J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci.,
Vol 33, No. 4, 1993 page 648
How
to Find Information About Aids, Second Edition. By Jeffrey T. Huber.
Since
the first tentative and puzzling descriptions of the immunodeficiency syndrome,
now called AIDS. 10 years ago, the amount of knowledge concerning this disease
and the number of information sources have mushroomed. Organizations,
publications, databases, and research centers on AIDS have proliferated.
Jeffrey
Huber has attempted to list all of the major organizations and information
sources on AIDS. He has given us a book of lists, large useful ones at that.
The average reader would need an incalculable amount of time to compile any one
of these lists.
He
begins by noting 450 service organizations devoted to AIDS. The function of
most of these organizations is apparent from their names. He provides brief
annotations for those whose function is not readily obvious. In a separate
section he lists 22 federal government agencies that provide AIDS information.
He
lists state health departments, at least one for each state. These departments
provide multiple services that include educational materials and epidemiological
data. Anyone needing quick information on AIDS can call one of the more than
100 telephone hotlines listed in the book. He notes the 63 federally funded
education and training centers established to train health care professionals
working with AIDS.
Of
interest to researchers is his section on research institutions and funding
sources. The 34 grant funding sources listed here provide a starting point for
anyone seeking research funds. Nearly 100 private, corporate, academic, and
government institutions are involved in AIDS research. He provides annotations
for a third of these, but more clarification is needed here. On this list are the publishers Wiley
and Elsevier with no indication of how they are associated with AIDS research.
Much
of the data generated by AIDS is now available in various electronic forms:
databases, CD-ROMs, computer
assisted instruction packets, and electronic bulletin boards. Twenty-one of the
more than 100 diverse products described here are devoted exclusively to AIDS.
This cornucopia includes comprehensive bibliographic databases such as
AIDSLINE, electronic newsletters, full text articles, educational materials,
health care worker instruction, and legal aspects of AIDS. He notes which sources have printed equivalents. These are
all described here with the addresses and telephone numbers of their producers,
but not their costs.
Huber
gives us useful hints on formulating database search strategies and reminds us
of the importance in using several databases when a comprehensive search is
needed. I wish he had used his expertise to evaluate rather than just describe
some of these databases. For example, in the few AIDS searches I have done, I
found the National Library of Medicine's AIDSLINE far more productive than
MEDLINE because AIDSLINE includes all AIDS references from MEDLINE plus
material from other sources.
To
complement electronic sources, he lists printed bibliographies (some of which
have monthly updates) and dozens of specialized journals and newsletters. To
provide an overview, to the constantly changing and growing AIDS literature, he
lists over 200 monographs and reference sources. Huber also notes numerous
suppliers of videotapes and the specific titles of some of these products.
This
handbook, the second edition since 1988, is a vital reference for anyone having
more than a superficial interest in AIDS. This book and a phone will get you a
long way. One hopes that books of this type will be continuously updated until
AIDS is eliminated and is only an academic curiosity like smallpox.
Philip Barnett
Science/Engineering
Library