Group Three
Original Group Five: Final Compilation of Evaluations
Bibliographies, Indexes, and Abstracts
Prepared by:
Margaret Engelter
Nicholas Ives
Southern Connecticut State University
Prepared for:
Dr. Elsie A. Okobi
ILS 504-S70 Reference Materials and Services
December 5, 2007
CONTENTS
Abstract 3
Bibliographies 4
Indexes and Abstracts 14
References 20
ABSTRACT
Reference sources constitute any published work, database, or website used to obtain authoritative information (Bopp, 2001). Such sources can directly provide information (e.g. encyclopedias) or refer to other sources (e.g. bibliographies). To develop a collection not only must a policy be constructed, but also sources need to be evaluated as to their usefulness and comprehensiveness. Evaluation typically involves examination of scope, format, currency, accuracy, authority, and indexing. The submission compiles evaluations for bibliographies, indexes and abstracts prepared by Nicholas Ives and Margaret Engelter. The original group 5 members are Margaret Engelter, Jill Flanagan, Nicholas Ives, Laura Hartwig, and Carolyn Stepnitz.
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
For the purposes of this examination, these resources were evaluated using the following criteria: citation, authority, scope, format, arrangement, entries, special features, uses, cost, and overall evaluation.
Of the Top Ten bibliography and library catalogs, the following were evaluated by Nick and Margaret: (1) American Library Directory; (2) Guide to Reference Books; (7) New Walford Guide to Reference Sources; (8) Publisher, Distributors and Wholesalers of the US; and (10) WorldCat.
Of the additional bibliography and library catalogs, the following were evaluated by Nick and Margaret: (1) American Book Publishing Record; (2) Bibliographic Index: A Cumulative Bibliography of Bibliographies; (4) British Books in Print; (13) National Union Catalog; (14) New Serial Titles; (15) OCLC Online Catalog; (16) Public Library Catalog; and (17) .
Top Ten 1: American Library Directory
Evaluated by Margaret
Citation: American library directory. (2005-2006). (Vols. 1-2). Medford NJ: Information Today, 1923-.
• Authority: Published by Information Today, Inc.
• Scope: Provides detailed profiles of public, academic, special, and governmental libraries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Updated annually. Historically, irregularly published 1923-1960, biennially published 1962-1977, and annually published since 1978.
• Format: Print and online subscription (Information Today, publisher). Also available as part of CD-ROMs: Library Reference Plus and World Guide to Libraries Plus.
• Arrangement: By state, city, and library.
• Entries: Include address, phone and fax numbers, email address, expenditures, holdings, special collections, key personnel, salaries, and special services.
• Special Features: Online all fields are searchable and include library publications and subject interest.
• Uses: Useful for publishers, distributors, and wholesalers; library personnel; and patrons.
• Cost: $299.95 for 2007-2008 edition.
• Overall Evaluation: A valuable resource for publishers and libraries. The online version adds depth and flexibility to gathering information. Annual publications may be a concern when currency is an issue.
Top Ten 2: Guide to Reference Books
Evaluated by Margaret
• Citation: Balay, R., Carrington, V.F., Martin, M.S. (Eds.). (1996, January). Guide to reference books. (11th ed.). Chicago: American Library Association.
• Authority: Published by American Library Association. Guide to reference material since 1902.
• Scope: Retrospective list of reference resources with 16,000 titles, including English and foreign language reference works in all fields.
• Format: Print
• Arrangement: The five major parts include General Reference Works; Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences; History and Area Studies; Science, Technology, and Medicine. Classed broadly to more specific. Alphabetical author, title, and subject indexes.
• Entries: Include complete bibliographic information, publishing history, and notes or annotations.
• Special Features: Provides access to materials under previous names.
• Uses: Useful to identify specific reference materials for patrons.
• Cost: $275.
