Jack O'Gorman is the Reference and Instruction Librarian and Associate Professor at the University of Dayton's Roesch Library. His extensive library experience consists of collection development; reference services and sources; and math, business and science subject specialization. His breadth of knowledge pulls from 30 plus years of experience in business and government librarianship. O'Gorman was a contributing editor to the fifth and sixth editions of Reference Sources for Small and Medium-sized Libraries. He was also the chief editor for the seventh edition.
Those involved in evaluation and selection of sources for this edition were librarians from both academic and public institutions. Unlike the previous edition, which was published in 2009, this updated edition contains reference sources in all formats and material types that have been published or updated since 2008. This also includes titles, which may pre-date 2008, that are still relevant. Compared to the previous edition, approximately 40% of the content found in the eighth edition is new and unique to this edition. In terms of evaluation and source criteria, the sources included in this edition went through a multiple-person evaluation process which includes a team of librarians who consider, evaluate and approve (or deny) sources for consideration.
The structure of this edition is based on the Dewey decimal classification system. Each general area is delineated with subject- and source-specific categories. The general subject areas included are, in table of contents order, general reference; philosophy, religion and ethics; psychology and psychiatry; social science and sociology; business and careers: political science and law; education; words and languages: science and technology; health and medicine: households; visual arts; performing arts: music; crafts and hobbies: games and sports: literature; history; and geography and area studies. The index allows users to browse an alphabetical listing of titles with their associated page location and contributing authors and/or editors. There are 1,481 items included in this edition, and each item entry includes the source number, source title, associated author(s) and/or editor(s) (if applicable), total page number (if applicable), cost, call number (DDC and LC) and a review.
General reference includes almanacs, fact books, bibliographies, reader's advisory, reference guides and biography, as well as databases and electronic resources (which includes subscription and no subscription databases, websites and other electronic resources), directories, encyclopedias, library science and library search resources. Philosophy, religion and ethics include the subjects listed in the title of the section. Psychology and psychiatry include, as the title states, the subjects of psychology and psychiatry, as well as the occult. Social science and sociology include all subjects that fall under the general academic labelling of social science, such as anthropology, criminology, gender and sexuality studies, philanthropy and social work. The section for business and careers includes general sources; accounting; advertising; marketing; and consumer research, careers, business and economics. Like the section for general reference, the sections for political science and law and education are divided up into types of sources such as bibliographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias and handbooks. The section for words and languages includes general sources, sources specific to a type of language and grammar sources. The science and technology section includes specific subjects such as astronomy, chemistry, computer science, physical sciences, mathematics, engineering and more. The section for health and medicine includes a wide spectrum of categories for that particular area, such as AIDS and STDs, anatomy, diseases, medication, nutrition, physical impairments and health specific to men or women. The section devoted to households includes all the general areas of the household management. Like the section for social science and sociology, visual arts include a wide range of academic areas generally included in this general heading. Performing arts includes awards, dance, film, telecommunications and broadcasting and theatre. Music includes the different mainstream music genres, such as country, classical and rock music. Crafts and hobbies include, as the title suggests, sources on crafts and hobbies. The section for games and sports include a varied list of mainstream sports, sports games and other sources. Literature is divided up into sections for special interests, genres and national literature. Like the education section, history and geography and area studies contain a similar structure.
This is an excellent resource for small to medium-sized academic and public libraries that want to update their reference collections. It can be used by patrons and library staff members, though will probably only appeal to patrons with an advanced skill level. While this edition is limited in functionality (browse by subject or by title), as it does not provide any cross-lists for works that fall under multiple subject areas, it is still a good source to consider. Larger libraries may benefit from this source, but will most likely already own or have access to the titles included. For libraries that own the previous edition, it is recommended that this edition be purchased, as 40% of the content is new.
