ILS 504 Reference Information Sources and Services
Dr. Sche
Exercise 3: Selection and Evaluation of Reference Sources
Submitted by Kimberley Weber
November 1, 2010
Introduction -
I evaluated three different non-circulating reference sources from three different Dewey Decimal Subjects for a total of nine different book reviews. I chose print materials in the 360s/390s -Social Services and Customs, Etiquette and Folklore; the 600s –Technology (Applied Sciences); and 800s – Literature (Belles-Lettres) and rhetoric.
To evaluate, I looked over the nine different sources and judged them on at least five of the criteria listed in our text book, Cassell’s Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century. The criteria considered are scope, quality of content, accuracy of content, currency, authority of author and/or publisher, ease of use including usability, searching capabilities, arrangement of materials, and appropriateness to the audience/meeting of user needs, format and cost.
I also studied The CREW Method: Expanded Guidelines for Collection Evaluation and Weeding for Small and Medium Sized Public Libraries (Belinda Boon – Texas State Library and Archives Commission Austin, Texas 1995) to learn more about collection development. I chose this because the C.H. Booth Library where I work does not currently have a collection development policy, I wrote up my reviews and then I searched for reviews to see how closely my evaluation aligned with the professional reviewer’s. Both COUNSULs and Bibliomation catalogs link reviews of sources in the item’s record which makes finding reviews a snap. For the most part I was a tougher critic than many of the professional reviewers. Some of the sources such as Merck’s Manual Home Health Guide seemed too biased for a public library and Hiler’s Introduction to Costume Design should be tossed in the trash. I also thought the AMA’s Family Medical Guide for 2004 should be replaced with a more current edition. But I do want copies of Emily Post’s Etiquette and Salon.com Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Authors for my personal library. All in all a fun exercise.
The Historical Atlas of American Crime by Fred Rosen
Facts on File, Inc. New York, New York 2005 $75 REF 364.973 ROS
This atlas provides a unique perspective on American crime by focusing on how geography and technology influenced the development of crime in the United States. Rosen manages to cover an interesting array of crimes; murder, fraud, bombings, kidnapping, bank robberies, organized crime, and terrorism. Rosen is trying to explore a new way of looking at the evolution of crime and is not trying to be complete.
Scope – This work has a limited scope with less than 150 articles. Rosen emphasizes new types of crime and focuses on cases that were the first of their kind. So Little Harp and Big Harp, our country’s first serial killers, get mentioned while Ted Bundy and Son of Sam don’t. This means a lot of present day criminals are not included in the atlas.
Authority of author- Fred Rosen has been published in several popular magazines including The Reader's Digest, Cosmopolitan, and The Saturday Evening Post. He is the author of several books: Lobster Boy, Chameleon, Blood Crimes, and Gang Mom. Rosen earned an M.F.A. in cinema from USC and is a former columnist for the Arts and Leisure section of The New York Times. His writing style is easy to read but a bit sensationalized.
Ease of use and “searchability” - The "Geographic Index" is useful, but the "General Index" is uneven in that some articles can be located by the actual name but not the popular name so you can search for Lester M. Gillis, but if you only know him as Baby Face Nelson you’re out of luck. The bibliography includes many online sources which is very helpful for further study.
Arrangement of material – The slim volume is divided into different time periods starting with colonial times and ending in 2005. These sections are further subdivided by geographic region. Each section begins with an overview of political, economic and technological events and explains how they influence the criminals and crimes of the period. The individual articles are easy to read and it is interesting to see how geography impacts crime.
Appropriateness to audience – This reference source is an easy read and fun to browse and would be suitable for young adults and adults with an interest in crime in America.
Reviewed in – Booklist (2004).
Recommended - For medium to large libraries. For the general public with an interest in crime (and isn’t that almost everyone in America?)
From Nudity to Raiment; An Introduction to the Study of Costume: by Hilaire Hiler London, W & G Foyle LTD. 1929 $5 (on Abebooks.com) REF 391 HIL
Hilaire’s study of dress among the “savages” is a fascinating read; it traces the historical development of clothing and costumes, including tattooing and other body ornaments through the ages with a focus on primitive tribes, many of which probably no longer exist. You might even say Hilaire’s theory on the origin of clothing is surprisingly progressive especially for 1929. “I have sought to emphasize the unquestionable, but often forgotten fact that modesty is in its origin, independent of clothing, that physiological modesty takes precedence over anatomical modesty and that the primary factors of Modesty were certainly developed long before the discovery of either ornament or garments” (Hilaire 4).
Scope – Limited scope. One man’s study of primitive tribes and their clothing.
Currency – This book is woefully outdated and although fun to browse through for ten minutes does not have any real useful information on costumes.
