Bibliographic Resources Evaluation

Berger-Ibrahim-Tebbs-ILS-504-Fall-2009-Evaluation - Group work

References Evaluation – Group work Bibliographies- Indexes – Library catalogs Submitted by Group (1) Francie Berger Hanem Ibrahim Heather Tebbs

ILS 504- Reference Materials and Services Dr. Elsie Okobi

Fall 2009

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Berger-Ibrahim-Tebbs-ILS-504-Fall-2009-Evaluation - Group work Evaluation 1 Bibliographies- Indexes – Library catalogs This paper evaluates 15 of the bibliographic reference resources per guidelines given in class textbooks and the document “Printed Information Source Evaluation Criteria.” Documentation of each group member’s contributions follows the body of the work. 1- American Book Publishing Record Citation American book publishing record. New Providence, NJ: R.R. Bowker, 1960Purpose It is useful for verifying titles and for acquisitions work as well as general bibliographic information on specific titles and authors. Scope The ABPR is a General bibliography that includes cataloging information for books published in the United States. Arrangement The Monthly and the Annual publishing are arranged, in three parts: • The main section: arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification Numbers (000-900) • Adult Fiction: arranged alphabetically by main entry author or title) • Juvenile Fiction: arranged alphabetically by main entry author or title) There are two indexes (author and title) which are referenced to the main section by the first nine digits of the Dewey Decimal Classification Numbers, and referenced to the Adult and Juvenile fiction sections by a section code (i.e. Fic. and Juv. with the authors’ last name). There is a subject Guide follows the title index and arranged alphabetically by traced primary subjects, personal names used as subjects, and uniform titles. Entries Entries include elements like LC Classification Numbers, LC Control Number, Dewey and LC classifications, title and statement of authorship, edition, series, LC number, ISBN, binding, price, and subject tracings. Currency The monthly publishing includes the same information as the Publisher’s Weekly and Weekly Record, cumulated monthly then cumulated annually. Overall Evaluation or Critique The page is divided into four columns; the type is quite small and could be difficult for some to read. There are no clear demarcations within a record allowing you to skip to particular field. The user instructions are not well organized. There are no headings so the user can skip directly to the section of the instructions they need, instead it is arranged in one single block of text. 1- Bibliographic Index: A Cumulative Bibliography of Bibliographies Citation

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Bibliographic index: a cumulative bibliography of bibliographies. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1937Purpose This bibliography is useful for librarians and other users (Academic, Corporate, Government, and Public) who are searching for lists of published research or other works on a given topic. Scope This bibliography of bibliographies is a subject approach to current bibliographies, including those published separately as books and pamphlets, as well as those appearing as parts of books, pamphlets, and articles. It provides access to more than 450,000 bibliographies published in English, German, Dutch, and the Scandinavian, Slavic, and Romance languages. It includes full-text of nearly 136,000 bibliographies from some 1,700 journals across a broad range of disciplines. Arrangement The print bibliography is arranged by Library of congress subject headings. With the searchable online database, the results can be organized according to user preference. Entries The smart search feature of the online database also searches synonyms for keywords and phrases, and the results indicate the level of relevance of a particular entry. Users are also able to check a library’s holdings to see if an item is available. Currency The resource is published three times a year with frequent accumulations. The database is updated daily, and thousands of bibliographies are added annually. Overall Evaluation or Critique The resource is easy to use, clear print, and useful instructions for use and guides to symbols and abbreviations. 2- British Books in Print- now titled Whitaker’s Books in Print Citation Whitaker, J. & Sons (1990). Whitaker's books in print (Vols. 1-4). London: Whitaker. Scope The volumes are a trade bibliography containing information for both the print and microfiche versions of books in print and for sale in the United Kingdom. Out of print books are not included. The 1990 edition includes 484,839 titles from 16,168 publishers. Purpose and Audience The purpose of this resource is to provide a comprehensive list of British books in print. British Books in Print has often been used by publishers, booksellers and libraries to find and order new titles. Arrangement The four volume set includes the sections titled, • List of Publishers (which is an alphabetical list of publishers and

