july06c.indd


I n t e r n e t  R e v i e w s  Joni R. Roberts and Carol A. Drost 

GlobalHealth.gov. Access: http://www. 
globalhealth.gov/. 
Governed by the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS), the Of­
fice of Global Health Affairs (OGHA) exists 
as an organizational unit within the Offi ce of 
the Secretary of HHS. The mission of OGHA 
is “to promote the health of the people of 
the world by advancing the Department of 
Health and Human Services’ global strategies 
and partnerships.” 

GlobalHealth.gov, a project of OGHA, 
offers access to an array of resources from 
its nine main headings located on the left of 
the homepage. At the top, users can click on 
links to learn about HHS global agencies and 
partners and get answers to frequently asked 
questions. The Web site opens with regularly 
updated news and press releases about the 
Secretary of HHS and other HHS offi cials’ 
involvement with global health. Also, colorful 
photos with captions are included. 

There is information on events, funding 
opportunities, and the HHS exchange visitor 
program. Persons interested in devoting a 
career to global health will find the informa­
tion on employment opportunities helpful. 
Users can access archives of photos, feature 
articles, and statements/speeches of the Sec­
retary of HHS. International travelers would 
be interested in the links to international 
organizations and travel Web pages from the 
Center for Disease Control and Department 
of State. In addition, a link to travel advisory 
information is provided. 

Joni R. Roberts is associate university librarian for 
public ser vices and collec tion development at 
Willamette University, e-mail: jroberts@willamette. 
edu, and Carol A. Drost is associate university librarian 
for technical services at Willamette University, e-mail: 
cdrost@willamette.edu 

For researchers, the most useful informa­
tion is found under the “Data Resources” 
heading. Among the data are health profi les 
of various countries that can be accessed by 
clicking on “Country Information.” Users can 
then select from the geographic regions fol­
lowed by a click on a country. Within each 
health profile is information on activities and 
projects that HHS is engaged in. The inclusion 
of links to information on foreign government 
leaders and government Web sites is valuable. 
World health statistics are provided from the 
World Health Organization, the World Bank, 
UNICEF, and other organizations. By clicking 
on “Global Health Topics,” users can access 
White House news releases, Web pages, 
and documents relating to hot topics such 
as bioterrorism, HIV/AIDS, avian infl uenza, 
and more. Also, HHS reports, publications, 
and fact sheets are available. 

Other features of the site include a key­
word search box with the option for advanced 
searching and links to the National Library of 
Medicine’s Health Information, PubMed and 
Malaria Research Resources Web pages. 

Overall, this is a well­organized Web site 
for those interested in health problems and 
solutions that transcend national boundaries. 
—Nancy Allen, University of South Florida 
Sarasota­Manatee/New College of Florida, 
nallen@banshee.sar.usf.edu 

National Agricultural Library Digital Reposi­
tory. Access: http://naldr.nal.usda.gov/. 
Among the advantages of online content 

is that it can be expanded and updated more 
easily than printed matter. And although the 
National Agricultural Library Digital Reposi­
tory (NALDR) currently contains over 2,000 
individual items, this repository could grow 
to a much larger size. 

Monographic works in the repository date 
primarily from 1980 and later, while some of 
the United States Department of Agriculture 
series cover a broader historical period. The 
print counterpart to this primary source material 

C&RL News July/August 2006  436 

http:http://naldr.nal.usda.gov
mailto:nallen@banshee.sar.usf.edu
mailto:cdrost@willamette.edu
http:GlobalHealth.gov
http:globalhealth.gov
http://www
http:GlobalHealth.gov


is mostly distributed among university libraries 
with agricultural collections, but researchers 
in farm labor history, new crop introductions, 
plant disease, or rural development will fi nd this 
online collection more conveniently available. 

Both the simple and advanced search 
boxes treat multiple terms as a phrase unless 
Boolean operators are used. The preliminary 
results list both number of keyword occur­
rences and number of documents retrieved. 

The default sort for the brief record list is 
by hit density but clicking on column head­
ings re­sorts on corresponding fi elds. 

Documents are displayed one page 
at a time and users can begin with the 
first page in the document or the place 
at which the term fi rst appears. 

Navigation allows paging through each 
document or jumping to the next occurrence 
of search terms, which are highlighted in 
the text. 

Unfortunately, neither results page in­
cludes a quick search box, forcing the user to 
return to the search pages to begin again. 

