YEARBOOKS, ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND HANDBOOKS

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE MODULE

Subject Name Library and Information Science

Paper Name Information Sources in Social Science

Module Name /Title Yearbook, Encyclopedias and Handbooks

Objectives To familiarize the students/readers with Yearbooks,

Encyclopedias and Handbooks in the area of Social

Sciences.

Keywords Annuals, Yearbooks, Encyclopedias, Handbooks,

Dictionaries, Directories Guide to literature etc.

2. INTRODUCTION

Yearbooks, Encyclopedias and Handbooks are important source of social

science information and are brought out by prestigious learned and scholarly

societies as well as by commercial publishers. These sources provide complete

background of a subject and also current state of research. Some of the

important sources are described below.

3. ANNUALS and YEARBOOKS

A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a publication brought out

annually to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year‟s development.

The term here basically refers to a book of thoughts, ideas, knowledge,

statistics or facts..A year book is an important source of information in a

particular area. In such publications, the entires are generally alphabetical so

that user may read the desired portion easily. In some yearbooks entries are also

recorded in chronological order.

Some important yearbooks in the area of social sciences are as under:

The Annual Register: A record of World Events (Bethesda, Midland:

Keesing‟s Worldwide) is a very old annual published since 1758. The first

editor was Edmond Burke. It will remain an authoritative chronicle of events

from every country of the world. Apart from country specific coverage of

significant events, it also provides global perspective on religion, the sciences,

law, the arts and sports. In addition, international organizations, obituaries of

important people and key documents are included.

Whitakers‟ Almanack (London: The stationery Office) was initially published

in the year 1868 by Joseph Whitaker. The annual publication provides detailed

converge of the United Kingdom on different topics like parliament, religion,

education, social welfare, transport, the environment, lotteries and gaming,

taxation the media and organization. However, data on rest of the countries of

the world are brief and sketchy. The annual also provides information on

European Parliament, European Union, a brief A-Z compendium of facts (and

maps) about the countries of the world and a profile of world events from the

past year. The Almanack also includes a bibliography of annual reference

books.

Europa World Year Book 2011-London: Routledge, 2011 2v.

Contents: Vol 1 Pt.1 (International Organisations), Pt.2.

(Afghanistan-Jordan ), V.2 (Kazakhastan-Zimbabve)

First published in 1926, the Europa World Year Book is

renowned as one of the world's leading reference works, covering

political and economic information in more than 250 countries and

territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The Europa Regional

Surveys of the World offer in-depth, expert analysis at regional,

sub-regional and country. (http://www.europaworld.com/pub/)

i. India 2012:A Reference Annual. 56th

ed. /Compiled and edited

by Research Reference and Training Division-New Delhi:

Publication Division, 2012.

India 2012 is an updated and comprehensive edition of the

Reference Annual edited, published and marketed by the

Publications Division. The Research, Reference and Training

Division (RR&TD) of the Ministry collects the base material for

the Year Books. The material is collected from Central

Ministries/Departments, State governments and Union Territories,

PSUs and autonomous bodies.

The reference annual gives a panoramic view of country‟s progress

in the fields of rural and urban development, industry &

infrastructure, science & technology, art & culture, economy,

health, defense, education & mass communication. It incorporates

sections on general knowledge, current affairs, sports, events of the

past year and latest ones too.

It has been chronicling India's march to prosperity and strength

over this period. The main features covered in this edition of the

year book, are Census 2011 which is the 15th Census of India since

1872, village electrification, MNREGA, Jawaharlal Nehru National

Urban Renewal Mission, National Rural Health Mission,

empowerment of women etc. It is a useful handbook for students,

civil services aspirants, research scholars, academicians, authors,

journalists and above all the general

public. (http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=80551)

ii. Statesman Yearbook, 2013 : The Politics, Cultures and

Economies of the World 2013/edited by Barry Turner-

Hampshire:Palgrave Macmillan, 2012

Now in its 149th edition, The Statesman's Yearbook continues to

be the reference work of choice for accurate and reliable

information on every country in the world. Covering

political, economic, social and cultural aspects, the Yearbook

is also available online for subscribing institutions:

(www.statesmansyearbook.com),

(http://us.macmillan.com/thestatesmansyearbook2013/BarryTurner

)

iii. World of Learning 2013-63rd

ed. –London: Europa, 2012.2v.

