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How to find information in the humanities
:3x
Book Kevlews
others, Roget’s Thesaurus, Hallig and Wartburg, Spurgeon’s Analysis qf‘~muges in Shakespeare, Katz and Fodor’s Semantic Theory, and Stone’s Content Analysis Dictionary. This theoretical discussion continues into chapter 2, “Construction of the Dictionary,” which concentrates on the problems of bottom-up category formation. While this book concentrates on content analysis in the sense of characterizing the general na[ul-e of a text (the origin of the dictionary is in the analysis of text produced by psychiatric patients) rather than on retrieving text on specific concepts, the introduction makes for interesting reading in i:la5sification theory, and the concept dictionary itself is a useful source in building thesauri, particularl! thesauri supporting free-text retrieval.
How to Find Information in the Humanities. f13.50. ISBN O-85157-433-5.
S.
KIRKHAM.
Clive
Bingley, London
(1989). vi + 89 pp.
An addition to the light bibliographical genre series of the publisher, this “practical guide” (p. 1) is directed to an eclectic British audience which includes the extremes of “students of the humanities to “researchers carrying out original inat all levels ranging from secondary to higher education,” \eTtigations for higher degrees or scholarly research in the humanities” (p. l), as well as humanities librarians, library school students, and teachers at all levels. The seven brief chapters of this slim volume introduce the reader to humanities, communication patterns. bibliographical searching, indexes and abstracting service\, online searching, inter-library borro\+inp (with a section on indexing), and current awareness opportunities. The pace is swift and mo\~4 from elementary ideas onward to illustrative in very few paragraphs. However, each chapter concludes \\ith several pieces of summary advice to remind the forgetful. Forty tables, reproducing portion< of reference \vorks and various forms, help give the reader a l’amiliarity with the works to be faced in [real life; but since they are not explained (particularI!, the unusual ones), further question\ may he raised. One full page depicts in line drawings the differences between a card catalog, a microfiche reader. and an electronic terminal. Several questions will occur to the person who is tempted to take thir introduction seriously. For a v,ork Lvith 5uch limited scope and space, one may be surprised to find the humanities defined as bl-oadly as possible, \o as include geography, social psychology, and sociology. The equation of Briticll Book.s in hint for British books with Subject Guide to Books in Print for American titles (p. 25), without at least mentioning the standard Books in Print, will strike some as peculiar. Although listed as online service5 of DIALOG (p. 52), the MU International Bibliography and Religion Index as Index to Clrrrent hard-cop!, works do not appear in a selective table (p. 431, while Anthropologicul Periodiculs and Psychological Abstracts do. Finally, anyone is free to speculate as to criteria for inclusion <>I’the 30 titles that appear in the index, drawjn from the many more listed and discussed in the body of the work. While this work may be actually designed for beginning students at British Polytechnics, most other likely users, especially those with international interests, will want to sate their funds for an introduction to a specific field, along the lines of Pergamon’s How to Find Out series, or settle for one of the number of general introductions to bibliographical research, such as David Beasley’s HOW to C’W u Research Library (Oxford U.P., 1988). DONALD
GSI. IS
6.
DAVIS, JR.
lJni\~er.sit_v0.f’ Te.uus at Austin A u.~ti~/, T,k
Stress and Burnout in Library Service. J.S. $24.95. ISBN O-89774-602-3.
CAPUTO.
Oryx Press, Phoenix,
AZ (1991). viii + 172 pp.,
The many librarians who know Janette Caputo through her useful Murk. .Thr Assertive Librarian (Oryx, 1984), will have high expectations for this manual on stress management and burnout avoidance for those who work in libraries. In general, their expectations will be fulfilled. Caputo, a librarian of 14 years experience and a clinical psychologist, presents a readable synthesis of the literature regarding the process of burnout, its causes, recognizing its symptoms, and avoiding it through the use
Book Kevlews
others, Roget’s Thesaurus, Hallig and Wartburg, Spurgeon’s Analysis qf‘~muges in Shakespeare, Katz and Fodor’s Semantic Theory, and Stone’s Content Analysis Dictionary. This theoretical discussion continues into chapter 2, “Construction of the Dictionary,” which concentrates on the problems of bottom-up category formation. While this book concentrates on content analysis in the sense of characterizing the general na[ul-e of a text (the origin of the dictionary is in the analysis of text produced by psychiatric patients) rather than on retrieving text on specific concepts, the introduction makes for interesting reading in i:la5sification theory, and the concept dictionary itself is a useful source in building thesauri, particularl! thesauri supporting free-text retrieval.
How to Find Information in the Humanities. f13.50. ISBN O-85157-433-5.
S.
KIRKHAM.
Clive
Bingley, London
(1989). vi + 89 pp.
An addition to the light bibliographical genre series of the publisher, this “practical guide” (p. 1) is directed to an eclectic British audience which includes the extremes of “students of the humanities to “researchers carrying out original inat all levels ranging from secondary to higher education,” \eTtigations for higher degrees or scholarly research in the humanities” (p. l), as well as humanities librarians, library school students, and teachers at all levels. The seven brief chapters of this slim volume introduce the reader to humanities, communication patterns. bibliographical searching, indexes and abstracting service\, online searching, inter-library borro\+inp (with a section on indexing), and current awareness opportunities. The pace is swift and mo\~4 from elementary ideas onward to illustrative in very few paragraphs. However, each chapter concludes \\ith several pieces of summary advice to remind the forgetful. Forty tables, reproducing portion< of reference \vorks and various forms, help give the reader a l’amiliarity with the works to be faced in [real life; but since they are not explained (particularI!, the unusual ones), further question\ may he raised. One full page depicts in line drawings the differences between a card catalog, a microfiche reader. and an electronic terminal. Several questions will occur to the person who is tempted to take thir introduction seriously. For a v,ork Lvith 5uch limited scope and space, one may be surprised to find the humanities defined as bl-oadly as possible, \o as include geography, social psychology, and sociology. The equation of Briticll Book.s in hint for British books with Subject Guide to Books in Print for American titles (p. 25), without at least mentioning the standard Books in Print, will strike some as peculiar. Although listed as online service5 of DIALOG (p. 52), the MU International Bibliography and Religion Index as Index to Clrrrent hard-cop!, works do not appear in a selective table (p. 431, while Anthropologicul Periodiculs and Psychological Abstracts do. Finally, anyone is free to speculate as to criteria for inclusion <>I’the 30 titles that appear in the index, drawjn from the many more listed and discussed in the body of the work. While this work may be actually designed for beginning students at British Polytechnics, most other likely users, especially those with international interests, will want to sate their funds for an introduction to a specific field, along the lines of Pergamon’s How to Find Out series, or settle for one of the number of general introductions to bibliographical research, such as David Beasley’s HOW to C’W u Research Library (Oxford U.P., 1988). DONALD
GSI. IS
6.
DAVIS, JR.
lJni\~er.sit_v0.f’ Te.uus at Austin A u.~ti~/, T,k
Stress and Burnout in Library Service. J.S. $24.95. ISBN O-89774-602-3.
CAPUTO.
Oryx Press, Phoenix,
AZ (1991). viii + 172 pp.,
The many librarians who know Janette Caputo through her useful Murk. .Thr Assertive Librarian (Oryx, 1984), will have high expectations for this manual on stress management and burnout avoidance for those who work in libraries. In general, their expectations will be fulfilled. Caputo, a librarian of 14 years experience and a clinical psychologist, presents a readable synthesis of the literature regarding the process of burnout, its causes, recognizing its symptoms, and avoiding it through the use