Reference & User Services Quarterly articles from June 1999

Reference & User Services Quarterly archives from June 1999

The Ten Commandments, Steve Case, and Reference Service: Part 2
June 22, 1999... This is the second in a series of editorials based on comments made by Steve Case, chairman and CEO of America Online, at America Online' s 1999 Partner Conference. At that private meeting, Case had enumerated his "10 Commandments" for business...

Enhancing the Quality of Reference Service for the 21st Century: Part 4
June 22, 1999... This is my fourth and final RUSQ column as president RUSA. As I look back on my activities and contributions to RUSA, I want to take this opportunity to share with you how RUSA has enriched my professional life. I invite you and your colleagues...

The Immortal Ten
June 22, 1999... In the thirty-eight volume ears that "The Exchange" (or one of its previous incarnations) has appeared, certain questions stand out as perennial problems-at least for those poor reference librarians who have toiled to find answers. For the last...

James A. Michener Special Collection, University of Northern Colorado Libraries
June 22, 1999... This issue's guest columnist provides her own introduction: "The James A. Michener Special Collection at the University of Northern Colorado is compiling a comprehensive documentary picture of the author's writing career. Collections of...

Internet Scout Project
June 22, 1999... Promoting Resource Discovery for Research and Education Two summers ago, I visited Pergamum and Ephesus in modern day Turkey. As the second and third largest libraries in antiquity, built in the second century B.C. and A.D. 135, respectively,...

Best Bibliographies in History.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... RUSA Bibliography and Indexes Committee With this list, the Bibliography and Indexes Committee continues its project to honor outstanding, English-language, book-length bibliographies in the field of history. We hope to encourage both the...

Four New RUSA Awards Approved for the New Millenium
June 22, 1999... RUSA committees will present four new awards in 2000, cosponsored with Thorndike Press, OCLC, and Dun & Bradstreet. Bessie Boehm Moore Award Gets New Life The Bessie Boehm Moore-Thorndike Press Award, consisting of $1,000 and a...

Nominations Sought for RUSA Awards, YEAR 2000
June 22, 1999... Nominations currently are being accepted for RUSA awards in 2000. The application deadline is December 15, 1999. Visit the RUSA Web site for more information and a list of previous recipients (www. ala.org/rusa/rusa_awards.html) or contact...

Testing the Accuracy of Information on the World Wide Web Using the AltaVista Search Engine
June 22, 1999... In this study we examine the accuracy of the World Wide Web for answering general ready-reference questions. We used the search engine AltaVista for this study. We gathered ready-reference questions over a two-week period and then searched on...

Do Librarians Understand the Subject Headings in Library Catalogs?
June 22, 1999... "Understanding Subject Headings in Library Catalogs" is the first large-scale study of understanding of subject headings. Its objectives were to determine the extent to which library users and librarians understood subdivided subject headings...

Application of the Cognitive Interview by the Reference Librarian
June 22, 1999... Much has been written about the importance of the reference interview, and various techniques have been suggested to enhance its effectiveness. While anecdotal information regarding interviewing techniques is enlightening, greater benefits can...

Designing an Active Academic Reference Service Point
June 22, 1999... When designing a reference service point, there are numerous issues to explore. The author covers some of them here: a review of the counter-desk debate; research on personal space applied to both patrons and professionals; the need for...

Encyclopedia of World Biography
June 22, 1999... Encyclopedia of World Biography. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 1999. $975 (schools: unlimited use within building, dial-in access allowed for students and faculty; all other libraries: up to eight simultaneous users, $50 per user above eight)....

The New Way Things Work: A Visual Guide to the World of Machines
June 22, 1999... The New Way Things Work: A Visual Guide to the World of Machines. New York: DK Pub., 1998. $29.95 (ISBN 0-7894-3896-8). Requirements: Windows: 486 DX/33 IBM PC or higher; Windows 3.1 or higher; 8 MB RAM/Windows 3.1, 12 MB RAM/Windows 95, 16...

A to Z of Native American Women.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... A to Z of Native American Women. By Liz Sonneborn. New York: Facts On File, 1998. 228p. acid free $27.95 (ISBN 0-8160-3580-6). One need not wait for an appropriate reference question for a reason to peruse this volume of 101...

Affirmative Action and the Constitution.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Affirmative Action and the Constitution. Ed. by Gabriel J. Chin. Controversies in Constitutional Law. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 1998. 3 vols. acid free $235/set (ISBN 0-8153-2742-0/set). Affirmative Action and the Constitution...

