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Using Publishers' Web Sites for Reference Collection Development
Melissa Holmberg
Reference/Instruction Librarian
Minnesota State University, Mankato
verkom@krypton.mankato.msus.edu
Abstract
Utilizing publishers' web sites can help librarians locate additional science and
technology reference materials which fall within budget constraints while meeting
the needs of the patrons. This article analyzes the ways publishers' web sites can
be used as librarians develop reference collections. The article also reviews
specific publisher web sites to demonstrate useful features of current sites,
point out the additional information given at some sites, and discuss desired
changes.
As a librarian developing the technology and physical science reference collections
at a medium-sized university, I have found publishers' web sites extremely helpful
in locating materials for the library. The budget for the two reference collections
allows for much more than the items reviewed by publications such as ARBA,
Choice, and
Booklist which are appropriate for the
patrons. However, the budget cannot afford large, specialized encyclopedia sets;
furthermore, our patrons' needs often do not require such expensive sets. Thus, to
find additional materials, with more information than
Books in Print
usually provides, I tend to rely on publishers' web sites.
Although print catalogs could be utilized more often, these often seem to be less
useful than the corresponding Internet sites. Usually, publishers provide more
information on their web sites than they do in their print catalogs. As the arrival
of print catalogs rarely matches the acquisitions department's deadlines for
collection development, publishers' web sites can be more efficient at finding
information about recent publications. Publishers' web sites can also be more
effective at verifying suggested titles. Additionally, printouts from web sites
tend to be more helpful than the catalogs: printouts from different web sites can
be compared more easily than can double-sided pages from print catalogs and notes
can be more easily written on the printouts than on the glossy pages of some
publishers' catalogs.
Furthermore, publishers' web sites can at times be easier to utilize than print
catalogs. Librarians can access the sites during slow moments at the reference
desk. This accessibility is extremely helpful, because I often discover gaps in the
reference collection when assisting patrons. If time allows after discovering such
gaps, I tend to search for the needed materials at publishers' web sites and print
out the information about the materials while at the reference desk. Using
publishers' web sites at the desk during slow moments also allows me to work on
collection development activities without carrying catalogs.
Publishers' web sites can also be helpful when updating materials being weeded from
the collection. The software used for Books in Print in the library
does not allow us to limit by publisher. Thus, if a book's title is not
distinctive, a large number of records may be retrieved. It is often faster to use
the publisher's web site than to review all the records retrieved from Books
in Print. Also, due to several recent publisher buy-outs, updated reference
materials easily change names to reflect the acquiring company. Rather than getting
frustrated with not finding a specific title in Books in Print, I can
search the acquiring company's web site to determine if they are continuing to
publish a particular item. The Internet can also be used to find out which company
has acquired a particular publisher.
Like most things in life, publishers' web sites can vary drastically from one to
the next. Some exceed the content of their print catalogs, while others offer
nothing more than a brief citation. Most publishers' web sites now offer both
search and browse capabilities, but a few only give users one of these options.
Some publishers include links to upcoming or new titles or to reference materials.
Such links can save a lot of time during collection development activities by
allowing librarians to take a look at a subset of the larger catalog. On the other
hand, some publishers have hidden their search and browse features, making
collection developers leave the sites in frustration. Lastly, few publishers' web
sites include a publication date in the truncated list of results. Several times I
have clicked on a title and waited for the page to load only to discover the item
was published ten years ago and was therefore inappropriate for the reference
collection.
The reviews below demonstrate such differences among selected publishers' web
sites. Each publisher listed below regularly produces science or technology
reference materials and covers more than one field in their reference
publications.
- Academic Press ({http://www.elsevierdirect.com/index.jsp})
- Academic Press includes a quick keyword search function as well as an advanced
search form which allows price range, year, imprint, and media limits. Browsing is
only available in the "Major Reference Works" section. Countering this limited
availability of browsing, though, Academic Press includes lists of recently
published and forthcoming titles within the "Major Reference Works" section. The
level of information given for these newer and upcoming publications is a major
strength of the Academic Press web site. Most recent and upcoming publications have
their own web site which may include a full contents list, information about the
author/editor(s), a list of related sites selected by the author(s), full text of
selected entries or chapters, a list of reviews, and a general description of
content and features.
- CRC Press ({http://www.crcpress.com/})
- Like most publishers, CRC neglects to include dates in the results list.
