Listserv - FAQ

What is a Listserv?

Listserv is a high-performance mailing list management system that provides members of the Dartmouth community with the ability to manage large or geographically dispersed groups of subscribers via email. Dartmouth College licenses the Listserv software from L-Soft Corporation.

What are the characteristics of Listserv?

Listserv is suitable for managing lists that require one or more of the following:

  • World-wide advertisement of the topic.
  • Automatic processing of subscription and sign-off requests.
  • Automatic maintenance of archives of postings.
  • Automatic formation of daily digests of postings.
  • Control of the posting process, including moderation, limitations on service area, or limiting the ability to post to subscribers or editors.
  • The number of subscribers is potentially large (over 1,000) or widely distributed geographically.
  • The subscribers of the list contains non-Dartmouth.edu addresses.

How can I request a Listserv list?

Lists can be requested by active Dartmouth faculty, staff, or students. The list purpose and use must be in support of the mission of the college. To request a Listserv list, submit the Mailing List request form.

What are the responsibilities of a Listserv list owner?

The list owner must be a member of the Dartmouth community with a valid Dartmouth account. The owner's responsibilities include:

  • Adding or removing subscribers, as applicable.
  • Moderating the list, as applicable.
  • Answering subscriber questions.
  • Managing list configuration and settings.
  • Sharing self-serve information for subscriber mail delivery issues.
  • Informing ITC when the list is no longer needed.
  • Responding to ITC outreach regarding list status and use.

Managing a Listserv mailing list

A Listserv mailing list can be managed with a web-based interface or by sending commands to the list via email.

Web-based interface

The web-based interface can be found at:

  • Go to http://listserv.dartmouth.edu.
  • Log in using your full Dartmouth email address, e.g. firstname.m.lastname@dartmouth.edu, with your email password. NOTE: If you are a student, you will need to add your class year following the lastname; e.g., john.a.doe.18@dartmouth.edu.
  • To locate your list, either scroll through the lists and click on your list, or use the Access Unlisted Lists search box.
  • From the menu bar, select your desired activity in the List Management menu.

Email commands

A list can also be managed via email by a list owner or a subscriber. To manage the list via email, send email to listserv@listserv.dartmouth.edu with an appropriate command in the body of the mail message. The most frequently used commands include:

Initiated by List Owners

  • ADD listname emailaddress firstname lastname: Adds a subscriber to the list and notifies the subscriber of the addition (e.g., ADD Cabin-Trail John.Doe@dartmouth.edu John Doe).
  • QUIET DELete listname emailaddress: Removes a subscriber from the list, but does not notify the subscriber of the deletion (e.g., QUIET DEL Cabin-Trail John.Doe@dartmouth.edu).
  • GET listname (NOLOCK): Returns the list of subscribers, including any concealed subscribers without removing the list from service [e.g., GET Cabin-Trail (NOLOCK)].
  • GET listname (NOLOCK HEADER): Returns the configuration information about a list without locking the list [e.g., GET Cabin-Trail (NOLOCK HEADER)].

Initiated by Subscribers

  • SUBscribe listname username: Adds a user to the list of subscribers (e.g., SUB Cabin-Trail John Doe).
  • SIGNOFF listname: Removes a user from the list of subscribers (e.g., SIGNOFF Cabin-Trail).
  • REView listname: Sends the user a list of the subscribers (e.g., REV Cabin-Trail).
  • INDEX listname: Sends the user a list of the archive files (e.g., INDEX Cabin-Trail).
  • SEND filename: Sends the user an archive file listed by the INDEX command (e.g., SEND Cabin-Trail.LOG0701E).

How can I rename a Listserv list?

To rename a Listserv list, follow these steps:

  1. Confirm the name of the new Listserv with the customer.
  2. Go to https://ci.dartmouth.edu/job/Infrastructure_Services_Helpdesk/job/Listserv/job/Listserv_rename_list/.
  3. Select "Build with Parameters" from the left.
  4. Fill out the "Current_List_Name" and "New_List_Name" fields and select "Build." Enter the exact list name, including any hypens or spaces that are in the name.
  5. Open the build number you just initiated. Then select "Console Output."
  6. Scroll down until you see the following message. Follow the steps below.
  7. Complete the remaining steps in the web console at https://listserv.dartmouth.edu.

Below is an example of these steps. Do not follow these steps. Always go off of what is in your Console Output. Reference this page for any questions about certain steps.

  1. Go to https://listserv.dartmouth.edu > Server Administration > LISTSERV Command.

    a. Command: Copy and paste the command from your Console Output into the Listserv Command. Select "Enter Command." b. GET $newListName (HEADER NOLOCK)

  2. Wait for an email from Listserv and make these changes to the content of that email:

    a. Replace "$currentListName" with "$newListName" in the HEADER, DIGEST, and NOTEBOOK fields. If you do not have a Digest or Notebook field, then this list does not have those, and you can disregard. b. Remove the top 'PUT' line. c. Modify Header anywhere else you see fit. d. Remove all leading space and *'s from each line.

  3. Go to https://listserv.dartmouth.edu > List Management > List Configuration > List Configuration Wizard.

    a. Enter the correct alphabetical range of lists and select $newListName. b. On the right side of the Description

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