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YEARBOOKS, ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND HANDBOOKS
1. DESCRIPTION OF THE MODULE
Subject Name Library and Information Science
Paper Name Information Sources in Social Science
Module Name /Title Yearbook, Encyclopedias and Handbooks
Objectives To familiarize the students/readers with Yearbooks,
Encyclopedias and Handbooks in the area of Social
Sciences.
Keywords Annuals, Yearbooks, Encyclopedias, Handbooks,
Dictionaries, Directories Guide to literature etc.
2. INTRODUCTION
Yearbooks, Encyclopedias and Handbooks are important source of social
science information and are brought out by prestigious learned and scholarly
societies as well as by commercial publishers. These sources provide complete
background of a subject and also current state of research. Some of the
important sources are described below.
3. ANNUALS and YEARBOOKS
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a publication brought out
annually to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year‟s development.
The term here basically refers to a book of thoughts, ideas, knowledge,
statistics or facts..A year book is an important source of information in a
particular area. In such publications, the entires are generally alphabetical so
that user may read the desired portion easily. In some yearbooks entries are also
recorded in chronological order.
Some important yearbooks in the area of social sciences are as under:
The Annual Register: A record of World Events (Bethesda, Midland:
Keesing‟s Worldwide) is a very old annual published since 1758. The first
editor was Edmond Burke. It will remain an authoritative chronicle of events
from every country of the world. Apart from country specific coverage of
significant events, it also provides global perspective on religion, the sciences,
law, the arts and sports. In addition, international organizations, obituaries of
important people and key documents are included.
Whitakers‟ Almanack (London: The stationery Office) was initially published
in the year 1868 by Joseph Whitaker. The annual publication provides detailed
converge of the United Kingdom on different topics like parliament, religion,
education, social welfare, transport, the environment, lotteries and gaming,
taxation the media and organization. However, data on rest of the countries of
the world are brief and sketchy. The annual also provides information on
European Parliament, European Union, a brief A-Z compendium of facts (and
maps) about the countries of the world and a profile of world events from the
past year. The Almanack also includes a bibliography of annual reference
books.
Europa World Year Book 2011-London: Routledge, 2011 2v.
Contents: Vol 1 Pt.1 (International Organisations), Pt.2.
(Afghanistan-Jordan ), V.2 (Kazakhastan-Zimbabve)
First published in 1926, the Europa World Year Book is
renowned as one of the world's leading reference works, covering
political and economic information in more than 250 countries and
territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The Europa Regional
Surveys of the World offer in-depth, expert analysis at regional,
sub-regional and country. (http://www.europaworld.com/pub/)
i. India 2012:A Reference Annual. 56th
ed. /Compiled and edited
by Research Reference and Training Division-New Delhi:
Publication Division, 2012.
India 2012 is an updated and comprehensive edition of the
Reference Annual edited, published and marketed by the
Publications Division. The Research, Reference and Training
Division (RR&TD) of the Ministry collects the base material for
the Year Books. The material is collected from Central
Ministries/Departments, State governments and Union Territories,
PSUs and autonomous bodies.
The reference annual gives a panoramic view of country‟s progress
in the fields of rural and urban development, industry &
infrastructure, science & technology, art & culture, economy,
health, defense, education & mass communication. It incorporates
sections on general knowledge, current affairs, sports, events of the
past year and latest ones too.
It has been chronicling India's march to prosperity and strength
over this period. The main features covered in this edition of the
year book, are Census 2011 which is the 15th Census of India since
1872, village electrification, MNREGA, Jawaharlal Nehru National
Urban Renewal Mission, National Rural Health Mission,
empowerment of women etc. It is a useful handbook for students,
civil services aspirants, research scholars, academicians, authors,
journalists and above all the general
public. (http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=80551)
ii. Statesman Yearbook, 2013 : The Politics, Cultures and
Economies of the World 2013/edited by Barry Turner-
Hampshire:Palgrave Macmillan, 2012
Now in its 149th edition, The Statesman's Yearbook continues to
be the reference work of choice for accurate and reliable
information on every country in the world. Covering
political, economic, social and cultural aspects, the Yearbook
is also available online for subscribing institutions:
(www.statesmansyearbook.com),
(http://us.macmillan.com/thestatesmansyearbook2013/BarryTurner
)
iii. World of Learning 2013-63rd
ed. –London: Europa, 2012.2v.
