Using the Mathematics Literature [Review]

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	Issues in Science and Technology   Librarianship
	Spring 2005

	DOI:10.5062/F4DN431K



      

     Book Reviews
    Using the Mathematics Literature
      Brian Quigley
  Electronic Outreach Librarian
  Kresge Engineering Library
  University of California, Berkeley
bquigley@library.berkeley.edu

      


    Using the Mathematics Literature. Kristine K. Fowler, ed.  New  York:  Marcel Dekker, 2004. 389 pp., $169.95 (ISBN 0-8247-5035-7)

    Twenty-five years have passed since Marcel Dekker last published a  mathematics volume in its Books in Library and Information Science  series (Using the Mathematics Literature: A Practical Guide,  Barbara Kirsch Schaefer, ed., 1979). Of course, much has changed since  then -- new discoveries, new research directions, new information  environments -- so it was important to have an update. Kristine Fowler,  an experienced mathematics librarian at the University of Minnesota, has  undertaken the task and produced an exceptional guide to the   literature.    

 Using the Mathematics Literature serves as more than a finding       aid, more than a list of tools and strategies for finding information. Closer       in approach to Alison Dorling's Use of Mathematical Literature (1977),       it opens with three chapters on tools and strategies but then continues with       twelve signed annotated bibliographies on a range of subjects. Each chapter       serves as a road map to its subject matter, highlighting key texts for researchers       embarking on new journeys of discovery. The book does an excellent job of       guiding its intended audience, described in the preface as "the new mathematics       graduate student, [but also] the researcher encountering an unfamiliar area       and the new mathematics librarian" (p. iii).  

    Many important decisions need to be made when compiling such a selective  guide, and the editor has made some intelligent choices concerning  subjects and contributors. The chapters cover such subjects as the  History of Mathematics, Number Theory, Combinatorics, Abstract Algebra,  Algebraic and Differential Geometry, Real and Complex Analysis,  Differential Equations, Topology, Probability Theory and Stochastic  Processes, Numerical Analysis, Mathematical Biology and Mathematics  Education. Each chapter begins with a general introduction to the  subject, followed by an annotated list of recommended readings.

    The recommended readings are judiciously selected and organized.    Contributors provide an excellent mix of classic texts and more recent  work throughout. For the most part, annotations are descriptive and  evaluative. However, the quality of these annotations varies across  chapters. Some contributors reveal a thorough understanding of the  subject matter through the depth of their annotations. See, for example,  Fernando Gouvea's chapter on the history of mathematics or Thomas  Garrity's chapter on algebraic and differential geometry. In contrast,  the chapter on combinatorics limits its annotations to descriptions of  the audience level.

    To insure the quality of these chapters, the authority of the  contributors is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, while a  biography is included for the editor, only the institutional affiliation  is provided for the other contributors. While experienced researchers  and librarians may recognize these names, the "new mathematics graduate  student" would have to expend some effort to determine their expertise.    Even brief biographical information about each contributor would have  been useful.

    While the author index is comprehensive, the subject index is not as  detailed as it should be. For example, if you look up "Zeta functions"  in the index, you will find a reference to page 109. However, observant  readers will note related works mentioned on pages 94, 102 and 103 as  well.

    While these and other problems exist, they do not detract significantly  from the overall quality of the book. It superbly fulfills its purpose:    guiding researchers unfamiliar with a subject to some recommended texts  for gaining familiarity. New mathematics graduate students should  consult appropriate chapters as introductory reading lists. Librarians  should keep the book handy for answering reference questions, especially  when referring students to introductory texts. I would recommend this  book to all academic libraries.

    

  

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