On Tue, 04 Apr 2000 08:37:12 -0700 Jeff Needle 
writes:

Folks, some time ago there was a CD with the Encyclopedia of Mormonism available for about six bucks. I bought one, and now can't find it anywhere.

Does anyone know if this is still available?

I assume you're talking about the Infobases Introductory Library for $5.95. I got mine at the BYU Bookstore at Christmas. It's available on the Infobase website: http://infobase.ldsworld.com/sdbin/sdext.dll. Go down to about the middle of the page and click "Only $5.95 Order Now." Of course, they don't really want you to order just yet, they want you to browse, so the click will take you to: http://store.yahoo.com/infobases/ Scroll to the very bottom of the page and click on Introductory Library to get to a product description. http://store.yahoo.com/infobases/enofmor.html Finally, click on Order to get to an order form: https://st2.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/wg- order?infobases+enofmor But you may get a note: "This item is not currently available. Please make another selection." Try the BYU Bookstore. (Indeed, while I was writing this review the webpage changed. When I clicked on the Introductory Library link to bring up the Yahoo store the Introductory library was no longer there. Instead I got a message "We are no longer carrying several products. To purchase these and other products online visit http://www.DeseretBook.com.")

I was a bit disappointed in the Introductory Library. It has some nice features, like the Greek-Hebrew Lexicon, but it's a rather confusing program to use. Once I put the CD in the CD ROM drive (after first installing the program, of course) I have to go through as many steps to get to the search engine as to order from the website.

Suppose I want to find that passage in Isaiah that talks about a nail. First I have to click on the introductory library graphic, then on Run Sample, then on Continue. Next I click on the Search icon on the simulated leather binding. Out comes the Advanced Search page. I don't want every reference to nail in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, so I choose Scripture from the collection field.

No hits. If I use the wildcard, nail* I get 5 hits. Now, how do I view them? It takes me several times using the program to realize that I can press Enter, click on the View Text tab at the bottom of the half- screen window the program uses, or on the View icon on the simulated leather binding. (Later I click the Setup icon on the simulated leather binding and find that I have marked Advanced Search as my default. I change it to Simple Search, and I can see most of the text window where the results appear on a background picture of the Angel Moroni or the Savior.)

But all 5 hits are from the New Testament. Nothing from Isaiah 22, let alone Judges 4. And how do I go from one hit to the other? The version of Folio I used at WordPerfect was so much easier. It had a Results window containing a phrase with the search term for each hit. Look down the results list and click on the particular phrase to see the text in a line below.

Oh, maybe if I click on the left and right arrows in the lower right hand corner of the program window. I can move from one hit to another. But where are the scriptures from the Old Testament? I'd sure hate for someone to think Latter-day Saints don't esteem the Hebrew Bible any more than the protestants do.

Well maybe the Encyclopedia of Mormonism has some interesting reference to nail. I'll choose Entire Library. Ah, 19 hits, (nail* produces 37) and Judges 4:21 is the first. I click the right arrow and I go into the Greek and Hebrew Lexicons for 3 hits before finding Isaiah 22:25. This is confusing.

Well, maybe if I click on that tab at the bottom that says Open Catalog I can see a list of the results. It's arranged according to some kind of percent. Isaiah 22:25 gets 75% (hmm, that's a C, not a Middle-C or a High-C or a Yo Heave Ho, or an Old Man and the C, or a C-note, just a plain old C). I have to go down 7 more places on the list to find Isaiah 22:22, which has the identical phrase as verse 25 but is rated only 68% (D+, I think. Maybe C-.)

Well, now that I understand it better It's a little easier to use, and it does have some very nice features, like Webster's 1828 Dictionary. I'll have to send this review to my father as a tutorial. I got him a copy too, but I've never been able to get it to work at his home.

And it may not be available anymore. The GospeLink/Infobase Library Plus, at Deseretbook.com has the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, but if it's as clunky as this program I'm not sure I'd want to shell out $19.95 for it.

Harlow S. Clark