Authority of author – Hilaire Hiler in his lifetime was well known as a man of many artistic talents: an artist of the” avant garde”, a costume and set designer, a muralist, a jazz musician, a psychologist, a teacher, and writer of color theory and abstract design. Judging from this book I’d say he was also an anthropologist.
Arrangement of material – The volume is divided into five chapters: Origin of Clothing, Pre-historic, Primitive, Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age, Costumes in Mexico America and Peru. The index for photographs and the subject index are concise and easy to use
Appropriateness to audience – The language is very dated and difficult to follow. While the photographs are wonderful and a throwback to a different era, much like looking at a National Geographic Magazine from the 1930s the text is difficult and very preachy. It wouldn’t hold the interest of the average reader.
Reviews – No reviews were located.
Recommended by – You’d be better served by The Historical Encyclopedia of Costumes by Albert Racinet or even better Fashion, Costume and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations and Footwear through the Ages (Thomson Gale Publishers). This book was priced at $5 on abebooks.com, so not even a collectible.
Emily Post’s Etiquette: The Definitive Guide to Manners by Peggy Post
Harper Collins Publishers Inc, New York, New York 2004. $39.95 REF 395 POS
A lot has changed since Emily Post’s Etiquette was first written over eighty-eight years ago, and yet Peggy Post has done a wonderful job of keeping abreast of current situations while at the same time retaining much of the more traditional advice her great-great grandmother–in-law provided. The seventeenth edition of this iconic source offers advice on how to handle new, awkward, unusual and everyday situations. “The definition of etiquette – a code of behavior based on thoughtfulness- has not changed since Emily’s day.”
Scope -This is a huge book and covers just about every question on etiquette imaginable, from where to place the oyster fork to “moshing”. “Rule 1: Watch for others in the pit.” It even has information you may never need to use such as how to dress for a debutante ball.
Currency – The seventeenth edition is very up-to-date and though less formal in tone than earlier editions it still provides accurate information on proper rules of comportment. New topics include post 9/11 travel manners, cell phone etiquette, online dating plus lots of information on polite emailing. NEVER USE CAPS!!
Authority of author - Peggy Post is the wife of Allen, the son of Elizabeth Post who was the granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post. She began her apprenticeship in the etiquette business in 1991 and worked closely with Elizabeth. Peggy is currently an online consultant for WeddingChannel.com and also writes columns for Good Housekeeping and Parents Magazine.
Ease of use including usability, searching capabilities – A large book, but well laid out with a great index, simple chapter headings, and thumb-indexed for easy reference.
Arrangement of material - Organized into nine sections: Everyday Etiquette, Relationships, Children and Teens, Communication and Protocol, Dining and Entertaining, Celebrations and Ceremonies, Weddings, You and Your Job, and Travel and Leisure.
Appropriateness to audience – A source for everyone though the Post Institute also puts out a manners guide for children and teens.
Reviewed in – Booklist 09/15/2004.
Recommended - A must-have for public libraries of every size. If only everyone referred to it, the world would be a much kinder place.
The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook edited by Robert S. Porter, MD,
Published by Merck Research Laboratories Whitehouse Station, NJ 2009
REF 610 MER $39.95
People are taking increasing responsibility and interest in their own healthcare and this medical reference provides useful summaries of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of all of the most common ailments. A comprehensive overview of medical practice in the U.S.A.
Scope -This is a comprehensive guide of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment with thousands of medical entries. There is a special focus on geriatric concerns, including quality end of life care.
Accuracy of Content - I searched for a description of the following diseases: Asperger’s syndrome; menopause; Meniere’s Disease; and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. The information provided was complete without being frightening and the terminology was simple and easy to understand. Charts and illustrations aid the book's accessibility.
Currency - Published in 2009, the topics are current. Medical references along with law, technology, and geography should be updated frequently and/or linked to online databases.
Authority of editor - Merck & Co. Inc. is a global research-driven pharmaceutical company which manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines. Their mission statement states they are “devoted to… provide not for profit unbiased health information.”
Arrangement of material – The manual is broken out into chapters that address major system disorders of the body such as digestive disorders, liver and gall bladder disorders, kidney and urinary tract disorders. Also included are special sections on men’s health, women’s health, and children‘s health. The index was easy to use and I was able to find the article on chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy even though I was spelling it wrong.
Appropriateness to audience – Designed to make in-depth medical information accessible to a general audience by translating medical terms into everyday language. Not intended for healthcare professionals.
Reviewed In - Publisher’s Weekly (October 2009)
Recommended For – All public libraries needing an easy to read home health guide.
