New FirstSearch Databases Available

The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) has expanded the databases available to its base package subscribers, including Rensselaer Libraries, and the following databases are now available via the Research Databases link from the main RensSearch homepage.

• The World Almanac and Book of Facts from K-III Reference Corporation, formerly Funk & Wagnalls. First published in 1868, this single-volume reference book covers arts and entertainment, U.S. cities and states, people in the news, the nations of the world, sports, the environment, vital statistics, science and technology, computers, taxes, and other subjects. Citations in The World Almanac database include the complete full text of a section or subsection represented in the printed World Almanac, including tables. The database will be updated annually.

• FactSearch, produced by Pierian Press Inc. and based on the printed publication A Matter of Fact. Each record in FactSearch contains a bibliographic citation for an item, and an abstract containing facts and statistics with a reference to their original source. The information in FactSearch comes from over 300 works, including newspapers, periodicals, the Congressional Record, and congressional hearings. In the coming months, URLs will be added to FactSearch records describing Web sites, and the FirstSearch Web interface will include hot links to those sites.

• The World Book Encyclopedia (International Edition) from World Book Inc. consists of more than 17,500 full-text articles and 6,200 cross references. The FirstSearch Web version, which will include tables accessible in image format, should be available later this year.

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