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includes contact information); • Publishers Prefixes in Numerical Order (for cross referencing a title's ISBN to its publisher); • A Book Trade Bibliography of books about publishing and bookselling; • Series and Their Publishers (listed alphabetically by title); • Author, Title and Subject Index (listed alphabetically by title and author, with duplicate listings). Entries Entries are arranged in alphabetical order both by title and by author (where applicable). Each entry contains information on the author, title, sub-title, volume, size, number of pages, illustrations, edition, series, binding (where not cloth), price, publisher, publication date, and ISBN. Currency The most recent print version of Whitaker's Books in Print was published in 2002. Nielsen (http://www.nielsenbook.co.uk/) now provides this data in their online database named BookData. Overall Evaluation or Critique The dictionary-like entry headings at the top of each page are useful. Perhaps more useful would be a companion index volume by subject that would point the user in the direction of topical interest. Physically, the weight of the volumes is kept down by the use of onion-skin weight paper. This makes the turning of the pages, which tend to stick together, an arduous task. Perhaps it would have been better to increase the number of volumes as well as the weight of the paper; however, the publisher does state in the Foreword that keeping cost down was a concern. Overall the work is more comprehensive than other comparable volumes such as the British National Bibliography. 1- Children’s Catalog Citation Yaakov, J. & Price, A. (Eds.). (2001). Children’s catalog (18th ed.). New York: H.W. Wilson. Purpose The Children’s Catalog is a listing of works encompassing fiction, non-fiction, story collections, picture books, and magazines for pre-school through 6th grade readers. Scope The catalog lists 6,738 titles with 6,421 analytical entries. It references books published in the United States or published in Canada or the United Kingdom and distributed in the United States. lt also includes suggested web resources for use by children from pre-school through 6th grade. Authority The listings are compiled by 2 groups of professional librarians. The first group reevaluated previous entries and proposed new titles, while the second group reviewed the first group’s suggestions and finally elected the titles that were included in this edition.

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Format This is a hard-bound print volume, with paperback supplements, although an on-line format that appears to be even more comprehensive is available by subscription. Arrangement The catalog is divided into four parts: • Classified- Non-fiction is organized by Dewey Decimal number, while fiction, story collections and easy books follow. • List of Recommended Web Resources • Author, Title, Subject, and Analytical Index • Directory of Publishers and Distributors Entries Each entry includes standard bibliographic data, as well as listings of prizes or medals won, and information on the availability of large print or audio book versions. Special Features This edition contains a much greater number of listings of books about minorities, ecology, natural sciences, and natural history than previous volumes. Use This catalog is intended for use by children’s librarians in both public and school settings, and elementary school media specialists. It can serve as a guide to building the library’s collection or as a reader’s advisory. The Children’s Catalog can be used to answer the following questions: • What are the best fairy tale collections to purchase for our public school library? • What Henry and Mudge books are available for the kids who love those characters? Currency A paperback supplement containing approximately 600 titles is published yearly and a new full catalog is published every 5 years. The 2001 volume is expected to be used with the supplements from 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. 1- Fiction Catalog Citation Yaakov, J., & Greenfeldt, J. (Eds.). (1996). Fiction catalog (13th ed.). New York: H. W. Wilson. Purpose This catalog is a selected list of established and contemporary works of adult fiction either written in or translated to English. It is useful for librarians in acquisitions, as well as reader’s advisories, it also useful for teachers choosing new titles to teach from or any person who is looking for recommendations on fiction titles. Scope