• Overall Evaluation: Easy to find resources. Although the two year lag before publication is a concern; the last publication date is over 10 years old and this is more concerning. Newer references are listed in College and Research Libraries.
Top Ten 7: New Walford Guide to Reference Sources
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: Ray, P., (2004). The New Walford. London: Library Association Publishing.
• Authority: Dr. Lester is an accomplished librarian who has leveraged many different source materials in creating this resource.
• Scope: The primary volume focuses only on technology, medicine, and science topics. Plans are to expand the index in the future with additional volumes.
• Format: Print
• Arrangement: Different fields of study have been greatly simplified to increase readability and speed of access. Volume one contains science, technology, and medicine. Volumes two and three will address further fields of study. Subjects are arranged and then broken down into more specific fields, allowing the searcher to hone their search as they go from general to specific.
• Entries: Standard MARC information fields are included, with cost of material a notable addition.
• Special Features: Multiple indexes related not only to title and author, but topic as well.
• Uses: A great way to begin research on the covered topics; gives numerous locations in which to find information that may in fact lead to further sources being found.
• Cost: $375.25
• Overall Evaluation: The New Walford is an excellent resource to help a reference librarian get a patron started on a topic if it is in one of the covered areas. The resource is narrowly focused, and this is its only liability, although there are plans for future volumes to eliminate this issue.
Top Ten 8: Publishers, Distributors and Wholesalers of the US
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: Bowker Staff. (2006) Publishers, Distributors, and Wholesalers of the United States. New Providence, NJ: RR Bowker.
• Authority: Bowker is a major provider of information for reference librarians, and their information is gleaned from their surveys that they send out to different publishers, who wish to connect to their customers by providing accurate information.
• Scope: Thousands of different entries that include exhaustive contact information that can lead a reference librarian to the desired vendor or publisher of the book/media source.
• Format: Multi-volume print book.
• Arrangement: Listings include information for contact and ordering information, as well as ISBN prefix. There are a variety of indices that provide different ways to access the information by geography, name, or company division.
• Entries: The different publishers are identified with standard contact information such as address and phone, as well as electronic mail and internet address.
• Uses: An excellent resource to locate an old or out of print book/media source directly from the publisher by direct contact.
• Cost: $485
• Overall Evaluation: A detailed listing is great, but many vendors and the internet have reduced the need for direct publisher connect. Often, the internet can act as a middle agent in discovering information on a book that is no longer in print or more information on specific reference material.
Top Ten 10: World Cat
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: (2007). OCLC WorldCat. Retrieved September 30, 2007, from First Search Web site:
• Authority: FirstSearch rides along the WorldCat backbone, which is a combination of different library professional’s efforts to unify cataloging into a common format in a common location. There are quality control checks to ensure the integrity of the catalog and verify the validity of its information.
• Scope: FirstSearch has access to virtually all different types of media, and is one of the largest sources of bibliographic information worldwide. Recent interfaces with the Library of Congress has added original manuscripts and their bibliographic materials to the World Cat database.
• Format: The database uses tabs to organize materials by search type and results. It also contains detailed results categorized by type of media.
• Arrangement: The data is displayed in a clear organizational format based on typical bibliographic format. The detailed data is broken down clearly into the different fields needed to identify and locate the information.
• Entries: Entries include all the typical field data and often add cover images, OCLC indexing data, and an option to cite the source with a click.
• Uses: WorldCat can be used to locate virtually any media in the vast WorldCat database. Libraries that subscribe to the service can use the pre-made bibliographic data and add to it, which makes WorldCat a living, breathing catalog which grows organically over time.
• Cost: Can be purchased as subscription through a WorldCat Package or a per-use-model. This price is negotiated through regional salespersons.
• Overall Evaluation: WorldCat is one of the largest bibliographic data catalogs, and is a remarkable tool, especially in its quest to be a truly community based tool. Not only do subscribers have the opportunity to contribute to the catalog, each resource can be discussed and commented on. Multiple bibliographic databases can be accessed, and this truly global catalog is a remarkable resource.
