Content Evaluation of Textual Cd-Rom and Web Databases

This richly illustrated book provides a guide for evaluating a variety of database types, including abstracting and indexing, directory, full-text, and page-image databases available in online and/or CD-ROM formats. Jacso discusses the purpose and techniques of comparing and evaluating the most important characteristics of textual databases, such as their scope, dimensions, source coverage, record content, accuracy, consistency, currency, and completeness. Evaluation models and procedures are given for widely used databases (e.g., Books in Print, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, Library and Information Science Abstracts and their full-text version), whose subject, content, and terminology are familiar to librarians and information specialists irrespective of their specialization.

PeTER JACSo is Chair and Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Hawaii, Honolulu. He received the Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award of the American Society for Information Science (ASIS), the Pratt-Severn Faculty Innovation Award, and the Louis Shores-Oryx Press Award for excellence in reviewing databases.

Those involved in the information sciences know how the computer has facilitated great changes in research over the past decade. However, in the last few years there has been a subtle user shift from CD-ROM based databases to web based databases. Accordingly, the purpose of this book is to provide database selectors the information they need to advise end users in selecting the most appropriate database for their research needs. The book is organized into 12 chapters. The first chapter provides a general introduction and includes definitions of key terms related to databases. This is very useful and informative as many information professionals tend to forget where and how the products they use were developed. The author describes in detail data files and their producers, database creation and retrieval software and their producers, database publishers, and database delivery options.Chapters two through five provide a very thorough overview of database content evaluation criteria, database subject scope, database dimensions, and database source coverage. In Chapter Two, the author reminds us that content evaluation "requires a battery of tests, experiments, analyses, and other research procedures and methods." Indeed, and perhaps most important, the author cites Quint (1995) who notes that information professionals are the final arbiter of database quality and accuracy. The chapter ends with a historical overview and review of the literature related to content evaluation. In chapters three through five, the author outlines the framework for evaluating a database. By subject scope he refers to subject area, size, composition, currency, extent of coverage of source documents or objects, and language and geographic coverage. By database dimensions he means size and composition, time span of material covered, depth of coverage ("the amount of records created for a journal during its coverage in a database"), and currency (or perhaps more accurately timeliness). By database source coverage he refers to type, genre, language and geographic origin of the primary sources utilized by data file producers.Chapter Six examines the record content of a database, including bibliographic and value added data elements. The author illustrates the varying quality of bibliographic data elements by searching and reviewing the results on three different databases for the same article. Perhaps more important are those value added data elements that create better searching. Such value added items include language fields, article length, article type, and ISBN and so on.Chapters Seven through Twelve take the reader through the evaluative process with advice on assessing accuracy, format and content consistency, completeness, quality of subject indexing, quality of abstracts, and cost considerations. The author is correct in stating that information professionals often take for granted that databases are accurate. For instance, simple searches of major databases will often reveal multiple misspellings in the same record! The issue of format and content consistency focuses on the failure of database providers to use controlled vocabularies or standard lists during database entry. Inconsistencies are hobgoblins of databases and the author provides examples from well-known database providers. Chapters ten and eleven speak to very important issue of indexing and abstracting quality. On the quality of subject indexing the author reviews its concepts and literature, advice on how to evaluate indexing quality (via practice searches), and presents a case study on evaluating the quality of subject indexing. On the quality of abstracts the author views them as an essential tool despite the fact that many databases have forgone abstracts to include full text documents. Again, concepts and literature on abstracts is presented, as is the process of evaluating abstracts and presenting a case study on evaluating the quality of abstracts. The final chapter is one that might not normally appear in a book such as this. However, the author provides useful information about considering database costs to the end user such as low cost versions of popular databases (PubList) and the increasing number of free database, especially those sponsored by government agencies. The book concludes with a moderately thorough bibliography of documents relating to database evaluation and an index.It is refreshing to read an experts view of the database world rather than canned literature from vendors that flood our snail and email boxes on a regular basis. This book is recommend to all in the information field charged with selecting or advising other parties on selecting databases appropriate for their research needs. It is the most complete evaluative guide to databases this reviewer has seen. The author has the refreshing ability to "cut to the chase" regarding overblown claims of database vendors and he is not afraid to point out inconsistencies, errors, and oversights. All of this is supported by useful illustrations and graphics.Reviewer: Dale A. Stirling, Information Specialists, Intertox, dastirling@intertox.com Copyright 2002 E-Streams Reviews