Editing a Boutique Database: The World Shakespeare Bibliography Online

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Editing a Boutique DatabaseThe World
Shakespeare Bibliography Online

• James L. Harner
• Editor, World Shakespeare Bibliography Online
• Texas AM University

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Current Coverage

• 1963-2005
• 103,331 records (including ca. 810,000 reviews
• 118 languages
• ca. 5,000 new records/year

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Scope of the WSB Online Comprehensive Coverage

• Books, articles, dissertations entirely about
  Shakespeare
• Books, articles, dissertations that include a
  substantial discussion of Shakespeare
• Stage productions of Shakespeare's works by a
  professional or semi-professional theatrical
  group
• Reviews of books entirely or substantially about
  Shakespeare
• Reviews of professional or semi-professional
  stage productions
• Films
• New stage, musical, dance, and video adaptations

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Scope of the WSB Online Selective Coverage

• Books, articles, and dissertations that discuss
  Shakespeare in a brief, but identifiable, section
  that offers more than a recapitulation of
  commonly known facts or interpretations
• Obituaries, tributes, reminiscences of major
  Shakespeare scholars or performers
• Stage productions by non-professional groups
• Reviews of non-professional stage productions
• Reviews of recordings (video or audio) of stage,
  musical, and dance adaptations
• Popular journalistic accounts of Shakespeare
  interest

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How we differ from most commercial databases

• Prepared by scholars for other scholars
• Offered at a low cost (265/yr for libraries as
  low as 25 for individuals)
• Narrowed scope allows for greater depth and
  breadth

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COVERAGE OF SHAKESPEARE 1965-2004 MLA
International Bibliography versus World
Shakespeare Bibliography Online
WSB MLAIB Articles 39,742 23,074 Books
17,779 2,316 Dissertations 2,709
1,590 Reviews c. 810,000 Not covered Productions
15,848 Not covered Films 512 Not
covered Audio 794 Not covered Software 123 Not
covered (as of 17 January 2005)
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Identifying/Obtaining Documents

• Replying on a network of scholars
• Searching other databases (current and
  retrospective)
• Scanning current journals and books
• Searching library catalogs
• Reading lists of newly-published books
• Maintaining a web-based list of documents that we
  cannot locate
• Hoping for serendipity

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Searching Literature-Related Databases

• MLA International Bibliography
• Annual Bibliography of English Language and
  Literature
• FirstSearch
• RLIN
• Dissertation Abstracts International
• Index to Theses with Abstracts
• FRANCIS

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Searching General Databases

• Essay and General Literature Index
• Readers' Guide
• ABI/Inform Global
• Academic Search Premier
• Book Review Digest
• Alternative Press Index
• Ingenta
• Infotrac
• Internationale Bibliographie der
  Zeitschriftenliteratur
• Internationale Jahresbibliographie der
  Festschriften

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Searching Other Discipline-Based Databases

• Agricola
• BHA Bibliography of the History of Art
• Computer and Information Systems Abstracts
• Engineering Index
• International Political Science Abstracts
• Medline
• Music Index
• Philosopher's Index
• Political Science Abstracts
• PsycInfo
• Religion Index
• RILM Abstracts
• Sociological Abstracts
• Studies on Women Abstracts

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Challenges We Face

• Difficulty adapting record structure to download
  software (e.g., EndNote)
• Inability to allow libraries to link to holdings
• Inability to link to digital text

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