1. American Book Publishing Record
Evaluated by Margaret
• Citation: American book publishing record (annual) 2005. Vols. 1-2. (2006, March). New Providence, NJ: R.R. Bowker.
• Authority: R.R. Bowker, LLC, founded in 1872.
• Scope: Provides full cataloging of books published or distributed in the United States. Annually, 68,700 records were created in 2005. Over 10,000 new titles are added monthly. Does not include periodicals, government publications, theses, or pamphlets under 49 pages. Retrospective cumulative editions available include 1876-1949 published in 1980 and 1950-1979 published in 1978, each with 15 volumes. Five-year cumulative editions include 1970-1974, 1975-1979, and 1980-1984. Annual cumulative editions were published from 1985.
• Format: Print
• Arrangement: By Dewey decimal classification number with separate volumes for fiction and juvenile fiction which are alphabetical by main entry, author or title. Indexes for author, title, and subject are cross-referenced with main section entries.
• Entries: Include MARC fields, such as Dewey decimal and Library of Congress classification numbers, title and statement of authority, edition, series, ISBN, binding, price, and subject tracing.
• Special Features: Unique subject access. Multiyear coverage from 1876 through 1984.
• Uses: This resource is an invaluable tool for reference librarians with good historical information. The listing by Dewey would be helpful for collection departments to update their resources. The separate volumes for fiction and juvenile fiction could be helpful patrons.
• Cost: Monthly is $335 per year. 2006 annual edition is $485, 2005 is $465, 2004 is $439, 2003 is $415, 2002 is $395, 2001 is $359, 2000 is $329, 1999 is $299, 1998 is $290, and 1997 is $291.
• Overall Evaluation: The Dewey format and historical aspect make this resource valuable. Online access to Professional may be a better resource for some uses since it includes In Print, Out of Print, and Forthcoming titles, as well as book, video, and audio formats.
2. Bibliographic Index: A Cumulative Bibliography of Bibliographies
Evaluated by Margaret
• Citation: Bibliographic index plus. (2007). New York: H.W. Wilson.
• Authority: Published by H.W. Wilson. Sources analyzed prior to inclusion.
• Scope: Indexes more than 450,000 bibliographies, bibliographic essays, literature reviews, and serial bibliographies from the humanities, social sciences, science, and technology with over 136,000 full text bibliographies. Indexing includes bibliographies published in English, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Slavic, and Romance languages. Retrospective content is available back to 1982. Updated daily. Annually, the index gathers lists from more than 2,800 periodicals and 5,000 books. Known for 60 years as Bibliographic Index it was published three times per year with the third issue an annual cumulation.
• Format: Online through the WilsonWeb at .
• Arrangement: Includes an online thesaurus which recommends subjects and related terms. Flexible online searches of multiple fields including the Library of Congress Subject Headings, keyword, source publication, author, date.
• Entries: In addition to at least 21 fields, include indications if the record has been peer-reviewed or is available in full text.
• Special Features: Includes browsing capability as well as full text links to OpenURL compliant databases.
• Uses: Useful for any student finding multiple resources quickly from a broad range of subject areas, especially when beginning a search.
• Cost: Online is by subscription. Retrospective indexes are $530 each for the annual editions (1969 through 1995) or the multiyear editions (1966-1968, 1963-1965, 1960-1962, 1956-1959, 1951-1955, 1947-1950, 1943-1946, or 1937-1942).
• Overall Evaluation: Although the number of periodicals analyzed are a small percentage of those published, this is a good reference to begin a search in many subjects. The online thesaurus is a useful feature, which helps locate results quickly. In February 2005, this index was recommended for all library collections by Library Journal and for academic libraries by Choice.
4. Bowker's British Books in Print
Evaluated by Margaret
• Citation: Bowker's British books in print 2006. (2005, December). New Providence, NJ: R.R. Bowker.
