Kristin Gerhard’s collection of articles on serials devoted to women’s studies is a pioneering work, bringing together the best writings in this important area of scholarship. As a women’s studies bibliographer, a Vice Chair/Chair Elect of the Women’s Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries and an author of a seminal article on the subject, she is arguably the best qualified person to compile this excellent collection.
The majority of articles are by librarians/subject specialists, some by library school professors and one by a publisher. The collection is broad in scope, and it examines and analyzes women’s studies periodicals across a variety of disciplines. Using various approaches, the authors discuss publishing, indexing and library practices, such as collection development and management, cataloguing and reference, as related to these periodicals. The authors often deal with the issue of what constitutes a core collection for women’s studies as an academic discipline. They also address the concept of “otherness”, as well as exclusions and marginalizations of materials that do not represent the mainstream.
The articles examine usage, especially as related to information‐seeking behaviour of women’s studies faculty and students. They pay attention to the content and access issues not only in the humanities and the social sciences, as would be expected, but also in the sciences and technology. Some of these articles also take a look at broader international issues and address the accessibility problems of women’s studies serials published in other countries.
Printed, as well as electronic sources, such as online databases, CD‐ROM products and Web sites, are included in these studies. The authors collectively present a historical overview, an analysis of the present situation and the areas for future growth and improvement. They also outline areas for further research and encourage other librarians to get involved in this important area of study by filling in the gaps.
Individual contributions to this volume have been indexed and abstracted in many printed, online and CD‐ROM versions of reference sources. Since periodical literature plays an important role in any vital academic discipline such as women’s studies, this book should be of great interest to librarians, scholars, publishers and students of women’s studies. It is highly recommended for academic libraries.
