Evaluating Books
When evaluating a book, check these basic points:
- Author or contact person – located on title page; brief biographical information may be included in introductory pages or at end of book
- Publisher – located on title page
- Date of publication – located on title page
- Intended audience – determined by examining the content, preface and introduction
- Purpose of the information – determined by examining the content, preface and introduction
Books are generally reviewed by publishers and/or editors for quality of content, writing style, and/or marketability. Established, reputable publishers take great care in maintaining a certain quality in the titles they publish. Others, however, such as vanity presses, may be privately funded ventures, and therefore may have no established reputation upon which to rest. Use these sources with caution.
In using books from a library's collection, another level of review has generally taken place: that of selection by a trained professional in a given subject area. In research libraries, professional bibliographers sort through much of the published material in their subject specialties and carefully select the sources that will be added to the library's shelves. This added level of filtering lends another level of authority or reliability to the publication. It does not guarantee, however, that the viewpoints expressed in the book are universally accepted. A quality collection includes multiple viewpoints, representing a balanced perspective on a given topic.
Additional review may be necessary to determine quality and reliability. Consider additional questions and outside resources to fully evaluate an item.