• Authority: R.R. Bowker, LLC, founded in 1872. New information is reviewed prior to inclusion.
• Scope: Lists books, audio tapes, and CDs. The item will be included if it is published in the United Kingdom, carries a minimum retail prices of L0.15, and is generally available for purchase by the public. The item will also be included if it is published outside of the United Kingdom, carries a minimum retail prices of L0.15, is generally available for purchase by the public, printed in the English language, and available within the United Kingdom from an exclusive agent. Of the 3.4 million active ISBNs included, 1.9 million are unique titles. Maps are included if published by or available through the book publisher. Items are included up to 24 months in advance of publication. Periodicals, serial publications, limited current publications, and subscription only publications are not included. Item has been known as Reference Catalogue of Current Literature from 1874-1961, British Books in Print from 1965-1987, Whitaker's British Books in Print from 1988-2003, and, as of 2006, is Bowker's British Books in Print.
• Format: Print. Online.
• Arrangement: Listed in a single alphabetic sequence including author, title, and "catch" words. Publisher list with contact information and a list of some government publications.
• Entries: Includes title, author, ISBN, publisher, publishing date, print status, binding, price, country of publication, summary, Dewey decimal number, edition, and subject headings.
• Special Features: New title information is subjected to rigorous editorial content before it is entered into the database.
• Uses: This resource is useful for access to any books available, or potentially available, in the United Kingdom.
• Cost: Bowker's British Books in Print 2006, six volume set, $425.
• Overall Evaluation: This site is considered to be the British equivalent of Books in Print. The information is accurate after being reviewed prior to inclusion in the database. It is very useful to have access to maps, publishers, and some government publications. The British Books in Print is available at . It allows searches within British Books in Print, the Library of Congress catalog, or both sources; then the results display title, author, catalog, and price. This may be a temporary service during the transition from Whitaker to Bowker.
13. National Union Catalog Pre-1956 Imprints, A Cumulative Author List Representing Library of Congress Printed Cards and Titles Reported by Other American Libraries
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: Library of Congress. (1981) National union catalog Pre-1956 Imprints, a cumulative author list representing Library of Congress printed cards and titles reported by other American libraries. London: Mansell.
• Authority: The Library of Congress formed a special committee to compile this compendium of imprints into this gigantic work.
• Scope: Collected are the publications recorded by the Library of Congress. Some of the publications were contributed by member libraries, but the master database remains administered by the Library of Congress.
• Format: 754 volumes printed.
• Arrangement: The entire collection is arranged by author. There are a wide variety of resources included such as atlas, journal etc.
• Entries: There are standard bibliographic information fields, which are connected to other entries using cross-references after the main entries.
• Uses: Extremely helpful in the location of older books. This is an enormous source which attempts to collect the sum total of printing production in the United States prior to 1956. This is an excellent way to verify or locate a valuable source that may not be in an electronic catalog.
• Overall Evaluation: The source is massive, and it takes an immense amount of skill to navigate to your desired resource. I would personally try an electronic source first, yet this is a great back-up resource that will most likely have the information you are looking for.
14. New Serial Titles: A Union List of Serials Held by Libraries in the United States and Canada
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: Library of Congress (2000) New serial titles: A union list of serials held by libraries on the United States and Canada.
• Authority: The Library of Congress is one of the preeminent bibliographic institutions in the world, with staff solely devoted to bibliographic classification and reference services.
• Scope: Attempts to catalog all serials held in the U.S. and Canada.
• Format: Two volume print books.
• Arrangement: All serials are listed alphabetically indexed by their titles.
• Entries: Usual entries such as subject, titles, and copyright, and publishing information is included as well.
• Special Features: If a serial’s title has changed, the index will note it with a header.
• Uses: Many reference librarians may want to use this resource when trying to decide what in fact they would like to order for their libraries. This may also be a great way for an academic department to explore further literature in their filed that they have not investigated yet.
