E-Views and Reviews: The World in a Database
By Cheryl LaGuardia -- Library Journal, 4/1/2005
Google twinge? I've been an avid Google fan since reading a 1999 Forbes article about the company. However, I feel uneasy about publishing enterprises like Project Torch coming to a dead halt because Google announced its library book digitization project (see LJ 3/1/05, p. 24). My concern, like that expressed by others in libraries and publishing, is that substantial scholarly publishing and digitization projects will not be funded in the expectation that "Google is going to do it anyway."
We could lose—or postpone—digital access to rare and unique material just because Google looms over the digital plain. Have a take on Google's sudden omnipresence in scholarly publishing? Write me.
Quote of the Week "We are exploring the relationship between teaching resources and digital library content. In developing e-publications, we have focused on aggregating high-quality content.... This involves understanding research and teaching patterns as well as user needs in specific disciplines—mirroring traditional publishing activities but using the digital environment for innovative design and functionality. Our work is focusing increasingly on the complex relationship between the 'closed' world of the classroom and the 'open' world of the web."—Kate Wittenberg, Director, Electronic Publishing Initiative at Columbia (EPIC)
World History Collection
EBSCO Publishing
www.epnet.com/academic/worldhistory.asp
EBSCO's World History Collection (WHC) provides full text, indexing, and abstracts for 145 titles dealing with the history of Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America. Dates covered vary by title, with some full text available back to 1964. Historical subjects include anthropology, art, culture, economics, government, the military, politics, and others. Sample titles include African American Review, Central European History, Latin American Politics & Society, Scottish Historical Review, and Utopian Studies. Consult EBSCO's web site for the full Database Coverage list.How Does It Work? The opening search screen offers a Basic Keyword search: a Find box with a well-placed link to Search Tips immediately below it. Limit your results to full text, to a specific source, or by date or cover stories only. Expand the process by searching for related words, within the full text of articles, or by automatically "anding" search terms. I find this uncluttered yet powerful interface appealing and easy to use. Advanced Search provides more search boxes along with the same limit options plus new ones (number of pages, references available, publication type, and document type). The search expanders are the same as for Basic search.
Can You Use It? My first Basic Keyword search, for "sacco and vanzetti," got nine hits from March 1996 to February 1986; five articles were book reviews. Examination showed four had PDF full text available, three had HTML full text, and two were only citations. I wondered why, since the EBSCO data page stressed "cover-to-cover" full text for the titles indexed. In the Database Coverage list I found the note: "*indicates that this publication was recently added to the database and therefore few or no articles are currently available." But there wasn't an asterisk next to the titles (American Heritage and Journal of American History) in the list. The list does note for some titles there is a "full text delay," but these titles weren't among them.
My second keyword search, for "jewish diaspora," found 19 hits (one of which was a book review), all with full text, ranging from December 2004 back to autumn 1982. There were three viewing options: See: All Results; Academic Journals; Magazines. Intrigued, I clicked "Academic Journals," and one result displayed, from International Affairs. So I went back and clicked on "Magazines" to see the contrast, and one result displayed, from American Scholar. So what were the other 17 results? I tried finding an online definition of how EBSCO decides what constitutes an academic journal or magazine but couldn't. For the next release, please give context about these labels, since users (especially less-sophisticated researchers) may rely on them for guidance.
It's hard to get a handle on the true scope of this file, although the list of journals indicates a focus on modern periods and a mix of popular and scholarly publications. I did successful searches for AIDS in Africa, NAFTA, foot binding, continental drift, and the Sino-Soviet split. Some very popular material emerged but so, too, did substantial research articles.
How Good Is It? It's a nine for public libraries and community colleges since it's easy to use and will be highly useful for general researchers. It's an eight for college and university audiences because there are other products that offer more to these audiences (such as LexisNexis's History Universe and Gale's History Resource Center). But note the full-text book review content. That's going to be a major selling point for all audiences.
What's the Cost? Unlimited access, local and remote, for a one-year period is $595 for high school libraries and $1,395–$2,995 for academic libraries. Public libraries should contact EBSCO.
The Bottom Line I like how this file works, and I hope EBSCO beefs up the content and provides better definitions. It is recommended for public and community college libraries.
| Author Information |
| Cheryl LaGuardia is the Head of Instructional Services, Harvard College Library, and author of Becoming a Library Teacher (Neal-Schuman, 2000). Readers and producers can contact her at claguard@fas.harvard.edu |