A comprehensive guide to 33,000 academic institutions and
250,000 staff and officials across the whole spectrum of higher
education, research and learning. No other source provides such
comprehensive international coverage.
Now in its 63rd edition, The Europa World of Learning is one of
the world's leading reference works. Updated to the highest
editorial standards, entries are sourced directly from the
organizations to ensure accurate and reliable information. The
accreditation status of every university and college is verified
before its entry is approved.
Every type of academic institution is covered, including over:
7,800 universities and colleges
5,800 research institutes
3,400 museums and art galleries
5,000 learned societies
3,600 libraries and archives
850 regulatory and representative bodies
Separate chapters for countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe
each feature an introductory survey of the country's higher
education system. A separate section covers international
organizations concerned with higher education and scholarship.
New essays feature each year on themes around international and
comparative higher education. Subscribers may download these
online at www.worldoflearning.com alongside an archive of essays
from past editions. (http://www.worldoflearning.com)
iv. Yearbook of International Organisations: Guide to Global
Civil Society Network, edited by Union of International
Associations-
Unchallenged in this field of reference since 1910, the Yearbook of
International Organizations provides the most extensive coverage
of non-profit international organizations available today. Directly
reflecting a dynamic international arena, it contains entries on
65969 civil society organizations in 300 countries and
territories, in every field of human endeavour.
The Yearbook profiles international non-
governmental(INGOs)and inter-governmental organizations
(IGOs). There are all types of organization, from formal structures
to informal networks, from professional bodies to recreational
clubs – regardless of ideology. However, it does not include for-
profit enterprises. The compilation of the Yearbook by the Union of
International Associations has received the full approval and
support of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
(ECOSOC).
All work for the Yearbook is part of UIA's ongoing research into
international organizations and civil
society.(http://www.uia.be/yearbook)
4. ENCYCLOPEDIAS
An encyclopaedia is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as the “circle of
learning” and less poetically as “a literary work containing extensive
information on all branches of knowledge encyclopaedia is a source which is
used by most of us to get authoritative used to our everyday questions. Even
today it has a dominating presence in every library as well as in many homes.
Print encyclopaedia are still issued although sales of this format Britannica has
decided to discontinue its print version. Most of the encyclopaedias follow the
basic layout i.e. with alphabetically arranged entries supplemented by an index.
The articles or entries are normally written by experts.
They are sometimes followed by a bibliography major encyclopaedias have all
gone digital and they are now available over the web. In addition to important
traditional general encyclopaedias i.e. Britannica, Americana, World Book,
Compton etc. certain other subject based titles have also been published.
These are also fully digital encyclopaedias e.q. Microsoft‟s Encarta and recently
launched Wikipedia. One can say that digital versions of encyclopaedias have a
number of advantages. They are searchable by keyword. They also provide
link to related topics of interest. Also, they can be kept updated with latest
information and multimedia files are normally available with them to illustrate
concepts.
Whether in print or in electronic version the encyclopaedia remain a valuable
starting point for research on a number of topics. It is a source where one can
gain a basic understanding of the subject and also learn where to look for more
information.
4.1. Types of Encyclopedias
There are different types of encyclopedias that can be used when searching for
information depending upon the subject matter, accessibility,
and the amount of information that they provide. Users may use any
of these or all when researching a particular topic.
4.1.1. General Encyclopedia
A general encyclopedia provides information on a wide range of subjects. The
write upsare brief and do not include in-depth information on the subject. A
general encyclopedia contains information that is factual and written by a
variety of experts .These are valuable research tool when looking for
background information on a subject or when trying to locate a specific fact,
date, or concept. Encyclopedia Britannica is one of the best known general
encyclopedia.
