Marshall Cavendish Digital[www.marshallcavendishdigital.com]

One advantage of being a relative latecomer to the world of online reference is that previous mistakes and irritants can be avoided. Marshall Cavendish Digital, an online collection of interactive e-books, offers product selectivity, authoritative text, vivid images, and best-practice user-friendly navigational features that will encourage researchers and delight browsers.

Unlike other products that require annual subscription renewals, or mandate that certain titles be purchased either individually or in predetermined bundles, this service allows institutions to select titles that would best serve their patrons. Libraries choose from a list of 20 Marshall Cavendish selections, such as Peoples of the Americas (1999), Reptiles and Amphibians (2002), Drugs and Society (2005), and Exploring the Middle Ages (2005), that have appeared in print, with more to come. E-book content is based on the corresponding print version, with expanded coverage that is updated quarterly. A one-time payment guarantees access for five years. Cost is based on the size of the patron base and the number of selected titles.

Intuitive and time-saving features facilitate accessing, searching, storing, transmitting, and printing information. These include remote access, unlimited concurrent users, quick and advanced search options, single- or multiple-source searching, search-term highlighting, title or category browsing, and result limiters. Broad categories, such as Sciences, can be browsed by Contents, Maps, Time Lines, Drawings and Diagrams, and Photographs. Similarly, browse categories for individual titles include not only articles and subjects but also maps, photographs, time lines, and more. Results-lists pages for visual resources are presented as thumbnail images in "galleries." Articles pages have 4 font-size options as well as tabs for Article Outline and personalized storage folders, citation formatting, e-mail, and 4 print options. The My Folder feature allows researches not only to bookmark, save, and sort results but also to type notes in embedded text boxes (onsite administrators determine how long personal folder data is saved).

The site retains all of the typical Marshall Cavendish crisp and clear full-color images. Users can zoom in or out and print images to scale, either separately or set within the accompanying article text. Designed to meet the needs of standard middle- and high-school research assignments and curricula, and easily customizable for specialized programs or populations, this adaptable and accessible digital library will be of interest to public libraries and secondary-school library media centers. (Last accessed September 6, 2007). -Kathleen McBroom

Marshall Cavendish
99 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591