• Cost: $135
• Overall Evaluation: This is a good resource, but the fact that it is in print is somewhat cumbersome. If this resource was accessible in a database-style electronic format, it would be more valuable to librarians and the general public at large.
15. OCLC Online Union Catalog
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: (2007). OCLC WorldCat. Retrieved September 30, 2007, from First Search Web site:
• Authority: FirstSearch rides along the WorldCat backbone, which is a combination of different library professional’s efforts to unify cataloging into a common format in a common location. There are quality control checks to ensure the integrity of the catalog and verify the validity of its information.
• Scope: FirstSearch has access to virtually all different types of media, and is one of the largest sources of bibliographic information worldwide. Recent interfaces with the Library of Congress has added original manuscripts and their bibliographic materials to the World Cat database.
• Format: The database uses tabs to organize materials by search type and results. It also contains detailed results categorized by type of media.
• Arrangement: The data is displayed in a clear organizational format based on typical bibliographic format. The detailed data is broken down clearly into the different fields needed to identify and locate the information.
• Entries: Entries include all the typical field data and often add cover images, OCLC indexing data, and an option to cite the source with a click.
• Uses: WorldCat can be used to locate virtually any media in the vast WorldCat database. Libraries that subscribe to the service can use the pre-made bibliographic data and add to it, which makes WorldCat a living, breathing catalog which grows organically over time.
• Cost: Can be purchased as subscription through a WorldCat Package or a per-use-model. This price is negotiated through regional salespersons.
• Overall Evaluation: WorldCat is one of the largest bibliographic data catalogs, and is a remarkable tool, especially in its quest to be a truly community based tool. Not only do subscribers have the opportunity to contribute to the catalog, each resource can be discussed and commented on. Multiple bibliographic databases can be accessed, and this truly global catalog is a remarkable resource.
16. Public Library Catalog
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: Yaakov, J., (2004). Public Library Catalog:: a Guide to Reference Books and Adult Nonfiction. New York: H. W. Wilson.
• Authority: Dr. Yaakov is an accomplished editor of bibliographic information, publishing collections of children’s books, reference materials, and bibliographic resources.
• Scope: The coverage of this book is non-fiction only primarily focused on the reference section of the library.
• Format: Print.
• Arrangement: The book uses the Dewey Classification system to organize itself, yet there is also the opportunity to look up a resource by title, author, or subject.
• Entries: Dewey Number, subject keywords, title, and author are included.
• Uses: This book can be a great tool to help the reference librarian in locating additional resources that may be acquired by the library. Using the Dewey system is also helpful, for you can easily cross-reference the resources with your library collection.
• Cost: Used copies can be obtained for $200-300.
• Overall Evaluation: This is a good source for libraries seeking expansion in the reference department, especially if they use the Dewey system over LC classification. By analyzing the collection and cross referencing it with your catalog, gaps in the collection may be quickly filled.
17.
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: (2007). Publist. Retrieved September 30, 2007, Web site: .
• Authority: Publist is a free online resource for the location of resources in print and online.
• Scope: Not only does Publist offer print resources, it also includes journals and online articles.
• Format: Online with a service for print of specific pay-per-view articles.
• Arrangement: Publist is organized clearly using tabs in which the user can sort and search based on the different field criterion. There is an easy quick title search in the index page of the site, yet more powerful tools are easily available.
• Entries: Users can search using title, subject, publisher, or ISSN. There is also a browse feature to enhance connections made between reference materials.
• Uses: Publist is extremely easy to use and can be appropriate for non-professional staff as well as researchers. Payment is rendered only when special journal articles are selected.
• Cost: Free, unless articles are purchased.
• Overall Evaluation: Publist is a great website due to its low cost and easy accessibility. Reference librarians could use this as a front-line look-up, being that they have more detailed and comprehensive resources in addition to that.
