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For the past three decades, ARBA has kept librarians up to date on the latest reference materials by providing high-quality, critical reviews. The 2006 edition of ARBA continues this great tradition by providing users with access to 1,600-plus reviews of both print and online resources, written by more than 400 academic, public, and school librarians who are experts in their fields. With coverage of nearly 500 subject disciplines, ranging from the social sciences and humanities to science and technology, users are guaranteed to find information on the latest resources available in the areas in which they wish to expand their collection. With ARBA in hand, collection development librarians can maintain their libraries' high standards of quality and make the best use of their budgets.



The Associate Editor, along with the five ARBA Advisory Board members, will compile 1,600-plus critical reviews of reference books, CD-ROMs, and Web-sites from the years 2004-2006 written by academic, public, and school librarians or professionals in the field. ARBA differs significantly from other reviewing media in its basic purpose, which is to provide comprehensive coverage of English-language reference books published in the United States and Canada during a single year. ARBA 2006 consists of 37 chapters, an author/title index, and a subject index. It is divided into four alphabetically-arranged parts: General Reference Works, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Science and Technology. General Reference Works is subdivided by form: bibliography, biography, dictionaries and encyclopedias, government publications, handbooks and yearbooks, and so on. Within the remaining three parts, chapters are organized by topic. Thus, under Social Sciences the reader will find chapters titled Economics and Business, Education, History, Law, Sociology, and so on. "[T]he specificity and critical dimension commonly found in ARBA distinguish it from most other review sources and significantly increase its practical value....Regardless of the type of library, if one substantially utilizes reviews, ARBA can be useful in selection, particularly when comprehensiveness is important. The Web version ARBAonline, is also a viable alternative. It has regular updates and cumulative coverage, and makes searching and browsing more convenient and efficient than the print version. Though more expensive, ARBAonline may in fact be a better choice." - Reference & User Services Quarterly

American Reference Books Annual v37