Betapudi's duties for keeping the Center accessible to the online world include maintaining a local area network, the e-mail system, the database of Southern Register subscribers, and backup of the various computer systems the Center utilizes. In addition, he works on the development of hypertext documents and the Center's World Wide Web server maintenance. Since February, Betapudi has updated the look of the site and is currently working to integrate film and music into the Center's home page.
The Internet serves a number of purposes for the Center. Director Bill Ferris states, "this exciting technology is a key to the Center's growth as we share our resources on the American South with friends throughout the world. Just as Southern literature and music are appreciated in every nation, our resources on these traditions are now easily accessible to the world through the Internet."
A planned feature with information on the restoration of Barnard Observatory will give viewers a virtual tour of the Center, which was honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the adaptive reuse of the historic building. Betapudi hopes to include voice clips from staff members who will guide viewers through the building and tell about the history of the antebellum observatory. Already, information on the Southern Studies B.A. and M.A. programs and faculty gives interested surfers a look at the Center's pioneering academic curriculum. Center publications, Living Blues and Reckon, are presented on the Center's site and subscriptions come in daily from Internet users.
The broad outreach of the Web site to millions of users and its interactive nature make it the perfect showplace for the Southern Culture Catalog. The Center's videos, recordings, posters, and T-shirts are advertised online. Betapudi hopes to make it possible to accept contributions to Friends of the Center over the Internet in the near future.
Betapudi directs questions that come across the Internet about the Center and diverse aspects of Southern culture to those who have the information being requested. The Center's increase in connections with other sites across the country has allowed it to expand its outreach by providing information from a variety of specialized sources that are otherwise not accessible and by providing e-mail feedback.
Cyberspace opens new doors for spreading the word about the Center's mission and the region. Today, the Center's site is accessed over 4,500 times a week. In the future, Betapudi plans to create a distribution list using e-mail.
For more information, or to access the Center online: URL http://www.cssc.olemiss.edu.
Christy Keirn
Internet Publishing Team