University of Virginia Library

VII

Several other indexes exist which are relevant to bibliographers, including three which—within certain limitations—index a fixed list of periodicals.

In 1974 the Social Sciences and Humanities Index was replaced by

Social Sciences Index and Humanities Index. The latter indexes one bibliographical periodical, PBSA, and for 1974 indexed all articles and notes (as did MLA).[6] PBSA is also indexed by another H. W. Wilson index, LL, but selectively (it is particularly light on notes). The two differ also in the nature of their subject headings: whereas LL uses general headings for bibliographical topics HI is more specific, allowing proper names as subjects. The difference in indexing can be gauged from the treatment of 'David Hall and the Townshend Acts'; both have an author entry, and thereafter they index under these headings: (All LL's headings are accepted HI headings; indeed, in the same issues HI indexes 'The Editions of Malory in the early nineteenth century' under Publishers and publishing. Great Britain. History, and Bibliography. Editions, LL under Editions, Printing. History, and Printing. Great Britain. Additionally, the two indexes differ in their sub-arrangement: LL by author, HI by title.)

SB also is indexed by a second Wilson index, EGLI, whose subtitle reads 'An Index to 4,010 essays and articles in 292 volumes of collections of essays and miscellaneous works'.[7] SB falls into neither category, but is included in EGLI, along with a number of other annuals like Shakespeare Survey, by the silly application of the definition of a periodical as a serial appearing more frequently than annually. HI is restricted to indexing periodical articles; SB is not a periodical; ergo SB is not eligible for indexing in HI, where it obviously belongs. EGLI bears the same relationship to LL in indexing SB as HI bears to LL in indexing PBSA: EGLI indexes SB exhaustively, and employs more specific headings, including proper names, but not the same headings as HI.

BC is also indexed by BHI, which indexes the articles exhaustively but excludes everything else (see above). As a system BHI has many virtues.

In the first place it indexes its periodicals more quickly than any of the other current indexes, and not only because it deals with the publications of a single country (the Wilson indexes do not consistently index American publications as quickly). And BHI is a subject index: unlike the Wilson indexes it does not waste space by providing author entries, but relegates authors to an index in the annual cumulation. (Are the Wilson indexes influenced by the arrangement of the dictionary-style library card-catalogue?) The logic of the indexing is much clearer, and the liberal provision of references to related headings allows specific searches to be undertaken, along with more general ones— e.g. 'English bookbindings XCI: binding perhaps by William Nott, c. 1680' is entered under Bookbindings, English and under Nott, William, and there is a reference to Nott from the heading Bookbinders. The only index comparable with BHI in specificity in this instance is ABHB, which enters under Bookbinding. Great Britain. XVIIth century, and provides a reference from Nott in the Geographical and Personal Names Index.

ABHB, MLA and MHRA are all annuals, and all appear at least a year after the event, so that there is an argument for a current index to provide interim access to the literature of bibliography. The only current index which already indexes BC, Library, PBSA and SB is LL, but, as has been suggested above, it does not perform the task at all well; the basic problem is that LL is not really hospitable to bibliography. BHI is limited to British publications; but with the addition of Library it would provide good coverage of British bibliographical periodicals, even if embedded in an index which, despite its title, is more oriented to the social sciences. HI is not confined to American publications, and would be more hospitable to bibliography than LL: when it comes to convenience in indexing I assume that bibliography has greater affinities with literary research than with librarianship. At the very least SB ought to be transferred to HI from EGLI and LL.

Of BI, which is published three times a year, little need be said: it is concerned with enumerative bibliography, and to be recorded a bibliography must contain fifty or more citations. Thus none of the frequent addenda to author bibliographies contained in PBSA for 1974 are included, nor, from BC part 4, such things as the check-lists of Harry Buxton Forman's Shelley reprints and of editions of Arthur Hugh Clough and Mrs. Cowley's The Belle's Stratagem. The only entries for 1974 from the four major bibliographical periodicals, both under the heading Bibliography, are for the SB Check List and the Library 'Recent books and periodicals'.