Sources 44 - Resource Bookshelf

Reviewed by Ulli Diemer


The 1999 Canadian Internet Directory and Research Guide, another product of the prolific duo of Jim Carroll and Rick Broadhead, is really two books in one: an introductory guide to doing online research, and an annotated directory of selected Internet resources.
The 252-page directory section features a diverse and extensive selection of sites. The sites are grouped by topic, but since the user has to rely on a topic list that is too long for a table of contents and too sketchy to be a subject index, I found it more productive, and more interesting, to simply browse through the directory. The selection of sites is eclectic (as is the Internet itself) with resources that are useful, or interesting, or both, on every page. Having such an extensive list of Canadian Internet sites in one place is especially valuable.
The Research Guide section is a competent, thorough, and readable introduction to Internet research. Reading it could save an inexperienced user many hours of learning by trial and error.
A valuable resource and interesting resource.

Also from Carroll and Broadhead is the 1999 Canadian Internet New User's Handbook. This is the perfect gift for anyone starting out on the Internet: child, parent, or yourself. It tells you everything you need to know to get started, it's clearly written, it features many helpful illustrations, it's written for Canadians, and it's small enough to fit into your purse or back pocket.

The Book Trade in Canada bills itself as "Your Complete Guide to the Canadian Publishing Marketplace", and lives up to its claim.
The Publishers and Distributors section lists book and audio-visual publishers, as well as distributors, wholesalers, and sales agents who maintain places of business in Canada. Listings provide address and other contact information, a list of key staff, and usually additional information such subject areas, titles in print, number of employees, business hours, submission guidelines, and ISBN prefix. There are indexes of Publishers by Type and Publishers by Subject. Associations and government agencies in the field are also listed.
The second section of the directory lists Literary Agents and Law Firms active in the Canadian book publishing industry; Editorial Services; Printing, Production, and Design services; Advertising, Marketing, and Publicity services; and Print and Broadcast Media which review books or cover book industry news.
The Booksellers section lists bookstores across the country, organized by province and then town. An index lists bookstores by subject specialization, where applicable.
The fourth section covers Awards, Contests, and Grants related to the book trade in Canada.
The fifth section is an alphabetical listing of individuals listed in the other sections, and an A-Z Index of all companies listed in the book.

The OPAC Directory 1998 lists online library catalogues accessible to the public. Listings are geographical, with the bulk of the listed libraries in the United States. Listings are detailed, describing the number of volumes in the library, the library's subject strengths, system technical information, logon and logoff procedures, and search options available on the system. There are several useful indexes, included an Index of Locally-Developed Databases, a Geographical Index (by country and state, and then by institution within each state), a 58-page Subject Index, a Library Name Index, and a Systems Index.

The Internet Blue Pages lists World Wide Web addresses of more than 900 U.S. federal government departments and agencies. The mandate of each agency is described and a brief synopsis of the table of contents of each site is provided. The main listings are in alphabetical order by department. There is a separate alphabetical list of agencies which repeats the URL for each agency, and a 53-page subject index. There is a companion Internet site -- www.fedweb.com -- which provides links to all the sites listed in the book.

Books Reviewed:

1999 Canadian Internet Directory & Research Guide
Jim Carroll and Rick Broadhead
Prentice Hall
1998, 510pp, ISBN 0-13-974932-2, $29.95

1999 Canadian Internet New User's Handbook
Jim Carroll and Rick Broadhead
Prentice Hall
1998, 226pp, ISBN 0-13-974957-8, $16.95

The Book Trade in Canada 1999 Edition
Quill & Quire
1998, 606pp, ISBN 0-9681459-1-4, ISSN 1208-0209

OPAC Directory 1998: A Guide to Internet-Accessible Online Public Access Catalogs
Bonnie R. Nelson
Information Today Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford NJ 08055 USA
1998, 626pp, ISBN 1-57387-031-5, $70 US

Internet Blue Pages
The Guide to Federal Government Web Sites 1999 Edition
Laurie Andriot
Information Today Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford NJ 08055 USA
1999, 360pp, ISBN 0-910965-29-3, $34.95 U.S.

 

Published Summer 1999 in Sources, a directory for journalists and researchers.



Subject Headings
Internet Research - Primary Sources - Reference Books - Reference Libraries - Reference Sources - Reference Sources/Directories - Reference Sources/Guides to the Literature - Reference Sources/Indexes - Research - Research Methods - Researchers



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