nov06c.indd


I n t e r n e t  R e v i e w s  Joni R. Roberts and Carol A. Drost 

The Asian Development Bank. Access: 
http://www.adb.org/. 
The Web site of the Asian Development 

Bank (ADB) is a superb resource for the 
study of current economic, environmental, 
and social issues in Asia and the Pacifi c. 
Users will find background on ADB and 
its lending activities, profiles of member 
nations, relevant statistics and the full text 
of Bank publications, including the annual 
publications Asian Development Outlook and 
Key Indicators. With daily updates, the site 
provides a wealth of information in the form 
of news releases, project reports, statistics, 
and documents. 

Designed for easy use, there are multiple 
ways to search the Web site. The “Help” link 
provides a guide to navigating the site as 
well as tips on building a search query using 
the Web site’s search engine. The “First Time 
Visitors” page provides an overview of the 
site’s content and suggests search strategies 
to users. The homepage features current 
news and events, with dropdown menus for 
selection of individual countries or topics of 
interest. Users may also direct their search 
using the top navigation bar. “Quicklinks” 
point users to more information about ADB 
and its operations. 

This Web site is an essential tool for stu­
dents who are researching ADB structure, 
operations and activities. The basic profi le 
and “ADB at a Glance” include key fi nancial 
and lending figures. For deeper research, 
the full text of the current annual report, 
budget, and operations manual are avail­
able in PDF. 

Users may also search a database of ADB 
projects and link to the Web sites of some of 
these projects. 

Joni R. Roberts is associate university librarian for 
public ser vices and collec tion development at 
Willamette University, e-mail: jroberts@willamette. 
edu, and Carol A. Drost is associate university librarian 
for technical services at Willamette University, e-mail: 
cdrost@willamette.edu 

Students interested in economic, social, 
and environmental trends in the Asia­Pacifi c 
region will be enthusiastic about the ADB 
site’s country and topic pages. Each of the 66 
member nations of ADB (spanning Central, 
South, Southeast, and East Asia and the Pa­
cific) has a profile page with links to develop­
ment indicators, ADB projects, news releases, 
and ADB documents relating to the country. 
Topic pages range from money laundering 
prevention, to avian flu, to renewable energy 
with links to Asian Development Bank docu­
ments and project descriptions. Users may 
also register for regular e­mail updates on the 
countries and topics of their choice. 

Undergraduate­ and graduate­level stu­
dents and faculty interested in Asia and the 
Pacific region will be pleased to discover 
ADB’s Web site. I highly recommend the 
site as a research tool or as a mechanism 
for staying abreast of current trends in the 
region.—Ann Flower, Monterey Institute of 
International Studies, afl ower@miis.edu 

Demographic and Health Surveys. Access: 
http://www.measuredhs.com/. 
The Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) 

site is part of the Measure DHS project, which 
has been in existence since 1984. Measure 
DHS has worked to provide technical as­
sistance in the collection of survey data in 
more than 75 developing countries. In addi­
tion, one of the main goals of the Measure 
DHS project is to “disseminate accurate, 
nationally representative data on fertility, 
family planning, maternal and child health, 
as well as child survival, HIV/AIDS, malaria, 
and nutrition.” 

The DHS Web site provides detailed infor­
mation about these data collection initiatives 
and outlines many of its partner projects with 
both profit and not­for­profit agencies alike. 
The site also facilitates the dissemination of 
collected data. Complete data sets, country 
summaries, and comparative and analyti­
cal reports are available for download. In 

C&RL News November 2006  644 

http:http://www.measuredhs.com
mailto:ower@miis.edu
mailto:cdrost@willamette.edu
http:http://www.adb.org


some cases, paper copies of reports can be 
ordered. 

The data available through the Measure 
DHS project is of value in a wide range of 
circumstances. Both students and researchers 
of population health, economic development, 
and international relations will find the data 
useful for understanding current health condi­
tions and trends in a number of developing 
countries. In some cases, time series data are 
also available. 

The Measure DHS site packages its data 
in a variety of formats. “Country QuickStats” 
provide detailed summaries of basic demo­
graphic health data for a large number of 
developing countries in Africa, the Carib­
bean, Central America, and Asia. When pos­
sible, data from multiple years is provided. 
“STATcompiler” provides quick facts and 
country comparisons. 

Detailed instructions on how to use 
“STATcompiler” are provided, but they are 
largely unnecessary because the tool is so 
simple to use. The “HIV/AIDS Survey Indica­
tor Database” is another resource available 
through the site. Again, the data is both 
comprehensive and can be manipulated eas­
ily, customized, and freely downloaded. In 
this case, the online instructions are of value 
in helping users navigate their way through 
the vast number of choices that need to be 
made before the data sets are generated and 
displayed. “STATmapper” allows the user to 
view data from a geographical perspective. 
Although the tool is easy to use, the maps 
can be difficult to read, depending on the 
data variables displayed. 

Depending on individual research needs, 
users are also invited to register to access 
more detailed data sets. Access to this ad­
ditional information is free, but only granted 
for legitimate research purposes. 