A comprehensive guide to 33,000 academic institutions and

250,000 staff and officials across the whole spectrum of higher

education, research and learning. No other source provides such

comprehensive international coverage.

Now in its 63rd edition, The Europa World of Learning is one of

the world's leading reference works. Updated to the highest

editorial standards, entries are sourced directly from the

organizations to ensure accurate and reliable information. The

accreditation status of every university and college is verified

before its entry is approved.

Every type of academic institution is covered, including over:

7,800 universities and colleges

5,800 research institutes

3,400 museums and art galleries

5,000 learned societies

3,600 libraries and archives

850 regulatory and representative bodies

Separate chapters for countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe

each feature an introductory survey of the country's higher

education system. A separate section covers international

organizations concerned with higher education and scholarship.

New essays feature each year on themes around international and

comparative higher education. Subscribers may download these

online at www.worldoflearning.com alongside an archive of essays

from past editions. (http://www.worldoflearning.com)

iv. Yearbook of International Organisations: Guide to Global

Civil Society Network, edited by Union of International

Associations-

Unchallenged in this field of reference since 1910, the Yearbook of

International Organizations provides the most extensive coverage

of non-profit international organizations available today. Directly

reflecting a dynamic international arena, it contains entries on

65969 civil society organizations in 300 countries and

territories, in every field of human endeavour.

The Yearbook profiles international non-

governmental(INGOs)and inter-governmental organizations

(IGOs). There are all types of organization, from formal structures

to informal networks, from professional bodies to recreational

clubs – regardless of ideology. However, it does not include for-

profit enterprises. The compilation of the Yearbook by the Union of

International Associations has received the full approval and

support of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

(ECOSOC).

All work for the Yearbook is part of UIA's ongoing research into

international organizations and civil

society.(http://www.uia.be/yearbook)

4. ENCYCLOPEDIAS

An encyclopaedia is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as the “circle of

learning” and less poetically as “a literary work containing extensive

information on all branches of knowledge encyclopaedia is a source which is

used by most of us to get authoritative used to our everyday questions. Even

today it has a dominating presence in every library as well as in many homes.

Print encyclopaedia are still issued although sales of this format Britannica has

decided to discontinue its print version. Most of the encyclopaedias follow the

basic layout i.e. with alphabetically arranged entries supplemented by an index.

The articles or entries are normally written by experts.

They are sometimes followed by a bibliography major encyclopaedias have all

gone digital and they are now available over the web. In addition to important

traditional general encyclopaedias i.e. Britannica, Americana, World Book,

Compton etc. certain other subject based titles have also been published.

These are also fully digital encyclopaedias e.q. Microsoft‟s Encarta and recently

launched Wikipedia. One can say that digital versions of encyclopaedias have a

number of advantages. They are searchable by keyword. They also provide

link to related topics of interest. Also, they can be kept updated with latest

information and multimedia files are normally available with them to illustrate

concepts.

Whether in print or in electronic version the encyclopaedia remain a valuable

starting point for research on a number of topics. It is a source where one can

gain a basic understanding of the subject and also learn where to look for more

information.

4.1. Types of Encyclopedias

There are different types of encyclopedias that can be used when searching for

information depending upon the subject matter, accessibility,

and the amount of information that they provide. Users may use any

of these or all when researching a particular topic.

4.1.1. General Encyclopedia

A general encyclopedia provides information on a wide range of subjects. The

write upsare brief and do not include in-depth information on the subject. A

general encyclopedia contains information that is factual and written by a

variety of experts .These are valuable research tool when looking for

background information on a subject or when trying to locate a specific fact,

date, or concept. Encyclopedia Britannica is one of the best known general

encyclopedia.

