While the CIA may be known for being less than forthright about making its affairs public, its World-Wide Web site provides users with a wealth of information. The CIA's web pages do not by any means form a site for spies-the offerings are strictly unclassified-but useful data can be found here.

The CIA's opening Web page welcomes users to the site, then offers them the following menu options: "What's New at CIAWEB," "About the CIA," "Publications," "Public Affairs," and "Other Intelligence & Community Links." The "Publications" category accounts for most of the site's information by providing access to two useful CIA publications: the CIA World Factbook and the Factbook on Intelligence. The World Factbook provides a country-by-country listing of basic statistical and factual information. Click on a country's name and get information about its population, economy, national holidays, literacy rates, type of legal system, and the strength of its military. The World Factbook also contains appendices which give information on each country's membership in selected U.N. and international organizations. World and regional maps are also available from this source.

The Factbook on Intelligence documents the history of the CIA; it also provides data on the mission and structure of the agency. One can also obtain a brief biography on the Director, a list of CIA medals and honors, as well as an aerial photograph of the CIA Headquarters.

The site's other menu options provide access to CIA press releases, transcripts of speeches given by the Director and Deputy Director, information on employment opportunities within the agency, and hypertextual links to other Web sites containing Intelligence information.

To visit the CIA Web site, type wings at your campus E-mail system prompt and then type the URL http://www.odci.gov/cia/ at the "Go" command. The same URL will be used by those who search the Web with a graphical browser such as Netscape. For assistance in connecting to the World-Wide Web via UB computer accounts, contact the Computing Center's Help Desk at 645-3542.

-Gemma DeVinney and Don Hartman, University Libraries