Keyguide to information in veterinary medicine

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BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 146, 5

Keyguide to Information in Veterinary Medicine

Mike Gibb . London & New York: Mansell Publishing Ltd . 1990. 459 pp . £45 .00 This book brings together into one volume the major sources of information in the broad field of veterinary medicine . It is intended not only for the veterinary surgeon whether in practice or in research but also agricultural scientists, information officers and teachers . The book is divided into three parts . Part 1 containing eight chapters and covering the first 105 pages, deals with the sources of information that are available with an historical background to the origins of veterinary literature, then going on to books, journals, abstracting journals, trade literature review journals, ending with computerized information retrieval systems . Each chapter is supported by a list of references which are very useful especially in the rapidly growing field of commercial data bases . The second part with four chapters deals with the bibliographical coverage of general works, large animals, small animals and the specialities . The latter have a wide coverage from anaesthesia to welfare but, surprisingly, endocrinology is omitted with the references to books, journals and societies in this important field . The third part is a directory of organizations with names and addresses of a

selected list of libraries, national veterinary associations, veterinary assocations and societies, online systems, online data bases and publishers and booksellers . The index which is comprehensive must be used in conjunction with parts two and three ; the references quoted in part one are, however, not included in the index . On the whole this book has been well prepared and has a wealth of information brought together in one volume . It will be especially useful to information officers/ librarians in universities and institutions but also for smaller users such as veterinary practices and those on the fringe of veterinary medicine such as agriculture and experimental medicine and other specialist societies . Surprisingly, some important books and journals have been omitted including .Nature, the Journals of Pathology, Medical Microbiology, and Immunology, and standard textbooks on virology and bacteriology (Handbuch der Virusinfektionen bei Tieren edited by Rohrer and Handbuch der Bakteriellen Infektionen bei Tieren edited by Blobel & Schliesser) . The British Veterinary journal is not published by or on

behalf of the British Veterinary Association . Perhaps these errors and omissions can be dealt with in subsequent editions . W . J . B . MORGAN