Cooler by the Lake is a subject guide to the web with an emphasis on Northeast Wisconsin sites and resources. Using a "field guide" theme, Guideposts have been created for key subject areas. Some topics, such as Automotive, Books and Literature, and Genealogy, are typical public library fare. Others, like Law, Religion and Spirituality, and Women's Studies are more academic. Still other areas of interest, including Hobbies and Collecting, Home and Garden, and Travel are more consumer-oriented. The Field Notes at each subject link are updated to convey news about the topic. The Wisconsin Trail Mix at each link is a list of Wisconsin sites about the topic. For example, at the Parenting and Families Guidepost, the Field Notes give an overview of the topic with a mention of special resources, such as the brochure "Life as a Parent", available online. The Wisconsin Trail Mix lists Wisconsin parenting links such as the Wisconsin Parents Association, the University of Wisconsin Extension Family Living Program, and Wisconsin Families Online. The links are annotated and will be updated for currency.

The Trailblazers section of the site provides a means to navigate the web by linking users to the OWLSnet Online Catalog (the computer catalog of Northeast Wisconsin public libraries), WISCAT (the statewide library catalog), BadgerLink (magazine and newspaper indexes, many containing full-text articles), EBSCO (indexes to academic, general interest, health and business magazines and journals), Proquest Newspapers (access to 41 local, national, and international newspapers), APL QuickRef (links to many web resources from the Appleton Public Library site), and Internet Search Tools (links to the most productive web search engines).

The last two sections of Cooler by the Lake, Community and Local Libraries, link users to Northeast Wisconsin community resources and the web sites of area public libraries. Examples of those links include GreenBay.Com, Information and Referral of the Fox Valley, and libraries large (Brown County) and small (Shiocton).

Cooler by the Lake is coordinated by Beth Carpenter, electronic resources librarian at the Outagamie Waupaca Library System, and Evan Bend, Reference Librarian at Appleton Public Library. They work with librarians from OWLS and the Nicolet Federated Library System to produce the site.

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