A school librarian and book reviewer argues that buyers, reviewers, editors, and publishers need to look more carefully at series books. Discusses series and reviewing tools and ways reviewers can help colleagues make the best choices for students. Recommends two social studies series, and suggests questions to ask when buying series books. (PEN)

A periodical database was searched to investigate the occurrence of favorable and unfavorable book reviews to determine the role of reviews in library selection. Compares book reviews with other types of reviews, examines relationships between review evaluations and other review characteristics, and compares the number of favorable and unfavorable…

This two-volume guide is designed to make subject encyclopedias more accessible. To qualify for inclusion, an encyclopedia must meet the following criteria: new or revised edition published since 1990; coverage by subject (not primarily biographical or geographical); intended audience of high school students, college students, and adults;…

Reports on the use of book reviews as selection tools to establish the reputations of publishers. Examines the quality of books of several presses, and compares each publisher against a control sample, finding discernible variations in how reviewers express themselves about books. Discusses the relationship between price and qualit,y and…

This annual review source is designed to assist smaller libraries in the systematic selection of suitable reference materials for their collections. Approximately 500 unabridged reviews, written by over 250 practicing librarians and subject specialists, identify and describe the most useful and affordable reference sources available for small and…

This annual review source is a guide for libraries with limited budgets to finding the reference sources that best fit their needs and it also is a source for helping reference librarians advise patrons on information sources. More than 500 reviews, written by over 250 practicing librarians and subject specialists, identify and describe the most…

This 30th volume of American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) covers 1,578 books and CD-ROMs published in 1998 (with some from 1997 that were not included in the previous volume). The basic purpose of ARBA is to provide comprehensive coverage of English-language reference books published or distributed in the United States or Canada during a single…

Designed to assist smaller libraries in selecting suitable reference materials for their collections, this annual review source identifies and describes 538 of the most useful and affordable reference sources available. The reviews cover reference titles published in 1998. Detailed annotations describe the nature, scope, and usability of each…