Technical platform and interface

Searching is done by filling in a simple text box. Users can limit a search using one of several options: full-text, lemma, person, lemma (works), period, date, place, printing place, occupation, type of work, literature, manuscript, and article author. It is also possible to add or remove rows to further refine and/or combine the above options. One may also limit whether or not to search across all four—or fewer—reference works within the database.

Author names are indexed by last name, first name and must be searched using commas. For example, a user looking for articles about Thomas Mann would have to search by “Mann, Thomas.” The exact German spelling of an author name is needed for the database to retrieve results. Helpfully, the database autofills the search string as it is typed, and will offer the correct spelling, e.g., “Hesse, Hermann,” even if the user types the English spelling of “Herman.”

The results page or pages provide a standardized author information entry, including the epoch in which the author lived (e.g., Modern), full name, birth date and birthplace, death date and place, and occupation (e.g., essayist, composer, etc.). References to any other author or authors included in the database are hyperlinked, so that the user may consult entries about contemporaries of or influences on the original author being researched.

Once in the results page or pages, the “Reading View” option formats the text across the screen for a more readable format. Bibliographic references are listed in order at the bottom of the entry; users must click each general heading, e.g., “Ausgaben,” to see this feature.

Strengths and weaknesses

It is useful to have four literary biography reference works combined together. And since Verfasser-Datenbank is issued by De Gruyter, a large German publisher with other databases like Germanistik, it can be cross-searched with the other De Gruyter databases for citations, though not full-text retrievable.

A significant drawback of the database is its tiny font, which makes some of its functionality less obvious to users. For example, an advanced search function in the top-right corner enables searching of other De Gruyter databases, but the text is so unobtrusive, many users will miss it. User notes and background information about Verfasser-Datenbank are  featured PDFs on the database’s homepage, but are only available in German.

A full citation, including a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), is listed at the very top of the results page of each entry article, simplifying bibliographic citation for the user. Citations may then be exported from the site in ALA, MLA, or Chicago formats and saved as a file. Clicking on the “Export” button will download the details in RIS format. Details include author name (if available), document title, and URL. The RIS bibliographic format can be imported in most citation managers, such as Endnote, RefWorks, and Citavi.

Articles can not be exported. Instead, once logged in, users may save an article by adding it to their “bookshelf.” Users can also add notes to saved articles that only they can see. The publisher reports that downloads in PDF format will be implemented by December 2012.

Comments from CRL members include:

• A comparison between Verfasser-Datenbank and Gale’s Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) online found that not only does the DLB offers as good if not better treatment to an entry, including portraits from the period, but the DLB also covers all of the same historical periods that the Verfasser-Datenbank covers.

• Though cross-searchable, Verfasser-Datenbank offers few other features, e.g., hot links from bibliographic sources. Instead, “In order to follow up on the bibliographies, one must practice old-fashioned librarianship, whereby one cuts and pastes the source titles into the OPAC to determine holdings and locations.”

• Saving, exporting, and e-mailing results require setting up an account, and these features are limited to citation information, not the full text (though it is possible to save full text and return to it later via the “My Bookshelf” feature within the database.)