Thanks to those of you who responded to my query re proper procedures
for quoting and citing electronic information.  Len Piotrowski's and Tim
Scarlett's links to web sites were very useful.  Jack and Anita
recommended a book entitle ELECTRONIC STYLE GUIDE (will try to find a
copy).  From these suggestions, I have drafted the following for
submission to the SHA Copy-editor:
 
--------
 
46. Electronic Sources, unpublished on the Internet (World Wide Web,
FTP, and Gopher sites; Listserv, Usenet Group, and E-Mail messages):
 
Author's Last name, First Name and Initial [Author's Internet Address]
Year or n.d.   Title of Site or Page, or Subject of Message [Internet
Address].  Date of site/page creation/update, or date of message.
 
   <Should this note be included?
   NOTE: It is incumbent that scholar's referencing electronic sources
maintain a copy of the information as cited, treating the source as a
personal communication. [see DISCUSSION below]>
 
 
World Wide Web
 
Clouse, Robert A.
1996  American Fur Company District Headwquaters, Mendota, Minnesota,
USA; Minnesota Historical Society, Archaeology, Excavations On-line
[http://www.umn.edu/marp/dig/site1.html].
 
FTP
 
????
 
Gopher
 
????
 
Listserv Message
 
Steen, Carl [[log in to unmask]]
1997  Re: Button marks - help. [[log in to unmask]  22 January
1997.
 
Usenet Group
 
????
 
E-Mail Message
 
Ross, Lester A. [[log in to unmask]]
1997  Book Review Reply and Glass Beads. Personal communication to
Brooke Arkush [[log in to unmask]].  24 January 1997.
 
 
In-text citation for all electronic references: (Author Date)
 
---------
 
DISCUSSION:
 
Concern is expressed for the ephemeral nature of these references.  Carl
Steen noted that perhaps electronic sources should be cited as personal
communications.  Our traditional methods for citing references is based
upon a paradigm that citations will lead us to published references
which can be relocated at a library or archive, or within a scholar's
personal correspondence.  Inherent with this paradigm is the assumption
that printed materials have a long shelf life.  Not so with electronic
data which accessed a few months or weeks ago may no longer be
available.  As with the receipient of written correspondence, should it
be incumbent upon the scholar who uses electronic data to download or
print a copy for their own files for future reference?  It seems
rediculous to cite sources which are extinct and may never be
retrieved.  The above draft format for references is appropriate for
citations, but are such citations futile gestures if the data is not
archived?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  LAR