Eva Apparatus

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Chapter 4

Common reference sources

lntroductionThis book is about searching information from CD-ROM and online informa-

tion sources. Lateq we shall discuss how to search different types of information

sources, ranging lrom OPACs to CD-ROM and online databases. First, how-

ever, as reference source s form a significant part of inlbrmation sources, it istherefore important that we learn about the nature, characteristics' etc' of refer-

ence sources, no matter in which form they apPear print, CD-ROM or online

databases. In this chapter we shall briefly discuss the features of some common

reference sources. Details of these are available in a number of publications (see'

for example, Bopp and Smith, 1995; Balay, 1996; Lea and Day, 1996; Katz,

1997; Chalcraft et al, 1998;Wynar, 1998; Mullay and schlicke,1999; Day and

walsh,2000). In describing the different types of reference sources, we take a

simple approach. Beginning with a simple defrnition and meaning, we address

issues such as why and how particular reference sources are used, and how we

canevaluate them. For each category of relerence source, wc give some exam-

ples. Flowever, the list of examples is lar from exhaustive: only some CD-ROM

and online reference sources, in each category' are shown here' Some moreexamples of these reference sources will appear in chapters 8-14. When evalu-

ating specific types of reference sources, the points made here about evaluating

reference sources generally should be borne in mind'

Eraluation of reference sourcesIncreased costs of reference sources and the variety of lormats and titles mean

we must systematically evaluate reference sources. Smith (1995) suggests that in

building the reference collection, one must evaluate the quality of particular

sources and their suitability for inclusion in a collection. There are severalapproaches to the evaluation ofreference sources, as discussed by Katz (1997),

Smith (1995), and so on. Here we shall discuss some simple points, abbreviated


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Authority

as APPAR{TUS (Authorit\'. purpose. phvsical producrion, Arrangemer.Recencli Accuracil Treatment, Users, and Scope), that can be usecr to er,arui::all kinds of relerence sources. -\lthough rhese r,'.ere origina'y developed t, .printed sources. the' can equallv be uscd for the evaluation of electron.--sources. Houe'er. fbr the latrer some additionar points need to be considerei:these are discusse d at the end of this section.

This relates to the arrrhority of the author or the compiler o1.the reference book.We can ask rhc l.ollou ing que slions:

' what are the author's (or compirer's or ecritor's) qualifications or experrisewith rcspect to the publicationi. hou, well known (and reliable) is the publisherl' does the author or the publisher have any bias rowards religion, politics, sex.

re.qion, and so oni

Purpose

The purpose of a refbrence book should be eviclent from its title or type of pub-lication it is' we should consider whether the author (or compiler or editor) ha,fulfilled this purpose. The clues may be fbuncl in rhe conrenrs, the introductiorror preface, the index, and so fbrth.

Physicol productionThis relates to a number of questions, such as:

.in what form and format is it publishedl' what is the cost of the publication and how does ir compare with equivalentproducts in the marketi

ArrangementThis is a v,rry rmportant qualitv. Refbrence books have adopted various, andofien complicated, techniques for arranging infbrmation, and users have tolcarn these to flnd the required infbrmation. whatever the arrangement is. it:ho]rld

be clearlv mentioned at the beginning of the t."t *irr, ,rft;;.;;'il;"rr3 t10ll s.

RecencyThis is extremelr, important, particularly for thosc areasdatcs quicklv or r,r,here the uscr wants the latest infbrmation

where informationin a given field.


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Special vocabulary features may include slang, dialect, obsolete forms, and sci-entific or technical terms.

Recency

Up-to-dateness is an important criterion for evaluating a reference tool, and this

is true for dictionaries too. However, certain dictionaries need not be up to date,particularly those that cover a specific period in the past, quotations of somespecific authors/statesmen, and so on.

FormatElectronic dictionaries are available in CD-ROM and online database formatsand on the web; ease of use and up-to-dateness are considerations.

Encyclopedic material

Some dictionaries also include encyclopedic features. Katz (1997) suggests thatan exception to the rule against buying a combination of a dictionary and anencyclopedia is when one turns to a CD-ROM, because in this form it is easy touse and update.

