The Sanitary Committee of a certain County Council, strong with the strength of recent creation, have lately been animated by a desire to distinguish themselves in some way, and…
Abstract
The Sanitary Committee of a certain County Council, strong with the strength of recent creation, have lately been animated by a desire to distinguish themselves in some way, and, proceeding along the lines of least resistance, they appear to have selected the Public Analyst as the most suitable object for attack. The charge against this unfortunate official was not that he is incompetent, or that he had been in any way negligent of his duties as prescribed by Act of Parliament, but simply and solely that he has the temerity to reside in London, which city is distant by a certain number of miles from the much favoured district controlled by the County Council aforesaid. The committee were favoured in their deliberations by the assistance of no less an authority than the “Principal” of a local “Technical School”;—and who could be more capable than he to express an opinion upon so simple a matter? This eminent exponent of scientific truths, after due and proper consideration, is reported to have delivered himself of the opinion that “scientifically it would be desirable that the analyst should reside in the district, as the delay occasioned by the sending of samples of water to London is liable to produce a misleading effect upon an analysis.” Apparently appalled by the contemplation of such possibilities, and strengthened by another expression of opinion to the effect that there were as “good men” in the district as in London, the committee resolved to recommend the County Council to determine the existing arrangement with the Public Analyst, and to appoint a “local analyst for all purposes.” Thus, the only objection which could be urged to the employment of a Public Analyst resident in London was the ridiculous one that the composition of a sample of water was likely to seriously alter during the period of its transit to London, and this contention becomes still more absurd when it is remembered that the examination of water samples is no part of the official duty of a Public Analyst. The employment of local scientific talent may be very proper when the object to be attained is simply the more or less imperfect instruction of the rising generation in the rudiments of what passes in this country for “technical education”; but the work of the Public Analyst is serious and responsible, and cannot be lightly undertaken by every person who may be acquainted with some of the uses of a test‐tube. The worthy members of this committee may find to their cost, as other committees have found before them, that persons possessing the requisite knowledge and experience are not necessarily indigenous to their district. Supposing that the County Council adopts the recommendation, the aspirations of the committee may even then be strangled in their infancy, as the Local Government Board will want to know all about the matter, and the committee will have to give serious and valid reasons in support of their case.
Martha E. Williams and Daniel E. Burgard
This is the twelfth article on social science, humanities, news, and general databases in a continuing series of articles summarizing and commenting on new database products. Two…
Abstract
This is the twelfth article on social science, humanities, news, and general databases in a continuing series of articles summarizing and commenting on new database products. Two companion articles, one covering science, technology, and, medicine (STM) appeared in Online & CD‐ROM Review vol. 22, no. 4 and the other covering business and law (BSL) will appear in Online & CD‐ROM Review vol. 22, no. 6. The articles are based on the newly appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Dafabases. The Gale Directory of Databases (GDD) was created in January 1993 by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directory of Portable Databases (DPD).
Some reference books are not only useful but a pleasure to read. For anyone interested in literature, the outstanding example is the Wilson Authors Series, which, for over fifty…
Abstract
Some reference books are not only useful but a pleasure to read. For anyone interested in literature, the outstanding example is the Wilson Authors Series, which, for over fifty years, has provided excellent summaries of the lives and works of critically acclaimed or popular writers known to English‐speaking readers. Through their coverage of minor writers and inclusion of the autobiographical statements of many twentieth‐century writers, these volumes have constituted a valuable record of the literary scene. Despite the proliferation of literary reference works in recent years, some covering more authors, others providing lengthier articles, the Wilson series has remained a cornerstone of the reference collections of libraries of all sizes and a model of concise biographical writing.
Mary Ellen Kyger Davis and John F. Riddick
Since 1901 the public has relied on H.W. Wilson's Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature to locate articles of general interest related to its information needs. For nearly…
Abstract
Since 1901 the public has relied on H.W. Wilson's Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature to locate articles of general interest related to its information needs. For nearly seventy years, the Readers' Guide (RG) was virtually unchallenged by other general indexing tools. In its long years of service, RG earned a respected place in the library and became the index most known to the public. Bill Katz described it as the “closest thing to mom in the library — soft, all embracing, ready to educate us for anything.”
The Wilson System is a computerized information system supporting both editorial and manufacturing processes involved in the creation of the H. W. Wilson Company's subject indexes…
Abstract
The Wilson System is a computerized information system supporting both editorial and manufacturing processes involved in the creation of the H. W. Wilson Company's subject indexes and catalogs, as well as the selective online retrieval of information from bibliographic and other databases through WILSONLINE—the Company's online search system. The system was designed to provide an automated means for the gathering, storage, retrieval, and management of the Company's editorial data.
We offer our readers a special Norwich Conference Souvenir number of “The Library World” which we trust they will find of permanent interest. It contains several features to which…
Abstract
We offer our readers a special Norwich Conference Souvenir number of “The Library World” which we trust they will find of permanent interest. It contains several features to which we wish to draw their attention. With regard to our article “The Library Association: Old and New Councillors” we thank those who have so kindly sent us details of their career. It has unfortunately been impossible in the short time at our command to obtain portraits of more than a few of the Councillors, and we have therefore decided to omit them in the hope that at some future opportunity we may be able to get together a more complete collection.
Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).
When library users wish to know more about a book before actually reading it, or simply want to learn what others who have read a book think about it, they have at their disposal…
Abstract
When library users wish to know more about a book before actually reading it, or simply want to learn what others who have read a book think about it, they have at their disposal a well established body of book review literature. Since these reviews are scattered throughout the periodical media, there has long been a need for a tertiary medium that indexes the reviews in periodicals. The Book Review Digest (BRD), published by the H.W. Wilson Company, had been the sole source of citations to book reviews for a relatively general public until 1965 when Gale Research Company commenced publication of Book Review Index (BRI). Current Book Review Citations (CBRC), also published by the H.W. Wilson Company, joined the field in 1976. Other more subject‐specific book review indexes are currently available. The need for these specialized indexes in any particular library can easily be determined by the special needs of the library's clientele.
It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields…
Abstract
It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields but who have a common interest in the means by which information may be collected and disseminated to the greatest advantage. Lists of its members have, therefore, a more than ordinary value since they present, in miniature, a cross‐section of institutions and individuals who share this special interest.