American Medical Association Family Medical Guide 4th Edition
Published by the American Medical Association 2004 $28 REF 613 AME
Provides information and help in evaluating and understanding family members’ physical and mental health. Includes in-depth articles on the latest tests, treatment procedures, and drugs. Great revised symptom flow charts – “a sort of maze game that could keep hypochondriacs busy for hours” (Publisher’s Weekly 2004), all will help you decide if you should stay home, call the doctor or dial 911 for an ambulance.
Scope – Designed as a home health reference guide for information on most common health problems, comprehensive in scope with more than 650 illustrated articles.
Currency – This edition is showing its age and a revised edition is not currently available. Recommended screening test guidelines (colonoscopy, mammograms and even bone density) have all changed since 2004. Also Red Cross has changed guidelines on how to perform CPR.” Medical "bibles" go out of date quickly. Diseases don't change, but our understanding of them does” (Publisher’s Weekly 2004).
Authority of editor – The American Medical Association is one of country’s most respected health authorities.
Arrangement of material – The guide is organized into six easy to follow sections: “What you should Know”; “Information to Keep you Healthy”; “Your Healthy Body”; “First Aid and Home Care-giving”;” What are your Symptoms”; and ” Health Issues Throughout Life”. There is a section on 200 of the most commonly prescribed drugs which are unfortunately, listed by generic name and not cross referenced to brand names. This may make things confusing to patients who do not know the generic name of their medication. Also included are many clear and easy to follow diagrams. There are also Q & As, first person case histories, and 64 full color pages including spreads on important health topics.
Appropriateness to audience –This user friendly guide is a good resource for the general public, easy to use and understand. A good source before and after you visit the doctor.
Reviewed in -Library Journal (10/01/2004) and Publisher’s Weekly (09/27/2004)
Recommendation – Weed this guide! Medical guides need to be much more current. Dated information in technology, law, medicine, and geography should be removed from the collection.
Alternative Medicine 2nd edition. Project Editor Jacqueline L. Longe 4 volumes Thomson-Gale, Detroit, Michigan 2005. REF 615.5 $100
This four volume encyclopedia on alternative medical information encompasses complementary therapies, herbs and remedies and common medical conditions.
Scope – The second edition of this set is "a one-stop source for alternative medical information" with over 800 full length articles covering 150 therapies, 275 diseases and conditions, and 300 herbs and other remedies.
Accuracy of content – GEAM medical advisors reviewed over 95% of the completed essays to insure they are appropriate, up-to-date and medically accurate. Huge disclaimer by Thomson-Gale Publisher makes no representations or warranties of any kind and does not guarantee accuracy, comprehensiveness or timeliness. “Controversial topics, such as the link between childhood vaccines and autism, are covered, but the article on vaccines does not include a citation for the information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site citing studies that show no evidence for this” (Bibel, 2005). With serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease etc, there is a strong recommendation to use alternative medicine in conjunction with traditional medical.
Authority of editor – The advisory board led by Jacqueline Longe is made up of prominent individuals from the complementary medical community. Everyone listed had an ND degree.
Arrangement of material – Articles follow a standardized format that provides information at a glance. For the different therapies the following subdivisions are used: origins, benefits, description, preparations, precautions, side effects, research and general acceptance, and resources. There is also a glossary and an improved organization list that includes mainstream organizations such as the American Medical Association. Cross-references make locating relevant material fairly easy.
Appropriateness to audience – This source explains medical jargon so it’s accessible to a general audience.
Reviewed in - Booklist 05/01/2005 and SciTech Book News 03/01/2005
Recommended for - Health-science and consumer health collections in large public libraries.
The Salon.com Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Authors, edited by Laura Miller with Adam Begley Penguin Group, New York, New York, 2000. REF 813.5 SAL $16.95
An entertaining and easy read, this reader’s advisory is a great reference on 225 contemporary English language authors. No doubt some favorites have been excluded but it’s also more than likely that by browsing this book you’ll discover at least one new author that you may have otherwise missed.
Scope - Limited scope with a focus on good literature for readers who want to expand their horizons, learn more about a favorite author, discover new authors who write like a favorite author, and/or learn what critics think of 225 contemporary writers . Includes authors that are barely known and excludes some pretty heavy hitters. Harry Crews is in, but Juan Diaz and Jeffrey Eugenides are out.
Currency – Published in 2000 so it’s missing some authors who have arrived on the scene in the last ten years but it covers current contemporary authors still in their writing prime plus a few dead white guys (Stegner, Davies, and Fleming).
Authority of editor - Laura Miller helped start Salon.com in 1995. She has written book reviews for The New York Times Book Review, Washington Post, Book World, Village Voice, San Francisco Examiner and New York Observer. Contributors include a wide range of contemporary novelists and essayists who are sharing their personal opinions.
