Action for Libraries
WilsonWeb Expands Offerings with New Play Index Database
By Brandie Baumann
H.W. Wilson has released an electronic edition of Play Index, the popular print reference series,
for users of WilsonWeb online reference. Covering the 10 volumes of the print index, the new
resource is a single, searchable reference for virtually every play ever written, from the works of
contemporary playwrights to classic and historical plays in contemporary collections and
anthologies. Available for the first time on WilsonWeb, users will find detailed information for
30,000 plays published individually or in collections from 1949 to the present. In addition, Web
links to sites that often feature the full text are provided. Highlights of the index include:
- Versatile searching that helps users find plays easily and quickly. Users have access to a dropdown menu for searches by title, author, subject type and cast type, along with 24 different play styles and genres (e.g., symbolism, experimental theater, comedy, melodrama, musical, etc.). Searchers have the ability to limit results to plays with a specific number of male or female roles, by size of total cast and the age of both the user and the audience.
- Descriptive annotations that summarize the plot indicate musical requirements (chorus, singing, dancing, etc.), the number of sets, scenery requirements and more.
- Full publication details users need to locate the play. For plays published separately, the publisher, date, pagination, ISBN and LC number are provided. Plays in collections are linked to full bibliographic information.
Free 30-day trials of the new WilsonWeb Play Index edition are available. For more information on the database, go to www.hwwilson.com/databases/playindex_e.htm. For details on pricing and how to subscribe, contact Karen Graham (kgraham@bcr.org) at BCR.