Schlachter, a prolific author of financial-aid books, has compiled a bibliography of more than 700 financial-aid and grant sources. A first edition, its predecessor is How to Find Out About Financial Aid: A Guide to Over 700 Directories Listing Scholarships, Fellowships, Loans, Grants, Awards, and Internships, published in 1987. The new guide identifies resources issued between 1994 and 1999. Updates will be provided in future biennial editions.
The book is divided into six main sections: "Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans"; "Grants for Individuals"; "Grants for Organizations"; "Awards and Prizes"; "Internships"; and "Federal Government Bookmarks." Each is broken down into further sections, under which the numbered entries appear. Some titles appear in more than one place, and each appearance has an annotation, though not with the same detail. See references refer the reader to the entry with the most complete information. Icons indicate whether an entry is a paper, electronic (diskette, CD-ROM, tape, or dial-up service), or Internet resource; or if it is low cost (under $8 or free). Publisher, date, cost, format, and ISBN are provided, followed by a description. The description includes the uses of the resource, special features, and so forth. Schlachter is willing to say whether a book is a worthwhile purchase. The entry closes with contact information for purchase.
The book ends with a set of indexes by name, publisher, geographic region, and subject. The geographic index has some problems. For example, under each state the reader is directed to see also "names of specific cities and counties," but no individual cities or counties appear as index entries.
How to Find Out About Financial Aid and Funding will be helpful for school, public, and academic libraries wanting to improve their scholarship and grant collections. It might also be helpful for the really ambitious students wanting to leave no stone unturned in their quest for funding.
