Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online

The Charleston Advisor / April 2019 www.charlestonco.com 15 ADVISOR REVIEWS—STANDARD REVIEW Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online doi:10.5260/chara.20.4.15 Date of Review: February 15, 2018 Composite Score: HHHH 1/4 Reviewed by: Denise R. Gehring Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California <[email protected]> Lindsey Sinnott Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California <[email protected]> Abstract Brill’s new Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (BEEC) online offers an in-depth look at the formative years of the Christian religion. It covers people, issues, writings, and other topics that were pivotal from the first to the sixth century. Containing historical, cultural, and background information, many entries also include an overview of how scholarship has interacted with and viewed the topic. BEEC online provides an easy to use search interface with access to more detailed content than is found in other similar resources. Pricing Options Brill offers several different acquisition options. The first is a subscription based model where institutions pay each year for access to content. The second is an outright purchase model. Additionally, Brill offers an option for individuals to purchase access to content for a lim- ited period of time (e.g., one day for $13.95, seven days $24.95, and thirty days $69.95). Purchase and subscription pricing is not based on FTE, but a standard rate of $804 annually for the subscription and $5,948 for purchase at the time this review was written (see <https:// brill.com/view/db/eeco> for more information). Brill does work with consortia and offers discounts on pricing through these groups. Brill recently eliminated the ongoing maintenance fee to make invoicing simpler and more predictable for libraries. For those libraries that purchase the product outright this is beneficial since there are no longer any additional fees for the product that need to be budgeted for in the future. Product Overview/Description First released in November 2018, the Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (BEEC) is an online, digitally indexed encyclopedia covering the formative years of the Christian religion. It includes entries that cover people, ideas, events, and writings from the first six centuries CE (see Figure 1). As of January 2019, the encyclopedia is only available online and contains approximately 340 entries. Each year, additional entries will be added until content is completed by 2022 with a total of approximately 1,300 entries. Upon completion, the Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (BEEC) is expected to be published in a six-volume print set. On average, entries vary in length from 1,5006,000 words depending on the topic being covered. While there are three primary editors, individual entries are authored by approximately 500 different scholars, all of whom are specialists in their fields. The majority of these authors are from Europe, North America, Australia, and Israel. The encyclopedia is intended for scholarly use and would be of most use to institutions with programs in theology, religion, history, or biblical studies. Brill offers a preview document for libraries to see examples of some of the sources before they purchase or subscribe since the print will FIGURE 1 BEEC Home Page 16 Advisor Reviews / The Charleston Advisor / April 2019 not be available until after the online resource is published in full. To view the preview go to <https://brill.com/fileasset/downloads_products/37578_beec_print_preview.pdf>. User Interface/Navigation/Searching The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online resides on the BrillOnline Reference Works platforms and integrates with other Reference Works content that an institution has access to, and the interface for the encyclopedia is similar to those of other online dictionaries and encyclopedias. When first accessing content, the user is presented with a search box and an alphabetical listing of all encyclopedia entries. The right sidebar includes areas to login to a personal account, a search history, as well as indicators related to the amount of access a user has (full, no access, and Open Access). Users can navigate through content in two primary ways. First is by utilizing the search box at the top of the home page and all entry pages. The second mode of navigation centers on scrolling through the alphabetical listing of encyclopedia entries. This alphabetical listing is found on the resource’s main home page, and all entries are listed on one page. When utilizing the primary search box there are several ways a user may search. The default is a basic search where key words are entered into one search box. However, if more precision is needed, there is an advanced search that provides additional parameters to use. These include options for searching across things such as title and author fields in addition to the ability to pull results that do not include particular keywords. Additionally, the advanced search also includes functionally for searching across other BrillOnline Reference Works titles. By default, if multiple words are entered into a search box, the system interprets these with a Boolean AND placed between each individual word. Upon completing a search, results are displayed in the main content area (see Figure 2). Users encounter a summary of their search results which includes the number of results found, the option to modify the search, and the ability to change how the results are sorted. The default order of results is based on relevancy with priority given to exact entry title matches followed by partial title matches, entry section heading matches, and then full text content matches. The results list also includes a word count of each entry in order to