Searching is limited to author, title, standard number, and full text. However, CRC
includes other access points through hot links for authors and related disciplines
and through browsing capabilities by broad subject area or alphabetical title list.
The "New Publications" section is arranged by discipline. CRC often includes a
brief description, key features of the publication, and intended audiences for each
item. Reviews are included when available.
- Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/)
- Elsevier provides several desirable features. The site displays the publication date in the list of results upon requesting that results be sorted by date. (Sorting by date becomes a standard step for frequent users as the publication date in the long display is included with the ordering information at the end of the entry.) Elsevier provides a link to "New and Forthcoming Titles." Both search and browse capabilities are available at Elsevier's web site. From the browse form, users can select one or more subject areas and limit by publication type such as reference works or dictionaries. On the negative side, the browse form for all subjects ({http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/subject_area_browse.cws_home/?sh1State=-null-SAR-SAA-SAC-SAD-SAF-SA1-SAI-SAJ-SAK-SAQ-SAP-SAB-SAE-SAL-SAN-SAO-SAG-SAH-SAM&sh2State=&allParents=y&showAll=y}) can be difficult to find. All entries include subject terms, which are not hot-linked, and a description. Some entries also provide reviews, contents, and intended audiences.
- Facts on File ({http://www.infobasepublishing.com/})
- The strength of the Facts on File web site is its various sub-sections, which can be browsed. Facts on File provides a link to their science reference materials where librarians can browse subject areas. Librarians can also browse just new titles, which includes reference materials. Browsing is also available by type of reference material, such as encyclopedias. Both the new titles and publication types are further broken down by broad subject area, such as "science and technology." Searching is also available.
- Fitzroy Dearborn (http://www.fitzroydearborn.com/)
- Unlike the above publishers, the Fitzroy Dearborn web site needs tremendous
work. While the limited information given about its publications is usually more
than what's available on Books in Print, the amount of description is
minimal compared to other publishers' web sites. Furthermore, librarians cannot
search the catalog online; they can only browse by title or subject. Finally, dates
are not only absent from the list of titles but are also sometimes missing in the
longer entries.
- McGraw-Hill (http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/)
- McGraw-Hill could improve its browse capabilities. Librarians can browse the
"Encyclopedias and Dictionaries" section, which is only separated into two large
categories: encyclopedias comprise one category and dictionaries comprise the
other. However, the site provides long descriptions and includes publication dates
in the list of results. McGraw-Hill also gives users a choice of sort options in
both its basic and expanded search forms. Using the expanded search form,
librarians can search within only the new titles, limit by publication range, and
search for terms in the description and table of contents as well as standard
fields like author and title.
- Oryx Press ({http://www.oryxpress.com/})
- Oryx includes a link to new and forthcoming publications, which are arranged by
month of publication. Users can browse the online catalog by author, title, or
subject. The list of subjects includes a category of reference materials.
Librarians can also search the catalog, but the search engine looks only for
keywords in the author and title fields. Dates are not included in the list of
results, and like Elsevier, the publication date is placed toward the end of
entries. Oryx, though, does provide long descriptions of its publications and links
to information about the author(s). Oryx sometimes provides extensive tables of
contents or lists of topics covered, excerpts, and intended audiences.
- Wiley (http://catalog.wiley.com/)
- Like Elsevier and McGraw-Hill, Wiley provides publication dates in its list of
results. Wiley also provides a sort option and date limit on its search form.
Although Wiley does not provide a reference section or a new titles section, the
web site does provide additional access points through hot-linked subject terms.
Users can also browse by subject area. Newer titles in the online catalog include
more information than the print catalogs.
Conclusion
As more science and technology librarians use publishers' web sites for collection
development activities, one hopes the publishers will improve the availability of
search and browse capabilities. Publishers should be aware that users access the
sites in different ways and for different reasons. Since published information
becomes outdated quickly, publishers should always include dates in the brief
display of results. Lastly, publishers should fully utilize the web to provide
links to additional information about publications such as reviews, table of
contents, excerpts of entries, and descriptive texts. With the minimal reviews
available for science and technology reference materials, librarians need as much
information as possible about potential purchases. Publishers willing to provide
more information may receive more orders than publishers who only give citations
and brief descriptions.
We welcome your comments about this article.