Herald & Lantern 20 )une '84 , 67

—County Library , by Kathleen Duffy. >

An encyclopedia is pro- s bably the single most ex- i pensive book that a family t will invest in. Of the 36 different encyclopedias cur- « rently being published, * which is the best buy for c your informational needs? t Well, there can be 36 dif- < ferent answers. '< To help you make a well- < informed decision, I would | urge you to consult Ken- i neth Kister's Encyclopedia t Buying Guide; A Con- 1 sumer's Guide to the Best < Encyclopedias for Adults and Children (R 016.03 E) J The basic purpose of ' any general encyclopedia 1 is to organize and sum- I marize the most significant factual and theoretical < knowledge available and, ' ultimately, to make that < knowledge accessible ( both physically and intellectual- < ly) to nonspecialists. Fran- < cois Guizot called the ' famous 18th century French Encyclopedia a < vast intellectual bazaar i where the results of all the ^1 works of the human spirit | are offered to whosoever < stops to satisfy his curiosi- 1 ty', a description that ' might apply to any great i encyclopedia, ancient or i modem. 1 "Encyclopedias, in '• short, aim to encompass I and codify all that is worth knowing. In point of fact, 1 the word encyclopedia 1 comes to us from the Greek 1 enkyklios paideia' which translates variously as 'cir- 1 cle of knowledge', 'circle of 1 learning', 'complete system of learning, and well-rounded education'. ENCYCLOPEDIAS have numerous uses, chief among which are to inform, to analyze, and to provide a frame of reference. They are logical place to begin investigating any unfamiliar topic. By furnishing a succint overview of the topic the encyclopedia is able to orient the reader quickly and effectively." By virtue of their monumental goal — nothing short of embracing the world's most useful or important knowledge — even the most meticulously prepared encyclopedias leave something to be desired. As Robert Collison commented (in his article on encyclopedias in the New Encyclopedia Brittanica) on the attempt to make encyclopedias be all things to all people, "The effort has been magnificent, the results uncertain." ' An encyclopedia can cost as much as $950 — more if a fancy binding of yearbooks are involved. Kister's Encyclopedia Buying Guide will help you comparison shop for this expensive purchase, often a frustrating business because unlike most consumer products, encyclopedias are usually not sold in retail stores but must be purchased either through sales representatives who sell in the home or via direct mail order. "Like any commercial product, encyclopedias vary in quality from excellent to poor. Some sets are more authoritative, more reliable, more up-to-date, better organized, more clearly written, better illustrated, and more

sturdily bound — hence more useful and a better than others. THE DECISION to buy an encyclopedia and then which one to buy should be carefully considered, in not only of cost buy of quality received. To buy a poor or mediocre encyclopedia merely because it is inexpensive is like buy a pair of shoes that are small on the theory that the shoes are too good a deal to pass up. "Misinformation, like footwear that does not fit, is no bargain at any price. in mind also that there is no such thing as the "best" encyclopedia for everyone, just as there is "best" automobile or detergent for everyone." Kister's chapter on "Finding the Right Encyclopedia" will cover a variety of important consideration such as: Is any encyclopedia actually needed? Do teachers in rlocal schools discourage or prohibit student use of encyclopedias? Do the encyclopedias available at the local public and school libraries meet yoqr reference needs and those of your family? Might a specialized encyclopedia better meet your needs? What about a second hand encyclopedia? The standard checklist of criteria used to determine the overall quality of any encyclopedia consists of clarity, recency, objectivity, reliability, reader suitability, arrangement, format accessibility, graphics and special features. THE BOOK is divided into sections to consider Multivolume Adult Encyclopedias, Small Volume Adult Encyclopedias, Multivolume Children's Encyclopedias, Small volume Young Adult/Children's Encyclopedias, and Multivolume Young Adult Encyclopedias. "Parents and teachers should be aware that many encyclopedias for young people are written to grade level — that is, the encyclopedia's articles on advanced topics like genetics and heredity will be written in a more sophisticated style requiring a higher level of comprehension than articles on such elementary subjects as, say, the states or snakes. "Likewise, the better encyclopedias for young adults construct their articles on different topics to read from the sintple to the complex. Hence, the article on oceanography or human reproduction will begin quite simply with the primary facts and then progressively become more complex in style as the complexity of the material increases. Sometimes called 'pyramid' writing, this stylistic technkjpe allows students of v«ffying ages and educational levels to use the same encyclopedia productivity." Buyers beware is a familiar warning and this handy comparative volume also gives a summary of laws and regulations affecting the merchandising of encyclopedias. Read before you decide.

