This is the second edition of the A.S.K. Hollis Directory of UK Associations, which now contains over 6,000 useful addresses. Editor Rosemary Sarginson claims that “no subject area however esoteric has been left uncovered”, from businesses to charities and consumer agencies. As well as larger, easily recognisable groups such as the National Union of Teachers and the RSPCA, this comprehensive guide also lists more specialised bodies, such as the Left‐Handers Association and the Buttonhook Society. That an organisation be “representative of a particular body of people” is the only criteria, which means that A.S.K. Hollis contains basic membership information on most collective interests.
Statistics on the associations listed within the pages of A.S.K. (associations, sources, knowledge) are gleaned from questionnaires sent to the relevant groups, and from official Websites. Contact information is provided, as well as key facts and figures – objectives, membership profile and criteria, total number of members to date, possible fees, services, publications, and affiliated organisations. This should be enough for a user to discover which group is right for their needs.
To aid in this search, A.S.K. Hollis utilises six different indexes to organise its considerable database. Categories include “organisation type”, such as academies, charities, guilds, political parties, religious bodies, and trusts. A “keyword index” leads into the narrower scope of “activity index” (by subject), which has both general entries (“arts”) and more specific listings (“automatic doors”). The “location index” guides the user to addresses of groups closer to where they live, and a section on abbreviations breaks down the often complicated matter of organisations listed by initials and acronyms, such as government departments like the DTI and the DVLA. Each index ultimately leads to an A to Z of the organisations featured, the main section of A.S.K. Hollis, and everything is covered in a “master” index. The sub‐listings based on subject are an invaluable aspect of this directory, especially when helping library users track down titles and addresses pertinent to their needs.
A search for background information on American vintage cars, for instance, would begin perhaps with “car owner’s clubs”, in the keyword index. From there, the user would be referred to “motor industry and motoring” in the activity index. The third step is selecting “cars” from a list of related subjects, which finally produces a page reference in the A to Z section: an address for the American Auto Club UK, or the AACUK. This group has 2,600 members, was founded in 1981, and is based in Shropshire. There is a joining fee, and a monthly publication for its members.
The Directory of British Associations, published by CBD Research Ltd, is a similar production to A.S.K. Hollis. Now on its sixteenth edition, the Directory compares well with Hollis’ catalogue of addresses, although A.S.K. Hollis has so far released an edition every year, against the Directory’s recent biannual update. Both are excellent directories, with Hollis building on the model of the Directory, and perhaps making its guide more user‐friendly. Whereas the Directory alphabetises according to the dominant word in a title – excluding “of” in “Society of Glass Technology”, for example. A.S.K. Hollis is also organised by useful indexes and sections, providing a fresh approach to navigating a considerable source for UK associations.
The cover of A.S.K. Hollis 2002 boasts that it is “the definitive directory of associations and organisations representing a membership, a mission and a message”. If its mission is to provide a wealth of easily accessible information on many different groups for a broad spectrum of specialist subject areas in the UK, then A.S.K. Hollis has earned the title of a “definitive directory”. This handy list manages to condense its thousands of cross‐referenced addresses into a manageable source. The typeface is necessarily reduced, but this does not impede access, and the entries are clearly presented. This directory is certainly recommended.
