Out for a Spin: A School Librarian Test Drives 14 CD-ROM Encyclopedias
RSSBy Stephen Del Vecchio -- School Library Journal, 09/01/1997
In the last 10 years CD-ROM encyclopedias have moved from a novelty to a pervasive staple of the home, and more and more, the library reference collection. This has come about if for no other reason than it's difficult to buy a multimedia computer and not end up with a CD-ROM encyclopedia.
But are CD-ROM encyclopedias superior to, or even equal to, print versions? Are they suitable for school and public library reference use? And what about online versions?
For this article I test drove most of the CD-ROM encyclopedias available in the U.S. in Spring 1997. I particularly looked at their suitability for school and public library use with children and young adults, favoring content and accessibility over special features and multimedia enhancements. In addition, I've examined online or web features built into several of the encyclopedias.
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Author/illustrator David Macaulay's comment in these pages two years ago ("The Way Things Ought to Work," May 1995, pp. 22-26) remains an insightful summary of what is needed in a CD-ROM: "I'd want the same things I'd want in a book. I'd want good content, and I'd want to be lured into the information in a clear and logical way."
I expect that with improvements in display technology, reliability, power, and ease of use, CD-ROM encyclopedias (or DVD) may replace print sets in libraries. My main wish is that publishers not neglect the text content -- the heart and soul of any encyclopedia -- for eye-catching multimedia. I hope that we will be demanding and discriminating enough to prevent them from allowing some of the finest general reference tools to deteriorate into vehicles for eye candy.
What comes next is a snapshot of my recommendations, followed by a closer look at each title.
Test Drive Results
Early elementary (ages four-seven; grades preK-two) For this age level none of the titles are recommended. While My First Incredible Amazing Dictionary is excellent, it is not an encyclopedia. The content quality of First Connections: Golden Book Encyclopedia is far too uneven to meet school and public library standards. Most libraries will be far better off with the best print sets such as Childcraft (World Book) or the New Book of Knowledge (Grolier).
Elementary (ages 7-12; grades 2-6) None of the CD-ROM encyclopedias for this age group is worthy of library use. The best choice for grades two to six remains a better print set, such as the New Book of Knowledge (Grolier). However, if you use World Book with this age group you should consider the World Book 1997 Multimedia Encyclopedia, which is not only one of the best CD-ROM encyclopedias, but also the only recommended title that is genuinely accessible to children in elementary school.
Upper elementary through high school (ages 12 and up; grades 6-12) All of the titles reviewed are serious, high-quality reference products with content that merits serious consideration for library use. The best for school and public libraries is the World Book 1997 Multimedia Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition because of its uniquely successful combination of content and accessibility.
Librarians whose users are older or more sophisticated may wish to consider Microsoft Encarta because it is the best of the alternatives to World Book, especially for high school students.
Senior high and up (ages 14 and up; grades nine and up) The CD-ROM versions of both the Encyclopedia Americana and the Encyclopaedia Britannica are impressive and powerful reference tools. Choose between them based upon your preference for their print versions.
Early Elementary
None of the early childhood titles connect to web sites or have an online component.
My First Encyclopedia
While it might be suitable for home use, this is not a research tool for young children. The extremely limited and subjective nature of the information and the failure to provide a search interface and cross references are major flaws. The effort to make the content accessible results in entries that are condescending and inaccurate. This title is really a picture dictionary and not an encyclopedia. DK's My First Incredible Amazing Dictionary is far superior picture dictionary and a much better choice for a library or early childhood classroom.
First Connections: Golden Book Encyclopedia
Of all the titles for an early elementary setting, this is the only one that can be considered a true encyclopedia. However, First Connections: Golden Book Encyclopedia disappoints in a number of areas. While the interface allows access to articles via an alphabetical list and does a good job of integrating cross references, there is no way to go directly to articles by typing in subjects. And while the "Say It!" feature reads aloud most of the text, the computer-generated voice (as opposed to the recordings of human voices used in My First Encyclopedia and My First Incredible Amazing Dictionary) mispronounces some words and can be difficult to follow.
A far more serious concern is the uneven, and at times, oversimplified, misleading, confusing, or inaccurate article content. In a particularly disturbing example, the article on "African Americans" states: "Slaves were valuable. Usually they were not treated harshly unless they refused to work or ran away."
The use of multimedia is also disappointing. Animations, which can be a particularly effective device to help explain concepts to young children, are generally unclear or oversimplified. Similar problems weaken many of the illustrations, maps, charts, audio, and video clips. Unfortunately this title cannot be recommended.