Arrangement of material – Authors are listed alphabetically with unique biographical sketches (the type of information not found in Wikipedia) followed by a brief review/criticism of some of the author’s work. Also included is a list of all of the author’s titles. A nice bonus feature is “see also” which lead you to other authors which are read-a-likes. Interspersed among the articles are theme lists of recommended books with Salon.com’s typical edginess: “Tours of Dystopia”, “Back to the 50s”, “One Handed Reading”, and “Books from the Edge that Belong in the Center”.
Appropriateness to audience – Great source for reading groups, librarians, and readers interested in reading great literature for pleasure, or readers who don’t want to judge a book by its cover. The articles are not in-depth enough for book reports or research papers.
Reviewed in – Library Journal (2000).
Recommended - For all public libraries. A great book to keep by the circulation desk for those “What do I read next?” moments.
Twentieth Century American Literature volumes 1-7 plus a biographical supplement and index. Edited by Harold Bloom 1985 Chelsea House Publishers New York, New York. $75. REF 810.9 v. 1-7.
This eight volume set contains biographical background and criticism of modern authors in the United States and Canada who were published in the twentieth century. Representative reviews and essays of the modern era.
Scope - A concise portrait of every American author from Walter Abish to Louis Zukofsky. The in-depth articles are written by noteworthy contributors plus there’s a bibliographic index with a complete listing of all works of each author. In determining which authors to include the editor had to make some tough choices, omitting some relatively minor characters to allow more space for some of the major players of the twentieth century.
Accuracy of content - Interviews from the New York Times Book Review, Harper’s, Times Literary Supplement, Saturday Evening Post, Atlantic, Kenyon Review, etc. The biographical sketches are quite interesting and more complete than what is found online.
Authority of editor – For more than 30 years, Chelsea House has published curriculum-based nonfiction books for middle school and high school students. The editor, Harold Bloom, is an American writer and literary critic. He is currently a professor of the Humanities at Yale and a Shakespeare scholar. Among the American authors he most admires are Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth, Cormac McCarthy and Don DeLillo though he has written extensively on many more.
Arrangement of material –Each author has a “chapter” which is divided into two major sections; first, an extract which includes Personal, General, and Works categories. Here you will find memoirs, interviews, biographies and short theoretical statements plus reviews of individual works. The second section is comprised of essays with more in-depth and scholarly studies of the authors and their works. Most of the criticism is arranged in chronological order unless it makes sense to put two opposing views together to create a better dialogue.
Appropriateness to audience – This set is suitable for young adults, high school, and college aged students. A good source for an overview of literary criticism with a variety of viewpoints covered.
Recommended by - I could not find any reviews for this work, nor did it seem to have much popularity. Only three public libraries in the bibliomation consortium owned it.
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French edited by Peter France Oxford University Press, New York, New York 1995 REF 840.9 NEW $30
Surveys literature in French from all over the world including writers from Africa, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe. Also covers literary movements and genres including popular songs, folk tales, science fiction, cinema and everyone’s favorite comic strip Tintin.
Scope – Over 3,000 alphabetically arranged articles. Some are quite brief with no more than a paragraph while others on major writers – Flaubert, Hugo, and Voltaire and others - receive more in-depth coverage as do major topics: humanism, resistance, chivalry, etc. In addition, this new companion has a much more modern emphasis by including more women writers as well as popular literature and popular culture. It also gives more weight to literature produced in the last half of this century than previous editions.
Currency – Literary criticisms do not require the same currency as legal, medical, geographic or technological resources so despite its 1995 publication date the material found here is still useful and relevant.
Authority of editor – Peter France is Professor Emeritus of French at the University of Edinburgh and also the author of Politeness and Its Discontents. The entries were written by France and his team of 130 literary scholars.
Arrangement of material – Arranged alphabetically by author. The “see references” at the end of most entries is a great cross referencing tool. There is also a list near the front of the volume which groups selected entries into general categories such as Intellectual and Cultural Movements and Literary and Theatrical Genres. And for users needing help with historical context there is a chronological chart linking specific authors with events in France and also in other French-speaking countries as well as a map section.
Appropriateness to audience – Meant for the general reader as well as the university student especially those studying comparative or French literature. The tone is scholarly yet clear and concise.
Reviewed in – Booklist (9/01/1995)
Recommended – “… even with its expanded scope, it has only half the number of entries of the OCFL. Because hundreds of minor authors, historical figures, geographic entities, titles, and literary allusions have either been dropped or incorporated into more general articles, librarians should consider retaining one or both of this work's predecessors.” (Booklist 1995).
