American Library Association. ALA Guide to Medical & Health Sciences Reference.

American Library Association. 2011. c758p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8389-1023-8. $75.00.

Even though this book was published several years ago and many of its entries may be in need of updating because they reference resources that are out-of-print and/or superseded by later editions, this publication still may be of some value to librarians and/or researchers, who are attempting to build nearly comprehensive medical and health science reference collections and/or who are doing in-depth research. Covering clinical and consumer health information in thirteen chapters that are organized by type of publication (ex. bibliography, biography, classification, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, guides, handbooks, histories, indexes; abstract journals, databases, internet resources, quotations, statistics, treatises, etc.), it provides a critically- selected, annotated list of print and electronic, biomedical- and health- related reference resources, including Internet websites and digital image collections. Emphasizing U.S. publications but including materials published in other countries, it covers all types of resources in the fields of bioethics, consumer health, dentistry, health care, international and global health, medical jurisprudence, medicine, nursing, nutrition, pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, psychiatry, public health, and toxicology. Each entry includes a bibliographic citation, the Dewey and Library of Congress classification numbers, and a detailed annotation. Unfortunately, entries lack list prices or pricing information, which is useful to librarians who need to compare and purchase these publications. Also many entries are cross-posted word-for-word in different sections and/or chapters, which makes reading this book from cover-to-cover an exercise in diligence since this book’s contents may be repetitive. Of interest to students, educators, practicing librarians, and others, this annotated, classified bibliography-- while in need of updating in the not-so-distant future, if it is to remain useful and pertinent-- may be recommended for public, academic, and special library book collections. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com

American Library Association. ALA Guide to Economics & Business Reference.

ALA Guide to Reference series. American Library Association. 2011. c528p. index. ISBN 9780838910245. $65.00.

Focusing on print and electronic information resources that are fundamental to library services in economics and business, the content of this classified annotated bibliography is drawn from the American Library Association’s online Guide to Reference. Eight topical chapters showcase all types of economics and business information resources, covering Basic Industry Information, Company Information, Economic Conditions and World Trade, Functional Areas of Business, General Works, Occupations and Careers, Regional Economic Sources, and Specialized Industry Information. Each chapter is subdivided into multiple, alphabetically-arranged subcategories under which more than 690 print and electronic information resources alphabetically are presented. Entries feature abstracting services, atlases, bibliographies, databases, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, guides, handbooks, journals, indexes, internet websites, periodicals, and other types of library reference materials. Each entry describes the resource’s contents as well as sets forth its pertinent bibliographic information, such as its author(s), title, publisher, date of publication, Library of Congress and/or Dewey Decimal Classification number(s), International Standard Book or Serial Number, and Internet website. Unfortunately, the resources’ prices or costs are not noted. Compiled in North America, for use primarily in North American libraries, this reference guide will be of considerable interest to librarians, independent researchers, publishers, book dealers, business organizations, and other entities, searching for information on accounting, advertising, banking, business law, companies, economic conditions, electronic commerce, corporate officials, entrepreneurship, finance, investments, management, management information systems, marketing, occupations, specific industries, statistics, taxation, world trade, and other topics. Useful and valuable to readers, who may read it from cover-to-cover and/or peruse it by chapter, subcategory, and/or title, this publication could be improved if its topical classification scheme were modified and/or condensed to eliminate duplicate entries. With over 690 information resources featured in 1380 entries, resource entries are duplicated on average at least twice with the median being seven times. In addition to providing a title index, this guide should include a subject index and appendices of vendors and publishers with their ordering addresses. Part of the ALA Guide to Reference series, this “usably comprehensive” but “not exhaustive” (Preface, pp. xiii-xiv), authoritative repertory of mostly, recently-published, English-language, reference works is highly recommended for large public, academic, and special libraries in North America and elsewhere. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com