Search results

Seven bibliographies/bibliographic databases have been analysed as regards their subject area, list of scanned periodicals, article coverage and overlap. These bibliographies are: A. Computer and information systems abstracts. B. Computer abstracts. C. ICP software directory. D. Computing reviews. E. Computer and control abstracts. F. Computer program abstracts. G. Bulletin signaletique, section 110. Only five bibliographies cover the whole of the subject area examined. A great difference exists between the number of periodicals scanned (73 to 2771) and between the percentage of articles included from six carefully selected periodicals (27% in D to 83% in G). This results in a small overlap between the examined bibliographies. Bibliography B selects most precisely, and in spite of the low number of periodicals scanned, B includes the highest number of unique references. E and G are the largest bibliographies, containing the whole subject area, and moreover they are the only ones searchable online. These are therefore compared with two other databases that contain at least a part of the examined subject area: H. Mathematical reviews. J. Zentralblatt für die Mathematik. The article coverage of H and J (resp. 41% and 48%) remains far below the article coverage of E and G (resp. 74% and 85%). From a small examination of the allocated indexing terms it appears that not one article has been assigned similar index words in the various bibliographies. Hence, for a reliable literature study the bibliographies/databases A, B, E, G, H and J all have to be searched, whilst the search profile has to be adapted for each bibliography.

The publication rate and volume of bibliographies on women's studies in the past ten years have grown dramatically. As an interdisciplinary field of scholarship, women's studies covers a vast array of subjects. For this reason, most of the bibliographies being published are fairly specialized. That is, they cover specific aspects of women's studies such as history or education. The very excellent Esther Stineman work, Women's Studies: A Recommended Core Bibliography (discussed more fully below), which has a cutoff date of 1978, includes 90 bibliographies itself. This author has easily identified nearly 30 women's studies bibliographies published separately since 1978 and many more soon to be published.

Although the “open access” and “bibliography” appear to be contradictory concepts, as the first applies to the idea of direct and unrestricted access and the use of the resources' content and the latter refers to the list of resources' descriptions, the issue of open access to bibliography is widely discussed by the librarians' community nowadays. This paper aims to elaborate on the subject of the Polish national bibliographic agency's approach along with its experiences and problems.

“Open Access to National Bibliographies: Best Practices and Business Models” was the subject of the Bibliographic Section's session of the IFLA World Library and Information Congress that took place in Gothenburg in 2010. This article is based on a discussion paper presented at the session.

The better realization of the idea of “open access” to bibliography needs more effort and further cooperation among the libraries, publishers and institutions of law especially in respect of copyright, legal deposit and press laws. International exchange of experience and popularization of good practice in this field is necessary for success and inclusion of the national bibliography into open bibliographic universe.

The Polish National Bibliography is a public good, i.e. a non‐commercial product. Its principal aim is to give complete and reliable bibliographic data about the intellectual and cultural heritage and to make them easily accessible not only for librarians and other actors of the publishing market, but also for the general public.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

To provide a possible methodology by which the quality of student bibliographies can be measured.

The citations in some undergraduate business student bibliographies were categorised by resource type which were designated as either “scholarly” or “non‐scholarly”. A ratio of scholarly/non‐scholarly references – the “scholarly index”, was calculated for each bibliography as an indication of its quality.

The scholarly index did allow differences in bibliography quality to be detected between the different module assignments that were examined.

There are a number of variables affecting the quality of student bibliographies including the library. As a measurement of library impact student bibliography quality has a limited value unless library factors can be isolated from other variables.

This methodology and the scholarly index, could be employed where it is required to assess or compare the quality of student bibliographies.

States that there has been a recent explosion in the publication of reference works in the field of African American studies which indicates the mature field of scholarship being achieved in this area. Provides a bibliographic guide for those wishing to identify and use research tools for studying African American literature.

The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the RSR review column, “Recent Reference Books,” by Frances Neel Cheney. “Reference Books in Print” includes all additional books received prior to the inclusion deadline established for this issue. Appearance in this column does not preclude a later review in RSR. Publishers are urged to send a copy of all new reference books directly to RSR as soon as published, for immediate listing in “Reference Books in Print.” Reference books with imprints older than two years will not be included (with the exception of current reprints or older books newly acquired for distribution by another publisher). The column shall also occasionally include library science or other library related publications of other than a reference character.

To the initiate in French studies, the term “French Literature” might be understood to mean anything — and everything — written in the French language. Etymologists would no doubt support this interpretation wholeheartedly. To scholars of French literature, however, the term has a very different meaning. Professors in the field generally consider French literature to be that written in France since the Middle Ages, a literature which stands apart from other written works in the French language. This is not to say that there is not a very substantial body of literature written, for instance, in French‐speaking Canada, or Algeria, Tunisia, Haiti, or a myriad of other places. Certain individuals specialize in the literature (French) of those countries, but they do not refer to those writings as “French Literature”; they label them “French‐Canadian Literature,” “French‐African Literature,” and the like. This essay will be limited to a discussion of French literature — the major literature of France, considered worthy of special attention or acclaim by readers and scholars worldwide.

A chronological outline of library and bibliographic development prefaces this case‐study. It is not exhaustive and is meant to be only indicative of the evolution of library and bibliographic services and does not in itself replace a detailed history of the subject area.

This compilation of over 500 United States Government bibliographies is the second annual supplement to BIBLIOGRAPHY OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT BIBLIOGRAPHIES 1968–1973 (Pierian Press). Due to the Government Printing Office backlog during 1974, many 1973 and 1974 titles are included in this 1975 Supplement, which should have appeared earlier.