INDEXES and ABSTRACTS
For the purposes of this examination, these resources were evaluated using the following criteria citation, format, scope, authority, accuracy, arrangement, special features, users, cost, uniqueness, and full text coverage.
Of the indexes and abstracts, the following were evaluated by Nick and Margaret: (1) Article First; (2) Book Review Digest; (3) Book Review Index; (4) Children's Magazine Guide; (13) PAIS International in Print; (14) Play Index; and (15) Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.
1: Article First
Evaluated by Margaret
• Citation: ArticleFirst. (1990-). Dublin, OH: OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
• Format: Online () in FirstSearch through CONSULS database.
• Scope: Subjects include business, humanities, medicine, popular culture, science, social studies, and technology. Indexes over 19.6 million articles listed on the table of contents pages of over 16,000 journals. Each record describes one article, news story, letter or other item. 1990 to present. Updated daily.
• Authority: Published by OCLC Online Computer Literacy Center. Certain records, with the BL Shelfmark or the BL Stock Location fields, are copyright of the British Library Board.
• Accuracy: Each database gives OCLC updates to be added to ArticleFirst.
• Arrangement: In the list of records, each listing includes title, author, source, libraries worldwide, and, if available locally, links to the source. In the detailed record, each listing may include availability, option to cite the item, author, title, source, standard number, OCLC number, DOI, language, and database.
• Special Features: If the organization subscribes to the journal or database where the item is located, the link will be provided both at the list of records and the detailed record screens.
• Users: Academic libraries and reference librarians.
• Cost: Subscription based. Annual subscriptions in different packages are available or the per-search purchased in blocks of 500 searches.
• Uniqueness: Excellent for verification purposes.
• Full text coverage: Full text coverage may be available for more recent articles. ArticleFirst provides a list of libraries that have the journal title for most items.
2: Book Review Digest
Evaluated by Margaret
• Citation: Book Review Digest. (1905-). New York: H.W. Wilson.
• Format: Print, CD-ROM, and Online as Book Review Digest Plus ( and available through FirstSearch in CONSULS database).
• Scope: Includes citations to reviews of juvenile and adult fiction and non-fiction in the English language published or distributed in the United States and Canada, and published in Great Britain. Some coverage of academic or scholarly books is included. Excludes government publications, textbooks and technical books in the sciences and law. Cumulative index available for 1905-1974. Monthly except February and July with annual cumulations. Online coverage is from 1983 to present with daily (weekly through FirstSearch) updates.
• Authority: Published by H.W. Wilson for over 100 years.
• Accuracy: Editorial staff members with library science degrees build the Wilson references.
• Arrangement: Alphabetical order by author or title with subject (based on Library of Congress Subject Headings) and title indexes included. Includes citation with some bibliographic information, summary with content and age or grade level for juvenile books, and review citation. May include excerpt of the review. Online includes over 115,000 full text reviews on over 660,000 books
• Special Features: Online searches by author or title, multiple links to reviews from various sources. Online links to library holdings
• Users: Reader's advisory, collection development, literary and biographical research.
• Cost: Annual print cumulations $455 (1905 through 1995). Book Review Digest Author/Title Index in Print for 1975 through 1984 is $110 and for 1985 through 1994 is $140. Online Book Review Digest Plus or Book Review Digest Retrospective: 1905-1982 is available by subscription.
• Uniqueness: A good starting place to find reviews of popular books and older books. Print version only includes reviews that have appeared within 18 months of the book's publication. Online version is either retrospective 1905 through 1982, or current from 1983 to present, or both, depending on subscription.
• Full text coverage: Print includes citations and review excerpts. Online provides many full text reviews and substantial review excerpts.
3: Book Review Index
Evaluated by Margaret
• Citation: Book Review Index. (1965-) Detroit: Gale.
• Format: Print (3 per year or annual) and Online (Book Review Index Online and Book Review Index Online Plus).
