ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Internet Reviews

Sara Amato, editor

Sara Amato is automated systems librarian at Central Washington University; samato@tahoma.cwu.edu

HLAS Online. Access:http: //lc web2. loc. go v/hlas/. Launched in December 1996, HLAS Online is the Web version of the wellknown Handbook of Latin American Studies, a massive annual annotated bibliography covering numerous subjects in the humanities and social sciences. Recently, a separate section on electronic resources has also been added. Signed bibliographic essays accompany extensive annotated bibliographies, each year comprising more than 5,000 citations. Since 1935 the Handbook has been an indispensable and authoritative research tool for Latin Americanists. It is also available in CD-ROM format, and via telnet to the Library of Congress’ LOCIS system.

The strength of HLAS Online is quite simply the quickness and efficiency with which relevant resources can be identified. Users can search not only the entire span of the bibliographies from 1935 to the present, but also access preliminary data already online for future volumes not yet published. The search engine is efficient and powerful, and complex search strategies, Boolean operators, and truncation are all unnecessary. Full bibliographic records include hyperlinked subject headings which can be searched with a click of the mouse, allowing easy redirection of a search. Help screens are well designed and thorough, as is the entire site. Another feature unique to the Web version is that it is fully bilingual, so users can choose to access either a Spanishor Englishlanguage interface. Future plans include the development of a Portuguese interface as well.

There are some noteworthy features of the print version missing from HLAS Online. For example, the most recent bibliographic essays are not available online, and editorial overviews, lists of contributing editors, and most tables of contents are also not included. Thus, librarians inclined to rush out and cancel subscriptions to the print volumes of the Handbook in favor of HLAS Online should instead consider these as complementary resources. HLAS Online is highly recommended for quick literature searches, for remote users, and for Spanish-lan-guage access. Researchers seeking to gain a clear understanding of recent developments in a particular field will need to consult the print volumes. Both versions are vital resources for all academic or large public library collections.—Susan A. Vega Garcia, Iowa State University; savega@iastate.edu

Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection.

Access:http://www.lib.utexas. edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/Map_ collection.html.

This site is a rich resource for students, faculty, and librarians looking for maps on the Internet. Developed and maintained by the Documents Department in the Perry-Castaneda Library (PCL) at the University of Texas at Austin, it is unique among map sites in that it provides more than 2,100 public-domain maps which can be freely downloaded and printed (users are asked to credit the PCL Map Collection). Easy to use, with excellent content, the site provides a valuable service in making available electronic maps from many different federal agencies, including the CIA, National Park Service, State Department, U.S. Bureau of the Census, and U.S. Defense Mapping Agency.

Impressive for its international coverage, the site opens with links to electronic maps of countries currently in the news, which at this writing included Albania and Zaire. The rest of the world’s countries are listed by region. Most of the country maps are from the CIA, with some from other sources such as the State Department. The political maps show cities, major roads and railroads, and political boundaries. For many countries additional maps are included, such as shaded relief maps and thematic maps showing population densities, economic activities, and land use. More than 120 world city maps are included. These are basic maps, not detailed enough for your next walking tour of Paris, but good for general information. There is also a very useful, extensive list of links to other city map sites on the Web.

More than 300 maps are included in the U.S. category, which has a large contingent of Texas maps. Many historical maps are included, such as U.S. city maps from the 1917 and 1920 editions of the Automobile Blue Book. Maps of exploration and maps of national parks are also included. Of interest are the many maps that have been scanned from the National Atlas of the United States (U.S.G.S.), a classic atlas not available in all libraries.

The site maintains extensive lists of links to other map sites on the Web, including commercial, educational, and government sites. These are especially useful because they are browsable by city or country. There are also links to online reference sources such as gazetteers, distance calculators, illustrated descriptions of 18 different map projections, bibliographies, glossaries, and more. PCL Documents Department staff are scanning in about 20 to 30 maps every week from their collection of more than 200,000 printed maps, in addition to updating and adding links continually. Anyone with an interest in maps will want to keep a bookmark for this first-rate site. Ed. note: Those interested in maps may enjoy this month’s “Geography Resources on the Internet” article on page 471.—Susan Clark, University of the Pacific; sclark@uop.edu

Hoover's Online: The Ultimate Source for Company Information. Access:http: //www.hoovers.com.

Hoover’s Inc. is an information publishing company based in Austin, Texas. Its information is distributed through online media, CD-ROM products, and their Internet sites such as Hoover’s Online, IPO Central (Initial Public Offering), and cyberstocks.com. Hoover’s also publishes business reference books and software products. The Hoover’s Online edition covers the financial profiles on 2,600 international companies. It also publishes historical financial data for more than 8,000 companies.

A starting point of information is found in the section on “Hoover’s Company Capsules.” The Company Capsules point to information on more than 11,000 of the largest public and private companies in the United States and abroad. Each capsule includes a brief description of the company, address, telephone and fax numbers, names of officers, and sales and employment figures. In addition, it includes hypertext links to relevant information such as financial reports, stock quotes, and SEC filings. Company Capsules are searchable by company name, ticker symbol, company location, type of industry, and/or by sales.

For more detailed information on company profiles, users may access the “Hoover’s Company Profile.” Hoover’s profiles are insightful, providing information on a company’s history, strategies and background, headquarters and locations, names of officers, products and services, as well as a list of competitors. The financial reports prove to be the most valuable information to investors, marketing professionals, and researchers. Financial reports cover up to ten years of financial information including sales, net income, high and low price/earnings per year, and stock prices. Additional information includes links to press releases and to the StockMaster Stock Charts. Hoover’s Online selects companies to profile based on their size, growth, visibility, and breadth of coverage. Information on company profiles is routinely updated at the end of each company’s fiscal year. Information sources include the companies themselves, article sources, reference material, and interviews with company representatives. Hoover’s Inc. claims sole responsibility for the presentation of all data.

The “Corporate Web Sites’’ links offers users the option to search Hoover’s Online links to Web sites of the world’s 5,000 largest companies. In addition, Hoover’s has compiled 1,800-plus sites related to job listings. Both files can be searched by the corporation’s name or through the browse function.

The interface is well designed, the information is organized in a coherent manner. Most of the graphic links are replicated with hypertext links, making it easier for users to access the information. Searching Hoover’s Online is simple, the instructions make it even more userfriendly, and the Infoseek search engine works fairly well. Hoover’s company information is especially useful to job seekers, sales representatives, investors, marketing analysts, career placement offices, and, of course, to students and faculty.—Constantia Constantinou, Iona College; cconstantinou@iona.edu ■