ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

New Publications

George M. Eberhart

The Color of Horses,by Ben K. Green (127 pages, 2001), is a reissue of the classic 197-4 work by a veterinarian who conducted the first research into equine coloration in the 1940s. Accompanied by 34 reproductions of oil paintings by western artist Darol Dickinson, Green’s descriptions of horse colors are based on the distribution of pigment within the es- sentially colorless hair. A handy guide for scientific-minded city folk who always won- dered what bay, dun, chestnut, sorrel, roan, and grulla coats look like. $20.00. Mountain Press. ISBN 0-87842-437-7.

Encyclopedia of Easter, Carnival, and Lent,by Tanya Gulevich (729 pages, December 2001), covers the Christian festi- vals and folklore associated with this part of the church year in the spring. Observances by Catholics, Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox Christians are represented. Gulevich provides extensive background on the Easter bunny, eggs, parades, lilies, Easter seals, pomegranates, pelicans, Mardi Gras, and many other customs and symbols. One little-known custom in Eastern Europe up to the 18th century was the preach- ing of humorous sermons in church on Easter Sunday to provoke laugh- ter that celebrated Christ’s triumph over the devil. Some comparable non-Christian festi- vals are also included, such as the Jewish Pass- over and Shavuot, the Roman feast of Hilaria, the Middle Eastern new year celebration No Ruz, and the pagan May Day. $48.00. Omnigraphics. ISBN 0-7808-0432-5.

The English Study Dictionary (707 pages, March 2002) is intended for intermediate students of English as a second language. Though British spellings and usage are given first, American variants are clearly identified.

George M. Eberhart is senior editor of American Libraries; e-mail: geberhart@ala.org

For all of the 15,000 words included, the book offers phonetic pronunciations, sample sentences for each meaning, and usage notes and comments where appro- priate. $19.95. Peter Collin Publishing, P.O. Box 1321, Oak Park, IL 60304. ISBN 1- 901659-64-X.

An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia,edited by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz (339 pages, March 2002), offers plot summaries and criti- cal analysis of the novels, stories, collabora- tions, and ghostwritten works by American gothic-horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Also in- cluded are entries on places and characters in his fiction; biographies of influential writers, family members, critics, and friends; letters, travels, pseud- onyms, poetry, juvenilia, the Cthulhu mythos, and the Necronomicon, and a chronology of Lovecraft’s life. $75.00. Green- wood. ISBN 0-313-31578-7.

Instant Web Forms and Sur- veys for Academic Libraries,by Gail Junion-Metz and Derrek L. Metz (265 pages plus CD-ROM, December 2001), provides 24 useful HTML forms and Perl scripts that librarians can copy and adapt for their Web sites. The book in- cludes step-by-step instructions on how to accomplish this, as well as the full coding for each form. Included on the CD-ROM are forms for asking a reference question, request- ing library instruction, reserving a library com- puter, suggesting a library purchase, request- ing interlibrary loan, adding items to course reserve, and requesting library equipment. There are also surveys on library use, Web use, library instruction effectiveness, and stra- tegic planning. Junion-Metz and her son Derrek have done all the hard parts; now all you need do is customize them slightly, and your library’s Web site can offer users some excellent interactive features. $75.00. Neal- Schuman. ISBN 1-55570-412-3.

International Librarianship: Cooperation and Collaboration,edited by Frances Laverne Carroll and John Frederick Harvey (367 pages, September 2001), brings together 32 essays on how librarians have transferred ideas and technology to libraries in other, usually less developed, countries. Specific topics include the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the University of São Paulo library system, the ABINIA Ibero-American network, university libraries in West Africa, IFLA initiatives, librarianship in Iran since 1979, documentation centers on public health, and international marine science networks. The editors dedicate the book to the memoiy of Lester Asheim. $65-00. Scarecrow. ISBN 0-8108- 3921-0.

Licensing Digital Content,by Lesley Ellen Harris (137 pages, February 2002), covers every basic step in the process of negotiating and interpreting licensing agreements with vendors of electronic databases or journals. Written from a perspective of global licenses, the instructions and insights will apply equally to Canadian and European agreements. Harris provides down-to-earth definitions of terms found in agreements and discusses many types of provisions, both pivotal and boilerplate, that are found in written licenses. Also included is a chapter on negotiation techniques, and frequently asked questions and answers. $45.00. American Library Association. ISBN 0-8389-0815-2.

Reading Popular Romance in Early Modern England,by Lori Humphrey Newcomb (332 pages, January 2002), examines the origins of Elizabethan popular fiction and its influence on more elite literary forms. Newcomb takes Robert Greene’s romance Pandosto (1585) as a case study, addressing Shakespeare’s use of it as a source for The Winter’s Play and how both works were modified or recommodified for different audiences up to the 19th century. In the process, Newcomb shows how the critics’ denigration of popular romances as crude trivialities distanced them from accepted venues, even though they shared a common cultural dynamic. $49.50. Columbia University. ISBN 0-231-12378-7.