I have separately reviewed CBD Research's Directory of European Professional & Learned Societies (RR 2005/227), where I made the first main point that overlap between that and this directory is virtually nil, and that the two titles complement each other quite neatly. I shall have other points of comparison later in this review. The bodies listed here seem very much part of our brave new Europe: “Socio‐professional organizations play an important role in the European Union, since they defend the interests of the sectors that they represent by trying to influence the guidelines or decisions of the Union's institutions. Nearly all fulfil the role of a lobby”. The final sentence, vital in our context, seems almost an afterthought to that: “In addition, they are valuable information sources … ”.
So no lack of entries here beginning “European”: the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities, the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists, the European Cold Storage and Logistics Association, or the European Flavour & Fragrance Association, to take a few at random. The specialisms which seem to need to have an association are sometimes almost extraordinary in their detail: the European Technical Caramel Association, the European Institute of the Carob Gum Industries, or the Federation of European Deer Farmers Associations (boasting two UK member bodies) again as random examples. Libraries and museums apparently do not have lobbying associations, so no IFLA or EBLIDA; the nearest to our kind of expertise seems to be the European Union of Aquarium Curators. Those all give a good view of the range and depth of coverage of the directory, and demonstrate its difference from the CBD title.
Contents of the entries necessarily differ from the other title in that in addition to an entry for the central or governing body, there are separate entries for members within different countries (including presumably for completeness some members in non‐EU countries). So, as I know from my own association with it, the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities has two members in the UK: the Open University and the Open Learning Foundation (although not stated here, itself an umbrella organization for a number of UK universities). Similarly, the European Spice Association has the Seasoning & Spice Association as its UK member, while the European Snacks Association has national members in only Germany, The Netherlands and Spain: make of that information what you will. The entries for the main body have, of course, full directory information including names of officers, and this is supplemented by SIC code, date of foundation, working languages, secretariat, sectors of activity and published information available.
Arrangement is here A‐Z by acronym with an index of full names: the reverse of CBD's approach. Perhaps I am old‐fashioned but I prefer the use of full names, although I suppose that acronyms are increasingly how people know bodies. There is an index of keywords that is useful for finding very specific items, but I found the index by SIC codes more use as it brings together similar bodies that are scattered by alphabetical keywords; this SIC index is also much closer to the indexing concept used in the CBD directory. A final appendix listing chambers of commerce across the European Union is a useful addition. Judging from the UK entries this seems to be a pretty complete list giving directory information and the names of chief executives.
This is all well produced and clearly arranged directory, making it another very useful source of information. And sorry, but noting what I said at the start and in my other review, you cannot choose between the CBD directory and this title. They complement each other so neatly that if you need this kind of European information (and in these times, who doesn't?) you have to invest in both; but remember too the cost of not having information to hand.