• Scope: Includes citations to reviews of books, periodicals, and books-on-tape from over 600 publications of the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Subjects include reviews from popular, academic, and professional publications in the social sciences, humanities, sciences, business, fine arts, and general interest. Each publication must be 50 pages long to be included (except poetry and children's books). Cumulative index for 1965-1984 with annual cumulations after 1984. Five year cumulations may also be available. Book Review Index Online indexes review from 1965 to the present. Book Review Index Online Plus adds reviews.
• Authority: Published by Gale.
• Accuracy: Gale contracts with book reviewers to provide electronic versions of book reviews.
• Arrangement: Print is alphabetical by author or title with a title index included.
• Special Features: Online search options include author, date, illustrator, audiobook reader, review length, reading level, review source, review type, reviewer, title, title of review, and refereed publications.
• Users: Academic libraries, Public libraries, general public.
• Cost: Subscription available online. Book Review Index print – each edition (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008) is available for $395. Sample prices available from Amazon: CD-ROM version (April 1994) is $999.99; Book Review Index 1996 Cumulation Hardcover (March 1997) – 7 available ($25.88 to $820.27); Book Review Index Master Cumulation 98-02 (December 2002) is $1,570; Book Review Index Subscription Paperback (November 2002) is $435.50.
• Uniqueness: Comprehensive. A good starting place when looking for book reviews. Online version is searchable by title, author, or journal; multiple options in the advanced search include limiters.
• Full text coverage: Print and Book Review Index Online do not include reviews. Book Review Index Online Plus includes reviews.
4: Children's Magazine Guide
Evaluated by Margaret
• Citation: Children's Magazine Guide: A Subject Index to Children's Magazines and Web sites. (1948-). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing.
• Format: Print and Online ( and ).
• Scope: Subject index to popular children's magazines (more than 65) and web sites. Excluded are special interest magazines, regional magazines, promotional magazines, and adult magazines unless they are appropriate for student research and readability (e.g., National Geographic is included). Also includes an index of professional journals – school library edition with articles from six school library magazines. Monthly August through March, bimonthly for April/May issue; the August issues is an annual cumulation.
• Authority: Published by Greenwood Publishing Group, Children's Magazine Guide is an imprint of Libraries Unlimited.
• Accuracy: Several criteria are considered prior to inclusion, including useful for reference, accuracy, child appeal, written at a level appropriate for their audience, and demand. Children's Magazine Guide staff carefully selects and recommends websites.
• Arrangement: Each issue includes extensive alphabetical subject index, magazine information including brief descriptions and age levels. Entries include magazine article title, author, magazine, month of publication, and page number. Entries may include annotations, cross-references, and related web sites.
• Special Features: Wide range of subjects, biographies, news, poetry, science experiments, arts and crafts, reviews, maps, and more. Online version offers typical search options as well as browsing by subject, website, and current issue. The online version also provides the ability to limit searching to magazines in the collection.
• Users: Elementary and Middle School students, instructors, parents, and librarians.
• Cost: Print is $69.95 per year or $120 for 2 years. Online is free with print subscription. Cumulative back issues are available for $69.95. Single issues for non-classroom use are $10.
• Uniqueness: Promotes information literacy through the magazines and web sites recommended. Helps teachers and parents find curriculum-oriented materials.
• Full text coverage: Print and Online versions do not include reviews.
13: PAIS International in Print
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: PAIS International. CSA Illumina, Bethesda, MD. Accessed through Arizona State University, asu.edu/lib.
• Format: The Public Affairs Information indexes articles of a current events nature by subject matter, author
• Scope: There is access to almost 1.4 million different records from around the globe. Virtually any topic of a debatable nature is collected here. Furthermore, its historical reach is deep, with some records in existence as far back as 1915.
• Authority: PAIS International collects its articles from well-respected journals, and for inclusion the articles have to be peer reviewed to be accepted into the database.
