Published continuously since 1936 in print, the online version of the Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) is a good example of how the Web can enhance the usability of a traditional print abstracting/indexing service.
The HLAS describes itself as a “selective annotated bibliography of works on Latin America”, alternating annually between coverage of social sciences and humanities topics. Specific subject areas range from art, literature, music, and philosophy (humanities) to anthropology, international relations and politics, history, geography, and economics (social sciences). The more than 5,000 items described and added to HLAS each year are selected and annotated by leading scholars in Latin American studies from around the world. While the type of items covered is primarily monographic (approx. 60 per cent), coverage is also provided for selected articles from 1,600 journals worldwide as well as book chapters, conference proceedings, and electronic resources. A complete journal coverage list is available via the page’s FAQ; and researchers curious about the history and development of the HLAS in all formats will no doubt be able to find answers to their questions here.
The main Web page for HLAS is simple and straightforward, with an attractive initial graphic and links to the pages for the search interface, help, the FAQ, comments, as well as to the background pages and the acknowledgments. A link at the top left of the page also leads to HLAS’ Spanish‐language interface. New users should consult both the Help files and the FAQ before doing any in‐depth searching, as both provide numerous useful examples and search tips. The presentation and design of both pages are clear and uncluttered; and the language used in explanations is easily understood. Clicking on “Search HLAS Online” leads to the basic search page, which isn’t terribly fancy but suits the purposes of the site. Here, users can perform searches by either subject, author, title, or full text (i.e. text within the annotation ‐ a deceptive term). A glossary is provided for subject terms assigned to HLAS entries. Users should also note that since not all entries contain annotations, they will be limiting their search considerably by selecting full text as their initial search option. On the other hand, this is an easy way for users to select only those records with annotations available.
Further down on this page are the expert search options, which permit users to search combinations of keywords from the title, subject, author, and annotation fields. Both basic and expert searches may be limited by volume/year ‐ anywhere from Volume 1 of the print HLAS (1936) to Volume 56 (1999), as well as preliminary entries for future volumes (up to Vol. 60, 2003). HLAS Online is one of the few online bibliographies which includes entries for all retrospective volumes in existence, let alone information on entries currently in preparation for future volumes. As the background page suggests, this calls into question whether the print version of the HLAS is still the primary format.
After users perform a search, they will be presented with a screen outlining their results, in order of relevance (determined by the search program). First, search results containing all of the search words are displayed, followed by results matching one or more of the search words. This initial page displays just the title and author of an entry; but clicking on the hotlinked number assigned to each brief entry brings up the full bibliographic record. Though most of the annotations are in English, some (particularly entries for Spanish‐American literature) are written in Spanish; and the help files indicate that annotations for some early entries on Brazilian topics were written in Portuguese.
Owing to its multidisciplinary nature, there is no considerable overlap in coverage with other available indexes such as MLA International Bibliography or Historical Abstracts. In all, the online Handbook of Latin American Studies is a great asset to librarians and scholars in the field. Highly recommended as a bookmark for all academic libraries, as well as for faculty and students involved with Latin American studies courses.
