While I agree that there is a tremendous amount to be added to the WWW in the way of primary materials, I'd argue that there is already excellent content one can use in one's work. Sites such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives have put up valuable primary material and maintained high standards for fidelity and accessibility. It also has a wealth of material including rare books and documents of African-American history and almost 170 books, pamphlets, and other artifacts of the National American Women Suffrage Association. I've discovered other essays on the WWW that were quite useful in my dissertation or leading me to sources of which I would not otherwise have been aware. Thus, I think that the WWW should be thought of as research resource as well as a place to find out information about respositories of such information, as Adams describes.
Many graduate students teach or are teaching assistants.
I'd like to ask whether Adams has used this approach in asking students to assess more traditional sources of primary materials, for I believe that one of the more useful aspects of using the WWW in teaching is in focusing new interest on pedagogy overall. With a focus on future job seeking, Adams describes how WWW sites created by graduate students in their teaching can be used as on-line portfolios to submit to prospective employers. While I agree with her about their value for this purpose, I'd raise the caveat that one cannot assume that the rest of the scholarly world shares our passion for the electronic world. While some institutions will most likely be impressed with WWW sites, it is my guess that many of the most esteemed institutions will be most interested in the scholarly accomplishments of their applicants, including traditional publications, and good evaluations on teaching. I would like to hear from Adams and others anecdotal information on whether expertise in electronic communications has made a difference in job opportunities.