A guide for the perplexed.

A guide for the perplexed. Duckett, Bob, Walker, Peter and Donnelly, Christinea Know it all,find it fast: an A-Z source guide for the enquiry desk. 2nd ed. London:Facet Publishing, 2004. 369p 26.95 [pounds sterling] soft ISBN ISBNabbr.International Standard Book NumberISBNInternational Standard Book NumberISBNn abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m185604534X (available from James Bennett For other people named Bennett, see Bennett.James Bennett or Jim Bennett may refer to: James C. Bennett, writer on technology and international affairs and a founder of the American Rocket Company. Pty Ltd PTY LTD Propriety Limited (company structure in Australia)) The first edition of Know it all won the Best General ReferenceWork award from Reference Reviews, and information desk staff in Englandhave praised the wealth of practical information it contains. The secondedition is updated, enlarged and augmented by a brief index. However,reservations have to be expressed regarding both its suitability for usefurther a field, and its surprising omissions. Relatively little of thecontent is appropriate for use in Australia--definitely a gap in themarket. The authors remind us that reference work is not about knowing theanswer; it is about knowing where the answer might be. Their intendeduser is the inexperienced reference desk staff member (they assertbaldly that a 'majority of staff on enquiry desks do not haveformal qualifications'), and the advice offered is couched in afriendly tone. They provide tips for particular sorts of enquiry--forexample, with legal or medical enquiries, give information, but notadvice; 'phone-a-friend' if you think a colleague or outsideexpert may know the answer; always check the currency and reliability ofinformation. Enquiry desk staff navigate a multiplicity of sources. While theauthors do recommend a good many websites and databases which complementthe standard reference books, they may still be erring on the side ofcaution. Certainly some of the book-based enquiries they envisage en��vis��age?tr.v. en��vis��aged, en��vis��ag��ing, en��vis��ag��es1. To conceive an image or a picture of, especially as a future possibility: envisaged a world at peace.2. may bemore satisfactorily answered from web-based materials, such asinformation on dates or anniversaries, national anthems, perpetualcalendars. The reference books recommended in 'Awards andPrizes' are long-in-the-tooth too. Yorkshire bias seems evident in the subjects covered: there is toomuch on textiles and beer (but nothing on wine or whisky!). You willlook in vain for whole Dewey areas such as philosophy, general science,physics, biology, astronomy. Other subjects are too sketchily sketch��y?adj. sketch��i��er, sketch��i��est1. Resembling a sketch; giving only major points or parts.2. a. Lacking in substance or completeness; incomplete.b. Slight; superficial. covered:two books and four websites doesn't begin to cover sport. Despitethese serious omissions, the range of topics covered is very broad,which is a reminder that before this book appeared the inexperiencedreference desk person would have had a lot more to be uneasy about.There are a few minor typos, including 'fee information' whenthey mean 'free information'--another debate altogether. John MacRitchie, Mainly Library