Red Cross Courses MARMORA — The county chapter, American Red Cross, is conducting an advanced life saving course at the Oakridge Cam pgrounds here through Tuesday. Sessions are held 8-11 a.m. and began Monday. A basic water safety course will be offered July 23-30, and a basic rescue course July 31-Aug. 7. For information, call Vickie Hudell, 398-0916. D%,

IPHWii**'*- " ' """ *" ' IPH Pom Word INTRUDER — Despite rumors to the tontrar^liHK. Coast Guard neither got a traffic citation or a beach tag violation for putting Hbws H52 helicopter on the 86th street Beach in Stone Harbor at 8:30 p.m. last Wedt)ljy>u The whirleybird. suffering from a loss of oil pressure, spent the night, was reptfllj| mechanics the next morning, and took off about noon Thursday. » '' 'Naff *

Rx H pa 1th Watch * v by Dr. Robert G. Beitman

Today we have a letter from a reader on our current series "Topics in Agi n g ' ' . This letter dramatizes our recent discussion of the reversibility of some forms of senility. Dear Dr. Beitman: We want to let your readers know how pleased we are to have mother back home with the family. Last year, when she had deteriorated to the point at which she could not longer stay at home alone, we were heartbroken to have to make arrangements to place her in a nursing home. Her confusion and iorgetfulness had made her a risk to herself, living alone since our father died. She couldn't even dial the phone in an emergency and speak into the proper end of the receiver. Her senile uie revei vw . »iuiv

confusion came on somewhat suddenly, but her local doctor in Upper Darby had warned us that with her many medical problems her health was likely to worsen. She has diabetes, hardening of the arteries, bad circulation, tendency toward stroke, arthritis, an irregular heart beat and is quite over weight. Dr. P., her physician of 35 years, has always been wonderful to mother. On her last appointment with him before moving to the nursing home here in Cape May County, he made out a list in his own hand of all her medications, 19 pills each day. First there were her vitamins, C for colds, multivitamins for nutrition and E for her dry skin. There were two buffered aspirin tablets per day to try and prevent a stroke She also took one tablet three times a day for arthritis, one four times a day for her irregular heart beat, two for the diabetes, one for dtest pain if she got pressure, and one which she had to get up in the middle of the night to take to protect her heart. Another one we hadn't told Dr. P about was from the grocery store to help her lose weight, which she desperately wanted to help her heart. We become very alarmed during our initial discussion with you when we additted mother to your care at the nursing home. You spoke of experimenting I with reducing the number and frequency of her

medications, concerns about side effects and in- ' teractions between the drugs. Our first thought was to get her out of the nursing ty>me and back to her doctor of 35 years who knew her and her body better than a new young doctor in a strange new place. After speaking with other families at the nursing home whose parents you care for and at the urging of our grandson, who thought a second point of view on how to care for mother would be a good idea, we decided to give the situation a chance. You probably didn't realize it but we were in to see mother every three days and carefully observed changes you were making in her medications. You seemed to be slowly reducing her dosage of some of

the drugs, as if wdef if $hej still needed thiem. Slajflf several the pills eliminated. Other 4HB you replaced with ne#Bv that did not need^jffife taken as frequentj^Htve middle of the night p^^mp changed to a wake-i^^n, allowing her to RHp through the nighf. YqpBo ordered j a speciaer^Rt which seeme^Bo enjoy yetwas slowly racing her lose sonjKweighb: The njost Mredfble thing was thaWnother's mind berfui to '.'clear, she became Mfcajlused, less irritable-WiorcJ alert and genera llRjfcre^ehsant. It was as thSffih lie loud had lifted. WeT*R ofclye that, as you descA«Bi your re cent articld sQnility, you were attetyptin® tovsee if hers was revetadble. Fortunately, it was and as you . know, after 80 days in the nursing home mother was able to return to her own home, although this time

> an apartment nearer to our ' house here in Cape May County. A side benefit was I the tremendous reduction in the monthly cost of her medications Drug bills were running $83 per month; now they are down to $32 Of course we gladly spend anything to help her health, but we are not well off financially. v We realize that this pro bably an exceptional case Still, perhaps your readers can be encouraged to check for reversible causes of senility in their loved ones Thank you Sincerely, Mary and Bob A., Avalon NOTE: Remember, medication changes should only be performed by your doctor Hatients should not change Die dosages or frequencies\pf their drugs, as 'harm ful\ complications could result from such ac tions Dr. Beitman Topics in Afcttrgywi/I con tinue next weeh „

Blood donon sen lives, JL American to Cape May Court House, call 468-7382 ■ RedCrpeS

I Long Term I I For Big I I GROWTH I Don't lose sight of the advantages of long term savings j^B investments Our long term ^B certificates provide the way ^B you to build savings at ® competitive rate that's. ^B| safe and sure ^B Stop in soon to learn about all of .^B our long term savings plans ^^B 'I _ ■ 1 HI H m iH I FIRST SAVINGS AND B ; B ... ■ LOAN ASSOCIATION B B FSL1C 137 J. F. KENNEDY BLVD. H ■ SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. 08243 ■