Bibliography project

Mary Sue has approved of my suggestion that we compile a reference
bibliography on bulbs and post it on the PBS website. I will coordinate
this project by receiving entries from all of you, editing them into a
consistent format, and preparing a cross-reference index. Here are some
ideas; perhaps those who are more familiar with web pages can offer better
ones as we proceed.

I'll prepare the bibliography as a Word document unless someone has a
better idea.

Anyone who already has a list of relevant references (for example, the
bibliography to a paper you have published) in word-processing format is
welcome to send it in!

I think the main use for this bib[liography] will be looking up where one
can find information on specific genera and species of bulbous plants. Many
books contain information on a large number of genera. Therefore, it
doesn't make sense to subdivide the bib itself into sections; it should be
one long list.

It should be possible to edit the list on line in order to add new entries
as we become aware of them.

There are two ways to give the index references. One is by author and date
(e.g., Mathew 1992), and the other is by numbering each entry (e.g., 897).
The latter is more compact and easier to type, but it is not as intuitive
as the author/date citation, and adding new entries to the list would
require a complex numbering system (e.g., 897A, or 897.1, 897.2, etc.) that
would not be intuitive for users. Therefore, I prefer the author/date
citations. Comments welcome on this.

Contributors can send me attached Word, WordPerfect, or rtf documents, or,
if only a few entries are involved, just include them in an e-mail. Please
send these to me directly; don't post them on the forum.

Please include the following information:

BOOK ENTRY:
Author (include full first name, not just initial)
Year of publication
Full title (including subtitle if any)
Place of publication
Name of publisher
[optional] series title and number, e.g. "Munich Botanical Monographs, 72."
List of genera [and species, see comment elsewhere in this note] covered
Optional Annotation: descriptive, not evaluative; limit to one short
sentence, e.g. "All indexed species illustrated in color."

ARTICLE ENTRY:
Author (with full first name if known)
Year of publication
Full title
Name of periodical/journal: Please spell this out, do not use
abbreviations. If the publication is obscure (e.g., Mariposa, newsletter of
the Calochortus Society), please indicate where published.
Volume and issue number
Pages (give inclusive pages, e.g. 119-132, not just initial page; this will
permit users to order the article through Interlibrary Loan)
List of genera and species covered.
Optional Annotation: descriptive, not evaluative; limit to one brief
phrase, e.g. "Describes Crocus paschei and C. biflorus ssp. albo-coronatus."

Notice that I have asked only for genus names in regard to books. Finding
information on single species, however, is a common task. I'm willing to
enter species names for major reference books such as the RHS Dictionary of
Gardening, but I don't think it's feasible to ask contributors to
transcribe the whole index of such a book. Comments?

To avoid duplication of effort, I will post occasionall brief updates on
the forum. I'm going to start formatting the document, now, based on Rix &
Phillips 1981, 1989 (the large paperback "Bulbs"), so don't bother with
that one.

I look forward to hearing from you, particularly those of you who
specialize in particular families or genera, and those who have access to
works in languages other than English. In the latter regard, do not
hesitate to list these!

Jane McGary
Editor, Rock Garden Quarterly