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This catalog is type of subject bibliographies, it lists and annotates exceptional works of fiction including titles that are and out–of- print. Large print and hardcover reprints are noted too. The catalog also covers foreign fiction that has been translated into English. It includes 5,461 titles and 1,820 analytical entries for novelettes and composition works. The titles included are hardcover editions published in the U.S. or published in Canada or the United Kingdom and distributed in the U.S. Authority The titles selected for the catalog were voted on by a group of professional public librarians in different geographical areas. Arrangement The catalog is arranged in 3 parts: • Arranged alphabetically by name of author. The bibliographic information for this section include Author and title of the book, the latest known prices, publishers, ISBN, related works, description summary, content notes, and evaluative comment from quoted sources. • Title and subject index to part 1, each book is entered under title and under the main subject or subjects of the story. • Directory of publishers and distributors of the book listed. Currency This resource is updated annually with supplements. Overall Evaluation or Critique There are no subject tracings because of the sheer number of subject headings. The catalog is produced using extremely small type which may be difficult for some readers. The direction or instruction for using this catalog is clear to understand. 1- Fulltext Sources Online Citation Fulltext sources online. Needham, MA: BiblioData, 1989-. Purpose A semiannual directory of publications that are accessible in full text form either an aggregator or a database user producer. Anyone wanting to know if a publication is available online in full text would find this resource useful. Scope The main section contains 28,619 entries of periodicals, newspapers, newsletters, and TV/Radio transcripts in the subjects of science, technology, medicine, law finance, business, industry, popular press, and more. Covers topics in science, technology, medicine, law, finance, business, industry, the popular press & more." "Each edition in complete in itself and replaces all previous editions. Complete new editions are published twice yearly in January and July." "July 1997." Arrangement

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Periodicals are listed in alphabetical order. The user can cross-reference the titles with the data providers. There are three indexes: Subject index, geographic index, and language index, they are located in the back of both parts. Aggregators are listed at the very end of each book with contact information given for each aggregator. Entries This source comes in two parts splitting the alphabet at between L and M. The two books are paperbacks with close to 2,000 pages each. The entries are arranged in two columns. The periodical name appears in a larger font than the rest of the text and in bold print. Also in bold print is the ISSN number located beneath the periodical name. Extra information is in italics under the ISSN number giving former or alternative names, frequency of the periodical, and access availability on line (subscribers only). The aggregators are then listed below which index the publications, databases the information is available and date range covered. Currency Published semiannually Overall Evaluation The information contained in these two books is very useful. However, this same information can be subscribed to at http://www.fso-online.com. If a user was looking for online information, it would make more sense if that information was also online. This would save time and space on the reference shelf. The online information is updated weekly guaranteeing accurate, up to date information. 2- Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media Citation Hunt-Lowrance, K. (Ed.). (2007). Gale directory of publications and broadcast media (Vols. 1-5) (142nd ed.). Detroit: Thomson Gale. Scope The Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media attempts to provide a comprehensive yearly list of extant print and broadcast media sources in the United States, and other countries around the world. Print and broadcast media sources include newspapers, magazines, journals, radio stations, television stations, and cable systems. Newsletters and directories are excluded from listings, but are offered by the publisher as separate works. Purpose and Audience The audience for this resource is comprised of trade and advertising professionals, and can be broadly used by reference librarians. Its purpose is to identify resources of news and advertising. Arrangement The resource is geographically categorized into two North American volumes and one International volume comprised of print and broadcast media resources. One Indexes volume and one Regional Market Index are provided as finding aids. The first North American volume is categorized alphabetically by state for