Spelling

Where there are variant forms of spelling, these should be clearly indicated; forexample, differing British and American spellings should be clearly indicated'

Etymologies

All large dictionaries should indicate the etymology of a word by a shorthandsystem in brackets, the normal procedure being to show the root word in Latin,

Greek, French, German, Old English, or some other language.

DefinitionsModern meanings of words should be given first. Separate and distinct mean-ings ofwords should be indicated clearly. A clear and precise definition is alwaysexpected.

Pronunciation

There are several different methods of indicating pronunciation, though a dia-critical one is commonly used. Dictionaries should provide familiar examples toindicate phonetics. Electronic dictionaries may enable the user to hear thesound of the word.

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Syllabification

Some dictionaries indicate, with a hyphen or other symbol, how a word is to bedivided into syllables.

Synonyms

Inclusion of synonyms is a desirable feature because thishelps the user differ-

entiate betvveen similar words.

Grammatical information

Grammatical information, such as parts of sPeech, is essential.

Bias

Dictionaries of English, for example, may have a UK, US or other geographicalbias.

Usage

Dictionaries may indicate words that are acceptable in formaVinformal usage'or are considered vulgar or offensive. Dictionaries can be prescriptive or descrip-

tive. Prescriprive dictionaries categorically indicate what is or is not good orapproved usage, while descriptive dictionaries simply describe the language as

it is spoken and written without any critical judgment. Dictionaries vary as tohow they handle usage. Many people believe that dictionaries should be pre-

scriptive in setting down the right and wrong usage of terms.

ExomplesCD-ROMThere are 1652 enrries for dictionaries in the Multimedia and CD-ROM directoty(1998). Some examples of language and subject and/or special dictionaries on

CD-ROM include the following;

Longuage dictionories

Oxford aduanced learner's dictionary (Oxford University Press, Electronic Pub-

lishing Department) contains spoken headwords, 500 interactive photo-graphs and colour illustrations, 800 visual references, educational games, and

maps, and allows fast and flexible searching.The Oxford Englislt. dictionary (2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Electronic

publishing Deparrment , L250): conrenrs are as rhe paper edition of rhe oED

with some modifications. It is possible to search for every occurrence of oneor more specific words, phrases or abbreviations appearing anywhere in thedatabase. Users can also search for definitions, etymology and quotations.


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Frenclt dictionaty of btuiness, comlnerce and financ'e (Routledge) contalns soin.

50,000 entries in both French and English, including '1000 abbreviation.Ti:rms are clrawn from the rvhole range of business, commerce and financ.

terminologr,'.Gerntan-English/English Gerntttn tatfting dictionary (Sofisource Inc) contain,

several thousanci evervdav and technical words.

s "- SC J:DQ- at d,c ona, e ''lnterit'trtt Herituge ntrttng dictionatl' 5'0 (The Learning Company Inc) includes

photographic images, spoken pronunciations, and more rhan 200,000 defini-

tions.Dictionary of science and technology (Acadcmic Press Inc) covers 12'l fields, from

acoustics to zoology. It offers 130,000 entrics, 350 rllustrations, 3500 spokenpronunciations, bookmarking and annotating, sophisticated Boolean searcl-i

options, custom spelling dictionarics, u'hich can be loaded into the rrser'sword processor. Essays by scientists introducc each field of science.

Elseuier's rlictionaries of chemisty (E,lsevier Science Ltd). This CD-ROM dic-

tionary cont:rins over 9000 scientific terms in che mistrl'.

Online

Alluords.com (http://www.allwords.coml) is an English l:rnguage dictionarlwith multilingual search facilities.

