About six months ago I converted from a monthly "Research Notes"
to an electonic format.  Right now we use a bulk email distribution
to five different lists bases on areas of interest.  We also
 have a list for News items that everyone that is on any of the lists
is also on.  We summarize grant opportunities and then provide
either a contact name and number or advise them to contact our office
for a full copy of application materials, etc.  We also re-distribute
the NIH Table of Contents which we get from NIHTOC-L.  Investigators
then write back to our email address (or call) and we can
email them the full text of any RFAs or PAs from the Guide after pulling
them off the NIH Gopher.

Issues we have had to deal with include the volume of mail such a
service generates -- based on user feedback we have gone to
an abbreviated "listing" format for some of our busier areas (of course, then
they have to contact us for more info--which some find anoying and would
they have to contact us for more info--which some find anoying and would
rather have the full text of every announcement mailed to them--well
you can't please all the people all of the time.)  Then we have the
problem of not every investigator having email access.  Doing both
paper and electronic is crazy, so we have designated certain administrative
staff out in the departments to get listings to people that don't have
email by printing out and distributing.

All and all it has gone over very well; however, my ultimate goal
is to go with a gopher site that we will upkeep and investigators
can access at their own initiative.  We're working on it.

Feedback has been very good so far, but I can't point to particular
"funding hits"  I would agree with the value of such publications
as a profile-builder.  In particular, I think with  gopher, WWW and
the "medium is the message."  I sense a new level of respect from some
investigators when they see us playing around in  cyberspace --
traditionally their turf.  Just a thought

* Elizabeth (Liz) Mazzella            xxxxxx@HEALTH.STATE.NY.US*
* Director, Technology Transfer & Contract Programs           *
* Health Research, Inc. (A Non-Profit Corp.) Albany NY 12209  *
* Voice: (518) 431-1200                    Fax: (518)431-1234 *