You know what it’s like: new people move in, and the first thing they do is change the colour of the front door. It happens to information databases too…
Magic ingredients
When the Oxford University Press took over the Dictionary of National Biography, renaming it the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB), they promised benefits galore: rewritten entries, many new entries and “added value” features. It was quickly apparent that they had delivered on the first two. Thousands of entries have been revised or completely rewritten, and the ones I’ve dipped into are mostly a pleasure to read, the dry-as-dust elements replaced by attractive prose. Hagiography is off the agenda: subjects come over as real people with good and bad aspects. Complete b*st*rds are dealt with as they deserve. But what of the bells and whistles?
The stand-out feature is the collection of “themes”. Each consists of an essay on a given theme, with links to the individual entries in the main Dictionary. There is a vast range of themes, starting (alphabetically) with the Aberdeen Philosophical Society (joke removed on grounds of racial harmony), and ending with Yorkists (not chocolate bar lovers – Yorkists supported the House of York against the House of Lancaster).
Apart from being often interesting in their own right, these themes are really useful if one or more of them chimes in with some research you are doing. Antarctic explorers, bluestockings, captains of England (cricket, naturally) – the range is wide and wonderful.
When I saw “Patrons of the Mermaid Tavern”, I had a look to see if they’d covered the distinguished denizens of my own local, but sadly not. Still writing the essay, I expect.
Roll up and try your luck
Another great piece of “added value” which Oxford have brought to the DNB is a terrifically versatile search function. The “people” search allows you to specify a name, obviously, but you can also find people alive or active between certain dates, or people born, educated, or buried at particular times or places. There are several more search criteria. Try it –it’s strangely addictive, like a sort of biographical fruit-machine.
(From the Gateway to websites, select “Biography”. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is a Key Link. This is an Exclusive Resource for Westminster Libraries members. Outside a Westminster library, you will need your card number to log in.)
Magic ingredients
When the Oxford University Press took over the Dictionary of National Biography, renaming it the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB), they promised benefits galore: rewritten entries, many new entries and “added value” features. It was quickly apparent that they had delivered on the first two. Thousands of entries have been revised or completely rewritten, and the ones I’ve dipped into are mostly a pleasure to read, the dry-as-dust elements replaced by attractive prose. Hagiography is off the agenda: subjects come over as real people with good and bad aspects. Complete b*st*rds are dealt with as they deserve. But what of the bells and whistles?
The stand-out feature is the collection of “themes”. Each consists of an essay on a given theme, with links to the individual entries in the main Dictionary. There is a vast range of themes, starting (alphabetically) with the Aberdeen Philosophical Society (joke removed on grounds of racial harmony), and ending with Yorkists (not chocolate bar lovers – Yorkists supported the House of York against the House of Lancaster).
Apart from being often interesting in their own right, these themes are really useful if one or more of them chimes in with some research you are doing. Antarctic explorers, bluestockings, captains of England (cricket, naturally) – the range is wide and wonderful.
When I saw “Patrons of the Mermaid Tavern”, I had a look to see if they’d covered the distinguished denizens of my own local, but sadly not. Still writing the essay, I expect.
Roll up and try your luck
Another great piece of “added value” which Oxford have brought to the DNB is a terrifically versatile search function. The “people” search allows you to specify a name, obviously, but you can also find people alive or active between certain dates, or people born, educated, or buried at particular times or places. There are several more search criteria. Try it –it’s strangely addictive, like a sort of biographical fruit-machine.
(From the Gateway to websites, select “Biography”. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is a Key Link. This is an Exclusive Resource for Westminster Libraries members. Outside a Westminster library, you will need your card number to log in.)
No comments:
Post a Comment