Keeping track of the growing and rapidly changing corpus of reference and other important information resources for any academic field has become increasingly difficult during the last decade. One could argue that doing so in an area studies discipline is even more challenging, with individuals and organizations in the relatively underdeveloped context of African publishing generally facing even greater vicissitudes . At the same time, corporate structures for western publishers change at an alarming pace, journal titles change, and formats may shift from paper to a variety of electronic access that themselves seem to remain in constant flux. Many libraries contract with a private service to track and update a list of several tens of thousands of electronic journal titles every other month. It's no secret that even library professionals can't keep up with all of the changes in journal index databases and other electronic sources outside our own areas of specialization.

Some Africanists may withdraw from these difficulties or simply rely on a few favorite, well-known resources (even when we realize that these may not be optimal for our specific needs). Some others may panic at the realization that a seemingly reliable strategy (e.g. a library catalog search, a few quick shots in one of the many general journal index databases, followed by a Google search or two) is in fact missing an important part of their target journal list. Yet assistance is available. A reference companion, such as this recently published guide, can help one discover new resources and broaden the resource foundation of one's academic work in a way that is flexible and manageable, and which can be modified as the situation inevitably changes over time.

Few writers are better positioned than Hans Zell to understand the complexities of the current information production, distribution, and consumption situation from both the supplier's and the information user's perspective. One of his innovative solutions to the problem of print resource obsolescence in the face of electronic resource impermanence has been to publish print guides that are supplemented and updated online, which later are then produced in updated, revised print editions as well. Nobody else has tackled the problem so directly and so well, or with such sustained commitment to the field. Some libraries hold a dozen or more of Zell's published reference works and compilations, many with several revisions and updates at reasonable intervals. Providing the online resource as an integral part of the printed guide allows multiple users to access its contents concurrently and from a place of their own choosing, while a library can maintain the printed copy for archival purposes.

Contents of this latest volume include more than 1,900 entries in twenty-three chapters arranged topically, with substantial annotations for most entries and providing selected sources and specialized guides in the many areas. A glossary of abbreviations and acronyms and an alphabetical index (including author, both personal and corporate, as well as title entries) complete the volume. Thorough cross-referencing and a detailed subject arrangement as outlined in the Table of Contents preclude the need for a separate subject index. The online version replaces the book's index with a keyword search function. Annotations are clear, evaluative and pointed, and with selectivity focused on highlighting the best and most useful sources.

The value of including the online version of this resource in the cost of the printed volume is an innovation that allows flexibility among users, and substantially offsets the initial expense. While perhaps not a title most would consider for individual purchase, it is certainly a resource that academics, business or NGO managers, librarians and others with an interest in Africa may wish to purchase for their office, departmental or institutional library.

Daniel A. Reboussin
University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries