95-3-323

Taschenbuch der internationalen Organisationen [Pocketbook of International Organizations] : Daten, Aufbau, Ziele, Entstehung und Mitglieder der wichtigsten Europäischen und Internationalen Zusammenschlüsse / by Hans-Albrecht Schraepler. - Orig. ed. - München : Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag ; Beck, 1994. - XXIII, 474 p. ; 18 cm. - (dtv ; 5641). - ISBN 3-423-05641-X (dtv) - ISBN 3- 406-36294-X (Beck) : DM 19.90

The Fischer-Almanach covers approximately 300 institutions and almost 1500 associated organizations. Listed are the short and full titles of each organization, its founders, members, goals, branches, personnel, working language, financing, address, activities, and cooperation with other organizations. Illustrations, organization charts, and statistics are included. There are indexes of complete organizational titles, key words from the titles, and titles of sub-organizations taken from the articles.

The Taschenbuch covers less and has a poor index. Libraries would do better to acquire the Fischer-Almanach, because it profiles more organizations with at least comparable information, in a more practical (alphabetical) arrangement, and has a useful index. [sh/nb]

95-3-324

Yearbook of International Organizations. Vol. 1, Organization Descriptions and Cross-references / ed. by Union of International Associations. - München [etc.] : Saur. - 31 cm. - (UAI publication ; ...)

Ed. 32. 1995/96 (1995). - xii, 1800 p. - (... : 326) - ISBN 3- 598-22225-4 : DM 548.00, DM 1,398.00 (with vol. 2 and 3)

95-3-325

Yearbook of Internationsl Organizations. Vol 2, Geographic Volume : international organization participation ; country directory of secretaries and membership / ed. by Union of International Associations. - München [etc.] : Saur. - 31 cm. (UAI publication ; ...). - ISSN 0084-3814

Ed. 13. 1995/96 (1995). - 1736 p. - (... ; 327). - ISBN 3-598- 22226-2 : DM 548.00, DM 1398.00 (with vol. 1 and 3)

95-3-326

Yearbook of International Organizations. Vol. 3, Subject volume : global action networks ; classified directory and index / ed. by Union of International Associations. - München [etc.] : Saur. - 31 cm. - (UAI publication ; ...). - ISSN 0084-3814

Ed. 13. 1995/96 (1995). - 1775 p. - (... ; 328). - ISBN 3-598- 22227-0 : DM 548.00, DM 1398.00 (with vol. 1 and 3)

This publication was previously reviewed in the Zeitschrift für Bibliothekswesen und Bibliographie 40 (1993) no. 1, pp. 63-76. There have been no substantial changes since the 1992/93 edition. The 1995/96 edition lists 21,863 active international organizations of great variety and approx. 4,000 inactive ones, but only 12,519 are described in detail. The organizations are listed according to English forms of the names, but there are cross-references from the form of the name in the original language and this publication is now easier to use. There is also a CD-ROM version of this publication, Yearbook Plus, but this product was unfavourably reviewed in ZfBB 39 (1992) 3, pp. 233-239 and it seems to be overpriced. [sh/lrd]

95-3-327

Handbook of Cultural Affairs in Europe = Manuel européen des affaires culturelles = Europäisches Kulturhandbuch / Zentrum fur Kulturforschung, Bonn. Initiated by the Council of Europe. Prep. by members of the CIRCLE Network, other experts and an editing team. Ed. by Andreas Johannes Wiesand. - Baden-Baden: Nomos-Verlagsgesellschaft. - 23 cm

1994/95 - 626 p. - ISBN 3-7890-3687-0 : DM 98.00

The purpose of the 2nd ed. of this handbook is to offer a complete picture of the institutions and initiatives that are active in the area of European co-operation, especially in cultural areas. The entries (in English and French) vary considerably in style and content but were written by representatives of the 41 countries that are members of the European Cultural Convention. There are brief entries for other European countries. There are no indexes; some entries lack postal codes and telephone area codes. This is a useful publication for large academic and public libraries. [sh/lrd]

93-3-328

International Handbook of Universities. - Berlin [etc.] : de Gruyter ; London [etc.] : Macmillan. - 30 cm

13th ed. (1993). - x, 1304 p. - ISBN 3-11-013907-3 : DM 320.00

The International Handbook of Universities (IHU) is published every two years; the World List of Universities (WLU) appears in intervening years and occasionally directs users to the IHU for additional information. The IHU contains information only regarding state universities or universities that offer degrees that are recognized by the state. The 13th ed. is much larger than previous ones, because it includes information on Commonwealth countries and the U.S. Information is arranged according to the English name of the university. While some entries contain detailed information regarding a university's history, personnel, admission requirements, degrees offered, and connections with other universities, other entries contain only an address. There are no personal name or subject indexes. Similar types of university directories that were published in other European countries have ceased publication. The IHU (1993) and WLU (1992) are the last volumes that will be co-published by de Gruyter and Macmillan. De Gruyter will continue to publish American Universities and Colleges. [sah/lrd]

95-3-329

World List of Universities and Other Institutions of Higher Education. - New York, N.Y. : Stockton Press ; Basingstoke, Hants : Macmillan. - 24 cm. - (until the 19th ed. with the parallel title: Liste mondiale des universités.) - ISSN 0084-1889