4.1.2. Subject Encyclopedia
Subject encyclopedias contain information on a particular subject of study by
subject experts. The information is scholarly and detailedserving as complete
note. The entries are in-depth and provide much more information than found in
a general encyclopedia and are supported by references. Subject encyclopedias
are important reference tool for individuals that need an overview of
informationonspecialized topics and are backed up by references and
bibliographies. Subject encyclopedias are available on broad range of subjects
like psychology, education, medicine, technology and others.
4.1.3. OnlineEncyclopedia
With the emergence of commercially available online databases a vast majority
of encyclopedias are now available online. There are several online reference
sites that provide access to full articles from both general and subject
encyclopedias. Some of the most popular general encyclopedias including
Columbia, World Book, and Britannica can be accessed online. Several
commercial database vendors like credo reference provide access to several
important encyclopedias.
Also, community or user-contributed encyclopedias are coming up online.
These are largely free and allow anyone from around the globe to contribute and
edit information on different topics and subjects. However in some cases
information is not authenticated and users need to keep in mind that the
information found on these sites is not very much reliable and accordingly
should not be used for research purposes. Wikipedia is one of the best examples
of such encyclopedia.
Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) is an on-line encyclopedia set up by
Jimmy Wales in 2001 as a free web-based encyclopedia that is collaboratively
written and open to editing by anyone with an Internet connection. It is a
favourite source of general information for many web-surfers; providing up-to-
date information on a tremendous range of topics. Wikipedia is available in 10
major languages; it is extensively hyperlinked, easily searchable and browsable
and articles from the website can be retrieved through major search engines
such as Google or Yahoo. One can say that Wikipedia does provide a useful
starting point for information on some topics with no costs.
4.2Some Important Encyclopedias
The Encyclopædia Britannica published by Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.is one
of the most important and widely regarded general knowledge English-language
encyclopedia. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time
editors and more than 4,000 contributors, including 110 Nobel Prize winners
and five American presidents. It is regarded as one of the most scholarly
encyclopediasof English language.
The Britannica is the oldest English-language encyclopedia still being
produced. It was first published between 1768 and 1771 in Scotland as three
volumes. The 15th edition has a three-part structure: a 10-volume Micropædia
of short articles (generally fewer than 750 words), a 19-volume Macropædia of
long articles (two to 310 pages) and a single Propædia volume to give a
hierarchical outline of knowledge and two volume index. The Micropaedia is
meant for quick fact-checking and as a guide to the Macropaedia; readers are
advised to study the Propaedia outline to understand a subject's context and to
find more detailed articles. In March 2012 on account of decreasing sales,
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. stopped its printing and is now bringing out
online version only, Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Its final print edition was
in 2010, a 32-volume
set.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica)
The Encyclopedia Americana
It was first published in 1829–33, with subsequent editions in 1911 (20
volumes) and 1918–20 (30 volumes), and continuously revised
thereafter,Americana is international in scope and detailed coverage of
American and Canadian geography and history. It is also strong in biography
and scientific and technical subjects. All major articles are signed, many by
scholars preeminent in their fields.
Because of its volume-by-volume revision, some parts of the set are less current
than others. The last complete revision and total resetting occurred in 1918–20
becoming the basis for its successors. Encyclopedia is accompanied by an
alphabetical index (volume 30) which is kept up to date with each printing,
however, and serves as an instructional as well as an updating device.
Other organizational features include tables of contents for lengthy articles and
boxes that highlight specific data. It include numerous glossaries; separate
articles evaluating particularly important literary, artistic, and musical
compositions; and separate articles summarizing world, and particularly
Western, history and culture for each century.