The African-American Atlas: Blade History and Culture--An Illustrated Reference.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... The African-American Atlas: Blade History and Culture--An Illustrated Reference. By Molefi K. Asante and Mark T. Mattson. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1998. 251p. acid free $115 (ISBN 0-02-8649840-2). This work is a revision of...

Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia. Ed by Guy Gibbon. Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, vol. 1,537. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 1998.941p. acid free $165 (ISBN 0-8153-0725-X). This is a very broad...

Art: A World History.(Review)
June 22, 1999... Art: A World History. Ed. by Fergus Day and David Williams. New York: DK Pub., 1998. 720p. $59.95 (ISBN 0-7894-2382-0). The extensively illustrated survey Art: A World History is yet another heroic attempt to gather into one hefty volume...

Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds.(Review)
June 22, 1999... Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds. By Margaret Bald. New York: Facts On File, 1998. 362p. acid free $35 (ISBN 0-8160-3306-4). Censorship versus free expression is a dialectic that has probably been in place since...

Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds.(Review)
June 22, 1999... Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds. By Dawn B. Sova. New York: Facts On File, 1998. 321p. acid free $35 (ISBN 0-8160-3303-X). Censorship versus free expression is a dialectic that has probably been in place since man...

Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Political Grounds.(Review)
June 22, 1999... Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Political Grounds. By Nicholas J. Karolides. New York: Facts On File, 1998. 584p. acid free $35 (ISBN 0-8160-3304-8). Censorship versus free expression is a dialectic that has probably been in place...

The Columbia History of Western Philosophy.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... The Columbia History of Western Philosophy. Ed. by Richard H. Popkin. New York: Columbia Univ. Pr., 1999, 836p. acid free $59.95 (ISBN 0-231-10128-7). This one-volume handbook makes a great first impression primarily because of the names...

Contemporary Southern Writers.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Contemporary Southern Writers. Ed. by Roger Matuz. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 1999. 442p. acid free $140 (ISBN 1-55862-370-1). Contemporary Southern Writers is in many ways typical of Gale products: tidily organized,...

Decades of Beauty: The Changing Image of Women, 1890s-1990s.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Decades of Beauty: The Changing Image of Women, 1890s-1990s. By Kate Mulvey and Melissa Richard. New York: Facts On File, 1998. 205 p. $34.95 (ISBN 0-8160-3920-8). From the corseted women of the 1890s to the relaxed individual style of...

Dun and Bradstreet/Gale Industry Reference Handbooks: Computers and Software.(Review)
June 22, 1999... Dun and Bradstreet/Gale Industry Reference Handbooks: Computers and Software. Ed. by Stacy A. McDonnell. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 1998. 1071p. $99 paper (ISBN 0-7876-3002-0). Three industries greatly important to the world economy...

Dun and Bradstreet/Gale Industry Reference Handbooks: Pharmaceuticals.(Review)
June 22, 1999... Dun and Bradstreet/Gale Industry Reference Handbooks: Pharmaceuticals. Ed. by Stacy A. McDonnell. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 1998. 406p. $99 paper Three industries greatly important to the world economy and that have a deep impact on...

Dun and Bradstreet/Gale Industry Reference Handbooks: Telecommunications.(Review)
June 22, 1999... Dun and Bradstreet/Gale Industry Reference Handbooks: Telecommunications. Ed. by Stacy A. McDonnell. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 1998. 893p. $99 paper (ISBN 0-7876-3005-5). Three industries greatly important to the world economy and...

Encyclopedia of AIDS: A Social, Political, Cultural, and Scientific Record of the HIV Epidemic.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Encyclopedia of AIDS: A Social, Political, Cultural, and Scientific Record of the HIV Epidemic. Ed. by Raymond A. Smith. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998. 601p. $125 (ISBN 1-57958-007-6). This one-volume ready reference work on AIDS will...

Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture. By Dorothy Perkins. New York: Facts On File, 1999. 662p. acid free $95 (ISBN 0-8160-2693-9). Perkins acknowledges in her introduction to Encyclopedia of...

Encyclopedia of Religion in American Politics.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Encyclopedia of Religion in American Politics. Ed. by Jeffrey D. Schultz and others. American Political Landscape Series. Phoenix: Oryx Pr., 1999. 389p. acid free $99 (ISBN 1-57356-130-4). Encyclopedias in the American Political Landscape...

