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Choice
Library Journal
Review from: Choice, September 2003
Short Story Index
(also available in print) is a user friendly, practical way to locate over
76,000 short stories online. The database includes the full text of 1,600
stories. More than 4,025 collections are indexed and made searchable by
author, title, subject, keyword, date, literary technique, and source, or
any combination thereof. SSI is retrospective back to 1984. Wilson
estimates it will add 4,000 records to the database annually and promises
to keep subject headings in pace with contemporary topics of interest.
Within each record, hot links are provided to other works by the author
and other stories in the source collections. The database includes a
valuable asset—a library holdings indicator that can link directly to an
OPAC. The database is simple in its design but allows users to request
complex searches. For example, subject searching includes theme, narrative
technique, locale, and genre. Records are easy to read and eye-catching
with pertinent information easily located. Wilson also includes extended
services such as Internet searching and document delivery options.
Further, the database allows libraries to link seamlessly to full-text
articles on their other databases that are open-URL compliant.
Summing Up:
Recommended. All collections.
Review
from: Library Journal
Date reviewed: June 1, 2001
Wilson's Short Story Index provides
electronic access to the entire contents of the past three print volumes,
covering stories published from 1984 through 1998. It also includes
references to stories published in 1999. There are approximately 77,000
citations, compiled from 3610 short story collections and 155 periodicals
listed in Humanities Index and Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. In
addition, 1350 of these provide a link to the full text. Access points are
via author, title, and subject for stories from collections and
anthologies, via author and title only for stories from periodicals.
I started my search using "Search Plus,"
which offers some powerful options beyond a basic "Search." In
Search Plus it's possible to limit by publication year ("any,"
"2001 only," or a "from" range). A "subject"
access point is useful for searching by a particular genre, but bear in
mind that a search by subject finds only stories in collections or
anthologies. A good way to start a search is by using the
"browse" feature, especially when approaching a search for an
author with a common last name.
To edit and run a search again, you must click
"search history" from the menu in the top right screen corner.
(The "back" button on your browser won't work.) From search
history, you have to click several more times to get to a place where you
can edit your search, but at this point, the only way to edit is to enter
the delimiters in Boolean language in a free-text box. I gave up on
"search history," clicked "Search Plus," and started
all over again several times. An easier way to go back to the original
"Search Plus" search screen would be a welcome enhancement.
Wilson doesn't group this file with its other
full-text resources, because the percentage of full-text stories is so
small (this is for a number of understandable reasons, from negotiating
permissions to the technical challenges of print to online conversions).
There are plans to offer more full text in the future for all Wilson
indexes, but full text is considered a bonus rather than a major selling
point for the file. I was excited to have even two percent of the full
text online, and hope to see more!
The Bottom Line: Full text is nice, but Short Story
Index's real appeal is its ability to search the past 15-plus years of
short story publications quickly, easily, and powerfully, in one place--a
major step up from flipping pages through the multivolume print index.
Strongly recommended for academic, public, and high school libraries.
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