4.1.2. Subject Encyclopedia

Subject encyclopedias contain information on a particular subject of study by

subject experts. The information is scholarly and detailedserving as complete

note. The entries are in-depth and provide much more information than found in

a general encyclopedia and are supported by references. Subject encyclopedias

are important reference tool for individuals that need an overview of

informationonspecialized topics and are backed up by references and

bibliographies. Subject encyclopedias are available on broad range of subjects

like psychology, education, medicine, technology and others.

4.1.3. OnlineEncyclopedia

With the emergence of commercially available online databases a vast majority

of encyclopedias are now available online. There are several online reference

sites that provide access to full articles from both general and subject

encyclopedias. Some of the most popular general encyclopedias including

Columbia, World Book, and Britannica can be accessed online. Several

commercial database vendors like credo reference provide access to several

important encyclopedias.

Also, community or user-contributed encyclopedias are coming up online.

These are largely free and allow anyone from around the globe to contribute and

edit information on different topics and subjects. However in some cases

information is not authenticated and users need to keep in mind that the

information found on these sites is not very much reliable and accordingly

should not be used for research purposes. Wikipedia is one of the best examples

of such encyclopedia.

Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) is an on-line encyclopedia set up by

Jimmy Wales in 2001 as a free web-based encyclopedia that is collaboratively

written and open to editing by anyone with an Internet connection. It is a

favourite source of general information for many web-surfers; providing up-to-

date information on a tremendous range of topics. Wikipedia is available in 10

major languages; it is extensively hyperlinked, easily searchable and browsable

and articles from the website can be retrieved through major search engines

such as Google or Yahoo. One can say that Wikipedia does provide a useful

starting point for information on some topics with no costs.

4.2Some Important Encyclopedias

The Encyclopædia Britannica published by Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.is one

of the most important and widely regarded general knowledge English-language

encyclopedia. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time

editors and more than 4,000 contributors, including 110 Nobel Prize winners

and five American presidents. It is regarded as one of the most scholarly

encyclopediasof English language.

The Britannica is the oldest English-language encyclopedia still being

produced. It was first published between 1768 and 1771 in Scotland as three

volumes. The 15th edition has a three-part structure: a 10-volume Micropædia

of short articles (generally fewer than 750 words), a 19-volume Macropædia of

long articles (two to 310 pages) and a single Propædia volume to give a

hierarchical outline of knowledge and two volume index. The Micropaedia is

meant for quick fact-checking and as a guide to the Macropaedia; readers are

advised to study the Propaedia outline to understand a subject's context and to

find more detailed articles. In March 2012 on account of decreasing sales,

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. stopped its printing and is now bringing out

online version only, Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Its final print edition was

in 2010, a 32-volume

set.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica)

The Encyclopedia Americana

It was first published in 1829–33, with subsequent editions in 1911 (20

volumes) and 1918–20 (30 volumes), and continuously revised

thereafter,Americana is international in scope and detailed coverage of

American and Canadian geography and history. It is also strong in biography

and scientific and technical subjects. All major articles are signed, many by

scholars preeminent in their fields.

Because of its volume-by-volume revision, some parts of the set are less current

than others. The last complete revision and total resetting occurred in 1918–20

becoming the basis for its successors. Encyclopedia is accompanied by an

alphabetical index (volume 30) which is kept up to date with each printing,

however, and serves as an instructional as well as an updating device.

Other organizational features include tables of contents for lengthy articles and

boxes that highlight specific data. It include numerous glossaries; separate

articles evaluating particularly important literary, artistic, and musical

compositions; and separate articles summarizing world, and particularly

Western, history and culture for each century.