Encyclopedia of Student and Youth Movements.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Encyclopedia of Student and Youth Movements. By David F. Burg. New York: Facts On File, 1998. 254p. acid free $50 (ISBN 0-8160-3375-7). Student and youth organizations have existed since the rise of civilization. Adults formed some groups...

The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. by Donna Olendorf and others. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 1999. 5 vols. acid free $499/set (ISBN0-7876-1868-3/set). At the reference desk we are often asked, "Where is your medical encyclopedia?"...

Genealogy Software Guide.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Genealogy Software Guide. By Marthe Arends. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub., 1998. 269p. $24.95 paper (ISBN 0-8063-1581-4). This book is designed with its prospective users in mind. The author makes few assumptions about computer and...

A Global Encyclopedia of Historical Writing.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... A Global Encyclopedia of Historical Writing. Ed. by D. R. Woolf. Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, vol. 1,809. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 1998. 2 vols. acid free $175/set (ISBN 0-8153-1514-7/set). In A Global...

Guide to Native American Ledger Drawings and Pictographs in United States Museums, Libraries, and Archives.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Guide to Native American Ledger Drawings and Pictographs in United States Museums, Libraries, and Archives. Comp. by John R. Lovett Jr. and Donald L. DeWitt. Biographies and Indexes in American History, no. 39. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr.,...

A Guide to Speleological Literature of the English Language 1794-1996.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... A Guide to Speleological Literature of the English Language 1794-1996. Ed./comp. by Diana E. Northup and others. St. Louis: Cave Bks., 1998. 539p. $24.95 paper (ISBN 0-939748-52-5). This truly unique book covers the literature on caves,...

A Guide to World Language Dictionaries.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... A Guide to World Language Dictionaries. By Andrew Dalby. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998. 470p. $95 (ISBN 1-57958-069-6). Dalby, Ph.D. librarian at the London Goodenough Trust for Overseas Graduates and an honorary librarian at the...

Historical Dictionary of the Green Movement.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Historical Dictionary of the Green Movement. By Elim Papadakis. Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, no. 20. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Pr., 1998. 223p. acid free $62 (ISBN 0-8108-3502-9). The Green Movement is...

An Index to African-American Spirituals for the Solo Voice: an Index.(Review)
June 22, 1999... An Index to African-American Spirituals for the Solo Voice: an Index. Compiled by Kathleen A. Abromeit. Music Reference Collection, no. 76. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 1999. 199p. acid free $65 (ISBN 0-313-30577-3; ISSN 0736-7740). ...

Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers: The Best Resources to Help You Parent.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers: The Best Resources to Help You Parent. Ed. by Julie Soto. Issaquah, Wash.: Resource Pathways, 1998. 390p. $24.95 paper (ISBN 0-9653424-8-4). In the introduction, the editors explain that the purpose of...

International Dictionary of Modern Dance.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... International Dictionary of Modern Dance. Ed. by Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgraf. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 1998. 891p. $160 (ISBN 1-55862-359-0). Dance is an area of the fine arts that has been well represented over the years by some...

MacMillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery.(Brief Article)(Review)
June 22, 1999... MacMillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery. Ed. by Paul Finkelman and Joseph C. Miller. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1998. 2 vols. Acid free $195/set (ISBN 0-02-864807-X/set). This two-volume encyclopedia is an important addition to...

Making Wise Medical Decisions: How to Get the Information You Need.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Making Wise Medical Decisions: How to Get the Information You Need. Lexington, Mass.: Resources for Rehabilitation, 1998. 224p. acid free $39.95 paper (ISBN 0-929718-21-6). The strategy for making wise medical decisions put forth in this...

Master Index to More Summaries of Children's Books 1980-90.(Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Master Index to More Summaries of Children's Books 1980-90. By Eloise S. Pettus. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Pr., 1998. 2 vols. acid free $198/set (ISBN 0-8108-3269-0/set). According to the author, every year some twenty-five hundred...

Men's Health Concerns Sourcebook.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Men's Health Concerns Sourcebook. Ed. by Allan R. Cook. Health Reference Series, vol. 38. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1998. 738p. acid free $78 (ISBN 0-7808-0212-8) One of the forty-three (to date) titles in Omnigraphics' Health Reference...

Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States. By James Minahan. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 1998.340p. acid free $75 (ISBN 0-313-20610- 9). The end of the Cold War and the spectacular collapse of the USSR...