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the United States from Alabama through New Hampshire. The second North American volume is categorized alphabetically by state for the United States from New Jersey through Wyoming, followed by Canadian listings alphabetized by province. The Indexes volume is organized by industry categories that can be crossreferenced to look up appropriate entries in other volumes. The Regional Marked Index is categorized by media type (e.g., newspaper, periodical, and cable). Entries All entries are by entity name, with contact information listed up-front. For print media a description of the audience is given along with history, frequency, printing methods (ostensibly for advertising professionals), advertising rates, subscription rates, alternate formats, editorial contact information, and circulation. For broadcast media a description of the format is given along with networks, simulcasts, history, ownership, variant names, operating hours, area of dominant influence, key personnel, cities served, postal areas served, local programs, wattage, ad rates, online presence, and additional contact information is given. Currency 6,000 new resources were added to the 2007 edition. Many were also deleted from the older edition and are listed in a section for defunct organizations in the Master Name and Keyword Index. These types of listings are abundant and occur with a frequency to warrant yearly editions. Given that the nature of the print and broadcast media industry is apparently so dynamic, with mergers, acquisitions, formations, and closings happening daily, the 2009 volume would be a more accurate and current resource for a researcher to use. Overall Evaluation or Critique This is a well-organized, cross-reference formatted resource that while cumbersome to heft, is easy to use. Because broadcasters and publishers work in concert with the editors to update the data contained in the reference, and because the reference is reissued frequently, the information is likely to be up-to-date. Where information was not able to be updated, the editors convey this information as well, giving an image of reliability and honesty to the publication. Because the resource has been compiled for over 140 years, the publishers have been able to hone its format and build upon years of experience in collecting and updating the data it contains. 3- Magazines for Libraries Citation LaGuardia, C. (Ed.). (2008). Magazines for libraries (17th ed.). New Jersey: ProQuest. Scope Magazines for Libraries is published yearly and is an edited list of serials compiled by subject-matter experts. It is not inclusive of all publications, but

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rather includes only those which the editors subjectively deem to be "the best". Purpose and Audience The stated purpose of the publication is to assist librarians in serials collections development. Arrangement The publication is divided into serials review sections by subject and also includes a statistical analysis of the state of the serials publication industry. The subject sections include an introduction to the topic, then are divided by sub-headings such as: Basic Periodicals, Basic Abstracts and Indexes, General, Professional, and Reviews and Bibliographies. Entries Each publication is given an entry number and is listed alphabetically under its sub-heading. Information on the original publication date, frequency, country, price (domestic and Canadian), editor(s), publisher, publisher address, circulation, and length are given. A review follows each entry and typically includes a brief statement on topics covered, alternate formats, and special features of the publication. Currency The publication is updated annually. Overall Evaluation or Critique The statistical analyses of topics covered and publishers of serial that are given as a preface to the work assists in the reader's independent verification and analysis of the purchase-worthiness of the items included for review. Reviewers' credentials and contact information are provided at the beginning of each topic, lending a sense of authority. The subjective nature of the compilation of the book, however, means that a librarian using it as a collection development resource should consult other reviews and not make a decision for purchasing a serial based on its inclusion or exclusion. Publishers, ProQuest, are the owners of many online bibliographic databases and collections, including DIALOG. 4- New Serial Titles: A Union List of Serials Held by Libraries in the United States Citation Library of Congress. (1999). New serials titles (Vols. 1-2). Washington: Library of Congress. Scope New Serial Titles is an annual accumulation of North American union list of serials holdings published after December 31, 1949. Titles are included without regard to the initial publication date or serial type, excluding newspapers.. All titles are cataloged by the Library of Congress and participating libraries. Purpose and Audience To provide a timely and complete list of North American serials holdings published after December 31, 1949, supplementing H.W. Wilson Co.'s Union

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List of Serials. The target audience for this resource is reference librarians. Arrangement In two volumes, provides a list of participating libraries and their assigned abbreviations for cross-reference within the serial entries. This is followed by an alphabetical listing by serial title covering the majority of the two volumes. An ISSN Index is included at the end of volume 2. Entries Entries are: • in catalog card format; • based on Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR) 2nd edition for records contributed after December 31, 1980; • based on pre-AACR for records contributed before December 31, 1980; • listed with their Library of Congress call numbers and Dewey Decimal classification numbers where assigned; • listed with their Library of Congress, National Library of Canada (English language cataloging), National Library of Medicine, and other subject headings where assigned; • listed with their associated holdings information symbol, the key to which is in the first section of volume 1; • provided with abstracting and indexing information as available; • listed with pre-publication data for serials that have not yet been published; • listed with title change and new start information where applicable; • given Library of Congress control numbers; • also listed in the ISSN Index by ISSN. Currency This reference work was last updated and published in 1999. It was replaced by the CONSER (Cooperative Online Serials) program, an electronic database that includes all titles regardless of publication date. Overall Evaluation or Critique While the volumes do seem comprehensive in meeting the stated goal of the work, the publication is only useful if one knows what one is looking for. The work would be more useful if there were a cross reference to the subject headings. As it is, the volumes are only useful if the searcher already knows the title of the serial sought. 1- OCLC Online Union Catalog Citation OCLC. (2009). WorldCat: Window to the World’s Libraries. Retrieved on September 29, 2009 from http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/. Purpose The OCLC On-Line Catalog is the largest bibliographic database in existence. Scope The site is comprised of over 144 million bibliographic records for books, videos, serial publications, articles, recorded books and music, sheet music, genealogical references, cultural artifacts, digital objects, and web-sites. It includes over 76.2 million holdings from 34 non-U.S. national libraries, and

