication of concepts (i.e. teaching). However, all face the problem that putting materials on the web is a form of publishing and is restricted by copyright. This is not a problem if only original figures and diagrams are used, but generating these entails a lot of work (and some artistic talent as well). The IRIS Education and Outreach Committee would like to provide a service to IRIS members by maintaining an archive of contributed, copyright-free teaching materials. These would be served from a webpage with thumbnails for browsing and with a keyword search capability.
Several universities and agencies currently provide similar archives, particularly of geologic photos. We do not wish to duplicate these efforts. On the other hand, we would like to provide a central, stable location where professors can be assured of finding web materials at the same address, without having to search every time a course is taught. Cooperative arrangements are being worked out. Perhaps we can mirror other valuable sites; at least we can provide links to them.
In the meantime, we would like to build up our own archive of materials by soliciting contributions. If you have materials such as images (GIF, JPEG, PICT, Postscript), sound files, animations, text descriptions of demonstrations or lab exercises, etc., which you know are free of copyright restrictions (either your own original creations or substantially modified with acknowledgment of the original source), please contribute these to the archive. Although we are seismologists, we also teach courses covering a broader range of topics (physical geology, oceanography, environmental science, general geophysics, etc.), so contributions from a range of sub-disciplines are welcome.
A web submission form may be found at http://www.iris.edu. You will be prompted for your name, address and email address, a brief description of the figure or material, a caption, and a set of keywords. If the material is already on the web, simply enter the URL where it can be found. If not, you can ftp it to the IRIS anonymous ftp directory. Upon clicking the "submit" button, you are agreeing to a statement which attests that the material is free of copyright restriction, allows IRIS to disseminate the material, and allows it to be used for any legitimate purpose.
Some image archives are accessible only to those who have contributed, but since
our purpose is to facilitate improved teaching through the use of web materials,
we wish to maintain open access. Therefore we are relying on the generosity
of IRIS members to contribute. The scope and usefulness of the archive will
evolve as more contributions are received. You can access the archive from
the IRIS homepage or the Education and Outreach page. If you have questions
or suggestions, please contact Jeff Barker (barker@sunquakes.geol.binghamton.edu) or
Debbie Barnes ().
