**The Medical Library Association's Master Guide to Authoritative Information Resources in the Health Sciences.** Edited by Laurie L. Thompson, Esther Carrigan, Mori Lou Higa, and Rajia Tobia. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2011. 400 pages (hardbound). ISBN: 978-155570-719-4. US$295.00 (members US$265.50)

*The Medical Library Association's Master Guide to Authoritative Information Resources in the Health Sciences* is an indispensable collection-development tool for health sciences librarians. It fulfills its intended purpose to update the much-loved and used "Brandon/Hill Selected List of Print Books and Journals for the Small Medical Library." The *Guide* includes over 1600 authoritative book and serial recommendations (covering print, digital, and online formats) across 35 specialties chosen by 108 subject experts. Unlike the Brandon/Hill guides, where the most highly recommended resources for purchase were asterisked, contributors to this guide were asked to ruthlessly select only the top-ten monographs and journals in their subject areas. So, all of the recommendations in the *Guide* are considered "best." Many contributors used *Doody's Core Titles* and *Doody's Review Service* to assist with their selection and evaluation. Most titles are chosen for an academic medical library environment, but some titles

appropriate for a hospital or consumer health collection are also included.

For each area, a short definition from *Stedman's Medical Dictionary* is provided, followed by complete bibliographic information/URL and annotated entries for monographs, journals, and databases/other electronic resources. One quibble: prices are not included, and it would have been very helpful to at least include prices for monographs and journals. The detailed contents and separate indexes for material format make it easy for a busy librarian to quickly locate any of the resources.

This book is highly recommended for anyone working in health sciences. It is an invaluable resource for collection development — both for purchasing new resources, and as a checklist to assess a current collection. It would also be a handy resource for introducing new liaison librarians to their health science area resources.

**Susan Murray**

*Head Librarian, Life Sciences Library, McGill University*
*McIntyre Medical Building 3655,*
*Promenade Sir-William-Osler*
*Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada*
*E-mail: susan.murray@mcgill.ca*