TOWSON UNIVERSITY

ISTC 651 INFORMATION LITERACY & ACCESS

ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SOURCES

EVALUATION CRITERIA
Current Biography
BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION: H. W. Wilson Current Biography Illustrated.
http://www.hwwilson.com/Databases/cbcdrom.htm

REVIEW SOURCES: Indicate if readily available.

COST:
There is a fee for services however without calling; I could not find a price. As I looked
further I found that you could choose from different collections that the website offered.
Free online except for internet access.
Available online.
AUTHORITY:
From Wikipedia.com
The H. W. Wilson Company is a publisher of reference books and databases, specializing
in indexing and abstracting, and based in the Bronx, New York. As a bookseller, Halsey
William Wilson faced tedious searches through publishers' catalogues several times a
year. He founded the company in 1898 to publish the Cumulative Book Index, a sort of
predecessor to the modern Books in Print. The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
started in 1901 and it did for magazine articles what the Cumulative Book Index did for
books; it remains a staple of libraries to this day. Also, with each subsequent edition
released since the first in 1933, Joseph Nathan Kane's Famous First Facts, now in its
sixth edition (ISBN 0-8242-1065-4, published in 2006), has remained H.W. Wilson's
largest selling single volume reference work.
The company's logo is one of a lighthouse, which symbolizes the mission of the
company: "To give guidance to those seeking their way through the maze of books and
periodicals, without which they would be lost."
VIEWPOINT/OBJECTIVITY:
More than 25,000 articles and obituaries.
Lively, substantive biographies, averaging 2,500 words
More than 19,500 images bring the profiles to life.
Profiles feature subjects own views, attitudes and opinions, as well as
observations of journalists, colleagues, and associates.

Profiles give users the information they want on celebrities, politicians, business
people, writers, actors, sports figures, artists, scientists, and many others.
Database grows by 450 new profiles per year.
Uniform name authority control makes searching easy and reliable.
Search by name, profession, place of origin, gender, ethnicity, birth/death dates,
titles of works, and keyword.
Variety of search options makes this resource invaluable for womens studies,
multicultural studies, and other areas beyond simple name look-ups!
Written in a lively style that makes for entertaining as well as informative reading.
Bibliography of works about the subject and article citations guide researchers to
further information
Available exclusively on WilsonWeb; updated monthly.

PURPOSE:
This database reflects the entire contents of the printed monthly Current Biographya
trusted resource in library collections since 1940. This is where your patrons will find
reliable information about the people making tomorrows headlines plus historical figures
back to World War II.
SCOPE:
From Current Biographies websites:
Current Biography profiles average 2,500 words and feature this information
Subjects full name with indication of any preferred form or pseudonym, with a
guide to pronunciation where necessary.
Birthdates.
Business or home address.
Field or profession.
Objective account of subjects life and career.
Subjects own views, attitudes and opinions. Observations of journalists,
colleagues, and associates.
References to additional sources of information.

TIMELINESS/CURRENCY:
Updated monthly.
FORMAT/ARRANGEMENT: Availability in print, digital and other format.
Available in digital print with abilities to print hard copies of documents.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Indexes, annotations, abstracts, study aids, illus., etc.
Electronic index include;
Applied Science & Technology Full Text
Applied Science & Technology Abstracts

Applied Science & Technology Index

Applied Science & Technology Retrospective: 1913-1983
Applied Science & Business Periodicals Retro: 1913-1983
Art Full Text
Art Abstracts
Art Index
Art Index Retrospective: 1929-1984
Art Museum Image Gallery
Art Museum Image Gallery Special Collection
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
Bibliographic Index Plus
Biography Index: 1984 to Present
Biography Index: Past and Present
Biography Index Retrospective: 1946-1983
Biography Reference Bank
Biography Reference Bank Select Edition
Biological & Agricultural Index Plus
Book Review Digest Plus
Book Review Digest Retrospective: 1905-1982
Business Periodicals
Wilson Business Full Text
Wilson Business Abstracts
Business Periodicals Index
Business Periodicals Index Retrospective: 1913-1982
Children's Core Collection
Cinema Image Gallery
Current Biography Illustrated
Current Biography 1940 to Present
Current Issues: Environment
Current Issues: Health
Current Issues: Reference Shelf Plus
Education Full Text
Education Abstracts
Education Index
Education Index Retrospective: 1929-1983
ERIC: Education Resources Information Center
Essay and General Literature Index
Essay and General Literature Index Retrospective
Famous First Facts
General Science Full Text
General Science Abstracts
General Science Index
Graphic Novels Core Collection
Humanities Full Text
Humanities Abstracts
Humanities Index

Humanities Index Retrospective: 1907-1984

Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective: 1907-1984
Index to Legal Periodicals Full Text
Index to Legal Periodicals & Books
Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective: 1908-1981
Junior Authors & Illustrators
Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
Library Literature & Information Science Index
Library Literature & Information Science Retrospective: 1905-1983
Middle and Junior High Core Collection
Nonbook Materials Core Collection
Play Index
Public Library Core Collection: Fiction
Public Library Core Collection: Nonfiction
Readers' Guide Full Text, Mega Edition
Readers' Guide Full Text, Select Edition
Readers' Guide Abstracts
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982
Science Full Text Select
Sears List of Subject Headings
Senior High Core Collection
Short Story Index
Short Story Index Retrospective: 1915-1983
Social Sciences Full Text
Social Sciences Abstracts
Social Sciences Index
Social Sciences Index Retrospective: 1907-1983
World Authors
Wilson Core Collections
Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition
Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Select Edition
Wilson Retrospective Collection
AUDIENCE:
Middle school through adult although I could not access information from the list of
possible collections I would expect the data to be written for an older audience.
MULTICULTURAL TREATMENT:
None was observed.
PERSONAL REFLECTION AND EVALUATION:
I was not able to see how information was displayed but could see how this information
would be useful to certain educators.