Approximately 550 of the major reference sources in sociology, its subdisciplines, and some related disciplines are identified and described in this new edition of Aby's critically acclaimed book. Emphasis is on works in English published in the last decade-indexes, bibliographies, handbooks, databases, World Wide Web sites, dictionaries, and other print and electronic reference and information sources-but some classic sources in other languages or that precede this period are included. Virtually all sources in the book have been thoroughly examined and described by the compiler. The addition of approximately 250 new titles and electronic sources, as well as updates and the inclusion of new editions of previously cited titles, makes this a substantial revision of and complement to the first edition. A valuable resource for librarians, faculty, and undergraduate and graduate students, this book will also be useful to researchers.
This book is a welcome update to the 1987 first edition of the same title by Stephen Aby. Aimed at researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and librarians, it provides descriptions of the major reference sources published mainly between 1985 and 1996 in sociology, its subdisciplines, and related social sciences. With 576 sources, 250 more than in the 1987 edition, the new edition is the most comprehensive resource guide to sociology-related research sources available. Annotations, some of which have evaluative comments, are from 60 to 250 words long. Citations include paging, indexes, series, institutional prices, and LC/ISBN and ISSN numbers.
The four main sections are "General Social Science Reference Sources," "Social Science Disciplines," "Sociology-General Reference Sources," and "Sociological Fields." Each section is subdivided by subject and/or source type, with entries arranged alphabetically by author, editor, or title. Covered are indexes, dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, handbooks, yearbooks, directories, statistical and biographical sources, and now also databases and Web sites. The sole database source given for many of the titles is Dialog, so persons interested in other provider options for a source would need to consult a more comprehensive work, such as Gale Directory of Databases. For the URLs provided, the last date each site was accessed is given, which can be important in such a quickly changing environment.
Subject headings have been modified and added to reflect current topics, including Asian Americans and community studies. The listings of journals, research centers, and organizations add value along with comprehensive author/title and subject indexes. This source is an invaluable tool for collection-management purposes. Most institutions of higher education should acquire it for their reference collections.