Mushrooms.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Mushrooms. Thomas Laessoe. Eyewitness Handbooks. New York: DK Pub., 1998. 304p. $29.95 (ISBN 0-7894-3286-2). The author estimates that there are approximately one and a half million species of fungi in the damp and dark of the world,...

Music of the Golden Age, 1900-50 and Beyond: A Guide to Popular Composers and Lyricists.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Music of the Golden Age, 1900-50 and Beyond: A Guide to Popular Composers and Lyricists. By Arthur L. Iger. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 1998. 269p. acid free, $69.50 (ISBN 0-313-30691-5). "Some Enchanted Evening," "The Sunny Side of...

Old Fashioned Children's Games: Over Two Hundred Outdoor, Car Trip, Song, Card, and Party Activities.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Old Fashioned Children's Games: Over Two Hundred Outdoor, Car Trip, Song, Card, and Party Activities. By Sharon O'Bryan. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1999. 143p. acid free $23.50 paper (ISBN 0-7864-0558-9). The two-hundred-plus activities...

Postcolonial African Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Postcolonial African Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Ed. by Pushpa Naidu Parekh and Siga Fatima Jagne. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 1998.525p. acid free $85 (ISBN 0-313-29056-3). This Sourcebook's foreword, by...

Stress A-Z: A Sourcebook for Facing Everyday Challenges.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Stress A-Z: A Sourcebook for Facing Everyday Challenges. By Ada P Kahn. New York: Facts On File, 1998. 390p. acid free $40 (ISBN 0-8160-3295-5). As indicated in the foreword to Stress A-Z: A Sourcebook for Facing Everyday Challenges,...

Ultimate Beer.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Ultimate Beer. By Michael Jackson. New York: DK Pub., 1998. 192p. $29.95 (ISBN 0-7894-3527-6). Michael Jackson is arguably the most notable, and most knowledgeable, beer expert in the world today. His now-classic The World Guide to Beer...

Who's Who of Pulitzer Prize Winners.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Who's of Pulitzer Prize Winners. By Elizabeth A. Brennan and Elizabeth C. Clarage. Phoenix: Oryx Pr., 1999. 666p. acid free $69 (ISBN 1-57356-111-8). The Pulitzer Prizes are arguably the most controversial well-known "prestige" awards in...

Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Former Soviet Union.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Former Soviet Union. By Robin Milner-Garland. New York: Facts On File, 1998. 240p. acid free $50US/$69Canada (ISBN 0-8160-3815-5). Almost ten years ago, librarians, Russian studies specialists, and all...

The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, vol. 1: 1981-85.(Review)
June 22, 1999... The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, vol. 1: 1981-85. Ed. by Kenneth T. Jackson. New York: Macmillan Library Reference, 1998. 930p. acid free $125 (ISBN 0-684-80492-1). Though it does not make a definitive statement in its...

Sources Received but Not Reviewed
June 22, 1999... 10,001 Hints and Tips for the Home. By Cassandra Kent and others. New York: DK Pub., 1998. 672p. $29.95 soft (ISBN 0-7894-3520-9). 1999 Writers Market: 8,000 Editors Who Buy What You Write. Ed. by Kirsten C. Holm. Cincinnati: Writers Digest...

Business, Government, and Law on the Internet: A Hands-On Workshop.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Business, Government, and Law on the Internet: A Hands-On Workshop. 2d ed. By Gary R. Peete. Internet Workshop Series no. 3. Berkeley, Calif.: Library Solutions, 1999. 170p. Includes one 3.5" disk. $45 (ISBN 1-882208-24-2). The...

Document Management: New Technologies for the Information Services Manager.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Document Management: New Technologies for the Information Services Manager. By Kenneth A. Megill and Herb Schantz. New Providence, N.J.: Bowker Saur, 1999. 191p. $60 (ISBN 1-85739-246-9). Designed as a primer for document management, this...

The Impact of Information on Society: An Examination of its Nature, Value, and Usage.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... The Impact of Information on Society: An Examination of its Nature, Value, and Usage. By Michael W. Hill. New Providence, N.J.: Bowker Saur, 1999. 292p. $70 (ISBN 1-85739-124-1). There is little doubt by now that we live in an...

Internet Power Searching: The Advanced Manual.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 22, 1999... Internet Power Searching : The Advanced Manual. By Phil Bradley. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1995. 232p. $45 (ISBN 1-55570-350-X). The aim of this handbook is to improve users' search techniques by explaining in a nearly...