(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186656/The-Encyclopedia-
Americana)
4.3 Social Science Encyclopedias
During the 20th
Century two major social science encyclopedias have been
published. They are i) Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 15 V., Edited by
RA Seligman and Alvin Johnson (London and New York, Maemillan, 1930-
35). And iii) International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 17 V. Edited by
David L Sills (New York, the Macmillan Co & the Free Press; London, Collier
Macmillan, 1968). The second one also published a supplementary biographical
volumes published in 1979 and also a dictionary of quotations in 1991. Both
these encyclopedias present insightful overviews of the state of knowledge of
their respective generations. However, due to new developments in the field of
social sciences, their value has now become historical. The editor David Sills
has written in his introduction : “Because an encyclopedia reflects a generations
contributions to and perspectives on knowledge, it must be revised, updated or
supplemented if it is to maintain its intellectual credibility.
The Social Science Encyclopeida -2nd
Ed, edited by Adam Kuper and Jessica
Kuper (London and New York, Routledge, 1946) is a revised version of the first
edition published in 1985. The new edition has taken into account the rapidly
changing and fluid state of contemporary social science. The single volume
encyclopedia contains around 600 concise entries (which also include contains
references and suggestions for further reading) written by an international panel
of contributors. The volume covers all the major disciplines of the social
sciences and also deals with the new trends such as development of
environmental economics, cultural geography and psychological anthropology.
The volume also contains certain amount of debates and controversies in the
entries that make the social sciences stimulating.
The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential 4th ed, 3V Edited by
the Union of International Associations (Munich, K.G Saur Verlag, 1944-45).
The contents of the three volumes are i) World Problems ii) Human Potential –
Transformations and values iii) Actions, Strategies and Solutions. The
publishers have also made the volumes available in a single CD-ROM format
which enhances the speed which the 3000+pages of text can be searched. This
encyclopediaendeavours to focus on wrold‟s problems. It is a resource that
could be value to a broad spectrum of social scientists.
Encyclopedia of Social History 10V. Edited by Pter N. Stearns (New York,
Garland, 1994) is of interest to all social scientists. The alphabetically arranged
entries provide brief overviews of certain important topics like the family,
industrialization , multi culturalism and nationalism. See also references are
also given in addition to a name/subject index.
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy 10V. Edited by Edward Craig
(Lond, Routledge, 1998) is international, multi-cultural and inter-disciplinary in
scope. It will be of assistance to social scientists seeking information on the
philosophies of Western and non-western culture.
In the beginning of the 21st Century, a new encyclopedia has been published i.e.
International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, ed. By Neil J.
Smelser and paul B. batter, (Elsevier, 2001). The purpose of this project was to
see that there is „quality control‟ of knowledge in the field and also to document
new areas of social sciences new modes of publication such as the Internet with
its tremendous increase in the quantity of publicly available information
justifies the need for better control of quality of knowledge produced. The
primary strategy for achieving good quality in an encyclopedia is a peer-based
selection of experts as authors and a peer-review system for submission. The
following reasons were cited as the basis of the new intellectual endeavour.
Remarkable growth and specialization of knowledge since the 1960s.
Rapid development in the inter-diciplinary subjects.
Expansion of interest in policy and application.
Internationalization of research as a result of globalization.
Impact of computer and information revolution on theory and practice.
Growing relation between i) the social and behavioral science; and ii)
biological or life siences for the purpose of study and research.
According to the established practice, the encyclopedia listed its entries in
alphabetical order. A large number of biographical entries have been
included on the basis of significant contributions made by the persons in
their respective subject fields. In total, there are 26 volumes. The list of
articles and list of subject experts/social scientists whose biography have
been included are given in volume. 1. Alphabetical entries to topics/subjects
related to social sciences are in volume 2 to 23. Other details such as list of
contributors, names index, classified list of entries and subject index have
been provided in volume 25 and volume 26. The contents include 4000
signed articles, 90,000 bibliographic references and 150 biographical entries
making it the largest social science reference work ever published.
For additional information on the scope, quality and range of encyclopedias
available on all the fields, one can consult Subject Encyclopedias: user
Guide, Review Citations and Keyword Index, compiled by Allan N. Mirwis
(Phoenix, A2; the oryx Press, 1999) This provides quality rating for each
encyclopedia.
