ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ February 2000 / 133 I n t e r n e t R e v i e w s Sara Amato, editor K id s C o u n t . A ccess.- http://www.aecf.org/ kidscount. Students, faculty, and professionals deal­ ing with any aspect o f the study o f children, youth, and families in the United States will find relevant research in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Web site. Established in 1948 by one o f the United Parcel Service founders, the foundation’s mis­ sion is “to help build better fu­ tures for the millions o f disad­ vantaged children who are at risk o f poor educational, eco n o m ic, social and health outcom es.” Kids Count has been published annually since 1990 in print format under the title K ids C ou n t D a ta B o o k Most states also publish an annual print K id s C ou n t F a c t b o o k with in­ formation specific to their population. The beauty o f the Kids Count site is that it offers all national and state data sources and statistics from 1995 to the present. The selected indicators can be manipu­ lated and extrapolated in several formats: profiles, graphs, maps, ranking, and raw data. These functions would be particularly useful to students doing research in education, so ­ ciology, public health, or social work. Each format provides a search screen with selec­ tion options, such as desired indicator, g eo ­ graphic location(s), and time period. The re­ sults are clear and clean. The raw data is avail­ able in both Excel spreadsheets and standard comma delimited text files. One can choose to unzip the entire Kids Count raw data bank file or download by individual indicator. Summary and findings explain the 28 na­ tional indicators and ten key state indicators that are tracked with definitions and data sources (primarily taken from government sources). Criteria are established and listed for selecting particular indicators. They are clear to point out that over time some weaker indicators have been replaced by stronger indicators, making some comparisons among states difficult. To amend this situation, the site offers an appendix that illustrates how states would have ranked in past years using the ten measures used for the 1999 Data Book. Text materials from the Kids Count Web site may be used, downloaded, reproduced, or reprinted with appropriate ack n o w led g e­ m e n t to th e f o u n d a t i o n .— M a r y C. M a c D o n a ld , U n iv ersity o f R h o d e I s la n d , m a r y m a c @ u r i.e d u M edscape. A ccess: http://www.medscape. com. Medscape is the premier Web portal for healthcare professionals and has garnered high praise and accolad es from both the medical community and the information in­ dustry. Since 1995, M edscape has offered healthcare professionals a centralized start­ ing point for locating high-quality, peer-re- viewed information and accessing a variety o f v a lu e - added ser­ vices. The s ite is poised for even greater growth in the future, as evidenced by CBS’s recent acquisition o f one-third o f the company and a strategic al­ liance with AOL. O ne o f M edscape’s roles is that o f infor­ mation aggregator. Registered users (registra­ tion is free) can access full-text articles from about 50 peer-reviewed medical journals, as well as professional trade publications, sp e­ cialized medical textbooks, and medical news periodicals. The hom epage provides the lat­ est medical headlines from wire services and links to practice guidelines, treatment updates, conference schedules, clinical management, a medical dictionary and patient resources, such as Micromedex CareNotes. Medical pro­ fessionals can review summaries o f the latest research presented in well-known journals, such as JAMA, the L an cet, and N ew E n g la n d J o u r n a l o f M ed ic in e. Three literature data­ b a s e s ( “M E D L IN E ,” “T O X L IN E ,” an d “AIDSLINE”) and a drug information database can be searched without leaving the site. Sara A m ato is electronic services and Web developm ent librarian at Bowdoin College, e-mail:samato@bowdoin.edu http://www.aecf.org/ mailto:marymac@uri.edu http://www.medscape mailto:samato@bowdoin.edu 134 / C&RL News ■ February 2000 Medscape also creates content in the form of seven peer-reviewed electronic journals that are available in full-text at the site. One of th ese e-journals, M edscape W om en’s Health, was recently selected for indexing in “MEDLINE.” Another original feature is “Next Day Summaries,” which provides rapid re­ ports on presentations at many important medical conferences. T hough M edscape contains a massive amount of information, it is easily navigable and consistently presented. No matter what page is currently displayed, every section of the site is available within one or two clicks. A search box at the bottom of every page allows keyword searching of all full-text ar­ ticles on the site or other information re­ sources, such as medical images, news, and patient information. Once the search is com­ pleted on one of these databases, it can be rerun on any of the others. At one time, Medscape was one of the few places on the Web where “MEDLINE,” “AIDSLINE,” and “TOXLINE” were freely ac­ cessible. However, the free, powerful search interfaces that are now available at the Na­ tional Library of Medicine (NLM) Web site (http://w w w .nlm .nih.gov) are better choices for searching these databases, allowing more sophisticated and flexible searching. It should be noted that even a simple, one- te rm s e a r c h o f “MEDLINE” u s in g th e Medscape interface will yield quite a differ­ ent set of results than the same term using NLM’s P u b M e d in te r f a c e . A lth o u g h M edscape’s help screen contains some ex­ planation of the search algorithms that are used, some of the discrepancies betw een the two search engines are still mysterious. For example, using M edscape’s search engine, an all-fields search of the term “rosa­ cea” for publication years 1998-99 resulted in 44 “MEDLINE” “hits”; on the same day, the same search using NLM’s PubMed resulted in 90 hits. Medscape is targeted towards healthcare professionals, so most of the information is research-oriented and highly technical and therefore may not be useful to the general public. To reach the consumer health infor­ mation market, Medscape and CBS recently launched a consumer health Web site called CBS H e alth w atch by M edscape ( h ttp :// CBS.medscape.com). At present, much more consumer-oriented, full-text content is avail­ able at sites such as the National Library of M e d ic in e ’s MEDLINEplus ( h ttp : / / w w w . nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus) or the U.S. Depart­ m e n t o f H e a lth a n d H u m a n S e rv ic e ’s Healthfinder (http://www.healthfinder.gov) . Because Medscape offers one-stop shop­ ping for high-quality information and is ag­ gressively marketed towards the medical pro­ fessional, librarians serving medical profes­ sionals should be familiar with this site. Medscape is an excellent model of a com­ prehensive information service for a special­ ized audience.—Nancy E. Adams, University o f Maine, nancy.adams@umit.maine.edu V irtu a l Lib ra ry M useum Pages. Access: www.icom.org/vlmp. This metasite does an excellent job of pro­ viding links to m useum s’ Web pages w orld­ wide. The site is supported by the Interna­ tional Council of Museums and maintained by Jonathan Bowen. Users can submit sites for consideration, as can the museums them ­ selves. Some specialized search criteria in­ clude virtual exhibitions, history, science, technology, art galleries, children’s exhibits, library exhibits, and computer-related muse­ ums. It also includes, under “Other Lists,” other museum metasites, but this one must be the mother of all. All sites are also listed alphabetically by country on the main page, and alpha by name within the country. T h e s e f e a tu r e s m ake the site both b r o w s a b le a n d searchable— both ab­ s o lu te m u sts fo r metasites these days. The site also provides mirror sites for easier access. Clicking on “Overview” is worth the time; it gives a thor­ ough explanation of how the site works (“Internet Reviews” continued from page 00) and how to submit other pages. Some of the sites are offered in English and the country’s native tongue. A visit to “Top Sites” (by hit volume, one presumes) reveals that, right up there with the Smithsonian is the Autry Museum of West­ ern Heritage! All sites can be listed by name. Intype, or state. Bookmark this site to save (continued on page 140) http://www.nlm.nih.gov CBS.medscape.com http://www nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus http://www.healthfinder.gov mailto:nancy.adams@umit.maine.edu C&RL News ■ February 2000 / 135 140/C&RL News ■ February 2000 University’s Bailey Hymnal Collection. The gift