from the Chief Editor, John Simpson

Welcome to the new OED Online web site. You'll find it quite different from the old site in many ways (new design, new functionality, etc.), but with a strong element of continuity in the form of the editorial content.

We've tried to tilt the site more towards the English language than towards the dictionary as an end in itself. Search results move from simple lists to visualizations/timelines.

[From CW: I typed phlogiston into the search box; and the result  phlogiston, n.

truetrue

 

They can also be filtered according to a number of categories, allowing you to start off with big numbers (e.g. all English words derived from Italian), and reduce them by steps down to small, significant subsets (e.g. all English words derived from Italian from the field of Music which are first recorded in English in the 18th century). That's 167 words, starting with adagio.

Other new features include pages (updated each quarter from the dictionary data) on the OED's most-cited authors and texts, plus links to other online resources—such as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography—offering more on those who've shaped the language. There's also an ‘Aspects of English’ section, a series of descriptive articles on language, past and present. We'll be adding to this series at regular intervals, but for now how about Robert McCrum on P. G. Wodehouse's use of English (with links into the OED and elsewhere), Eleanor Maier on the rise of the ‘gate’ suffix, or a brief overview of the English of the Anglo-Saxons by the OED's Chief Etymologist, Philip Durkin.

Perhaps the most important new feature involves the Historical Thesaurus to the OED, published in book form in 2009. The entire text is now integrated with the OED Online, so that you can follow semantic links throughout the dictionary. Go to the OED's entry for utopia, for example, and follow the Thesaurus links to the entries for heaven (Old English), Cockaigne (c1305), El Dorado (1596), nonesuch (a1618), Fiddler's Green (1825), never-never land (1900), the Big Rock Candy Mountain (1917), etc. ‘Utopia’ means different things to different people!

As ever, the core of the dictionary is its content. But with the new web site this content is opened up to an extent we couldn't imagine ten years ago when the OED first went online.

The thinking behind much of the development has been to make the site easy to use. We've tried to resolve many of the complexities behind the scenes, so that you are guided through the process of investigating the language.

Take a while to familiarize yourself with the new site – it's worth it. And then come back ten minutes later when you've got something else to check!

The international studies encyclopedia / edited by Robert A. Denemark. --    Chichester, West Sussex, U.K. ;   Malden, MA : Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.  12 v.  R 327.03 INTE

 

The International Studies Encyclopedia ... published in association with the International Studies Association (ISA), is the most comprehensive reference work of its kind for the fields of international studies and international relations. The print version is arranged across 12 volumes in an A-Z format and brings together specially commissioned, peer reviewed essays, written and edited by an international team of the world's best scholars and teachers.

Key features:

• Over 400 peer reviewed essays of up to 10,000 words focusing on the most important topics and issues
• Aimed at students, scholars, and practitioners, the essays are designed to allow readers to be brought quickly up-to-date on the nature of the questions asked, past attempts at formulating responses, and the current state of debates
• Comprehensive coverage of the field
• Extensive index volume
• International Studies Online is updated twice annually and enhanced by live links to archives, datasets, cases, pedagogical aids, and other relevant materials

The project is organized primarily around the sections representing areas of specialization within the ISA. Each specialized section has organized a committee to identify key topics and identify authors.

From Wiley Publishers

 

CellBook signs agreement with Oxford University Press to distribute Oxford's dictionaries on mobile phones

CellBook, a Cape Town, South Africa-based mobile applications developer, has signed an agreement with Oxford University Press to distribute the Oxford Dictionary of English, Concise Oxford English Dictionary, Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English, Compact Oxford English Dictionary for University and College Students, Pocket Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford Thesaurus of English and the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus on mobile phones in Africa.

