Perspective: Cyberia

AOL on AOL: America Online likes to boast that it's one of the easiest online services for people to learn. But, for the stragglers out there, help isn't too hard to find. Wired in a Week, How AOL Can Improve Your Life in 10 Minutes a Day (Warner Books, $6.99) by Regina Lewis, AOLs online adviser, gives a seven-day outline to happier surfing, from getting started on Day 1 to e-mail, instant messaging and chat on Day 2 to shopping and other online activities. The book is only 150 pages, so fast learners may not take a whole week. And, of course, it comes complete with AOL software on a CD-ROM disc.

CHECK OUT THE LibrarE: The Tampa Bay Library Consortium has started LibrarE, a program that allows patrons to check out e-books online. To participate, people need to create an account at a computer located in one of the more than 30 west-central Florida library systems participating in the consortium, which includes those in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. After the account is set up, people can log on from any computer with Internet access to check out more than 6,000 e-book titles.

BOOK TALK: If the Web doesn't have exactly what you're seeking in a literary site, maybe you should create your own. In fact, that's one of the ideas behind www.talkaboutbooks.com, a site that bills itself as a destination for literary enthusiasts to discuss and review favorite works and authors. One of the recently featured authors was Piers Anthony from Inverness in Citrus County.

NOT-SO-EASY E-MAIL: E-mail would seem to be one of life's simple pleasures. But based on letters we get, it also causes more than its share of technical headaches for users. Outlook 2000 in a Nutshell (O'Reilly, $29.95) by Tom Syroid and Bo Leuf explains Microsoft's e-mail program, which Syroid describes as having more than its share of quirks and nuances.

BROWSING MAGAZINES: Looking for a magazine article but just can't seem to find it? MagPortal.com allows browsers to look up articles through its subject categories or by a search. It also offers a weekly newsletter for recent articles.

-- Dave Gussow is the Times personal technology editor.

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