John:

if you are truly "required" to use cgi-lib.pl for other than for academic purposes, you should be aware that, in the words of www.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave/PERL/node230.html "(it has) largely been superseded by cgi.pm -- a much larger object oriented cgi processing module." You can readily obtain that current standard for free from CPAN or from a vendor of windows implementations such as Active State.

Security is one of the considerations. If an employer is requiring use of cgi-lib.pl, you should probably protect yourself and the employer by warning of the potential for problems.

If you must use cgi-lib.pl because of academic requirements, the file itself contains useful explanatory material; simply open it with your editor. You can find much additional material on both the issues and it's use, by SEARCHing here (which turns up nodes such as cgi-lib.pl and by googling the filename. (Oddly, and perhaps owing to caffeine deficiency or the lateness of the hour, I found no pod in the copy I retain -- for no really good reason -- but generally, pods are useful resources.)

welcome to perl and to the monastery...