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records in over 470 languages from 112 contributing countries and territories. Authority All member libraries worldwide who add their holdings to the site must adhere to a strict set of guidelines and must follow a careful procedure administered by WorldCat in order to make any changes to their entries. Format This is an on-line database. Arrangement Entries are found via entered search terms. Results can be sorted by relevance, author, title, date (oldest first), or date (newest first), according to the user’s input. An advanced search option allows the user to narrow the search by year, audience, content, format, or language. Entries Each entry includes standard bibliographic information as well as information about the target audience. Reviews of the item are included as well as a link via which to submit your own commentary. Special Features Each entry provides a quick search to holdings in the users’ geographical area. Use This site will be useful to librarians, researchers, students and anyone else who is looking for easy access to timely information. This site can be used to answer the questions: • Which library near me carries books on stamp collecting for my 10year-old? • Has anyone written a dissertation on board games in the last 5 years? Currency New entries are posted continually. Users can watch the process via the “Watch WorldCat Grow” link. 1- Publist.com. Infotrieve Citation Retrieved from http://www.publist.com. Purpose This on-line resource provides information about magazines and journals, both domestic and foreign. It is a comprehensive search tool that allows users to detailed publication information and to order articles for delivery to their computers. Scope This is an on-line only database of over 150,000 print and electronic publications. Its listings include magazines, journals, e-journals, newsletters, and monographs. It includes both familiar and hard-to-find publications from around the world, covering almost 300 subject categories. Format

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This resource is an internet-based only reference and document delivery system. Arrangement The site is organized so that the user can search content by title, publisher, subject, ISSN, an advanced search or a general browse. The database also includes four links: • Article Finder: a free-to-search database of 35,000 journals • eContent: journal articles delivered to your desktop • Medline: world’s largest database of medical literature • TOC alerts: free table of contents alerting service Entries Entries include standard bibliographic information as well as frequency of publication. Each entry also includes a hyperlink to the publisher. Special Features Users can order subscriptions and document delivery services through this site. Some listed periodicals provide connections to publishers through web links and e-mail for easy access. Use This site can be used by librarians, researchers, and students, to search for information on specific subjects and locate and purchase articles. Marketers will also find this a valuable tool for research. Writers and academics can use the site to seek reprint permission. Publist.com can be used to answer the following questions: • What publications about stamp collecting are currently in print? • How can I contact the publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc.? Currency The entries appear to be up-to-date, but no information is available regarding revisions. 1- The Reader’s Advisor Citation The Reader’s Adviser. (14th ed.). (6 Vols.). (1994). New Providence, N. J.: R. R. Bowker /Reed Reference Publishing. Purpose The Reader's Adviser, 14th Edition helps the librarian and their patrons select and appreciate the world's greatest books. It also help booksellers, acquisitions librarians, teachers, academics, and students to identify the best of nearly everything available in English in the United States today, from the poetry of the ancients to Renaissance philosophy to mediations on the ethics of modern medicine. Scope This work features hundreds of authors and thousands of works new to this edition, plus updated entries and revised material in every chapter. It also includes titles that are timeless, as well as those that are timely. It started as The Bookman’s Manual in 1921. Includes “the best of” written works that date back from 1250 A.D. to the present.