My First Incredible Amazing Dictionary
While this title does not claim to be an encyclopedia, it could still be a useful tool for a library or classroom. Of the reference products designed for young children, it is the most successful, combining an elegant, attractive, and extraordinarily easy-to-use interface with informative and age-appropriate content.
The search interface alone makes this a valuable resource for introducing young children to electronic reference tools. Add to this carefully thought-out cross-referencing and illustrations that could grace a trade picture book, and you have a very attractive and satisfying product.
The print is clear, large, and can be read aloud by the program in a clear adult voice with no note of cuteness or condescension. The humor and style of many of the accompanying animations are reminiscent of DK's award-winning The Way Things Work.
Nonetheless, this is not a genuine encyclopedia for young children.
Elementary
Random House Kids Encyclopedia
As with Knowledge Adventure's other title, My First Encyclopedia, the Random House Kids Encyclopedia is unsuitable for school or public libraries.
The interface is poorly designed for direct access to specific articles -- many cannot be found unless you stumble across them via secondary "see also" references. The articles themselves are too brief for reference use and the multimedia component feels like an afterthought. Maps, a weak point with many CD-ROM encyclopedias, are useless.
Ultimate Children's Encyclopedia
The Ultimate Children's Encyclopedia has several features that are initially very attractive, including a straightforward search screen that allows direct access to articles.
But when it comes to content, the Ultimate Children's Encyclopedia is a disappointment. Most articles are far too brief, many are poorly organized, and some lack balance when compared to each another. For example, the article on Africa refers to "bloody civil wars" while the article on Europe never refers to wars. The cat article contains almost no information on domestic cats and the article on Martin Luther King, Jr. could be read to imply that he abandoned non-violent tactics.
In addition, the limited and mediocre use of multimedia leaves nothing substantive to recommend the Ultimate Children's Encyclopedia.
Illustrative Talking Encyclopedia for Children
Trying to use this title as an encyclopedia is an exercise in frustration. It uses an idiosyncratic method of organization -- a hierarchical arrangement of categories divided into sections, then topics. These only occasionally match those in conventional encyclopedias and the structure is never laid out in a diagram or table of contents. Because of this, even the full-text search tool is only occasionally useful.
The content is also seriously flawed. The coverage, accuracy, clarity, and currency of the text are all extremely uneven. For example, the title goes to great lengths to explain the difference between RAM and ROM, yet it fails to provide substantive information about individual states of the U.S.
The multimedia aspects of the Illustrative Talking Encyclopedia for Children share the same uneven qualities of the text. This title is in no way suitable for public or school libraries.
Upper Elementary through High School
Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1997 Edition
While many aspects of the design of Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1997 Edition reflect Compton's relatively long -- since 1989 -- experience with this medium, the uneven quality of both multimedia enhancements and text weaken what is otherwise a strong contender.
The interface is flexible, adaptable, and easy to use, with a powerful search function. The user can move quickly back and forth between browsing and searching, text and multimedia, and local and online resources.
The online update feature allows users to download monthly update files (in the 1997 edition, these are free through September 1997), which are then merged with the Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia files on the user's hard drive. This offers timeliness: a user in May 1997 could -- once the April 1997 update was downloaded and merged -- access an article on Tiger Woods that included his April 1997 Masters victory. Compton's also does a good job of integrating well-chosen web links into articles.
The text is a mix of major articles and short entries. The articles are generally substantive, signed or attributed pieces with glossaries, bibliographies, timelines, charts, and tables. The content, as in the print version, is generally accurate and thorough. The care taken with signed articles, though, does not always carry through to unsigned pieces -- these sometimes contain minor errors.
Accessibility for upper elementary and junior high students may be a problem because the text, while written with care, does not appear to be controlled for vocabulary or reading level.
A more surprising disappointment is the weakness of the multimedia component. The maps are the barest of locator or outline maps. One can only assume that Compton's intends that users will purchase Compton's Interactive World Atlas.
Sound files are often inadequate -- a Louis Armstrong sound clip is an embarrassing synthesized ditty that fails to convey even the smallest measure of Armstrong's genius. This is a particularly painful contrast with Encarta's rich selection of authentic sound clips.
The video and animation clips and the illustrations and photographs are a mixed lot. Some, such as the combined video and animation on the human heart, are fascinating and informative while others, such as the one illustrating how birds fly seem gratuitous or hard to follow.
Many of the still illustrations and photos are well chosen, but they vary in quality. Blurring and visible pixellation are problems with many color photographs. Diagrams are one of the titles's strongest features. They are numerous, clear, and accurate.
