Content area
Full Text
RR 2004/232
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Gale
Detroit, MI
2003 - (source material covers 2000 to date)
Price varies: contact vendor for quote
Last visited February 2004
Keyword Reference services
Review DOI 10.1108/09504120410542814
The Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) provides online access to reference books from a wide variety of subject areas. As of February 2004 there were 74 titles available; a few dozen more titles are expected to become available later in the year. Most of the titles included are encyclopedia type works, including the notable Dictionary of American History and many other multi-volume sets. There are also a few almanacs and some recent volumes of Contemporary Authors. The audience level of the source material ranges from middle school students through university scholars. All of the titles included were originally published in print form by Gale or one of its affiliates (Macmillan Reference, Scribner, St James Press, etc). The contents of the GVRL are customizable so that libraries can choose which titles to include in their own collection. This is a great benefit, as few libraries (other than public libraries) will want to pay for both middle school and college-level content.
The collection's greatest strength is its strong technical foundation. The powerful database that drives the site allows for all the search options one could reasonably hope...