ILS504 - Reference & Information Resources and Services

Individual Evaluations / Bibliographies & Library Catalog

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National Union Catalog, Pre-1956 Imprints, A Cumulative Author List Representing Library of Congress Printed Cards and Titles Reported by Other American Libraries.

Citation
Library of Congress, & American Library Association. (1968). The National union catalog, pre-1956 imprints; A cumulative author list representing Library of Congress printed cards and titles reported by other American libraries. London: Mansell.

Purpose
National Union Catalog, Pre-1956 Imprints gives librarians the ability to quickly locate a title and find out where it was located at the time of publication. The NUC gives full bibliographic information and provides a database for cataloging.

Authority         
The Library of Congress oversees the development of this national bibliography

Scope
With over 20 million books at the Library of Congress and holdings from over 1500 libraries nationally, this is the first of the comprehensive bibliographic catalogs. Included is bibliographic information on every book ever published from Colonial Times to 1981 when the project was completed. The NUC includes MARC records on maps, music, serials and visual materials as well as books. It also includes international holdings.

Format      
First published in 1968, the National Union Catalog, Pre-1956 Imprints is comprised of 754 volumes. It is currently published on microfiche.

Arrangement
This catalog is arranged by author, title and subject indexes with a register number that is cross-referenced for full cataloging records. If you would like to find out where the book was located when this was published, you will need to use the Register of Additional Locations. These are listed by Library of Congress numbers.
Care must be paid when referencing the date, as the one listed is not the publication date but the actual acquisition the date of the item, either by the Library of Congress or another contributing library.

Entries
The entries are photocopies of the original card from the card catalog.

Use and overall evaluation
This is a leading comprehensive bibliographic catalog. It would be a valuable resource for cataloging and acquisitions librarians as well as research librarians, especially when trying to locate older and out-of-print titles. At $11,500 for the microfiche, it would be prohibitive for many libraries, although some libraries are giving away sets of the print versions on listservs if shipping is paid. 

Books in Print

Citation
R.R. Bowker Company. (1948). Books in print. New Jersey [etc.]: R.R. Bowker.

Purpose
Books in Print has organized information on over 17.5 million titles for use by librarians, patrons, booksellers, and publishers.

Authority
R. R. Bowker is a leader in the publishing industry.

Scope
The database has information valuable on more than 7.5 million U.S. book, audio book, and video titles, in addition to 10 million more international titles

Format
Books in Print is available in print, on CD-ROM, and in Web format.

Arrangement
The Books in Print.com interface is bright, friendly and easy to use. There is a search box with numerous search options as well as links to advanced searches, browsing options, awards, bestsellers, and biographies. There is also a link to Non-Fiction Connection and to Fiction Connection databases.

Entries
The search results page lists the title, author, publisher, ISBN, format, availability, future date of release and price. Links take you to more detailed annotations, reviews, tables of content, cover images, author biographies and awards information.
 
Special Features
Bowker developed PatronBooksInPrint.com in 2004 as a user-friendly database for patrons. A feature that comes with the online subscription is Fiction Connection.

Use and overall evaluation
Books in Print is an indispensible resource for any size library. It will help acquisitions librarians as well as provide information to the public on the availability of forthcoming books, award winners, as well as information on authors.

Guide to Reference Books

Citation
Balay, R., Carrington, V. F., & Martin, M. S. (1996). Guide to reference books. Chicago: American Library Association.

Purpose
This guide provides a comprehensive bibliography of reference books aimed at reference librarians.

Authority
This book is published by the American Library Association. Referred to as “the Bible of Reference”, 50 general-reference and subject-specialist librarians from major U.S. universities selected the material in this edition. 

Scope
There are almost 16,000 titles in this edition that provides critical bibliographic information for academic and scientific researchers. This edition includes information on CD-ROM and online databases as well as help points on how to use reference sources and information.

Format
This reference is available in hardcover print format in a single edition, 2002 pages, 11 x 10.5” and weighing close to 8 pounds.

Arrangement
Entries are organized by an individual alphabet index, for ease of use. Information can be found by typical authors, titles and subjects divisions. More than 400 pages in length, the index also includes titles and authors in the annotations.

Entries
The strength of this reference tool is how the entries describe each title and identify similar works. There is much cross-referencing and evaluation of work included in each entry.
 
Use and overall evaluation
This is a valuable addition to the collection of academic and research libraries. It provides a good value for the price, $275 and there is a new and smaller edition for small to medium size libraries. Either edition will make a welcome addition to any reference librarian’s collection.

New Walford Guide to Reference Materials

Citation
Walford, A. J., Day, A. E., & Walsh, M. (2000). Walford's guide to reference material. 3 Vol., London: Library Association.

Purpose
Walford’s Guide to Reference Material provides scholarly reference guidance in all areas for academic librarians and researchers.

Authority
The editor, Ray Lester is currently the Head of Library and Information Services at The Natural History Museum. He was joined by sixteen subject specialists when compiling these new editions.

Scope
These volumes cover every topic imaginable from government, to education, to scientific endeavors to technology and social science to name but a few of the topics that you will find in the New Walford.

Format
This bibliography is available in book format.

Arrangement
There are three volumes; Vol. 1 covers Science, Technology, and Medicine, Vol 2 covers Social and historical sciences, philosophy and religion while Vol. 3 covers Arts Humanities, and General Reference

Entries
Entries are organized in typical alpha fashion as well as re cross-referenced. These entries also help the reader make sense of the myriad of resources available on the World Wide Web.

Use and overall evaluation
This three-volume set, even with its $1200 price, would be a welcomed addition to the reference collection of all but the smallest of libraries. The information is organized to appeal to a range of readers, academics, and interest levels.
 

Public Library Catalog: Guide to Reference Books and Adult Non-Fiction

Citation
H.W. Wilson Company. (1968). Public library catalog: guide to reference books and adult non-fiction. New York, N.Y.: H.W. Wilson.

Purpose
This catalog serves the needs of public and undergraduate libraries by providing librarians with information to guide their choices in weeding their collection, adding new titles, identifying subject areas that need updating, as well as providing guidance in the selection of reference materials. This catalog also provides cataloging information for all entries.

Authority
Experienced librarians from across the United States have been chosen to contribute to the chosen content. Nancy Pearl is just one of the esteemed librarians chosen for this position.

Scope
Included are works published in the US, Canada, and the UK and are distributed in the states. All of the books selected must be in print at the time of selection. Original paperback editions are also included. This resource meets the reading needs of a wide range of readers compiling old and new materials.

Format
This is only available in print.

Arrangement
There is one basic edition with annual supplements. Part 1 is a classified catalog while author, title, subject and analytical indexes are in Part 2. There is detailed indexing.

Entries
The entries are organized by Dewey Decimal Classification System, with main entries then arranged alphabetically with complete bibliographic and cataloging information. The entries also give information on the availability of electronic versions of the resource as well as large print.

Use and Overall Evaluation
This would be one of those ‘must have’ reference books. It would be of great benefit to cataloging and reference librarians. Because it includes information on current topics such as women’s health, environmental issues, and science, it will provide timely recommendations.