1997 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia
The 1997 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia is in many ways an impressive work. At its best it combines a straightforward and easy-to-use interface with beautifully written, sophisticated content supported by a diverse array of high-quality multimedia enhancements. For example, its maps, which it shares with the Encyclopedia Americana, are matched only by those in World Book.
Unfortunately, the brevity and compression of some articles triumph over clarity and accuracy. The breathless pace of some multimedia clips does a disservice to the grand themes and great civilizations they describe in passing.
The interface, similar to those of Compton's, World Book, and Encarta, effectively combines a powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use search engine with a clear display window.
Much of the multimedia content makes a serious contribution to the user's understanding -- there are many well-selected audio clips and illustrations, although some of the latter are small compared to those in Encarta. Many of the interactive diagrams and animations, such as those for the heart, aircraft controls, or phases of the moon are among the best in any of the encyclopedias.
Online links are provided by the Grolier Internet Index site (also shared with the Encyclopedia Americana), which does an adequate job of linking articles to appropriate web sites.
One noticeable lack, compared to Compton's, World Book, and Encarta, is that while the material is current, there is no online update feature. On the other hand, the bibliographies are among the best of the encyclopedias in this category. Regrettably, there is no dictionary -- a significant drawback since the text is demanding compared to that of other titles in the same category.
Despite the brevity and unevenness of some articles, the 1997 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia should be seriously considered for high school or public libraries.
World Book 1997 Multimedia Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition
World Book at last has a CD-ROM product that can compete with its key rivals (Compton's, Encarta, and Grolier) as a true multimedia encyclopedia. It is clear that a great deal of thought has gone into the design -- the same level of care and attention to detail librarians have come to expect from the print version of the World Book.
The search and display interface is not as customizable as Encarta or Compton's, but it is very easy to use. In addition, it is one of the most attractive, bringing the feel of the high-quality print tool into the electronic format.
The World Book Dictionary is also seamlessly integrated into the interface, as are cross-references. The only flaw is that it uses two disks -- if you have only one CD-ROM drive you have to swap disks to view most of the videos and animations. That Encarta shares this problem proves the disk-swapping issue will probably be with us until the wide adoption of DVD, the forthcoming super CD-ROM format.
As strong as the design is, the content is what truly shines. More than any other title, World Book's coverage matches the types of questions that students are likely to ask. In addition, consistent writing style and vocabulary make it far more accessible than Compton's, Encarta, or Grolier. Some World Book articles lack the depth and detail of longer treatments in these three titles, but overall it successfully combines thorough coverage with an accessible style.
As with Compton's and Encarta, World Book has an excellent, easy-to-set-up online update feature that offers an adequate selection of links from articles to web sites.
In terms of its multimedia content, this title emphasizes substance and quality. Its maps are easily the most beautiful, detailed, and well designed of any of the encyclopedias. The animations are also unusually well done.
As with the print version, the World Book 1997 Multimedia Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition should be the first choice among CD-ROM encyclopedias for most school and public libraries. And for elementary schools and children's rooms, it is really the only choice.
Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia
Encarta's latest version (regular and deluxe editions) continues the process of refinement, enhancement, and revision that characterizes most Microsoft products and keeps Encarta at the fore of a competitive field. In terms of interface, design, ease of use, flexibility, customizability, search and browsability, integration of online elements and updates, and overall variety, depth, and quality of multimedia, Encarta, especially the deluxe edition, is unmatched.
If this is not enough, content is of a consistently high quality, with coverage as good or better than that of its competitors. This is not to say that Encarta is not without flaws. For example, the article on the Amistad Case fails to mention either John Quincy Adams or Joseph Cinque's involvement, whereas Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia clearly explains the key roles both men played in the case. Nonetheless, this sort of oversight is the exception.
The articles are among the most consistently up-to-date, a quality enhanced by the online update feature (free with the deluxe edition).
The deluxe version comes on two disks, meaning that frequent disk-swapping is required to access all the multimedia.
For all its virtues, it is important to bear in mind that Encarta still cannot begin to equal the World Book in terms of curriculum coverage. So while Encarta should be considered as a first choice in a high school or public library, the World Book 1997 Multimedia Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition should take precedence in most elementary and junior high school libraries and in public libraries.
Microsoft Bookshelf 1996-97 Edition
This title contains more than the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, Third Edition, but I will focus on that title.
Microsoft Bookshelf carries over from Encarta an elegantly designed, easy-to-use format. Searching is straightforward yet powerful, allowing direct access to articles by title. Updates are readily available from the Bookshelf's web site and can be integrated onto a hard drive.