includes 830 rare and old hymnals from a variety o f Christian traditions, some in German and Swedish. The gift also includes 257 v olu m es o f m usic ed u ca tio n , religiou s reference, music history, scores and more, which have been divided betw een the Bailey c o lle c tio n and th e g e n e ra l circu la tin g collection. Fettke’s classic choral work The M ajesty a n d G lory o f H is N a m e is sung throughout the world. He is also the creator and editor o f the H y m n a l f o r W orship a n d C eleb ration , o f which 3 million copies are used in churches today. C rim e fic tio n w rite r Ja m e s E llro y has donated his literary papers, including outlines, manuscripts, drafts, notes, and first editions o f his 16 books to the University o f South Carolina’s Thom as Cooper Library. Ellroy’s most famous book, L.A. C o n fid e n tia l, was published in 1990 as the final part o f his L.A. quartet, w hich also included T he B l a c k D a h lia , T he B ig N ow here, and W hile j a z z . Each o f these book s w ere international bestsellers, and L.A. C o n fid e n t ia l was made into an Oscar-winning movie. Ellroy was also highly acclaimed for his autobiographical work, My D a r k P la c es. The initial donation includes 40 linear feet o f materials and Ellroy has agreed to donate similar materials o f his future works. The archive o f Frederick R. Karl, literary biographer and critic, has been acquired by the University o f South Carolina. The archive covers the author’s biographies o f four writers, Jo se p h Conrad (1 9 7 9 ), William Faulkner (1989), Franz Kafka (1991), and G eorge Eliot (1995), with a full and w ell-organized record o f the stages through which he researched, drafted, developed, and edited each project. The archive also includes similarly detailed material for Karl’s other books (his novel on World War II Italy, The Quest, published in 1961, and two major critical books on m odem American fiction) and for a major long-term editorial project, the Jo sep h Conrad letters ( 1 9 8 3 - ), for which he has corresponded with more than 2,000 Conrad collectors, scholars, and librarians. The archive includes letters from other leading biographers, such as Leon Edel, Jo sep h Blotner, and Lionel T r illin g , as w e ll as o th e r s ig n ific a n t correspondents, such as Bertrand Russell and Jo h n Barth. H arrison T. M eserole, d is tin g u ish e d professor o f English emeritus, has donated more than 6,000 volumes to Texas A&M University. The collection includes Phillis W h e a tle y ’s P o e m s o n V a r io u s S u b je c t s R elig io u s a n d M o r a l (1773), the first edition o f America’s first African-American poet; The I d le M a n (1 8 2 1 -1 8 2 2 ), an early American periodical that published the work o f William Cullen Bryant; Anthony W ood ’s A th e n c O x o n ien s es (1721), the first biographical dictionary associated with Oxford University; and a volume from Mark Tw ain’s personal library. The Am on G. Carter Papers were acquired by Texas Christian University from the Amon G. Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The museum retained the series documenting museum activity, but the bulk o f the papers, measuring approximately 205 linear feet, are now located in Special Collections in the Mary Couts Burnett Library. In 14 record groups are correspondence, newspapers, scrapbooks, photographs and negatives, certificates, and memorabilia documenting the life and career o f Amon G. Carter (1 8 7 9 -5 5 ), whose business interests included aviation, publishing and oil, and w hose civic and philanthropic endeavors included establishing a foundation to support educational and cultural purposes, including the Amon G. Carter Museum. ■ (P reservation News c o n t in u e d f r o m p a g e 13 1 ) The cost for each workshop is $185. For more information, contact The Real Estate In­ stitute, New York University, 11 West 42nd St., New York, NY 10036; phone: (212) 790- 1 3 6 2 ; URL: h ttp :/ / w w w .sc p s.n y u .e d u / dyncon/rlst/cour_muse. html. ■ (In tern et R eview s c o n t in u e d f r o m p a g e 1 3 4 ) hours o f searching. A librarian must have had a hand in this! Excellent site; obviously the product o f many hours o f hard work. Highly recom ­ mended.— Lisa K. Miller, P a r a d is e Valley C om ­ m u n ity C o lle g e L ib r a r y , M ILLER.LISA.K@ a 1 .p v c .m a n c o p a .e d u ■ http://www.scps.nyu.edu/