For Future Reference

Today's headline is old news: Readex, a division of NewsBank, has introduced the addition of Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808–1980, to its existing America's Historical Newspapers collection. Touted as the "single largest compilation of Spanish-language newspapers printed in the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries," this new searchable database includes titles previously inaccessible to readers.

EBSCOhost has expanded its Newspaper Source database with Newspaper Source Plus to include the New York Times and other national and international newspapers, newswires, and TV/radio transcripts with a 20-year backfile. And where can you find 40 million articles spanning 300 years of British and world history? Gale's new resource British Library Newspapers digitizes material from a collection that spans over 20 miles of shelf space and attracts more than 30,000 visitors a year. And you don't have to be world-weary to benefit from this resource: contributors like Benjamin Franklin, Charles Dickens, and Winston Churchill will ensure relevance on both sides of the Atlantic.

A good database is always something to sing about, and Oxford's Encyclopedia of Popular Music is no exception. The renowned ten-volume work is now online, with 27,000 entries representing "a multicultural world view of popular music" from 1900 to the present.

'Tis the season for change, and fortunately for our electronic resources, it's all good. ABC-CLIO has introduced cross-searching capabilities and a common interface to its database collections, and the publisher's History Reference Online has several new titles added to its already excellent repertoire.

Gale is offering an expanded version of PowerSearch called PowerSearch Plus, which allows patrons to search nearly all of a library's print and electronic holdings and the Internet from one platform.

Also from Gale, the Gale Directory Library—launched just last year—is expanding its content to include several new reference series, while Facts On File's Health Reference Center is now completely redesigned and updated with a friendlier interface, 1000 searchable videos and images, more content, and—my personal favorite—expanded search tools.