International Information Directory 1998-1999 [Hardcover]

Paul McClure (Editor), James Deangelis (Editor), Inc Congressional Quarterly (Corporate Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A companion to CQ's Washington Information Directory, this well-designed new resource leads to more than 4,000 organizations, mostly in the U.S., knowledgeable about a wide spectrum of international issues. Organizations are arranged in two main sections, "Resources by Subject" and "Resources by Country."

The larger first section is arranged by 19 broad subject areas, such as crime and drug control, science and technology, and trade and consumer affairs. A chapter on regional affairs lists organizations with a broad regional focus. The chapter "Humanitarian Affairs" includes organizations involved with disabilities, disaster relief and refugees, gays and lesbians, housing and construction, human rights, and religion and ethics. Each chapter begins with a listing of its topical divisions. Within them, organizations are listed in four groups: U.S. agencies, U.S. congressional agencies and committees, international organizations, and private/nonprofit organizations. The array of organizations is broad. The chapter "Culture and Recreation," for example, lists not only the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities but also the Corning Museum of Glass, the Motion Picture Association, and the National Italian American Foundation. Each entry typically includes the name of the agency or organization, address, telephone and fax numbers, contact person, e-mail address and URL (if available), plus a brief description of international interests. For major agencies or organizations, regional offices are listed and organizational charts are displayed. Although the main focus of the entire directory is on resources found in the U.S., each major topical area features a brief listing of key resources outside the U.S.

"Resources by Country" is a country-by-country list of embassies, UN missions, consulates, tourism offices, and federal government contacts. A separate section provides information about U.S. Export Assistance Centers, the UN, and the Organization of American States.

Two indexes conclude the volume. The first lists names of individuals, leading to the organizations with which they are associated. The second is mostly an index to the organizations listed, with a few additional headings for the specific topical divisions (in boldface) and major topical areas (in small capitals). The names of individual countries are also included. Index entries lead to the main entries for topics and countries, and in some cases, to secondary areas that would be difficult to locate using the main arrangement.

All libraries with interests in international affairs will find this a useful directory. Although some of the information may be found in other sources, such as Encyclopedia of Associations (Gale, annual), The Foundation Directory (Foundation Center, annual), and United States Government Manual (USGPO, annual), this new resource pulls together information on a wide variety of agencies and organizations. Recommended for public and academic libraries.

Parent's Aren't Supposed to Like It follows on the heels of UXL's biography set Performing Artists [RBB Je 1 95], which covers personalities in comedy, dance, film, television, and music. This new set focuses on music, with entries for 135 bands and musicians.

Parents is organized first into genres, including alternative and pop rock, Brit-pop, dance music, hip-hop and rap, rock and roll, rhythm and blues and urban soul, and singers/songwriters. Each genre opens with an essay describing the music and its history. Some have bibliographies. Within each genre, entries for performers or groups are arranged alphabetically. Among those who are profiled are Beck, Boyz II Men, David Bowie, Deee-lite, Dr. Dre, Hootie and the Blowfish, Los Lobos, and Lou Reed. According to the introduction, those selected for inclusion "sold a lot of records in the 1990s, are on the cutting edge of a musical trend, or have been highly influential to music of the 1990s." An effort was made to present a wide range of pop-music styles.

Entries are generally from two to five pages in length. Birth date and place are given just under the name heading for solo artists. The year founded is given for groups. Biographical and career information is interwoven, with the emphasis on career. Some essays may have sidebars; the entry on Elvis Costello has one on his self-promotion and one on his lyrics. Entries close with select awards, select discographies, further reading, contact information, and Web site address. The further reading lists contain periodicals many public libraries may own. This can be of immeasurable help in working with students researching less well documented groups. Black-and-white photos illustrate each entry.

A strong 13-page index is repeated in each volume. Each volume also includes a name index and a more finely defined genre index. At its price, the set will be an asset in public-, middle-, and high-school libraries. From the coverage to the layout to the vocabulary level, this is a strong young adult tool. Many of these personalities may be found in other rock encyclopedias such as The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music [RBB Ap 15 96], but the UXL format and style have particular appeal for young adult users.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 703 pages
• Publisher: Cq Pr (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568023812
• ISBN-13: 978-1568023816
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,594,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)