by:
Kistler, John M.

Publisher:
Greenwood Press
Published:June 30, 2000
ISBN:0313312311
Format:Hardcover
Pages:248

Description: From Booklist
The author has compiled this annotated listing of more than 900 print and electronic resources to provide access to "every aspect of animals rights, from vegetarianism to vivisection to feminist perspectives." The work is divided into six major sections: general works; "Animal Natures," dealing with the results of scientific studies; "Fatal Uses of Animals"; "Non-Fatal Uses of Animals"; "Animal Populations," dealing with endangered and extinct species; and "Animal Speculations," dealing with religious or "paranormal" perspectives. More than 1,100 Internet sites are referenced in annotations for the works to which they relate.Each major section begins with an essay on the themes and kinds of materials that are represented. Entries are numbered and arranged alphabetically by author, editor, or responsible organization. The six subject areas are simply too broad for most subject or form-oriented searches and should have been subdivided by much narrower topics or special formats. For example, some of the items in the chapter on animal populations deal with particular species or types of species; others are particular parts of the world or types of environments. If these kinds of themes, along with generic categories related to conservation, preservation, and extinction, had been used as a basis for the arrangement of the 180 works in this section, topical browsability would have been greatly enhanced. Lacking such highly desirable access in the main arrangement, one is left to the alphabetical index at the end of the volume for specific subject searches. But this index also fails to support subject access. It gives easy and thorough access to authors' and editors' names and to names of organizations but not to specific topics. The particular topics of many listed works are not indexed. Take, for example, item number 65r: "Over-population of Cats and Dogs: Causes, Effects, and Prevention"; there is no index heading for cats, nor for dogs. Given the sparse level of subject analysis of individual items, users interested in particular animals or species and similar narrow topics are poorly served both by the main arrangement and by the index.Another serious technical error in the index is that page numbers are used to refer to particular entries. Why are entries numbered, if these entry numbers are not used as index referents? Using page numbers forces the user to scout through an entire page to find the entry that relates to the index heading. Libraries with users interested in animal rights will want this compilation. It is unfortunate that the arrangement of this useful material is not more user-friendly, both in the main arrangement and in the index. REVWR
Copyright # American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description:
Containing over 900 entries, this comprehensive guide provides students with books and accompanying web sites covering every aspect of animal rights, from vegetarianism to vivisection to feminist perspectives on the topic. Entries, which provide materials with varying viewpoints, are arranged alphabetically in six different chapters that address specific issues, such as fatal uses of animals and animal populations, encompassing the whole of the animal rights debate. This unique and user-friendly organization allows researchers to make a quick determination of which topics are of interest and which chapter has related materials, while annotations for each entry help the user choose the most appropriate of these materials.