Reviewing Book Review Indexes

Abstract

When library users wish to know more about a book before actually reading it, or simply want to learn what others who have read a book think about it, they have at their disposal a well established body of book review literature. Since these reviews are scattered throughout the periodical media, there has long been a need for a tertiary medium that indexes the reviews in periodicals. The Book Review Digest (BRD), published by the H.W. Wilson Company, had been the sole source of citations to book reviews for a relatively general public until 1965 when Gale Research Company commenced publication of Book Review Index (BRI). Current Book Review Citations (CBRC), also published by the H.W. Wilson Company, joined the field in 1976. Other more subject‐specific book review indexes are currently available. The need for these specialized indexes in any particular library can easily be determined by the special needs of the library's clientele.

Citation

Wood, F.W. (1980), "Reviewing Book Review Indexes", Reference Services Review, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 47-52. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb048681