Dr. Sche
Exercise 3: Selection and Evaluation of Reference Sources
Submitted by Kimberley Weber
November 1, 2010
Introduction -
I evaluated three different non-circulating reference sources from three different Dewey Decimal Subjects for a total of nine different book reviews. I chose print materials in the 360s/390s -Social Services and Customs, Etiquette and Folklore; the 600s –Technology (Applied Sciences); and 800s – Literature (Belles-Lettres) and rhetoric.
To evaluate, I looked over the nine different sources and judged them on at least five of the criteria listed in our text book, Cassell’s Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century. The criteria considered are scope, quality of content, accuracy of content, currency, authority of author and/or publisher, ease of use including usability, searching capabilities, arrangement of materials, and appropriateness to the audience/meeting of user needs, format and cost.
I also studied The CREW Method: Expanded Guidelines for Collection Evaluation and Weeding for Small and Medium Sized Public Libraries (Belinda Boon – Texas State Library and Archives Commission Austin, Texas 1995) to learn more about collection development. I chose this because the C.H. Booth Library where I work does not currently have a collection development policy, I wrote up my reviews and then I searched for reviews to see how closely my evaluation aligned with the professional reviewer’s. Both COUNSULs and Bibliomation catalogs link reviews of sources in the item’s record which makes finding reviews a snap. For the most part I was a tougher critic than many of the professional reviewers. Some of the sources such as Merck’s Manual Home Health Guide seemed too biased for a public library and Hiler’s Introduction to Costume Design should be tossed in the trash. I also thought the AMA’s Family Medical Guide for 2004 should be replaced with a more current edition. But I do want copies of Emily Post’s Etiquette and Salon.com Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Authors for my personal library. All in all a fun exercise.
The Historical Atlas of American Crime by Fred Rosen
Facts on File, Inc. New York, New York 2005 $75 REF 364.973 ROS
This atlas provides a unique perspective on American crime by focusing on how geography and technology influenced the development of crime in the United States. Rosen manages to cover an interesting array of crimes; murder, fraud, bombings, kidnapping, bank robberies, organized crime, and terrorism. Rosen is trying to explore a new way of looking at the evolution of crime and is not trying to be complete.
Scope – This work has a limited scope with less than 150 articles. Rosen emphasizes new types of crime and focuses on cases that were the first of their kind. So Little Harp and Big Harp, our country’s first serial killers, get mentioned while Ted Bundy and Son of Sam don’t. This means a lot of present day criminals are not included in the atlas.
Authority of author- Fred Rosen has been published in several popular magazines including The Reader's Digest, Cosmopolitan, and The Saturday Evening Post. He is the author of several books: Lobster Boy, Chameleon, Blood Crimes, and Gang Mom. Rosen earned an M.F.A. in cinema from USC and is a former columnist for the Arts and Leisure section of The New York Times. His writing style is easy to read but a bit sensationalized.
Ease of use and “searchability” - The "Geographic Index" is useful, but the "General Index" is uneven in that some articles can be located by the actual name but not the popular name so you can search for Lester M. Gillis, but if you only know him as Baby Face Nelson you’re out of luck. The bibliography includes many online sources which is very helpful for further study.
Arrangement of material – The slim volume is divided into different time periods starting with colonial times and ending in 2005. These sections are further subdivided by geographic region. Each section begins with an overview of political, economic and technological events and explains how they influence the criminals and crimes of the period. The individual articles are easy to read and it is interesting to see how geography impacts crime.
Appropriateness to audience – This reference source is an easy read and fun to browse and would be suitable for young adults and adults with an interest in crime in America.
Reviewed in – Booklist (2004).
Recommended - For medium to large libraries. For the general public with an interest in crime (and isn’t that almost everyone in America?)
From Nudity to Raiment; An Introduction to the Study of Costume: by Hilaire Hiler London, W & G Foyle LTD. 1929 $5 (on Abebooks.com) REF 391 HIL
Hilaire’s study of dress among the “savages” is a fascinating read; it traces the historical development of clothing and costumes, including tattooing and other body ornaments through the ages with a focus on primitive tribes, many of which probably no longer exist. You might even say Hilaire’s theory on the origin of clothing is surprisingly progressive especially for 1929. “I have sought to emphasize the unquestionable, but often forgotten fact that modesty is in its origin, independent of clothing, that physiological modesty takes precedence over anatomical modesty and that the primary factors of Modesty were certainly developed long before the discovery of either ornament or garments” (Hilaire 4).
Scope – Limited scope. One man’s study of primitive tribes and their clothing.
Currency – This book is woefully outdated and although fun to browse through for ten minutes does not have any real useful information on costumes.
