Hiding under bushels

I may have gone on about the providers of darned good reference resources who give them meaningless names. I’m going to do it again.

… by any other name

I could never spell Xreferplus – it didn’t flow, it made no sense, it was just silly. So when they decided to change the name, my hopes rose… in vain. Whoever came up with Credo Reference should be dragged out and shot. But the people who put this excellent resource together should be allowed to live and thrive. It’s terrific.

Digitised reference sources – or digital originals – have been gathered from 50 publishers, covering subjects from Art to Technology. It’s a project-researcher’s (or homework-doer’s) dream, of course. But it’s not just for the serious-minded. Being an electronic collection established by experts, Credo is searchable across the whole range of resources from the search screen you reach at the start.

If you find an across-the-board search too unfocussed, try the advanced search, which allows you to specify subject, book type or title, and sort the results in several ways. So, treat it as a "quick look-up" or a bookshelf to select from, as it suits you.

You could also try the Concept Map. But if it makes you feel as though you had accidentally taken hallucinogenic drugs without the "high", don’t say I didn’t warn you!

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Quick reference: Dictionaries & encyclopaedias", where you will find Credo Reference.)

Who’s Who: a choice… for now

At the moment, you have a choice about using Who’s Who online. You can either reach it by way of Credo Reference, as above, or you can reach it directly (directions below). The really good news is that Who’s Who is now published by Oxford University Press, who have transformed the online version into a friendly, easy-to-use resource. Lovers of OUP’s Dictionary of National Biography will notice that they lavished the same care on revamping Who’s Who.

Don’t forget that Who’s Who includes Who was Who, stretching back to 1898. And try to get used to reaching it by the direct route: it will eventually disappear from Credo.

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Biography". Who's Who is a Key Link.)

Picture: penywise/morguefile.com