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Arrangement The 6 hard-bound volumes include the best in: • Reference Works, British Literature, and American Literature • World Literature • Social Sciences, History, and the Arts • Philosophy and Religion • Science, Technology, and Medicine Indexes to all titles, names, and subjects were in every volume. Each Volume is arranged chronologically by authors’ birth years. Chapters are organized alphabetically by author’s surname. A brief biography is provided for the author. Also included are a listing of books by the author and a listing of books about the author. Entries Each entry has title, author, publishing information, cost, ISBN, and a brief description. Overall Evaluation or Critique Books featured only note the version available in English. This 14th edition was published in 1994, since then there have been no print updates. 1- Standard Periodical Directory Citation Standard Periodical Directory (25th ed.). (2002). New York: Oxbridge Communications, Inc. Purpose The Standard Periodical Directory is the “largest authoritative guide to periodicals in the United States and Canada.” Scope The directory lists more than 75,000 publications, on subjects ranging from accounting to zoology. Authority Information is submitted by the periodicals’ publishers. Format This is a print publication. There is also an on-line database available to subscribers at http://www.mediafinder.com. Arrangement The book is divided into six parts: • Preface • Table of Contents • Instructions for Use of the Directory • Cross Index to Subjects • Periodicals Listings by Subject Classification • Title Index There are 248 subject categories in the Table of Contents and periodicals are listed alphabetically within the categories. Entries

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Each entry includes the title of the periodical, a previous title if one exists, extensive listings of various personnel at the publication, a description of editorial content, the intended audience, book reviews, year established, circulation figures, and cost amongst additional listings. Special Features Information on availability of other formats for each publication is included. Use This directory would be useful to a librarian working to build a collection, a user searching for a specific type of publication, a business customer for research and marketing purposes, suppliers to the publishing industry looking for leads, and advertisers in search of new outlets. The Standard Periodical Index can be used to answer the following questions: • What magazines will give me information on the department store business? • Is the Chinese Law and Government Review available on microfiche? Currency This directory is published on an annual basis. This is necessary in order to stay current with the rapidly changing world of periodicals. 1- What Do I Read Next? Reader’s Advisor Citation Barron, Neil; Barton, Wayne; Ramsdell, Kristin, and Stilwell, Steven A. (Eds.). (1994). What Do I Read Next? A Readers’ Guide to Current Genre Fiction. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc. Purpose This publication is an aid to exploring and recommending current and classic genre fiction in five different categories: mystery, romance, western, horror, and science fiction. Scope The guide includes approximately 1400 entries, all of which were published during the previous 12 months. Authority The entries are compiled by a team of experts in their fields. The group consists of editors, published writers, librarians and bookstore owners. Format This is a print publication. Arrangement The book is divided into five sections by genre type: • Mystery • Romance • Western • Horror • Science Fiction Each section begins with a summary of the state of the art of that genre by the experts in their respective fields.

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There are eight indexes: • Series • Genre • Geographic • Time Period • Character description • Character Name • Author Index • Title Index Entries Each entry includes standard bibliographic data as well as story type, names of up to 3 major characters, time period, story locale, a brief plot summary, citations to reviews of the book, other books by that author, and suggested readings. Special Features The book includes a key to genre terms. Use This book can assist a librarian or bookseller in searching for new titles of a certain type of fiction to add to a collection, but is probably best used as a reader’s advisory either by the librarian, the bookseller, or the reader. What Do I Read Next? can be used to answer the following questions: • I loved Bill Reno’s The Hunted. What else should I read? • Are there any other new books featuring the character of Xenia Smith? Currency The guide is published on an annual basis. 1- A Dictionary of Writers and Their Works Citation Cox, M. (Ed.). (2001). A dictionary of writers and their works. Oxford Reference Online: Oxford University Press. Retrieved on September 29, 2009, from http://www.oxfordreference.com. Scope To paraphrase the publisher, Oxford University Press, from the resource home page, A Dictionary of Writers and Their Works is a guide to authors and their works focusing on British literature from the fifteenth century to the present. Works of biography, memoir, science, and those of American and Commonwealth writers are also listed. The book includes 3,000 entries for writers, 26,000 title entries, and 2,000 character entries. Purpose and Audience The purpose of this database is to provide to the layperson a bibliographic list by author of British, American, and Commonwealth books. Arrangement The home page for this resource includes information on scope and purpose as well as editor, copyright, and publication information. The home page also provides a box via which the user can search the book. A tabbed menu accesses the book homepage, information on how to cite the

