Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

The usual rationales for a new edition of a reference work-significant revision, additions, or updating-are not clearly met here. The first edition (CH, JulAug '83) and this one share the same virtues and weaknesses. Both seem intended to satisfy quickly the needs of experts who have encountered a term outside their own subspecialty. For the nonexpert, The Dictionary of New Information Technology (CH, Feb '83) is more usable and instructive. In Longley and Shain, definitions are so brief as to be unclear or circular. ``Boolean algebra,'' for example, is explained in only 22 words. Longley and Shain propose to put ``more emphasis on technologies,'' but terms from traditional librarianship, printing, or audiovisual production (e.g., ``added entry'') are still quite prominent. More emphasis seems to be placed in the second edition on identifying acronyms and abbreviations (e.g., ``BPS,'' ``BPI'') but these are not discussed in much detail. There is an apparent increase in the number of proprietary names used as entries (e.g., ``Visicalc,'' ``Lotus 1-2-3''). Some useful longer entries of near-essay length are now fragmented into shorter entries, and some helpful charts and tables have been dropped. Some concepts, however, such as ``online information retrieval,'' are treated at greater length than before. Not recommended for libraries that have the first edition.-J.M. Pemberton, University of Tennessee at Knoxville