Is bibliography dead? Hell no!

Information Outlook, Nov, 2003 by Stephen Abram

In August 2003 a new tool was introduced. This MS Internet Explorer toolbar saves and manages information gathered from online sources and creates bibliographic citations using 16 online styles. Flexity Technologies, Inc. (http://www.flexity.net/) announced the release of Internet Research Toolbar (IRT) 1.01 for Windows 95-98, NT, ME, 2000, and XP. IRT has a built-in capability for Internet Explorer to save, search, and manage the content of Web pages. It can search only the online information you have saved while creating bibliographic citations formatted specifically for online information.

If you still need a print resource specifically for electronic citations, the bible still seems to be a 1996 book, Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information, by Xia Li and Nancy Crane (Information Today). The second edition of this best-selling guide to referencing electronic information and citing the complete range of electronic formats covers text-based information, electronic journals and discussion lists, websites, CD-ROMs, multimedia products, and commercial online documents.

So clearly in a world where the information ocean is vast, bibliographies offer islands of calm for the harried researcher. Librarians are the professional travel agents who find and supply these information destinations.

This column contains the personal perspective of Stephen Abram and does not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of Micromedia ProQuest or SLA. Products are not endorsed or recommended for your personal situation and are mentioned here as useful ideas or avenues to investigate or explore. Stephen would love to hear from you at sabram@micromedia.ca.