(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186656/The-Encyclopedia-

Americana)

4.3 Social Science Encyclopedias

During the 20th

Century two major social science encyclopedias have been

published. They are i) Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 15 V., Edited by

RA Seligman and Alvin Johnson (London and New York, Maemillan, 1930-

35). And iii) International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 17 V. Edited by

David L Sills (New York, the Macmillan Co & the Free Press; London, Collier

Macmillan, 1968). The second one also published a supplementary biographical

volumes published in 1979 and also a dictionary of quotations in 1991. Both

these encyclopedias present insightful overviews of the state of knowledge of

their respective generations. However, due to new developments in the field of

social sciences, their value has now become historical. The editor David Sills

has written in his introduction : “Because an encyclopedia reflects a generations

contributions to and perspectives on knowledge, it must be revised, updated or

supplemented if it is to maintain its intellectual credibility.

The Social Science Encyclopeida -2nd

Ed, edited by Adam Kuper and Jessica

Kuper (London and New York, Routledge, 1946) is a revised version of the first

edition published in 1985. The new edition has taken into account the rapidly

changing and fluid state of contemporary social science. The single volume

encyclopedia contains around 600 concise entries (which also include contains

references and suggestions for further reading) written by an international panel

of contributors. The volume covers all the major disciplines of the social

sciences and also deals with the new trends such as development of

environmental economics, cultural geography and psychological anthropology.

The volume also contains certain amount of debates and controversies in the

entries that make the social sciences stimulating.

The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential 4th ed, 3V Edited by

the Union of International Associations (Munich, K.G Saur Verlag, 1944-45).

The contents of the three volumes are i) World Problems ii) Human Potential –

Transformations and values iii) Actions, Strategies and Solutions. The

publishers have also made the volumes available in a single CD-ROM format

which enhances the speed which the 3000+pages of text can be searched. This

encyclopediaendeavours to focus on wrold‟s problems. It is a resource that

could be value to a broad spectrum of social scientists.

Encyclopedia of Social History 10V. Edited by Pter N. Stearns (New York,

Garland, 1994) is of interest to all social scientists. The alphabetically arranged

entries provide brief overviews of certain important topics like the family,

industrialization , multi culturalism and nationalism. See also references are

also given in addition to a name/subject index.

The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy 10V. Edited by Edward Craig

(Lond, Routledge, 1998) is international, multi-cultural and inter-disciplinary in

scope. It will be of assistance to social scientists seeking information on the

philosophies of Western and non-western culture.

In the beginning of the 21st Century, a new encyclopedia has been published i.e.

International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, ed. By Neil J.

Smelser and paul B. batter, (Elsevier, 2001). The purpose of this project was to

see that there is „quality control‟ of knowledge in the field and also to document

new areas of social sciences new modes of publication such as the Internet with

its tremendous increase in the quantity of publicly available information

justifies the need for better control of quality of knowledge produced. The

primary strategy for achieving good quality in an encyclopedia is a peer-based

selection of experts as authors and a peer-review system for submission. The

following reasons were cited as the basis of the new intellectual endeavour.

Remarkable growth and specialization of knowledge since the 1960s.

Rapid development in the inter-diciplinary subjects.

Expansion of interest in policy and application.

Internationalization of research as a result of globalization.

Impact of computer and information revolution on theory and practice.

Growing relation between i) the social and behavioral science; and ii)

biological or life siences for the purpose of study and research.

According to the established practice, the encyclopedia listed its entries in

alphabetical order. A large number of biographical entries have been

included on the basis of significant contributions made by the persons in

their respective subject fields. In total, there are 26 volumes. The list of

articles and list of subject experts/social scientists whose biography have

been included are given in volume. 1. Alphabetical entries to topics/subjects

related to social sciences are in volume 2 to 23. Other details such as list of

contributors, names index, classified list of entries and subject index have

been provided in volume 25 and volume 26. The contents include 4000

signed articles, 90,000 bibliographic references and 150 biographical entries

making it the largest social science reference work ever published.

For additional information on the scope, quality and range of encyclopedias

available on all the fields, one can consult Subject Encyclopedias: user

Guide, Review Citations and Keyword Index, compiled by Allan N. Mirwis

(Phoenix, A2; the oryx Press, 1999) This provides quality rating for each

encyclopedia.

