CHAPTER 19:

GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHIES

This chapter describes three bibliographies that have quite specific uses and
yet are quite comprehensive in their coverage of publications.

Question: If a bibliography is a list of publications that have something in common, what is a general bibliography? Answer: it is a bibliography that is, in some sense, comprehensive. 

 One such comprehensive bibliography is BOOKS IN PRINT. For over fifty years, the printed multi-volume version of this bibliography has been the recognized authority for the titles and publishers of books currently available in print in the United States.

“Say what?! Aren't all books ‘in print’?" Actually no, or at least, not in the language of the book trade. Among booksellers, a book is said to be "in print" only when you can order a copy from the publisher. When the publisher has sold out of a particular title, that book is considered out of print, even if it still is sitting on bookstore shelves. So BOOKS IN PRINT lists books that are distributed in the United States and are currently available from publishers. 

We subscribe to the online version of BOOKS IN PRINT via the Find Articles link on the library's home page.  It contains all the information found in the printed version, plus titles of currently available audiocassettes and videos, brief reviews, pictures from dust jackets, and links to a wide range of additional sources of information regarding publishing prizes, publications, publishers, publishing news, and various user services. Go to the Library website, click on the Find Articles link, and select Books In Print from the alphabetical list.

A second important general bibliography is the online edition of ULRICH'S PERIODICALS DIRECTORY which lists and describes magazines and journals published in the United States and many foreign countries. If you search for a journal, the results screen will show you a legend indicating which titles are peer-reviewed or refereed journals.  Ulrich’s can be accessed the same way BOOKS IN PRINT can, through the Library's website under the Articles, Databases link.

A third comprehensive general bibliography is the GALE DIRECTORY OF PUBLICATIONS and BROADCAST MEDIA (ref desk PN4841.A1 I4). Published annually, this multi-volume source lists nationally distributed magazines, local newspapers, and regional magazines, radio and television stations throughout the United States and Canada. The information is organized alphabetically by State and then alphabetically by city within each State. Supplementary sections list publications by type and lists media by broadcast format. The entries tend to be complicated, but explanations of the symbols, abbreviations, etc., can be found in the front of each volume. 

Click on link to go to the Assignments page and print Assignment NINETEEN

http://library.boisestate.edu/skills/locate/assignments.htm