Gale, using its UK‐based Graham & Whiteside imprint, has been publishing Trade Association and Professional Bodies of United Kingdom and Eire (TAPB) for about ten years. Launched in 1962 and previously produced by Pergamon Press, TAPB appeared sporadically for a number of years and at one point seemed to have died completely, but has now settled into apparently biennial publication under Gale's stewardship. This seventeenth edition, smartly clad in red, white and blue covers, presumably to echo the Union Jack, is undoubtedly a highly polished and professional work, especially in terms of presentation. Many of the hallmarks of Gale quality are present including crisp paper and appearance, sturdy hard wearing binding and full indexing spanning more than 100 pages.
The extended subtitle of TAPB encapsulates its scope and content: “an alphabetical and subject classified guide to 5,000 organisations that promote and foster business, commerce, trade, science and related activities in United Kingdom and Eire”. Entries for organizations are arranged in five country sections, Eire, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and then alphabetically by name. The amount of information provided under each entry varies considerably, but is always clearly presented under boldface headings. In addition to standard contact detail (address, telephone, fax, e‐mail and web site) headings can include: “Founded”; “Members”; “Staff”; “Contact”; “Description”; “Library subject”; “Library type”; “Publication”; and “Meetings/conventions”. Only the Description heading offers any expanded detail, although this tends to be minimal, rarely exceeding 75 words. The three indexes provide access by organization title, subject (under headings such as “Fishing industries, “Graphic arts”, “Rheumatic diseases” and “Wildlife conservation”) and acronym (organizations known by or employing acronyms have these clearly displayed at the head of the entry).
A total of 5,000 organizations is an impressive number and certainly many one would expect to find in such a directory are present. As always with listings of this type fascinating nuggets of information can be unearthed. It was surprising to discover, for example, that not only is there a Flag Institute (“offers advice information, guidelines and publications on all aspects of flags”), but also that it is based in a suburban street less than a mile from where this review is being written. Other new discoveries were the Cyclamen Society (no less than 1,600 members), the Royal Navy Bird Watching Society and the Society of Recorder Players. However, as one delves deeper it becomes clear that the selection of entries, while wide, can be haphazard and that the information provided on those covered can be highly variable. On the latter point, while it may be handy for some to know that a British Association of Hair Transplant Surgeons exists, it could be useful to have more than just an address and a six‐word description. More serious is the omission of many organizations. If the focus is trade associations and professional bodies why include a few pressure groups such as Greenpeace, the McLibel Support Campaign and the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign but then ignore other major campaigning organizations such as the Ramblers Association? Even with professional associations coverage is far from complete. There is, for example, no entry for the College of Occupational Therapists and (UK librarians take a deep breath and try to remain calm) even the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is absent (although the Scottish branch is included).
Digging deeper still, there must be concerns over the accuracy of some of the information. Mistakes are not hard to find. When I visited Launceston it was in Cornwall, but TAPB thinks it is in Scotland and therefore places the entry for the British Association of Friends of Museums under that country. Annoying is the listing of a number of entries under “The” (e.g. The Vermiculite Association and the failure to remedy this peculiarity with an entry in the alphabetical index under the letter V). In the subject index, although the headings are fairly specific, there is a lack of consistency in the manner of application. Thus the Family Farmers’ Association appears under the heading Agriculture, but the similar Tenant Farmers’ Association is placed under the term Farming.
One could continue and identify further faults, but perhaps the ultimate test is how TAPB measures up to its printed rivals. There are two of these, CBD's biennial Directory of British Association & Associations in Ireland (DBA) (now in its sixteenth edition) and the newer A.S.K. Hollis: The Directory of UK Associations (published annually, 3rd edition 2003). Recently reviewed in these columns (RR 2003/287 and RR 2003/358 respectively) both have more entries than TAPB and usually give more detail on the organizations included, especially DBA, if one can penetrate the hieroglyphic like symbols employed to condense much of the information. Indexing is generally superior in both DBA and A.S.K. Hollis, with the subject index entries in TAPB completely overshadowed by the 4,500 in the former. Comparing TAPB directly with DBA, which our previous reviews found to generally have the edge over A.S.K. Hollis, it is readily apparent that the spread of coverage is superior in CBD's product. For example, of the first ten entries under the letter M in DBA only four are also present in TAPB. Those missing include the Machine Tool Technologies Association, the Machinery Safety Equipment Manufacturers Association and the Magic Lantern Society. In TAPB's defence it could be argued that some of the organizations included in DBA,and for that matter A.S.K. Hollis, are out of TAPB's scope in that they are not trade associations or true professional bodies. In addition, there are undoubtedly some entries in TAPB that do not appear elsewhere. DBA, for example, does not have the Rating Surveyors Association to be found at the start of the letter R in TABP.
Overall, although TAPB is a creditable directory that provides reasonable coverage of British trade and professional associations, it does not do so as comprehensively and effectively as its rivals. In the pecking order of British organization directories DBA is at the top and A.S.K. Hollis probably second. This does not mean TAPB is a third rate source and therefore not a worthwhile purchase for reference collections. Any library that can afford it and DBA should buy both, particularly as many users will probably find the more clearly laid out TABP easier to use. Moreover in some libraries where the focus is on trade associations and to a lesser extent professional bodies, rather than the whole gamut of British organizations, TABP alone may well suffice.
