In today’s world of online information, a database that is updated less frequently than annually does not seem enough to meet patrons’ demands nor librarians’ expectations for currency and accuracy of data. The CD‐ROM version of the mainstay, The Readers’ Adviser, falls into this category with regard to topics that evolve rapidly, such as computer software and current health issues.
For General Reference and Literature, however, this work remains the best of the best. Some of the authors and works included and omitted were surprising, though, perhaps a common complaint for this work. For example, there is no mention of Orson Scott Card, and the editors recommend Stephen King’s Cujo over the more wisely edited Salem’s Lot and the more widely appealing The Stand.
Each subject level entry begins with a general essay on the topic, then lists a bibliography recommended by experts in the field. Handy for quick reference is the Chronology of Authors at the end of most subject sections listing, where applicable, histories, criticisms, and collections by renowned authors.
Installation of the Windows version of this product is fast and smooth. The disc appeared to contain no files that my Macintosh PowerMac 6100 could read, so the Mac side was not tested for this review. System requirements are not listed in the manual; but an accompanying flier lists a 386 with 2 MB of RAM and 4 MB hard drive space as the minimum. The Macintosh minimum requirements are a 68020 processor with 2 MB RAM and 4 MB free hard drive space. Windows 3.1 is the minimum for the 386, System 6 for the Mac, though System 7 is recommended.
This CD‐ROM format would greatly benefit if the WWW capabilities of the latest version of the Folio software were implemented and if the publishers would dedicate themselves to being more timely, otherwise drop fast‐changing topics from the Adviser. One edition every five years (the approximate record so far for the paper editions) is fine for literary bibliographies and well‐reputed reference volumes; but it’s an eternity for software and other “information age” how‐to books.
The manual and online help for this product are nearly identical. Bowker has not taken advantage of the Windows online help format, but instead chosen to provide help in the form of another Folio Infobase. Choosing Contents from the help menu in this particular installation resulted in an error. The help file had to be opened manually from the CD‐ROM. The same query, trail, and backtracking capabilities that the Readers Adviser Infobase has are built into the help file, making it more useful in this respect than traditional Windows or Mac hypertext help. The text of the help file is not very accessible, however. Jargon is used throughout, and there is no glossary of terms. The absence of many toolbar buttons available in the database itself (e.g. Query) makes the help file less user‐friendly as well. The linear text format of the help file does not lend itself to quick browsing. It must be carefully read to glean the one important bit of information sought.
The Folio concept of a “shadow” file allows users to create what amounts to a customized copy of the database, complete with bookmarks, book lists, and customizable colored highlighters for selecting important paragraphs and passages. Highlighted passages are searchable. Also included is a somewhat klunky but useful feature, “sticky notes,” that allow a user to add his or her commentary anywhere in the database.
The Reader’s Adviser has tried to touch on all subjects, listing more than 55,000 titles and nearly 3,300 author biographies. This new format is little more than an electronic copy of the 6 paper volumes ‐ a shortsightedness responsible for many of its shortcomings. The most glaring deficiency is that the 1996 CD‐ROM database was not updated from the 1994 paper volumes. Thus, “hot” topics are not up‐to‐date; and the newest contemporary authors have been excluded. According to Greg Badger from R.R. Bowker, there is no intent to produce a new CD‐ROM this year, nor is there another paper edition in the works.
Purchase is recommended for libraries that do not have the 1994 paper edition and would like to provide a relatively easy vehicle for creating customized bibliographies in General Reference, Book Trade Topics, Literature, or other long‐standing subjects. I hesitate to recommend this CD‐ROM for libraries that either already own the latest paper edition, unless a librarian feels the searching features are worth the $400 price tag.