Authority of author – Hilaire Hiler in his lifetime was well known as a man of many artistic talents: an artist of the” avant garde”, a costume and set designer, a muralist, a jazz musician, a psychologist, a teacher, and writer of color theory and abstract design. Judging from this book I’d say he was also an anthropologist.
Arrangement of material – The volume is divided into five chapters: Origin of Clothing, Pre-historic, Primitive, Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age, Costumes in Mexico America and Peru. The index for photographs and the subject index are concise and easy to use
Appropriateness to audience – The language is very dated and difficult to follow. While the photographs are wonderful and a throwback to a different era, much like looking at a National Geographic Magazine from the 1930s the text is difficult and very preachy. It wouldn’t hold the interest of the average reader.
Reviews – No reviews were located.
Recommended by – You’d be better served by The Historical Encyclopedia of Costumes by Albert Racinet or even better Fashion, Costume and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations and Footwear through the Ages (Thomson Gale Publishers). This book was priced at $5 on abebooks.com, so not even a collectible.
Emily Post’s Etiquette: The Definitive Guide to Manners by Peggy Post
Harper Collins Publishers Inc, New York, New York 2004. $39.95 REF 395 POS
A lot has changed since Emily Post’s Etiquette was first written over eighty-eight years ago, and yet Peggy Post has done a wonderful job of keeping abreast of current situations while at the same time retaining much of the more traditional advice her great-great grandmother–in-law provided. The seventeenth edition of this iconic source offers advice on how to handle new, awkward, unusual and everyday situations. “The definition of etiquette – a code of behavior based on thoughtfulness- has not changed since Emily’s day.”
Scope -This is a huge book and covers just about every question on etiquette imaginable, from where to place the oyster fork to “moshing”. “Rule 1: Watch for others in the pit.” It even has information you may never need to use such as how to dress for a debutante ball.
Currency – The seventeenth edition is very up-to-date and though less formal in tone than earlier editions it still provides accurate information on proper rules of comportment. New topics include post 9/11 travel manners, cell phone etiquette, online dating plus lots of information on polite emailing. NEVER USE CAPS!!
Authority of author - Peggy Post is the wife of Allen, the son of Elizabeth Post who was the granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post. She began her apprenticeship in the etiquette business in 1991 and worked closely with Elizabeth. Peggy is currently an online consultant for WeddingChannel.com and also writes columns for Good Housekeeping and Parents Magazine.
Ease of use including usability, searching capabilities – A large book, but well laid out with a great index, simple chapter headings, and thumb-indexed for easy reference.
Arrangement of material - Organized into nine sections: Everyday Etiquette, Relationships, Children and Teens, Communication and Protocol, Dining and Entertaining, Celebrations and Ceremonies, Weddings, You and Your Job, and Travel and Leisure.
Appropriateness to audience – A source for everyone though the Post Institute also puts out a manners guide for children and teens.
Reviewed in – Booklist 09/15/2004.
Recommended - A must-have for public libraries of every size. If only everyone referred to it, the world would be a much kinder place.
The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook edited by Robert S. Porter, MD,
Published by Merck Research Laboratories Whitehouse Station, NJ 2009
REF 610 MER $39.95
People are taking increasing responsibility and interest in their own healthcare and this medical reference provides useful summaries of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of all of the most common ailments. A comprehensive overview of medical practice in the U.S.A.
Scope -This is a comprehensive guide of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment with thousands of medical entries. There is a special focus on geriatric concerns, including quality end of life care.
Accuracy of Content - I searched for a description of the following diseases: Asperger’s syndrome; menopause; Meniere’s Disease; and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. The information provided was complete without being frightening and the terminology was simple and easy to understand. Charts and illustrations aid the book's accessibility.
Currency - Published in 2009, the topics are current. Medical references along with law, technology, and geography should be updated frequently and/or linked to online databases.
Authority of editor - Merck & Co. Inc. is a global research-driven pharmaceutical company which manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines. Their mission statement states they are “devoted to… provide not for profit unbiased health information.”
Arrangement of material – The manual is broken out into chapters that address major system disorders of the body such as digestive disorders, liver and gall bladder disorders, kidney and urinary tract disorders. Also included are special sections on men’s health, women’s health, and children‘s health. The index was easy to use and I was able to find the article on chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy even though I was spelling it wrong.
Appropriateness to audience – Designed to make in-depth medical information accessible to a general audience by translating medical terms into everyday language. Not intended for healthcare professionals.
Reviewed In - Publisher’s Weekly (October 2009)
Recommended For – All public libraries needing an easy to read home health guide.
