Management: Collection Development: Selection Tools: Print and Online Reviews
As
you select materials, consider their value individually and also
as
part of the collection. For example, you may have a number of books
related to the story of Sadako and the legend of the paper crane
such
as Sadako and the Thousand
Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr.
An instructional video on creating a paper crane would be a nice addition. Before you make a decision, you’ll want to explore reviews. Check out four reviews of the video How to Fold a Paper Crane. These reviews come from Wilson Library Bulletin, Video Librarian, School Library Journal, and Video Rating Guide. What information do reviews provide? Why is it important to find multiple reviews?
Use caution when reading reviews that have been posted on the Internet. They often include only part of the entire review. This is often that case at sales sites such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon. When you see three periods before or after a statement, it means that some of the statement was left out. Sometimes these short quotes are intended to draw the reader into learning more about the product. In other cases, they are used to show only favorable reviews. For example at Winstruct.com you can find both quotes and full-reviews for a video titled Learn! Microsoft Word 2000. What do the complete reviews include that is left out of the quotes about the product? In this case the quotes reflected the actual reviews, but this isn’t always the case.
In the past, it was possible to preview films and other materials. Today, very few companies provide preview copies. However many provide short clips. For example, check out the Discovery Channel Store and Library Video.
Because of limited previewing, librarians are much more dependent on professional reviews of products. With the introduction of the Internet, everyone has become a movie critic. As you explore and evaluate review sources consider whether they are intended are consumer reviews or professional reviews.
Consumer Reviews
Many popular publications contain reviews. Some of these have both print and online versions. If you want to do a search for online reviews, consider the Movie Review Query Engine. Also, explore a huge list of Movie Review sites from Edmonton Public Library.
- Audiobooks.com
(professional/consumer)
provides lists of bestsellers, new releases, and audio pictures. Searchable catalog. - Audiofile
Magazine (professional/consumer)
provides articles and reviews; they also list the earphone award winners; free trial - Billboard
(professional/consumer)
contains daily music news, reviews & previews, Billboard columns, ‘On the Road’ tour articles, and the Billboard charts of music rankings, plus home video rankings and more. - DVD Talk: Reviews (consumer)
- Ebert
and Roeper
(consumer)
reviews of movies currently in the theatres and videos; Sun Times for main site - Facets
Multimedia Online (consumer)
catalog for world cinema on video - Hollywood Reporter (consumer)
- High Fidelity (consumer, not online)
- People
from Time, Inc. (consumer)
celebrity news magazine has an entertainment review section covering selected movies, books, television programs and music. - Premiere
(consumer)
provides reviews of films in theaters or on DVD plus news and feature articles related to entertainment films. - Rolling Stone (consumer)
reviews section includes music CD’s, movies, and DVD’s - Rotten
Tomatoes: Movie Reviews & Previews (consumer)
for both casual movie-goers and film buffs alike; critical reaction on movies - Screen
IT!
reviews and info for parents - Spin (teen, YA consumer)
info & articles on the music world, contains a few reviews. - Variety (performance professional)
contains news of the entertainment and media industries includes reviews of film, television, music, book, and theater productions. - Video
Business (business professional) from Reed Business Information
leading source of news and date about the home entertainment industry - includes reviews of DVD, VHS, and videogame releases. - Virtual Urth - DVDs, movies, and music news and reviews (consumer)
Professional Reviews
A number of subscription periodicals provide reviews of audio and video materials. Visit the online presence of a few of these resources.
Collected Reviews and Buying Sites
These websites are primarily interested in sales, but they often have good collections of reviews and large databases.
- All
Game Guide
reviews and information on video games. - All
Movie Guide (AMG) (professional/consumer)
allows users to search by movie, person, or keyword. - All
Music Guide
allows users to search by artist, album, song, style, or label. Also has books, posters, and sheet music. Contains a glossary. - Amazon
allows users to search for books, videos, and audios. - Barnes
and Noble
allows users to search for books, videos, and audios. - Critics.com
rates movies based on critics' reviews. - Internet
Movie Database – the best online tool from movies
provides many reviews from popular sources. - Metacritic
gathers reviews from many sources: film, video DVD, games, music. - Reel.com
provides reviews and movies.