Creating a Traditional Reference Tool in the Age of Electronics: The Changing Art of Bibliography Preparation

Bibliographies are still a convenient, compact format for retrospective information on a topic. Modern technology does not diminish the need for comprehensive bibliOgraphies, although the creation of a bibliography can be made easier by putting some of the technology to work. The intellectual effort remains, and so does the laborious task of verification, but the mechanics of producing such a work can be streamlined. A word processor can replace the beleaguered secretary who must type and retype the effort; a database management program can aid in the restructuring of the bibliography; and the commercial databases can provide access to collections that previously required traveling to a major collection or poring through various bibliographies to find the sources. Such a bibliography was created between 1977 and 1987 and has just been published by Oryx Press