• Accuracy: PAIS International precisely provides data when Boolean search terms are used to help hone the search. There is a vast amount of data, and the recall is enormous. The use of field codes to improve searching is also an excellent way to reduce the gigantic recall that this source provides.
• Arrangement: After searching for a term using keywords or more advanced Boolean operators, the website displays results using tabs – there is one for all types, scholarly articles, journals, etc. This allows the reader to easily wade through the large amount of information available for the search terms.
• Special Features: PAIS offers a quick cite feature that allows a user to easily prepare a citation for the displayed article. There is also a scholar profile section that allows access to the
• Users: Reference librarians of course would be a good choice for this database, but scholars of the social sciences especially would benefit from this database. The issues range greatly, but are all concerned with some aspect of social debate.
• Uniqueness: PAIS provides a service that allows researchers to connect to other debatable social issues. There are other providers which do do this, but not with the search tools provided by PAIS to cross reference information.
• Full text coverage: Full text coverage may be accessed often just through a web link that is provided by the database. Articles may be purchased in print form from the New York Public Library for a fee.
14: Play Index
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: Yaakov, J (Ed.) Play Index. New York: H.W. Wilson., 1998.
• Format: The Play Index is set up in a multi columnar format that allows for bibliographic information to be displayed in reference to subject materials.
• Scope: The printed play index references over 4,000 different plays from 1998 to the present. The online resource goes much further back to 1946.
• Authority: The Play Index has been a living, growing book/online resource for over 50 years, and in that time has gained respect as an authoritative source for locating plays since 1946.
• Accuracy: Ideally, the plays within are correctly labeled and fact-checked by the editors of the resource.
• Arrangement: The main feature of the resource is the author referenced section of the book. After the breakdown by author, each title is then the next subheading for organizational purposes.
• Special Features: There is an index that outlines the plays by not only cast requirements, but also stagecraft needs as well. This would be useful when working with restricted resources.
• Users: This would of course be useful to a reference librarian, but would be of immense assistance to anyone interested or directly associated with the dramatic arts.
• Cost: $225.00
• Uniqueness: The manufacturer claims that there is no other resource like this and they may be correct. I have not been able to find any product on the market comparable to this book and website duo.
• Full text coverage: The online edition does provide access to a large number of full-text plays, the print edition does not.
15: Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
Evaluated by Nick
• Citation: Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2006.
• Format: The layout of the readers guide is in a two-column page spread.
• Scope: Each Readers Guide is a reference of magazines printed in a specific time period in the printed form. The online version of this resource covers a vast time period and has full-text articles dating back to 1994.
• Authority: H.W. Wilson is a well-respected provider of database products, and the Reader’s Guide has a long history of indexing magazines to help readers find the resources that they are looking for. The print edition has been produced as long ago as the 19th century.
• Accuracy: The Reader’s guide is edited by a few different editors, leading to many eyes reviewing the information that is provided to them by the magazine industry.
• Arrangement: The general arrangement of the information is through using magazine names and indexing them into subject headings for easy information location.
• Special Features: Whereas the printed version requires a careful and patient eye, the online edition has powerful search techniques to help users locate data easily.
• Users: This guide would be extremely helpful to researchers of topics before the public consciousness, or even historians searching for information about the past as presented by magazine publishers.
• Cost: Various, but most copies in print can be found for less than $100 dollars.
• Uniqueness: This resource is invaluable as an index to the world of periodicals, and is at the top of its class as such resource. The depth of access is immense online, and allows for very broad searches.
• Full text coverage: The online edition provides full-text downloading through .pdf file usage for most periodicals dating back to 1994.
REFERENCES
Bopp, R.E. & Smith, L.C. (Eds.). (2001). Reference and information services: An introduction (3rd ed.). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Cassell, K.A., & Hiremath, U. (2006). Reference and information services in the 21st century: An introduction. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
Katz, W.A. (2002). Introduction to reference services: Basic information services (Vol. I). (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
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