Peter Scott's library blog

KnowUK
KnowUK is an encyclopaedic database containing information about the people, places, culture, and government of the United Kingdom. The database contains separate reference publications that are searched simultaneously by the site's search engine. Results are then listed in abbreviated form, sorted by relevance. Clicking on results takes the user to the full entry as digitised from the source material. The reference works contained in the database includes a section for Leisure and Tourism. The site also functions as a directory of local services, which can be searched or browsed. It also features a guide to 'life events' such as going to university and retiring. Subscription required. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.knowuk.co.uk

In celebration of Barack Obama's inauguration and in commemoration of Black History Month, Oxford University Press is making the Oxford African American Studies Center freely available to the public until March 1, 2009.

Enter this login information above to start exploring:

Username: barackobama

Password: president

About the Oxford African American Studies Center

The Oxford African American Studies Center combines the authority of carefully edited reference works with sophisticated technology to create the most comprehensive collection of scholarship available online to focus on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture.

The Oxford African American Studies Center provides students, scholars and librarians with more than 8,000 articles by top scholars in the field. The core content includes:

• Africana
• Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895
• Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present
• Black Women in America, Second Edition
• African American National Biography

In addition to the full-text of these works, the Center draws on other key resources from Oxford's reference program, including the Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature, the Oxford Companion to Black British History, and selected articles from other major reference titles. Over 1,750 images, more than 300 primary sources with specially written commentaries, and nearly 150 maps have been collected to enhance this reference content. 150 charts and tables offer information on everything from demographics to government and politics to business and labor to education and the arts.

A key feature of the Oxford African American Studies Center site is the ongoing editorial program. The site continues to grow with new and updated content added on a regular basis, including the latest biographies from the African American National Biography project, and content from the second set in the Encyclopedia of African American History.

The Oxford African American Studies Center has been created with the latest in online technology to give users a robust and unique research experience. Precise search and browse capabilities allow users to refine their results by specific eras and subject categories. Users can choose to view biographies, subject entries, primary sources, images, maps, or charts and tables when searching or browsing. The site's thematic timelines and Learning Center resources also provide users with powerful tools for navigating the content. Context-sensitive Help pages are available throughout the site to guide users through the features and functionality.

 

Save The Words is one of those sites that those of you who adore using words are going to enjoy. It's a treasure trove of old and forgotten words which are very attractively displayed (including a humourous audio track as well, so take care of the speakers if you're in an open plan office). Clicking on a word brings up a definition of the word, with an option of 'adopting it' with the pledge to 'use this word, in conversation and correspondence, as frequently as possible to the very best of my ability'.

Take a look; I defy anyone to leave the site willingly.

Phil Bradley's weblog

Editing Encyclopaedia Britannica

January 27th, 2009 iLibrarian blog

Have you ever wondered what the various parts of a guitar are called? Perhaps you need a refresher on the various types of dresses? The Visual Dictionary website covers both topics in copious detail, along with offering up information on transportation, biology, and the human body. Essentially, the site offers annotated images that identify each part of a given item, such as an automobile or a musical instrument. Visitors can search the site by using the embedded search engine or they can look over a list of topics. The coverage is quite broad, as users will find everything from the detailed anatomy of a turtle to an exploration of a car's engine. One can imagine that these materials might work well in a classroom setting, as well as for those who are just generally curious about the world around them. [KMG] Scout Report

www.dictionarist.com/

Online Talking Dictionary. Dictionarist provides translations in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian,
Russian, Turkish, Dutch, Greek, Chinese, Japanese and Korean dictionaries.

Quid: French language encyclopedia

The official website of Quid a leading French language encyclopedia published annually since the 1960s. The official website offers free access to facts, figures and brief articles covering all aspects of arts, humanities and social sciences with an emphasis on materials particularly relating to France, French territories and Francophone nations. Topics include the geography of France, French politics and social institutions and French culture.There are sections on personnalities where it is possible to read short biographical entries on current French political figures such as Nicolas Sarkozy. many of the entries are also cross referenced with current news headlines from French newspaper websites. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.quid.fr/