Dictionary Of Scientific Principles

This is quite an unusual reference. Marvin (reference coordinator, West Chester U., Pennsylvania) has worked, taught, and consulted as a librarian in Latin America and China. He undertook this collection clearly as a labor of love, striving to assemble "all known rules or laws commonly called principles"--offering definitions and applications. Approximately 2,000 principles--from math, medicine, and the sciences, as well as psychology, management, philosophy, and art--are arranged alphabetically, with cross references when there are multiple names. Entries range in length from a few sentences to several paragraphs. They are referenced to their sources in footnotes for those seeking further information. Internet searching of course might serve students trying to find information about particular principles, but this collection offers the benefits of concision and the convenience of a bound volume with a consistent approach. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Stephen Marvin is the Reference Coordinator at West Chester University and an adjunct professor at the graduate library school of Clarion University. He has worked with Dialog as business services coordinator as well as director of the Dr. Michael Margolies Coatesville Area Public Library. Marvin has obtained several grants to provide guidelines to library consortia in Latin America and copyright training in China. His recent presentations on library consortia development include mentoring and guidelines in Latin America and cooperation between academia, archives, and museums.