Aside from being linked from corresponding 
Agricola database records, it is not clear how 
well this information is currently integrated 
with other service providers. Digital publica­
tions are most useful when easily discovered; 
and, unless the repository is OAI­compliant and 
integrated into other meta­search capabilities, it 
may be too esoteric for most undergraduates to 
find. Google appears to have indexed at least 
one series, but other items were noticeably 
absent from Google search results. 

With the federal government beginning 
to address the public­domain status of its 
research, the USDA is in a position to both 
archive and make public a massive body of re­
search. At this writing, the NALDR seems to be 
experimenting with the inclusion of peer­re­
viewed scientific reprints authored by agency 
scientists, and the potential size of this body 
of literature is enormous. This expansion and 
the inclusion into standard cross­repository 
search engines would make the future NALDR 
a tremendous tool for scientific research. Stay 
tuned.—Alvin Hutchinson, Smithsonian Insti­
tution Libraries, hutchinsona@si.edu 

Violence Against Women. Access: http:// 
www.4woman.gov/violence/. 
Violence Against Women (VAW), a section 

of the National Women’s Health Information 
Center, provides information on a variety of 
violence issues facing society. From domes­
tic or interpersonal violence against women 
to bullying children and elder abuse, VAW 
is an excellent choice for information. The 
homepage provides essential data on violent 
acts against women, stressing that violence of 
any type by any person is wrong. 

A topic menu provides links to other is­
sues, including “Sexual Assault & Abuse,” 
“Stalking,” and “Signs of Abuse.” “Legisla­
tion & Actions” provides a brief history 
on legislation concerning violence against 
women. “State Resources” provide links to 
the organizations that fight domestic abuse 
in each state. “Bullying for Parents” provides 
links to additional articles, organizations, and 
publications. Not sure if your child is a bully? 
Quizzes are provided to help determine if 
your child is a bully or is bullied. 

Usually, links provide basic information 
on the topic, plus a list of “Publications” 
and “Organizations.” Within each basic in­
formation section, definitions and links are 
provided to assist someone in determining if 
abuse is occurring. 

Information is also provided on how to 
prevent abuse or violence. “Dating Violence” 
should be required reading for parents and 
children (both sexes) before dating. “Violence 
Prevention for Men” provides startling statistics 
such as: 85% of the Americans who died by sui­
cide in 2001 were men. Also included are ways 
to find help combating violence and abuse. 

“OWH Initiative” (Office on Women’s 
Health) provides information about violence 
and women, including Domestic Violence 
in the Workplace: The Action Guide, and 
the National Advisory Council on Violence 
Against Women. Additional resources include 

(continued on page 441) 

July/August 2006  437 C&RL News 

www.4woman.gov/violence
mailto:hutchinsona@si.edu


the history of electricity, civil and structural en­
gineering, optics, and color theory, among oth­
ers. The collection includes such rare treasures 
as a 1544 edition of Archimedes’ Philosophi 
ac Geometrae, a first edition of Robert Boyle’s 
Experiments and notes about the mechanical 
origin or production of electricity (1675), and 
the scientific library of Louis Pasteur. Dibner 
designed and patented the first solderless elec­
trical connector—a new way to join cable and 
wire—and founded the Burndy Engineering 
Company in 1924. He established the Burndy 
Library in 1941 to house his growing collection 
of rare books and manuscripts. 

The Elmer Bernstein Collection has been 
donated to the University of Southern Califor­
nia’s Cinema­Television Library. Bernstein, who 
died in August 2004, taught at the USC Thornton 
School of Music for more than eight years. To 
honor Bernstein’s lifelong commitment to musi­
cal education and to celebrate his connection 
to USC, his family has donated his personal 
archives, which contain numerous treasures, 
ranging from original scores to momentos. It is 
valued at more than $5 million. Plans to digitize 
a significant portion of the collection will  make 
it easily accessible to students, aspiring musi­
cians, composers, and fans. 

(“Reviews” continued from page 437) 

“In the News” (links to news, Webcasts, and 
campaigns dealing with violence). 

The message that one is not responsible 
for any act of violence perpetuated against 
her or him is a strong component of this 
site. The straightforward presentation of 
information on all types of violence and 
on ways to find assistance makes this an 

excellent site for professionals and victims 
of abuse. 

This Web site is an excellent, easy­to­
navigate resource for information and help 
in dealing with personal violence. As an ad­
ditional bonus, much information is available 
in Spanish.—Karen Evans, Indiana State 
University, kevans4@isugw.indstate.edu 

July/August 2006  441 C&RL News 

mailto:kevans4@isugw.indstate.edu