It is nearly seven years since the Aslib Directory of Information Sources in the United Kingdom was last reviewed in these columns (RR 2003/223) when Stuart James looked at the twelfth edition. Since then, publication has continued on a biennial basis, still as a print publication and now under the Routledge imprint of the Taylor and Francis Group rather than their defunct Europa label. Any review of this title must immediately acknowledge its longevity and pedigree. The Directory first appeared in 1928, but it was not until 1957 that a second edition was issued. Publication then continued intermittently under the auspices of Aslib, the Association of Special Libraries (now the much reduced Association for Information Management), until the 1990s when the current two‐yearly publication cycle was established. With biennial publication the Directory cemented its position as the premier directory of UK information sources and for a time also appeared in a CD‐ROM version. This latest edition is much like its immediate predecessors, but longstanding editor Keith Reynard is no longer at the helm, size seems to have shrunk slightly with fewer than 1,500 pages and there is no mention of any electronic version either in the volume or on the publisher's website.
For those unfamiliar with this Directory, and surely there can be few UK librarians working in a general reference setting who have not had occasion to consult its pages, the content is best summarised by the promotional description on the publisher's website: “The Aslib Directory of Information Sources in the United Kingdom provides instant access to listings of 6,800 associations, clubs, societies, companies, educational establishments, institutes, commissions, government bodies, and other organizations which provide information freely or on a fee‐paying basis” (www.routledge.com/books/Aslib‐Directory‐of‐Information‐Sources‐in‐the‐United‐Kingdom‐isbn9781857434880). That a promotional web site best describes the Directory rather than its prefatory matter is a reflection on the sad lack of introductory material. Apart from a perfunctory Foreword of a few brief paragraphs there is nothing to outline the scope or contents, or to comment on the updating process. The lack of such information helps neither the reviewer nor the intending user, especially those who may not have used previous editions. All we can surmise is that the Directory continues to be questionnaire based (the last lines of the Foreword express gratitude “to those individuals who have given their time to check and update their entry for the new edition”) and that it is reasonably up to date (the Foreword is dated November 2008).
The 6,800 entries of this edition are, as before, arranged in one simple A‐Z sequence by the name of the institution providing the information source. This works well enough, but there are some many anomalies. For example, under the letter C there is the entry Central Library Derby. Not only would it seem better to have entered this as Derby, Central Library, but pages distant there is the entry Derby City Library which seems to repeat much of the information. At very least a linking reference would be helpful, but none is supplied, and indeed there is no cross‐referencing of any type in the directory sequence. As a result similar or related entries stand in isolation and are in danger of confusing users or leading those unfamiliar with the UK information landscape to overlook vital information providers. Other examples include Bradford University School of Management Library which is separated from the entry University of Bradford – Learning Support Service under which it is listed as a collection, and the Bodleian Library of Oxford University which is pages away from many other information sources provided by the University, many of them libraries subsidiary to the Bodleian, entered under the University of Oxford (e.g. University of Oxford – English Faculty Library; University of Oxford – Social Science Library).
Within entries there is a similar somewhat freestyle approach to the presentation of information. Headings employed, based on the fairly lengthy entry for the John Rylands University Library of Manchester (entered under John Rylands with no link to other entries under University of Manchester) include, after contact details which are uniformly provided, Website; Enquiries; Founded; Organization Type or Purpose; Subject Coverage (as in many entries a lengthy list); Museum or Gallery Collection, Archive or Library Special Collection (in this case a list more than one column long); Printed Publications; Created in Present Form by the Merger; and Provides Headquarters For. Headings employed in other entries include Library Catalogue; Access to Buildings, Collection or Gallery; Access to Staff; Access for Disabled Persons; Electronic and Video Publications; Funded By; and Parent Body. Presumably headings employed reflect the way in which information was provided by institutions. There appears to be only limited attempts at standardisation or editorial oversight. The result is inevitably an unevenness of depth and occasional lack of clarity (for example the entry for International Intelligence on Culture (an “independent company specialising in cultural policy analysis, and intelligence consultancy”) states that access to staff is by letter, telephone, fax and email, but no e‐mail address is provided in the contact details).
Inconsistencies in the order and structure of the Directory, while regrettable and largely avoidable, are not critical to its effectiveness. Most users will be seeking information sources on a specific topic and will turn first to the Subject Index. Following a 35‐page Index of Acronyms and Abbreviations, this is set out in three columns and runs to more than 160 pages. Headings are in boldface type and list organization(s) which are information sources for the subject with the relevant page number. Inevitably, there are some lengthy sequences, for example Accountancy on the first page has more than one column, while Engineering has more than two and Local Government, which is essentially a list of local authorities, over three. For some headings, such as Engineering, sub‐headings are employed and overall the impenetrable listings that can characterise printed indexes of this type are largely avoided. This is helped by a high degree of specificity in the selection of index terms, those used including Donkeys, Handbags, Hydrangea, and Thatching. There are also headings for information sources relating to individuals, for example, Butler, Samuel and Clare, John and some named collections, for example, Harding Collection. In general, the Subject Index appears accurate and it is undoubtedly the outstanding feature of the Directory, as it needs to be if the whole is to be effectively utilised. However, there are occasions when depth appears to be lacking. For example, three information sources are listed under the heading Organic Farming, but the Soil Association, probably the main body promoting and regulating organic agriculture in the UK and with an entry in the main sequence, is inexplicably not among them.
Browsing the index, as with the main sequence, highlights the extraordinary wealth of information sources to which the Directory acts as a key. Here the Harris Tweed Authority rubs shoulders with Harrow Library Service and the Radish Growers' Association sits alongside the Radnorshire Society. Despite the convenience and availability of Google, if a systematic approach to the discovery of information sources in the UK is required, this Directory remains unrivalled. The only serious alternative, beyond trawling the Internet and sifting through the inevitable mass of sites dredged up, is Gale's Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers. While North American focussed, this is international in scope and does contain a reasonable number of entries for the UK. It also has the advantage of being available online as part of the Gale Directory Library. However, this is primarily a library directory with narrower scope as well as fewer UK related entries. To date Routledge has not indicated any plans to make the Aslib Directory available online as a distinct data source, a development that would greatly enhance its usability and overall profile. As a result, most medium to large UK general library reference collections will feel there is little alternative but to stock an up to date copy of this key source, even if the cost every two years is approaching £400 and the flimsy paper on which it is produced will quickly crease and tear with repeated use.
