Using the Fiction Catalog

1
Using the Fiction Catalog

• Karlen Chase
• Information Literacy PowerPoint Session
• Date due Nov. 7, 2006
• klchase_at_buffalo.edu
• LIS 518B Dr. Peterson

2
What is the Fiction Catalog?

• Fiction Catalog is a selective list of
  established and contemporary works of adult
  fiction either written in or translated into
  English (Yaakov and Greenfieldt v).
• Available in print or online.
• Print version published in hardcover every 5
  years, with annual paperback supplements in the
  interim.
• List of works selected by a diverse group of
  public librarians across the U.S.

3
Yeah, but what kinds of books?

• The best authors and their most widely read
  works in literary and popular fiction are listed,
  including mysteries, science fiction, fantasy,
  Westerns, romance, and more (New Edition).
• Chinua Achebe, Jane Austen, Jamaica Kincaid,
  Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sue Grafton, and
  John Grisham share these pages.
• Anthologies, series, short stories, and novellas
  are also represented.

4
Who uses it and for what?

• Librarians
• Collection development maintenance
• Readers advisory
• General reference
• (Fiction, Wilson)
• Library patrons
• Finding books they want to read by author,
  title, or subject
• Pricing books
• Reading summaries excerpted reviews
• Teachers
• Listing on syllabus as a reference source
• Writers
• Researching authors subject matter and bodies
  of work
• Bookstores
• Acquisitions, pricing
• Contacting publishers

5
History of the Fiction Catalog

• 1908 First published by H.W. Wilson Co.
  (Fiction, JHU).
• 1923-1931 title was Standard Catalog for Public
  Libraries (Fiction, JHU).
• 1997 Made available online as part of the
  WilsonWeb databases (Fiction, Ulrichs).
• 2006 15th print edition published, featuring
  over 8,000 entries (Fiction, Wilson).

6
Print Edition General Info

• Yaakov, Juliette, and John Greenfieldt, eds.
  Fiction Catalog. 15th ed. New York H.W. Wilson
  Co., 2006.
• Price (U.S. Canada) 240 otherwise, 270.
• Price includes hardcover ed. 4 annual paperback
  supplements.
• ISBN 0-8242-1055-7

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Print Edition Use of Part 1

• Part 1 is the Author Index, except when title is
  main entry, as in Best American Short Stories.
• Look up authors last name in alpha order.
• View titles in alpha order under authors name.
• Each entry includes complete bibliographical
  info, price, ISBN, brief summary, sometimes
  excerpted review.
• Analytic entries for works that are part of a
  larger work, i.e. short stories, novellas.
• Includes out-of-print info, as well as cross
  references for pseudonyms.

8
Print Edition Use of Part 2

• Part 2 is the Title Subject Index. Alpha order
  titles and subjects mixed.
• Subject headings are in all caps. If a title or
  author name is indented under a subject, that
  work or the work of that author is largely
  concerned with that subject.
• Titles are in regular case. Authors name
  follows.
• Once you have the author name, go back to Part 1
  to find full entry.

9
Print Edition Use of Part 3

• Part 3 is the Directory of Publishers
  Distributors.
• Alpha order by company name.
• Entries include
• complete contact info
• branch offices
• see also cross references

10
Print Edition Pros Cons

• Pros
• Subject index aids reader advisory.
• Includes works that are out-of-print.
• Alpha order of each part aids navigation.

• Cons
• strict author, title, and subject searches
  (Macfarlane).
• No keyword index.
• Must wait for supplement for update.
• Mainly works from U.S., Canada, U.K.

11
Online Edition General Info

• Available through the WilsonWeb databases with an
  annual subscription.
• Contains all the information of the print
  edition.
• Includes more search capabilities, additional
  review excerpts from Wilsons Book Review Digest
  Plus database, links to your subscriber
  librarys online catalog (Fiction, Wilson).

12
Online Edition Use

• Standard database interface with drop-down menus
  and search boxes.
• Can search by any of the following by entering in
  the search boxes
• keyword, publication year, title, ISBN,
• subject, ISSN, publisher, document
• type, author, Dewey decimal number.
• (Fiction, Wilson)

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Online Edition Pros Cons

• Pros
• Titles are added daily or weekly (Wilson).
• Expanded search capabilities.
• Often entries link to full-text book reviews
  (Wilson)
• Get ½ off print edition (Wilson).

• Cons
• lost in theelectronic format is the See also
  reference (Macfarlane).
• All-Smart search yields many irrelevant results
  with subject searches (Macfarlane).

14
Buffalo Area Availability

• Both UB Libraries and the Buffalo Erie County
  Public Libraries have the print edition.
• Neither of the above library systems subscribes
  to the online edition.
• Caveat All information about the online edition
  contained in these slides was obtained from
  secondary sources that follow.

15
Works Cited

• Fiction Catalog. H.W. Wilson. 2006. H.W. Wilson
  Co. 1 Nov. 2006 http//www.hwwilson.com/print/fict
  cat.cfm.
• Fiction Catalog. JHU Libraries Catalog. 2004.
  Johns Hopkins Univ. 1 Nov. 2006
  http//catalog.library.jhu.edu/.
• Fiction Catalog. Ulrichs Periodicals
  Directory. CSA. SUNY Univ. at Buffalo, UB Libs. 1
  Nov. 2006 http//www.ulrichsweb.com.
• Macfarlane, Carrie. Fiction Catalog,
  Magillonliterature Plus. Library Journal (1976)
  129.2 (2004) 134. Library Literature
  Information Full Text. H.W. Wilson. SUNY Univ. at
  Buffalo, UB Libs. 4 Nov. 2006 http//vnweb.hwwilso
  nweb.com.

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Works Cited (cont.)

• New Edition of H.W. Wilsons Fiction Catalog Now
  Available. MMISchools.com. 13 April 2006.
  MultiMedia Internet_at_Schools. 1 Nov. 2006
  http//www.mmischools.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp
  x?ArticleID11290.
• Wilson Announces Fiction Catalog, 15th Edition.
  Advanced Technology Libraries 35.5 (2006) 7-8.
  Library Literature Information Full Text. H.W.
  Wilson. SUNY Univ. at Buffalo, UB Libs. 4 Nov.
  2006 http//vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.
• Yaakov, Juliette, and John Greenfieldt, eds.
  Fiction Catalog. 13th ed. New York H.W. Wilson
  Co., 1996.