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resource, as well as a list of abbreviations used in entries. Separate links are provided for browsing the book and to additional resources. Clicking on the Browse link brings the user to an alphabetical listing by author that is further broken up into pages by letter. For instance, the first page lists all the "a" authors and the user may either click on the link to the letter of the alphabet representing the first letter of the author's surname, or may enter the author's name into a search box. Links are provided only to author names, not to titles or character names. Clicking on an author name directs the user to the author entry. Adjacent author entries are provided in a link list on the left side of the page. Information is also provided on how to cite each entry. Users may also print and email entries via buttons provided on the author entry page. A cross reference link for searching other Oxford University Online resources is also available. Entries The author entries include nationality and birth/death dates followed by their titles arranged chronologically by date of publication. Currency Although this is an electronic resource, it is not current. For example, perusing the author page for J.K. Rowling lists novels published through 2000. Overall Evaluation or Critique This resource is elegantly arranged and easy to navigate. It is disappointing that it could not be read as a conventional book from cover to cover even though it is derived from a print resource, especially since it is likely given the publisher's statements that alternate indexing options by title and famous characters were given in the hardcopy. Given that the electronic resource is not published word-for-word online, and only some of its content is made available online, it would be more accurate not to label it a "book" as the publisher does. It is more accurately termed a "database", and as such there is an expectation that it should be far more up-to-date. While the publisher is a reputable one in print, in-so-far as this resource is considered, there is less to be impressed with in their online product. library market. Arrangement The weekly print contains two parts the first one is the white pages which cover newsworthy stories in brief which are organized chronologically in a format of articles. The second part contains the blue and yellow pages which are the cumulative alphabetical index of the articles from the white pages, the index could be searched by personal name, company, organization, country, or topic. The special core subject areas of this reference are: history, science, literature, geography, health, and more. Currency

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World News Digest is updated twice weekly and includes a searchable hourly newsfeed available for free trial at http://www.facts.com/index.htm Entries Inside the hard cover binder there are loose- leaf insert. The first part” white pages” include the chronological entries which written in brief article/ paragraph format, each weekly insert contains box that list major stories in this issue. Special Features Beside the Facts On File World News Digest, The online version of this work has lots of special features as follows: • Editorially created hyperlinks from articles to related material, directing researchers to just what they seek • Primary source documents and special research features on highinterest topics, taking researchers back into history and giving context to the news of the hour • Timelines, offering news written as it happened and giving students perspective on the times they are studying • Newspaper editorials, with links to news coverage • Editorial cartoons with discussion questions, teaching analysis and promoting critical-thinking skills—plus thousands of maps, charts, graphs, and historic photographs • In-depth coverage guides to top ongoing stories, giving researchers quick access to this vital information • Full Almanac and Encyclopedia • Curriculum Tools, teaching research and presentation skills, with special sections supporting government, civics, economics, history, and social studies curricula • "Need a Research Topic?" offering short summaries of suggested research topics, with a fully linked list of articles for each • Convenient functions, including persistent record links, save-to-folder, and citation display. Overall Evaluation or Critique Facts On File is an award-winning publisher of. The print titles are authoritative references geared toward the high school, academic, and public library markets. The online databases range from curriculum-based reference resources to online News Services products. Facts On File has more than 65 years of service to librarians backing our editorial content and decisions

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