American Medical Association Family Medical Guide 4th Edition
Published by the American Medical Association 2004 $28 REF 613 AME
Provides information and help in evaluating and understanding family members’ physical and mental health. Includes in-depth articles on the latest tests, treatment procedures, and drugs. Great revised symptom flow charts – “a sort of maze game that could keep hypochondriacs busy for hours” (Publisher’s Weekly 2004), all will help you decide if you should stay home, call the doctor or dial 911 for an ambulance.
Scope – Designed as a home health reference guide for information on most common health problems, comprehensive in scope with more than 650 illustrated articles.
Currency – This edition is showing its age and a revised edition is not currently available. Recommended screening test guidelines (colonoscopy, mammograms and even bone density) have all changed since 2004. Also Red Cross has changed guidelines on how to perform CPR.” Medical "bibles" go out of date quickly. Diseases don't change, but our understanding of them does” (Publisher’s Weekly 2004).
Authority of editor – The American Medical Association is one of country’s most respected health authorities.
Arrangement of material – The guide is organized into six easy to follow sections: “What you should Know”; “Information to Keep you Healthy”; “Your Healthy Body”; “First Aid and Home Care-giving”;” What are your Symptoms”; and ” Health Issues Throughout Life”. There is a section on 200 of the most commonly prescribed drugs which are unfortunately, listed by generic name and not cross referenced to brand names. This may make things confusing to patients who do not know the generic name of their medication. Also included are many clear and easy to follow diagrams. There are also Q & As, first person case histories, and 64 full color pages including spreads on important health topics.
Appropriateness to audience –This user friendly guide is a good resource for the general public, easy to use and understand. A good source before and after you visit the doctor.
Reviewed in -Library Journal (10/01/2004) and Publisher’s Weekly (09/27/2004)
Recommendation – Weed this guide! Medical guides need to be much more current. Dated information in technology, law, medicine, and geography should be removed from the collection.
Alternative Medicine 2nd edition. Project Editor Jacqueline L. Longe 4 volumes Thomson-Gale, Detroit, Michigan 2005. REF 615.5 $100
This four volume encyclopedia on alternative medical information encompasses complementary therapies, herbs and remedies and common medical conditions.
Scope – The second edition of this set is "a one-stop source for alternative medical information" with over 800 full length articles covering 150 therapies, 275 diseases and conditions, and 300 herbs and other remedies.
Accuracy of content – GEAM medical advisors reviewed over 95% of the completed essays to insure they are appropriate, up-to-date and medically accurate. Huge disclaimer by Thomson-Gale Publisher makes no representations or warranties of any kind and does not guarantee accuracy, comprehensiveness or timeliness. “Controversial topics, such as the link between childhood vaccines and autism, are covered, but the article on vaccines does not include a citation for the information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site citing studies that show no evidence for this” (Bibel, 2005). With serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease etc, there is a strong recommendation to use alternative medicine in conjunction with traditional medical.
Authority of editor – The advisory board led by Jacqueline Longe is made up of prominent individuals from the complementary medical community. Everyone listed had an ND degree.
Arrangement of material – Articles follow a standardized format that provides information at a glance. For the different therapies the following subdivisions are used: origins, benefits, description, preparations, precautions, side effects, research and general acceptance, and resources. There is also a glossary and an improved organization list that includes mainstream organizations such as the American Medical Association. Cross-references make locating relevant material fairly easy.
Appropriateness to audience – This source explains medical jargon so it’s accessible to a general audience.
Reviewed in - Booklist 05/01/2005 and SciTech Book News 03/01/2005
Recommended for - Health-science and consumer health collections in large public libraries.
The Salon.com Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Authors, edited by Laura Miller with Adam Begley Penguin Group, New York, New York, 2000. REF 813.5 SAL $16.95
An entertaining and easy read, this reader’s advisory is a great reference on 225 contemporary English language authors. No doubt some favorites have been excluded but it’s also more than likely that by browsing this book you’ll discover at least one new author that you may have otherwise missed.
Scope - Limited scope with a focus on good literature for readers who want to expand their horizons, learn more about a favorite author, discover new authors who write like a favorite author, and/or learn what critics think of 225 contemporary writers . Includes authors that are barely known and excludes some pretty heavy hitters. Harry Crews is in, but Juan Diaz and Jeffrey Eugenides are out.
Currency – Published in 2000 so it’s missing some authors who have arrived on the scene in the last ten years but it covers current contemporary authors still in their writing prime plus a few dead white guys (Stegner, Davies, and Fleming).
Authority of editor - Laura Miller helped start Salon.com in 1995. She has written book reviews for The New York Times Book Review, Washington Post, Book World, Village Voice, San Francisco Examiner and New York Observer. Contributors include a wide range of contemporary novelists and essayists who are sharing their personal opinions.
