ICOM-L will be announced to the Internet community during the
next few days. Everyone who subscribes from now on will
automatically receive two messages. The first provides basic
LISTSERV operating instructions and was sent to all current
members of ICOM-L when they subscribed to ICOM-Announce. The
second provides specific information about ICOM-L and may be
seen as the list's charter.

This text is being forwarded herewith to present list members.
Although it may seem rather austere, please keep in mind that
it is only a statement of the list's ground rules. The actual
tone of the discussion on ICOM-L can be as friendly and relaxed
as the contributors choose to make it.

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ICOM-L is intended to provide the electronic network community
with a forum for the discussion of ICOM's activities. Official
announcements about the availability of ICOM documents on archive
sites on the Internet, as well as general news and information
about ICOM's scheduled events are made on a separate list,
ICOM-Announce, which is open for public subscription but not
used as a discussion forum. ICOM-L therefore serves as a primary
channel for feedback about material posted on ICOM-Announce.

All members of ICOM-L are welcome and encouraged to submit
material relevant to the purposes of the list as described here.
In order to protect both the host system and the list members
from the indiscriminately addressed junk mailings which are
becoming a sad fact of network life, all contributions will
automatically be forwarded to the list's moderator for approval
prior to being posted on the full list. For similar reasons, the
names and e-mail addresses of the list members are only available
to the list members, themselves.

If material is submitted which is clearly more appropriate for
one of ICOM's other distribution lists the moderator will contact
the contributor and suggest the corresponding redirection. Please
note that all announcements made by representatives of ICOM's
component bodies concerning ICOM activities will be chanelled
through ICOM-Announce.

ICOM-L is intended specifically for the discussion of issues
relating to ICOM and its activities. There are other distribution
lists (most noteably MUSEUM-L) which are more suitable for
general museological issues and ICOM-L should not be seen as
simply one more list to which material must be posted if the
contributor wishes to address the entire museum community.

Please observe normal rules of network etiquette when posting to
ICOM-L. This includes avoiding the routine cross-posting of
material which is also sent to other lists. Commercial advertising
is not permitted but you are welcome to mention goods and services
which you feel may be of interest to the list members as long as
this reference has a clear connection to the list's activities.