There are several other social science encyclopedias which provide information

to library users. Some of these are briefly described as under:

i. Collier‟s Encyclopedia with Bibliography and Index. Ed. By William

D.Halsey and Bernard

ii. Encyclopedia of World Cultures Ed. By Terence E.Hays.Boston, G.K.

Hall, 1991. 10 v

iii. Encyclopaedia of Bioethics. 3rd

ed. Ed. By Stephen

G.Port.NewYork,Macmillan Reference, 2004

iv. International Encyclopedia of Business Management. 2nd

ed. Ed. By

Malcolm Warner. London. Thomson Learning 2002.8v.

v. International Encyclopedia of Economics Ed. By Frank N.

Magil.London, Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997, 2v.

There are several „guide to literature‟ and handbooks which provide

information about various reference sources on social sciences. The world

Social Science Report, 1999 (Paris, UNESCO, Publishing/David Makinson

is one of the sries of reports pensive review of the role of the social sciences

on a global scale.

Other important publications which contains bibliographic and other details

about various types of reference sources in the field include i) Guide to the

Social Sciences. Edited by Jonathan Michie. (London Fitzroy Dearborn,

2001) ii) Wlaford‟s Guide to Reference Material. Volmue 2 Social and

Historical Sciences, Philosophy and Religion 8th

ed. Edited by Alan Day and

Michal Walsh (London, Library Association, 2000) iii) Social Sciences

Reference Sources: A practical Gude. 3rd

ed. Edited by Tze-Chung

Li(Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2000) iv) The Social Sciences : A cross

Disciplinary Gude to Selected soruces edited by Nancy L Herron (Engle

wood co: Libraria Unlimited 1989). Iv) Sources of Information in the Social

Scinces: A Guide to the Literature by William H Webb and other (Chicago

IL, American Library Association 1986).

In addition to above, the following Biographical Dictionaries, Dictionaries,

Directories and Geographical References also serve as important social

science reference sources for libraries by providing up-to-date

information.

1. The International Who is Who 2001. 64th ed. London, Europa, 2001.

2. Who is Who: Fourteenth LokSabha. New Delhi, LokSabha Secretariat,

2005.

3. India‟s Who is Who. 28th ed. 2004. New Delhi, INFA, 2004.

4. Chambers World Gazetteer: An A-Z of Geographical Information. 5th ed.

Ed. By David Munro. Cambridge, Chambers, 1988.

5. The Encyclopedic District Gazetteers of India. Ed. By S.C. Bhatt, New

Delhi, Gyan, 1997.

6. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. London, Oxford University

Press, 1968.

7. A Comprehensive English-Hindi Dictionary of Governmental

Educational Words and Phrases by RahuVira and Lokesh Chandra. New

Delhi, International Academy of Indian Culture, 1976.

8. Annotated Index to Indian Social Science Journals, 2005+

9. Bibliographic Databank 2002+

10. Conference Alert 2005+

11. Directory of Social Science Research and Training Institute in India,

2005.

12. ICSSR Research Project Reports

13. ICCSR: INSPEL (Indian Social Science Periodical Literature) upto 1970.

14. ICCSR: Bibliography on India in 2000. A.D. (with abstracts) New Delhi,

1991.

15. ICCSR: Index to Indian Economic Journals.

16. ICCSR: Indian Education Index 1947-1978. New Delhi, 1980.

17. Directory of Social Science Libraries and Information Centers in India.

New Delhi, 2001.

18. Mohandas KaramchandGandhi : A Bibliography. New Delhi, 1974.

19. Union Catalouge of CD-ROM Databases in Social Sciences. New Delhi,

2001.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handbook

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=80551

http://us.macmillan.com/thestatesmansyearbook2013/BarryTurner

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186656/The-Encyclopedia-

Americana

http://www.definitions.net/definition/abstracting+and+indexing+as+topic

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subject_indexing

http://www.europaworld.com/pub/

http://www.gale.cengage.com

http://www.uia.be/yearbook

http://www.worldoflearning.com

www.statesmansyearbook.com