There are several other social science encyclopedias which provide information
to library users. Some of these are briefly described as under:
i. Collier‟s Encyclopedia with Bibliography and Index. Ed. By William
D.Halsey and Bernard
ii. Encyclopedia of World Cultures Ed. By Terence E.Hays.Boston, G.K.
Hall, 1991. 10 v
iii. Encyclopaedia of Bioethics. 3rd
ed. Ed. By Stephen
G.Port.NewYork,Macmillan Reference, 2004
iv. International Encyclopedia of Business Management. 2nd
ed. Ed. By
Malcolm Warner. London. Thomson Learning 2002.8v.
v. International Encyclopedia of Economics Ed. By Frank N.
Magil.London, Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997, 2v.
There are several „guide to literature‟ and handbooks which provide
information about various reference sources on social sciences. The world
Social Science Report, 1999 (Paris, UNESCO, Publishing/David Makinson
is one of the sries of reports pensive review of the role of the social sciences
on a global scale.
Other important publications which contains bibliographic and other details
about various types of reference sources in the field include i) Guide to the
Social Sciences. Edited by Jonathan Michie. (London Fitzroy Dearborn,
2001) ii) Wlaford‟s Guide to Reference Material. Volmue 2 Social and
Historical Sciences, Philosophy and Religion 8th
ed. Edited by Alan Day and
Michal Walsh (London, Library Association, 2000) iii) Social Sciences
Reference Sources: A practical Gude. 3rd
ed. Edited by Tze-Chung
Li(Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2000) iv) The Social Sciences : A cross
Disciplinary Gude to Selected soruces edited by Nancy L Herron (Engle
wood co: Libraria Unlimited 1989). Iv) Sources of Information in the Social
Scinces: A Guide to the Literature by William H Webb and other (Chicago
IL, American Library Association 1986).
In addition to above, the following Biographical Dictionaries, Dictionaries,
Directories and Geographical References also serve as important social
science reference sources for libraries by providing up-to-date
information.
1. The International Who is Who 2001. 64th ed. London, Europa, 2001.
2. Who is Who: Fourteenth LokSabha. New Delhi, LokSabha Secretariat,
2005.
3. India‟s Who is Who. 28th ed. 2004. New Delhi, INFA, 2004.
4. Chambers World Gazetteer: An A-Z of Geographical Information. 5th ed.
Ed. By David Munro. Cambridge, Chambers, 1988.
5. The Encyclopedic District Gazetteers of India. Ed. By S.C. Bhatt, New
Delhi, Gyan, 1997.
6. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. London, Oxford University
Press, 1968.
7. A Comprehensive English-Hindi Dictionary of Governmental
Educational Words and Phrases by RahuVira and Lokesh Chandra. New
Delhi, International Academy of Indian Culture, 1976.
8. Annotated Index to Indian Social Science Journals, 2005+
9. Bibliographic Databank 2002+
10. Conference Alert 2005+
11. Directory of Social Science Research and Training Institute in India,
2005.
12. ICSSR Research Project Reports
13. ICCSR: INSPEL (Indian Social Science Periodical Literature) upto 1970.
14. ICCSR: Bibliography on India in 2000. A.D. (with abstracts) New Delhi,
1991.
15. ICCSR: Index to Indian Economic Journals.
16. ICCSR: Indian Education Index 1947-1978. New Delhi, 1980.
17. Directory of Social Science Libraries and Information Centers in India.
New Delhi, 2001.
18. Mohandas KaramchandGandhi : A Bibliography. New Delhi, 1974.
19. Union Catalouge of CD-ROM Databases in Social Sciences. New Delhi,
2001.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handbook
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=80551
http://us.macmillan.com/thestatesmansyearbook2013/BarryTurner
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186656/The-Encyclopedia-
Americana
http://www.definitions.net/definition/abstracting+and+indexing+as+topic
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subject_indexing
http://www.europaworld.com/pub/
http://www.gale.cengage.com
http://www.uia.be/yearbook
http://www.worldoflearning.com
www.statesmansyearbook.com