INLS 111: INFORMATION
RESOURCES AND SERVICES I
School of Information and
Library Science
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
SCOPE: This list includes most of the currently
highly rated adult, young adult, and one-volume encyclopedias in print. The other categories, especially specialized
encyclopedias, represent highly selective lists that indicate the types of
sources available.
I. BIBLIOGRAPHIES
AND GUIDES
Kister, Kenneth F. Best Encyclopedias: A Comparative Guide to
General and Specialized Encyclopedias. 2nd ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press,
1994. [SILS Ref., Davis Ref. AE1.K57 1994]
American Library
Association. Reference Books Bulletin Editorial Board. Purchasing an Encyclopedia: 12 Points to Consider. 5th
ed. Chicago, IL: Booklist, American Library Association, 1996. 43 p. [SILS, SILS Ref. AE1
.A48 1996]
American Library
Association. Reference Books Bulletin Editorial Board of the Reference Books Bulletin. Chicago:
American Library Association, 1983-. 22 issues/year. [Davis Ref. Z1035.1 .S922]
Mirwis,
Allen. Subject Encyclopedias: User
Guide, Review Citations, and Keyword Index. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press,
1999. [Davis Ref.; SILS AE1.M57 1999]
Wynar, Bohdan S, ed. American Reference Books Annual.
Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1970-. Annual. [SILS Ref. Z1035.1 .A55]
Wynar, Bohdan S., ed. ARBA Guide to Subject Encyclopedias and
Dictionaries. 2nd ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1997.
[Davis Ref. AE1.A72 1997; SILS Z5848 .A72 1996]
II. GENERAL
ADULT: PRINT & ELECTRONIC
Collier's Encyclopedia. 24 vols. New York: Colliers, 1997. [UL
AE5. C683 1997]
Encyclopedia Americana. Int'l. ed. 30 vols. Danbury, CT:
Grolier. [Davis Ref. AE5 .E333 1999 CD-ROM (1995) CD #65-15]
This was the first
encyclopedia title published in the United States in 1829 and is considered a good,
comprehensive encyclopedia for general use.
It covers the arts, humanities, science, and technology. The Americana is especially noted for its
excellent country articles as well as its coverage of American towns and
cities. This set includes bibliographic references and index volume. Americana
Annual supplements the encyclopedia.
The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Danbury, CT: Grolier Electronic Publishing.
[Electronic Access: http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/
- select Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia]
This title pioneered on
CD-ROM in 1985 as the Academic American
Encyclopedia and is highly regarded.
This reference tool contains an
interactive atlas, Internet links, and interactive access to sound and image
files. Updated monthly.
Microsoft Encarta. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 1994.
[Davis Ref. CD-ROM #10-18]
This began with the text
of Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia.
Some articles have been significantly revised and new ones added for a total of
26,000; the publishers claim a more scholarly content than previous
editions. It has good search facilities
that enable users to specify words, broad subjects, time period and place, and
types of media desired. Its main advantage is its multimedia content – 9.5
hours of sound, 29 videos, 8,000 pictures.
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th ed. 32 vols.
Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1998.
[Davis Ref., UL Ref. AE5
.E363 1998; URL: http://www.britannica.com; Electronic Access: http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/
select - Encyclopaedia
Britannica Online]
The Britannica (32 v.) consists
of three parts and a 2-volume index.
Volume 30 is called the Propedia
and is the “Outline of Knowledge.” The Propedia
serves as a topical approach to the articles in v. 1-12, the Micropedia, and in volumes 13-29, the Macropedia. Volumes 31-32 are the index.
III. YOUNG ADULT AND CHILDREN
Children's Britannica. 4th ed. 20 vols. Chicago: Encyclopedia
Britannica, 1990. [Not held at UNC]
Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia. 26 vols. San Francisco: Britannica Software,
c1990. [Davis Ref
CD-ROM #10-1]
Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia contains the complete
26-volume Compton's Encyclopedia. In
addition to the text of the printed version, the multimedia version contains 60
minutes of audio, over 15,000 pictures, 45 animated sequences, a U.S. History
Timeline, a rotating World Atlas, and an unabridged Merriam-Webster Intermediate Dictionary.
Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. New York: Funk &
Wagnalls, 1994. [Davis Ref. CD-ROM
#10-18; part of Microsoft Encarta Electronic Access: http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/
- select Funk
& Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia)]
Home and School Reading and Study Guides: The New Book of Knowledge. [editor, Whitney Pratt-Cote] Danbury,
Ct: Grolier, [SILS Z1037 .H72 1996 Electronic Access: http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/
select New Book of Knowledge]
World Book Encyclopedia. 22 vols. Chicago: World Book, 2001.
[Davis Ref. AE5 .W55 2001; CD-ROM (1999) #65-10]
This set is designed for
the younger use, however, because of its extremely wide coverage, reliability,
and attractiveness, it is excellent for general reference. Major articles provide subject headings for
related articles, an outline of the subject, and review questions. This set
consists of research guide, index and bibliographical references and index. The
World Book Yearbook updates the World
Book Encyclopedia.
IV. INTERNATIONAL
The Canadian Encyclopedia.
[editor-in-chief, James H. Marsh]. Toronto, Ont.: McClelland & Stewart, 2000. [Davis Ref. F1006 .C35 2000]
La Grande Encyclopedie. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1981. Supplement. [Davis Folio AE25 .G6443 Suppl.]
Great Soviet Encyclopedia. 31 vols. New York: Macmillan,
1973-1983. [Davis Ref. AE5 .B58]
V. ONE-VOLUME
The Cambridge Encyclopedia. 4d. ed. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2000. [Davis Ref. AG5 .C26 2000]
The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia. 3rd ed. New York:
Columbia Univ. Pr., 1994. [Davis AG5.C737 1994]
Selected entries (14,000) are available electronically
at Electric Library’s Encyclopedia
[http://www.encyclopedia.com]
The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. New York: Columbia Univ. Pr.,
2000. [Davis Ref., UL Ref. AG5. C725 2000]
Considered
an objective and accurate one-volume encyclopedia with up to 3,047 pages. A
2001 edition is online [http://www.bartleby.com/65/] with full text and links
searchable by article, category, word, and combined searching. .
VI. A SAMPLER
OF SPECIALIZED ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Dictionary of Art. 34 vols.
New York: Grove’s Dictionaries,
1996. [Art Ref. N31 .D5 1996 Electronic Access: http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/
- select The Grove Dictionary of Art]
Encyclopedia
of African-American Culture and History. 5 vol. New York: Macmillan Library Reference,
2001. [Davis Ref., UL Ref. E185 .E54
1996]
Encyclopedia
of Asian History.
4 vol. New York: Scribner, 1988. [Davis Ref. DS31.E53 1988]
Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice. 4 vol. New York: Free
Press, 1983. [Davis Ref., UL Ref. HV6017. E52 1983]
Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. New York: M. Dekker,
1968-. [SILS Ref. Z1006.E57]
Encyclopedia of Religion. 16 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1987.
[Davis Ref. BL31 .E46 1987]
Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Chapel Hill, N.C.:
Univ. of No. Carolina Pr., 1989. [Davis Ref., UL Ref. F209 .E53 1989]
McGraw-Hill
Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. 8th ed. 20 vols. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1997. [HSL Ref. Q121 .M3 1997 Electronic Access: http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/
- select AccessScience]
This 20-volume set
covers all aspects of science and technology.
It is scholarly yet the articles are non-technical; most of them are
signed. Volume 20 contains topical and analytical indexes and a section on
scientific notation. This encyclopedia
is kept up-to-date by the McGraw-Hill
Yearbook of Science and Technology.
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 20 vols. London: Macmillan,
1980. [Davis Ref. ML100 .G885 1980 Electronic Access: http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/
- select The New Grove Dictionary of Music
and Musicians 2nd edition (Grove, 2001, 29 vols.)]
West’s Encyclopedia of American Law. 12 vol.
Minneapolis/St. Paul MN: West Pub. Co., 1998. [Davis Ref. KF154 .w47 1998]
World Encyclopedia
of Library and Information Services. 3rd ed. Chicago: ALA, 1993. [SILS Ref., Davis Ref. Z1006 .A18 1993]