Information Sources in Science & Technology [Review]

  	
  	
  	
  


	Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship  	Fall 1998  


	DOI:10.5062/F4FX77FT


    

Book Reviews
  Information Sources in Science and Technology
    Mary D. Stoner
  Engineering Library
  Princeton University
mdstoner@Princeton.edu

  

Information Sources in Science and Technology. 3rd ed. C.D. Hurt.   Englewood, CO : Libraries Unlimited, 1998. 346p. hardcover $55.00 (ISBN  1-56308-528-3), softcover $45.00 (ISBN 1-56308-531-3)  

    In its third edition, this work is part of the Libraries Unlimited Library  and Information Science Text Series, which includes many well-known library  school textbooks. The author is Professor & Director of the School of Information  Resources & Library Science at the University of Arizona. He also co-wrote with  Richard Walker Scientific and Technical Literature : An Introduction to Forms  of Communication, ALA, 1990.

    This book is a compilation of selected international sources (abstracts & indexes,  encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, handbooks, bibliographies, and Web sites)  in 21 subject areas. The overall organization is well defined, with sources  organized by subject area, then by type of source. Titles are then listed  alphabetically within these sub-sections. 

    Each subject area begins with useful introductory information that provides  historical background as well as current trends for that field of literature. Over  1500 sources are listed, with a few duplicated in several sections. Almost every  source listed includes a short descriptive and sometimes evaluative annotation.   Most annotations are worthwhile, although some could use updating or more complete  information. Prices, too, would have been a nice addition. The author, title, and  subject indexes are quite thorough.

    A major change from previous editions, most of the sources listed are from the  1990s, although older classics or historical works have been retained. This edition  has the same general organizational format as previous editions; the second edition  included "Electronic Sources" for some subject areas; the current edition includes  "Web Sites" for every subject area.

    The weakest part of the book are the selections listed in the "Web Sites"   sections. Although inclusion of Web sites is a good idea, for some subject areas  the coverage is paltry and seems to include an eclectic selection of web sites.   Some are merely society home pages, others are directories or data banks, yet  others are virtual libraries or collections of links. As this is a new feature of  this edition, perhaps this could be further developed in future editions. Web  sites themselves may need to be further divided by type of source as more  information will be available electronically in the future.

    Some omissions are surprising (e.g., Current Contents is included, but  not UnCover). The relationships between print indexes and electronic  versions could be more clearly explained in some places (e.g., Government  Reports Announcements and Index is available electronically as the  NTIS database). Also, there are a number of vendors other than Dialog  through which many of the databases are now available (no mention of STN  International).

    In the author's words, the work is "intended to be a manageable entrée to a  wide and varied literature", and indeed it is. This work is solid, balanced, and  valuable for information specialists working in or students learning about  bibliographic tools in science and technology. Readers may also be familiar with  the work by H. Robert Malinowsky, Reference   Sources in Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Agriculture, which is   similar in scope and size, and which Hunt himself states  is "useful as a counterpoint and as a different approach to the area".