In general, this site seems to provide 
more complete information about developing 
countries than other freely available sources, 
such as CIA World Factbook. Furthermore, 
the Measure DHS data complements in­
formation found in resources focusing on 
more developed nations, like Source OECD. 

—Jennifer McKinnell, McMaster University, 
mckinn@mcmaster.ca 

Per forming Ar ts Enc yclopedia. Access: 
http://www.loc.gov/performingarts 
/encyclopedia/. 
The Library of Congress Performing Arts 

Encyclopedia is an ever­expanding guide 
to musical, theatrical, and dance collections 
available at the Library of Congress. Visitors to 
the encyclopedia will find information on the 
library’s various performing arts collections, 
relevant databases, online presentations, 
and exhibits, as well as finding aids. Users 
are given key information about each col­

lection, including a brief summary, the dates 
of coverage, the major languages associated 
with the collection, the repository and size of 
the collection, copyright information, micro­
film access, and the preferred citation. The 
encyclopedia also highlights particular col­
lections on the homepage through “Featured 
Webcast” and “Featured Event.” Visitors can 
view documentaries, such as The Bluegrass 
Odyssey and learn about events such as the 
“Song of America Tour.” Some notable col­
lections in the encyclopedia include “Vaude­
ville,” “Women in the Performing Arts,” and 
“Jewish/Yiddish Music.” 

The encyclopedia itself is easy to navigate 
and clearly written. It provides information 
about its contents, and directs users to related 
resources. Users can easily browse by subject 
or people using an alphabetical listing. Ad­
ditionally, the encyclopedia is particularly 
useful for those looking for collections as­
sociated with specific individuals or types of 
performing arts. Each collection has relevant 
subjects assigned to it, which are hyperlinked 
for ease of research. The encyclopedia also 
provides links to a variety of other related 
Library of Congress resources. 

(“Internet Reviews” continues on page 652) 

November 2006  645 C&RL News 

http://www.loc.gov/performingarts
mailto:mckinn@mcmaster.ca


Maria Porta, assistant acquisitions librarian 
at the University of Illinois at Urbana­Cham­
paign, has retired. 

D e a t h s  

Paula Pearce Hinton, 62, social sciences 
reference librarian at the University of North 
Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), died on Sep­
tember 17, following a sudden illness. Hin­
ton joined the reference staff at UNC’s Davis 
Library in 1991 and was known to library 
staff and patrons for her knowledge com­
bined with a deep commitment to service. 
Hinton was an active and widely respected 
leader in state and national library organiza­
tions. In 2005, she began a two­year term 
as secretary of the North Carolina Library 
Association (NCLA), serving simultaneous­
ly as chair of NCLA’s Reference and Adult 
Services Section. From 2001 to 2002, she 
chaired the Documents Section of NCLA. At 
the time of her death, she was an associate 
editor of North Carolina Libraries, the offi ­
cial publication of NCLA. Hinton also made 
contributions as a member of ALA’s Refer­
ence and User Services Association and as 
a member of the Librarians’ Association at 
UNC­Chapel Hill (LAUNC­CH). From 1999 
to 2000, she served as elected treasurer of 
LAUNC­CH. She chaired the association’s 
Program Committee in 2000­2001. Prior to 

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working at UNC, Hinton was an elementary 
school teacher from 1963 to 1974. She then 
returned to Campbell University in a vari­
ety of library positions that included head of 
circulation, cataloger, assistant librarian for 
technical services, and assistant librarian for 
public services and head of reference. 

Kay L. Shaffer, senior associate librarian 
at the University at Albany (UA)­State Uni­
versity of New York, died on September 16. 
She joined the UA Libraries in 1973. In her 
nearly 33 years at Albany she held a number 
of assignments, including her most recent 
duties as bibliographer for Russian and East 
European studies. During her tenure at UA 
she was involved in an exchange program 
with Moscow State University and traveled 
more than six times to Bulgaria to participate 
in a U.S. Information Agency (USIA) project 
with Sophia University. Shaffer belonged to 
a number of national and state professional 
organizations, including ALA, ACRL, ALCTS, 
ENY/ACRL, and the State University of New 
York Librarians Association. 

(“Internet Reviews” continued from page 
645) 

The strengths of this site include links to 
digitized collections, sound recordings avail­
able for listening, and “Teachers Resources” 
available for select collections. Links to 
digitized or online collections makes this a 
dynamic resource for users. The encyclopedia 
also provides the users with the opportunity 
to listen to musical recordings, such as the 
folk songs from the American Tour. Some 
collections offer information and links for 
K–12 educators, such as themed resources, 
lesson plans, and activities. While the col­
lections themselves are only available at the 
Library of Congress, this encyclopedia is a 
wonderful reference tool for anyone begin­
ning research in the performing arts.—Debbi 
Renfrow, University of California-Riverside, 
debbir@ucr.edu 

C&RL News November 2006  652 

mailto:debbir@ucr.edu