“12 points to consider”
American Library Association (1996). Purchasing an Encyclopedia: 12 Points to Consider (5th ed.). Chicago, IL: Booklist, American Library Association.
- Authority
- Arrangement
- Subject coverage
- Accuracy/Objectivity
- Recency
- Approach
- Style
- Bibliographies
- Illustrations
- Multimedia
- Physical format
- Yearbooks and other special products
| Type | Characteristics | Uses |
| Adult General | Multi-volume or large databases of info providing a systematic overview of selected topics. | Fast finding. |
| 1-3 volume | Provide succinct information. Frequently arranged dictionary style, with no index. | Fact finding. General background information including definition, cross-references, and bibliographical references. More limited scope. Intended for desk or home use. |
| Children & Young Adult | Content written at appropriate reading level. Include learning aids and devices. | Fact finding. General background information including definition, cross-references, and bibliographical references. Written for children or young adults. Teaching and learning tool. |
| Subject | In-depth scholarly coverage of a particular subject area. | Fact finding. General background information including definition, cross-references, and bibliographical references. Focus on particular subject or discipline. |
| Encyclopedia yearbooks & supplements | Document year’s major events. Need has decreased with move to electronic formats. | Update events of year. Provide statistical information. |
| Foreign | Non English language. | Presents information from viewpoint of a different country or culture. |
Representative titles
Encyclopedia Americana http://go.grolier.com/
First major US encyclopedia, first published in 1829
- Excellent coverage of science and technology
- Noted for its coverage of North American history and geography
- For high school and up
- Online version contains new and revised articles not yet in print set.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Clear style | Lack of timely updating in print version |
| Excellent accuracy and impartial coverage of controversial issues | Pedestrian illustrations and look in print version |
| Strong coverage of US and Canadian topics | Slow pace of revision in print version |
| Strong in biography | Some technical articles difficult to read |
| Large analytical titles | Default set to "article title" in online version |
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online http://gi.grolier.com/gi/products/reference/gmeol/docs/gmeol.html
Online version of Academic American Encyclopedia, which was:
- 1st wholly new encyclopedia since the 1950’s (1st appeared in US in 1980)
- 1st to use computer technology in planning, editing and revising
- 1st CD-ROM encyclopedia released in 1985
- Articles tend to be shorter than those in other encyclopedias
- Originally designed for adults; Booklist now rates it as suitable for grades 5 and up
Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia
- Sold through supermarkets but still viewed as a good medium-sized encyclopedia aimed at home market
- For students from fifth grade through high school and general adult reference use
- Licensed to Microsoft Corporation as basis of Encarta
- Available electronically on EBSCOhost
Encarta
The New Encyclopedia Britannica
- Oldest continuously published English language encyclopedia
- For educated adults
- New 15th ed. issued 1974 in three parts but no separate index
o Propaedia
o Micropaedia
o Macropaedia - 1985 forced by demand to add a two volume index
- 1999 full contents offered free on the Web
- 2001 free service pulled in favour of subscription service
- 2003 print version along with electronic version
Strengths
• Very authoritative and reliable
• Broad, deep, well-balanced coverage
• Reasonably current
Weaknesses
• Three part arrangement of print version confusing
• Reading level quite high
• Illustrations tend to be stodgy
World Book Encyclopedia
- Consistently the best selling encyclopedia in the world
- Aimed at grades 3-12 so topics and coverage based on those typical of American schools
- Last volume contains annually revised study guides
- Unlike most, World Book Year Book does update main set
- Most media rich online encyclopedia
- Revises almost 20% of its pages each year (industry standard is approx. 5%)
- Longer entries conclude with a list of related articles, online, questions, and a bibliography
- Index: easy to use and detailed, including page numbers for illustrations and maps
Strengths
• Clear direct styles using appropriate vocabulary
• Excellent maps and other graphics
• Balanced treatment of controversial subjects
• Useful reading and study guides
• Comprehensive analytical index
Weaknesses
• Critics have felt too strong a conservative Western bias to some articles
Some free content at World Book Student Resource Center http://www2.worldbook.com/students/feature_index.asp
Free online versions
Britannica Concise
• Available free in different versions
o Direct from Britannica http://concise.britannica.com
o From National Geographic http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/index.tmpl
Encarta
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/artcenter.aspx
Hutchinson Encyclopaedia
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/
• British
• Title on cover of print ed. Hutchinson Encyclopedia
Encyclopedias 1-3 vols.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th edition.
• 1 volume, 3072 pages, 11 lbs.
• 51, 000 articles, 745 illustrations and maps
• Authority: Columbia University Press
• Index: none (65,000 cross references)
• Audience: older students, adults
• Short bibliographies includes with articles
• Largest and best general, single volume, English language encyclopedia
Available free on Bartleby site http://www.bartleby.com/
Licensed for use on numerous other sites, e.g. encyclopedia.com http://www.encyclopedia.com
Infoplease http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia.html
YAHOO! Education http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/
Fact Monster http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia.html
Subject Encyclopedia
Canadian Encyclopedia
Now freely available at http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com in both French and English and adult and junior version
Foreign Encyclopedias
Brockhaus Enzyklopadie (Germany)
Encyclopaedia Universalis (France)
In 2003, the American Library Association reviewed four print sets – Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana, The New Book of Knowledge, and World Book Encyclopedia. They also reviewed their online counterparts and the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. To compare and contrast the four prints, ALA paid particular attention on how the publishers focused on the aftermath of September 11, the lead up to the war Iraq, and some of its key players, and the emerging diseases of SARS and West Nile virus. Find out what Susan Awe and Barbara Bibel thought of how the encyclopedias managed to sum up the world at: http://web.archive.org/web/20040703004916/http://www.ala.org/ala/booklist/speciallists/speciallistsandfeatures3/2003encyclopedia.htm
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