StarGuides 2001

StarGuides 2001 is the enlarged and updated version of a long line of directories published since 1978 (see e.g. Heck 1995 & 1997) and gathering together all practical data available on associations, societies, scientific committees, agencies, companies, institutions, universities, etc., and more generally organizations, involved in astronomy and space sciences. Many other types of entries have also been included such as academies, advisory and expert committees, bibliographic services, consultants, data and documentation centres, dealers, distributors, funding agencies and organizations, journals, manufacturers, meteorological services, museums, norms and standards offices, planetariums, public observatories, publishers, research institutions in related fields, software producers and distributors, etc. Besides astronomy and space sciences, related fields such as aeronautics, aeronomy, astronautics, atmospheric sciences, chemistry, communications, computer sciences, data processing, education, electronics, energetics, engineering, environment, geodesy, geophysics, information retrieval, management, mathematics, meteoro­ logy, optics, physics, remote sensing, and so on, are also covered when justified. The basic philosophy of this directory (and of other products in the Star*s Family) is to provide practical data which one seeks to always have at ones disposal. Over the years they have proved to not only be valuable auxiliaries for improving national and international relationships, but also to be efficient tools for helping laypersons and public bodies to contact organizations easily.

`If there were a `yellow pages' of astronomy, this massive book would be it.'
Sky & Telescope, April 2001
`Publication of this source--the printed counterpart of the established and reliable free Web resource StarWorlds maintained at the Centre de Données Astronomiques de Strasbourg--is commendable because it provides libraries with important options. Entries are listed for more than 100 countries and for each US state. A large index lists keywords in the names of organizations, cities where organizations are located, and acronyms. Entries, arranged in single full-page columns, allow ample room for unbroken URLs and for restful white space. Entries include full name, address, telephone, fax and Web addresses; date of founding, membership, and staff size; basic activities and publications; and coordinates for both observational sites and the site headquarters in cities if different from observational sites. Most entries include a few keywords to indicate major areas of research or contributions. Extensive spot-checking of entries revealed good accuracy. This compilation has merit both for its archival qualities and its browsability. For researchers and professionals.'
A. Jensen, University of California, Berkeley in Choice, May 2001

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