Cantbridge interncttional dictionaries ott/ine (http;//www.crtp.cam.ac.uk/elt/dic-

tionary/) offers a choice of the Csmbridge international dictiortat'y of Englislt,

Cambridge dictionaty of Anzericdtt Englislt,Cantbridge intentational dictionart

af phrasat uerbs, or Catnbridge internatianal dictionary of idions'

Tlte quotations clatabase (Dialog file 175) is an omnibus file of litcrary, politicaland other quotations of notc. The fiie consists of material lrom the Oxfordrlictionary of quotations (ODQ), publishcd by Oxford University Press. ThcoDQ w.as originally compiled in thc 1930s; the third edition in'as publishedin 1979. Thc database presents relatively brief cluotations accompanicd bythe author's name, birth and death dates, and the sourcc of the quote. Nlate-

rial is drau'n from poets, novelists, playu'rights' politicians, public figurcs, the

Bible, the Vulgate, the Book of Common Prayer, the Latin mass, ballads,Greek and Latin classics, modern European languagc classics, and famoushistoricai mot-r, dicta, quips, and utterances.

Q;716'-r quotatiotts: tuho said uLhat? (Gale Rcsearch Inc)''fhis CID-ROM is a col-lcction of over 100,000 quotations fiom ancient timcs to the prescnt.

Roget's thesnunts (http://www.thesaurus.com/) is thc online version of Roget'sthesattnr oJ-Englbh ruords and phtzsc's, madc availablc by Lexicg LLC, a com-


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pedia being used, and, thirdly, some practice in searching for information.Understanding the structural arrangement of an individual title is the first step.Some common questions raised at this stage might be as follows:

' Hou, manr. indexes are there - only one index or a separate index for eachfield:'Is there a separate subject indexlFIou, is the information organized - under various broad heading/topicslHow can the user search fbr images, video, sound, etclAre the related documents hyperlinked so that users can navigate from onedocument to the otheri

A crucial aspect ofdeveloping search strategies for encyclopedias lies in under-standing their place within a larger frameu,ork. Encyclopedias are often used asintermediate tools: a search strategy may start with an encyclopedia and thenmove on to other tools and sources.

How to evoluate encyclopediosThere are several published sources that provide good comparative studies onencyclopedias, such as Kister (1994) and Encyclopedias, dtlases and dictionaries(1995). A decision regarding the choice of an encyclopedia is primarily based ondaily use. Katz (1997) suggests the following general points for the evaluationofencyclopedias; the points given in the section on evaluation ofelectronic ref-crcnce sources (p a3) should also be considered.

Scope

The scope of the specialized encyclopedia is evident in its title. The scope ofgeneral encyclopedias is indicated by target audience (for example, children)and emphasis (of the editorial board, for example; on science, humanities orsocial sciences, etc; or on certain topics).

AuthoriryAuthority is evident lrom the names of the scholars and experts who sign thearticles or who are listed as contributors. It is also associated with the name(s)of the publisher.

Writing sryleUsually encyclopedia articles are meant for the general public rather than spe-cialists. The usual editorial practice is as follows:

a

a

a

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' contributors are given certain topics and outlines of what is needed andexpected

' articles are then submitted to the editors, who revise as necessary to makethem suitable for the target reader.

RecencyMost large encyclopedias issue revised individual volumes each year (year-books) containing updates. Electronic publication facilities have made thisprocess easier: editors are able to enter new materials or delete or correct exist-ing materials without completely resetting the whole article or section.

Viewpoint and obiectivityAlthough editorial policies are governed largely by the market and the audience,one should check how topics and various related issues are handled, ifany par-ticular viewpoint is emphasized, and so on.

Arrangement and entryAs this is the key to the resources in the encyclopedia, one should check howsystematically the information is organized and how easily one can find theinformation. In the electronic versions, user interface, search and retrieval facil-ities, etc, are ofkey concern.

lndexSystematic and easy-to-use indexes are very imPortant. Some encyclopediasprovide cross-reference entries - see and see also references. Nevertheless, adetailed index is absolutely necessary in both the printed and electronic ver-sions.

FormatThere are several relevant issues here, such as the organization and format ofthe text, image and sound files, and the links within the text.

CostPrices do vary from set to set. Usually library discounts are available for hardcopies: this may not be the case with CD-ROMs, but could perhaps be negoti-ated with the supplier. Replacement and updates are an imPortant issue here.Prices vary from single user to multi-user and site licences.

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Eva Apparatus