Awards
- Library Journal 2006 Best Online Reference
Reviews
Library Media Connection, October 2007
World Folklore and Folklife receives a starred review:
"Pulled from their multi-volume reference works, titles in their Folklore
Handbooks, thousands of folk and fairy tales, complete Hans Christian Anderson stories,
and vetted Web links, the user is pulled into the amazing world of art, history, languages,
literature, music, social customs, religions of the world, and more. I took a 'hero's quest'
through World Folklore and Folklife and found the information excellent and
useful, but more amazing, through the magic of databases and search links, I was led all
over the world and time....a terrific resource. Highly recommended."
Library Journal - February 1, 2007
"World Folklore and Folklife (WFF) is an
online file "tracing the origins and development of all
aspects of traditions around the world." Covering art,
history, languages, literature, music, social customs and
structures, and religions of the world, its content comes
from such titles as The Greenwood Encyclopedia of
African American Folklore, The Greenwood Encyclopedia
of World Folklore and Folklife, The Greenwood Library
of American Folktales, various titles from the
Greenwood "Folklore Handbooks" series, as well as such
standards as the Hans Christian Andersen stories and
Grimms' fairy tales. Updated twice a year, the file is
available by itself or as part of Greenwood's Daily Life
Through History and World Cultures Today database. ...
Just How Good Is It? The design of
World Folklore and Folklife is
outstanding. The content is useful and substantial.
The price is affordable to many. But, most significantly,
this exceptional file gathers into one place diverse
material researchers have had to hunt for in the past.
The combination merits a 10! ...
The Bottom Line WFF is strongly
recommended for all collections serving students and
researchers in the arts, humanities, sciences,
and social sciences."
Choice, June 2007
This database's opening screen presents an attractive,
intuitive interface. Users may access a quick search box
and browse by subject or region. Also offered is the
capability of browsing the source titles on the home
page. Each general subject is subdivided into topics;
e.g., Celebrations and Rituals subdivides into Carnival,
Ceremonies, Festivals, Holidays, Rites of Passage, and
more. The browsing index by region follows a similar
hierarchy. Users may browse by collection titles and
link to audio and video clips. Supplementing the quick
search box is an advanced search function that allows
keyword, title, and subject searching with Boolean
operators and limiting by type of text or multimedia.
Also available are pull-down limit menus for subject,
time, region, and country.
Although advanced searching does allow for a more
focused search, some results returned cover a broader
range of topics than expected. Some articles include
photographs, maps, and other illustrations. Scope and
length of entries vary with the topic; where applicable,
links to reputable outside Web sites appear. Help pages
are detailed and useful. Citation information and print
buttons are available for each article. The real prize
in this database is the quick access to a collection of
world folktales, myths, and legends. The stories range
from the traditional to the more bizarre--from Hans
Christian Andersen to modern urban legends. Each tale
entry includes the title, traditional bearer, source,
date, original source, national origin, introduction,
and text. A side menu offers links to related resources
and related tales. Entries include the Aarne-Thompson
number for tale type. Summing Up: Recommended. School
and public libraries and academic institutions with
strong storytelling or folktale programs; lower-level
undergraduates; general readers; practitioners.