Arrangement of material – Authors are listed alphabetically with unique biographical sketches (the type of information not found in Wikipedia) followed by a brief review/criticism of some of the author’s work. Also included is a list of all of the author’s titles. A nice bonus feature is “see also” which lead you to other authors which are read-a-likes. Interspersed among the articles are theme lists of recommended books with Salon.com’s typical edginess: “Tours of Dystopia”, “Back to the 50s”, “One Handed Reading”, and “Books from the Edge that Belong in the Center”.
Appropriateness to audience – Great source for reading groups, librarians, and readers interested in reading great literature for pleasure, or readers who don’t want to judge a book by its cover. The articles are not in-depth enough for book reports or research papers.
Reviewed in – Library Journal (2000).
Recommended - For all public libraries. A great book to keep by the circulation desk for those “What do I read next?” moments.
Twentieth Century American Literature volumes 1-7 plus a biographical supplement and index. Edited by Harold Bloom 1985 Chelsea House Publishers New York, New York. $75. REF 810.9 v. 1-7.
This eight volume set contains biographical background and criticism of modern authors in the United States and Canada who were published in the twentieth century. Representative reviews and essays of the modern era.
Scope - A concise portrait of every American author from Walter Abish to Louis Zukofsky. The in-depth articles are written by noteworthy contributors plus there’s a bibliographic index with a complete listing of all works of each author. In determining which authors to include the editor had to make some tough choices, omitting some relatively minor characters to allow more space for some of the major players of the twentieth century.
Accuracy of content - Interviews from the New York Times Book Review, Harper’s, Times Literary Supplement, Saturday Evening Post, Atlantic, Kenyon Review, etc. The biographical sketches are quite interesting and more complete than what is found online.
Authority of editor – For more than 30 years, Chelsea House has published curriculum-based nonfiction books for middle school and high school students. The editor, Harold Bloom, is an American writer and literary critic. He is currently a professor of the Humanities at Yale and a Shakespeare scholar. Among the American authors he most admires are Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth, Cormac McCarthy and Don DeLillo though he has written extensively on many more.
Arrangement of material –Each author has a “chapter” which is divided into two major sections; first, an extract which includes Personal, General, and Works categories. Here you will find memoirs, interviews, biographies and short theoretical statements plus reviews of individual works. The second section is comprised of essays with more in-depth and scholarly studies of the authors and their works. Most of the criticism is arranged in chronological order unless it makes sense to put two opposing views together to create a better dialogue.
Appropriateness to audience – This set is suitable for young adults, high school, and college aged students. A good source for an overview of literary criticism with a variety of viewpoints covered.
Recommended by - I could not find any reviews for this work, nor did it seem to have much popularity. Only three public libraries in the bibliomation consortium owned it.
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French edited by Peter France Oxford University Press, New York, New York 1995 REF 840.9 NEW $30
Surveys literature in French from all over the world including writers from Africa, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe. Also covers literary movements and genres including popular songs, folk tales, science fiction, cinema and everyone’s favorite comic strip Tintin.
Scope – Over 3,000 alphabetically arranged articles. Some are quite brief with no more than a paragraph while others on major writers – Flaubert, Hugo, and Voltaire and others - receive more in-depth coverage as do major topics: humanism, resistance, chivalry, etc. In addition, this new companion has a much more modern emphasis by including more women writers as well as popular literature and popular culture. It also gives more weight to literature produced in the last half of this century than previous editions.
Currency – Literary criticisms do not require the same currency as legal, medical, geographic or technological resources so despite its 1995 publication date the material found here is still useful and relevant.
Authority of editor – Peter France is Professor Emeritus of French at the University of Edinburgh and also the author of Politeness and Its Discontents. The entries were written by France and his team of 130 literary scholars.
Arrangement of material – Arranged alphabetically by author. The “see references” at the end of most entries is a great cross referencing tool. There is also a list near the front of the volume which groups selected entries into general categories such as Intellectual and Cultural Movements and Literary and Theatrical Genres. And for users needing help with historical context there is a chronological chart linking specific authors with events in France and also in other French-speaking countries as well as a map section.
Appropriateness to audience – Meant for the general reader as well as the university student especially those studying comparative or French literature. The tone is scholarly yet clear and concise.
Reviewed in – Booklist (9/01/1995)
Recommended – “… even with its expanded scope, it has only half the number of entries of the OCFL. Because hundreds of minor authors, historical figures, geographic entities, titles, and literary allusions have either been dropped or incorporated into more general articles, librarians should consider retaining one or both of this work's predecessors.” (Booklist 1995).