20th ed. (1995). - ix, 575 p. - ISBN 0-333-54011-5 : £ 85.00

This work, previously published by de Gruyter and now by Macmillan, has changed names but the content has not changed substantially. Many of the duplicate entries have been removed, other sections have either been eliminated (International and regional organizations) or condensed (Academic bodies). New countries added include states of the former USSR and the former Yugoslavia. The information is very current and is presented in a convenient, succinct manner. Readers are occasionally directed to the International Handbook of Universities for further information. The lack of an index of institutions is a serious drawback, however. [sah/lrd]

95-3-330

The World of Learning. - London : Europa Publications. - 29 cm. - ISSN 0084-2117

45th ed. (1995). - xiii, 2123 p. - ISBN 1-85743-002-6 : £ 200.00

The World of Learning includes information regarding societies, foundations, research institutes, libraries, and public galleries that is not found in many other university directories. The entries pertaining to universities omit important pieces of information, such as the requirements for admission to study or the degrees offered by an institution. There are no special indexes of personal names or areas of study. The entries vary in the amount of detail that is provided, possibly because of the mixture of methods used to collect information. Nevertheless, this address book is the best source for world wide information regarding research and higher education. [sah/lrd]

95-3-331

Commonwealth Universities Yearbook : a directory to the universities of the Commonwealth and the handbook of their association. - London : Association of Commonwealth Universities. - 27 cm. - ISSN 0069-7745. - (Association ..., John Foster House, 36 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PF)

71st ed. (1995/96), 1-2. - ISBN 0-85143-150-X : £ 120.00

This yearbook has been revised in numerous areas and several types of useful information have been eliminated, notably the selected bibliography and the subject index. The yearbook provides detailed information regarding member institutions of the Association of Commonwealth Universities: names of university administrators, deans, teaching faculty in individual departments and contact persons for administrative matters. This information, however, is covered only by a personal name index and an index of institutions. This yearbook provides substantially more information about Commonwealth universities than does the International Handbook of Universities. [sah/lrd]

95-3-332

Euromecum : European higher education and research institutions. - Stuttgart : Raabe. - loose-leaf ed.; 26 cm. - Basic work 1991 with supplementary fascicles through June 1995.

The chapter for each of 27 European countries' educational institutions generally consists of five parts: (1) a short sketch of higher education in the country; (2) index of institutions, including institutional data; (3) overview of the national research scene; (4) List of research agencies by discipline; (5) foundations. The five parts are not completely filled in for all countries; the most rudimentary, understandably, is for Yugoslavia. The data for Euromecum are much less detailed than those in Commonwealth Universities Yearbook (95-3-331 above), even given the smaller number of countries indexed. The bothersome loose-leaf format is no guarantee for currency. [sah/rdh]

95-3-333

Handbuch der Hochschulen [Handbook of Higher Educational Institutions] : Ostmittel-, Südosteuropa und Gemeinschaft Unabhängiger Staaten / ed. by the Conference of Rectors. Compiled by Eduard Mühle and Rudolf Smolarczyk. With the assistance of Bettina Brand. - Bad Honnef : Bock, 1995. - 320 pp. ; 24 cm. - ISBN 3-87066-371-5 : DM 118.00, DM 98.00 (subscription price until 4/25/95)

Institutions of higher education in the countries of Eastern Central Europe, Southeastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States are indexed, preceded by the following for each country: (1) a short description of the national scene of higher education; (2) useful addresses, especially of ministries and organizations of relevance to the Conference of Rectors; (3) a bibliography; and (4) data sources. For countries using the Cyrillic alphabet, name and address of the institution are given both in transliteration and in the original. The data, when compared to those of similar indexes, tend to be more reliable and current (usually updated to spring 1994). This handbook, unfortunately, does not include any indexes. Where the World of Learning (95-3-330) is best for international data and the Commonwealth Universities Yearbook (95-3-331) is detailed but selective, this Handbuch der Hochschulen is recommended for its regional scope. [sah/rdh]

95-3-334

Deutsche Freimaurer-Bibliothek [German Freemason Library] / Herbert Schneider. - Frankfurt am Main [etc.] : Lang. - 21 cm. - (Schriftenreihe der Internationalen Forschungsstelle Demokratische Bewegungen in Mitteleuropa 1770-1850 ; 12). - ISBN 3-631-46507-6 : DM 218.00

Part 1. Catalog. - 1993. - 654 pp.
Part 2. Index. - 1993. - pp. 655 - 1009

A printed library catalog generally includes text that informs the user about the library itself and about the quality of its holdings, but this catalog makes do with only a short foreword. Basic information, therefore, is lacking from the outset. The Jahrbuch der deutschen Bibliotheken refers to holdings of 14,200 volumes at the German Freemason Library, but this catalog selectively includes only 7,600 monographs and essays. The catalog is divided into seven broad categories: (1) General, (2) Organization, (3) History, (4) Teachings, (5) Practice, (6) Other Societies, and (7) Miscellaneous. Titles are often shortened, and the given names of authors are frequently abbreviated. The particular value of this catalog lies in information about individual lodges, since there is an accent on ephemeral literature uncollectible by public libraries. Despite the compiler's misleading characterization of this as "comprehensive," a reliably complete bibliography of the literature of German freemasonry is still needed. [sh/rdh]