As an encyclopedia, however, Microsoft Bookshelf bears all of the disadvantages of its print edition, The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia Third Edition. While it is without doubt the finest single volume adult encyclopedia available, the articles are very brief. Despite this, the CD-ROM's breadth of coverage and currency is impressive.
The multimedia component is surprisingly substantial. It shares with Encarta a number of useful audio and animation clips. The content of the companion Concise Encarta 96 World Atlas is limited, but the maps are clear and attractive.
While Microsoft Bookshelf 1996-97 Edition would not be an appropriate first choice as an encyclopedia for libraries serving students, it is a useful and well-designed suite of ready reference titles.
Mindscape Student Reference Library
This tool contains more than The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, Third Edition, but I will concentrate on that title.
Mindscape Student Reference Library's interface is not as elegant as Microsoft Bookshelf's, but it is clear and easy to use. In some aspects, such as cross-linked access to illustrations, it is actually superior.
Mindscape's use of multimedia is limited and uneven. Despite well-chosen illustrations and animations, this title offers a much less impressive selection of sound clips. Diagrams are absent from many articles where they would be useful, and maps, while superior in content to those in Microsoft Bookshelf, are often difficult to read.
With the exception of multimedia, the content of the Mindscape Student Reference Library's encyclopedia is identical to that of Microsoft Bookshelf.
Mindscape Student Reference Library is not an appropriate first choice as an encyclopedia. However, it is worth serious consideration for its entire suite of reference tools.
Senior High and Up
Encyclopedia Americana 1997
The Encyclopedia Americana 1997 on CD-ROM contains (on one disk) the entire contents of its 30-volume print version, along with the Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition, Helican Publishing Company's Chronology of World History, and the Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology. These are all accessed via a straightforward, text-oriented search and display interface that is very powerful and customizable.
Encyclopedia Americana 1997 is a comprehensive source. Its coverage is unmatched except by the Encyclopaedia Britannica CD 97. Most Americana articles are scholarly, authoritative, and substantial, written in a clear style that nonetheless makes no concessions to reading level or vocabulary.
The majority of articles are signed and written by authorities in the field. They are lengthy and nuanced discursive pieces -- not the relatively straightforward summaries found in general encyclopedias. The articles do, of course, reflect their author's knowledge of a field or subject at the time they were written. As a result, errors creep in due to the age of some articles, a flaw that's shared by the Encyclopaedia Britannica CD 97. There is no update feature to remedy this -- however, there is a well-designed system of web links.
As with Britannica, multimedia content is minimal. There are no audio, video, animated, or interactive components. The Americana contains more maps than the Britannica.
The Encyclopedia Americana 1997's strengths are in U.S. history and biography, where it retains its historical advantage. If you need to choose between this and the Britannica, base your decision on the print version you prefer.
Encyclopaedia Britannica CD 97
In its design, Encyclopaedia Britannica CD 97 is similar to the Americana. It uses a simple, easy-to-use, yet very powerful search interface to provide access to the immense resources carried over from the print version. In addition, it incorporates, according to the publisher, 2,000 articles not in the printed set, plus the Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition.
Brittanica uses Netscape Navigator as its search and display interface. This works well, especially for those familiar with it. Searching is very powerful and, as with the Americana, the interface allows both natural language and Boolean searches. One difference is that with Britannica, the results are displayed as a hit list, similar to a web search engine.
Using Netscape as an interface means there is almost no detectable difference between working with the CD-ROM and the Britannica web site, Britannica Online. Access to the online site is available only by subscription (there is a discount for owners of the CD).
As with the Encyclopedia Americana, the content of the Britannica is almost overwhelming in its depth and breadth. Main articles, signed by scholars, are exhaustive, sophisticated treatments of the subjects, usually accompanied by selective bibliographies (one area in which Britannica is superior to the Americana). And, as with the Americana, no concession is made to reading level or vocabulary. Unfortunately, the same inaccuracies due to age exist -- the article on New York City, for example, is 15 years out-of-date.
Multimedia enhancements are minimal and maps are only adequate. As with the print version, illustrations are mainly limited to diagrams, charts, and images.
Because the Britannica and the Americana stand apart from the others, it's fair only to compare them to each other. Both are powerful and well-designed electronic versions of the parent print sets. Choosing between them should be done based on your preference for the print version. Either way, you can't go far wrong -- both serve as important resources in any high school or public library.
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Stephen Del Vecchio is Librarian at The Family Academy, New York, NY, and a member of SLJ's Reference Review Committee.
