knovel is a subscription‐based database of engineering and science reference e‐books that provides a new model for delivering engineering information straight to the desk‐top as interactive data. knovel is unique in that they have partnered with a number of major publishers in this field, such as Butterworth‐Heinemann, CRC, and Kluwer. Users may search the entire collection of more than 300 titles, search in subject “collections”, browse individual titles using the table of contents, or search for those elusive data imbedded in a table or graph.
In order to use all the functions, subscribers will need to use, at a minimum, Internet Explorer 5.01 or Netscape Navigator 4.7, as well as Acrobat Reader 4.05. The full text is available primarily as PDF files, which load quickly.
Users may immediately begin searching using the “Quick Search” option from the opening screen, or they may select a broad engineering subject to search or browse. knovel provides several options to help navigate their site, including a User Guide in PDF format, an FAQ, a Help Guide, free interactive phone demonstrations, and free trials. Despite these tips, I got a little frustrated in the “Site keyword search.” The link to view “Search tips” returned me to knovel’s homepage rather than to a help menu.
knovel’s search features allow everyone, from the novice to the most sophisticated user, to find the information desired. A site data search allows users to locate data in tables and graphs and then export them into a spreadsheet for further manipulation. This feature turns the database into more than just an electronic reference book; it becomes a tool helpful for engineers doing research or preparing reports.
The PDF files are the main weakness of the product. I had to blow up a page in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics to 200 percent before I could read the text, at which point it was too wide to fit on my computer screen. Printing the desired pages obtains the best results. I also noticed that, although the 82nd edition of the CRC Handbook is available in print, knovel offers the 3rd electronic edition, which is based on the 81st edition.
The coverage is better in some areas of engineering than in others. The basics are well covered under chemical engineering: titles in this area include the CRC Handbook, Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, and Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry. Bioengineering, civil engineering, and materials science are among the fields that are not represented. Although ASM International is listed as one of the publishers with whom knovel partners, their more important titles in materials science are missing, e.g. ASM Handbook.
Libraries will find that price is the main obstacle to knovel: a single‐user license for the entire database is $19,995. Small “bundles” of books are available for license, and I recommend this option to small‐ and medium‐sized academic as well as corporate libraries. This alternative allows users to customize their electronic reference to meet the needs of their institutions, but even these small packages could add up. Libraries will also need to consider that they will be leasing the resources available in knovel rather than owning them in print.
In all, the full database is a good source for large academic and corporate libraries dedicated to desk‐top delivery of digitized information.