provide an idea of the length of entry content. Entries may be opened by selecting hyperlinked titles. Due to the length of most entries, many utilize section headings to break up content and allow the user to jump to areas most relevant to their research. Common section headings include basic background or bibliographies, the influence of the particular person/idea/event/writing on early Christianity, and a section on historiography that provides information on how scholars have traditionally understood, studied, or interpreted the topic (see Figure 3). Additionally, users have the ability to create personal accounts on the BrillOnline Reference Works platform that provides additional functionality for saving particular searches, seeing the previous 30 days of search history, and setting up alerts for when new entries are added related to their parameters. www.charlestonco.com In regards to accessibility, per the publisher, the entire BrillOnline Reference Works platform follows the W3C recommendations for web content accessibility whenever possible and for all core functionality. All titles in this platform are also entirely Unicode compliment. Critical Evaluation CONTENT As far as content is concerned, the entries in BEEC online provide a depth and detail that is not found in other similar products. Users has access to lengthy entries that provide more than a simple, cursory overview of the topic. The inclusion of a historiography subsection to their entries offers another unique perspective that is not normally found in other products covering similar time periods. However, due to the fact that the product is still being produced, there are many gaps in coverage that will be filled over the next few years. Those expecting a complete resource will need to wait until all entries are published in 2021-2022. USER INTERFACE/NAVIGATION Those who already have access to other titles on the BrillOnline Reference Works platform will find that the Encyclopedia of Early Christianity functions in much the same way as their other resources located there. This provides the ability to search across all content on the platform. This can be helpful if an institution has access to content in other resources; however if not, this has the potential to confuse users who may see results from other titles but then not be able to view them. Although, similar platforms by other publishers often have this same functionality. Migration to the new platform took place on November 29, 2018. When compared to other online reference platforms such as Cambridge and Oxford Reference, the appearance of the BrillOnline platform itself seems to lag behind some of the web design present within their competitors. For example, aside from using the search box to look up topics, the navigation within BEEC online consists of one long bulleted list of entry titles. While other platforms utilize a similar list approach for one of their access points, they often are accompanied by style sheets that add additional aesthetic design to their lists, i.e., they are not usually a normal, bulleted list. As a whole, BEEC online is an easy resource for users to navigate, and topics are intuitive to locate. Competitive Products Routledge publishes a two-volume set entitled the Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, edited by Everett Ferguson. This set covers essential people, places, events, and ideas from the same time period as Brill’s Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. It is available in print or with a site license in e-book format for purchase or subscription. However, there are two main differences between this product and BEEC. Firstly, due to the difference in size (two volumes vs. six volumes), it quickly becomes apparent that while there is overlap in encyclopedia entries, Routledge’s resource offers a much more concise overview of each topic, with entries falling shorter in length than BEEC. Brill provides more depth and detail in their entries, and this shows in the size of the set. Furthermore, the difference in user interface makes BEEC more user friendly. Routledge’s online version of the encyclopedia is a direct replica of the print volumes and has not been formatted to function more like a database. This makes locating The Charleston Advisor / April 2019 www.charlestonco.com FIGURE 2 17 BEEC Search Results relevant entries a much more clunky process than searching in BEEC online. There are also handbooks covering early Christianity, such as the Handbook of Early Christianity edited by Blasi, Duhaime, and Turcotte and the Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies edited by Harvey and Hunter. However, while these have similar names and cover the same general time periods, they are not exhaustive and are not in the same format as BEEC. These products take a much more thematic approach to early Christianity with content presented in chapter/essay format covering a particular issue, concept or theme as opposed to being encyclopedia volumes. As such, they serve very different purposes. While there are many general encyclopedias and dictionaries covering Christianity broadly, we selected competitive products whose primary focus was on Early Christianity rather than Christianity as a whole due to the specialized nature of the content in BEEC online. Purchase & Contract Provisions Example license agreements are available on the Brill website for both the subscription and purchase options. You can find the links to these samples near the bottom of this page <https:// brill.com/page/LibrarianMain/librarians>. They also have a separate contract for consortium. Note that the license agreements are based on Copyright law of the Netherlands. The authorized users list is the same as most contracts, including the provision for walk-in users to use the resource while onsite. It is interesting to note though, that each of the three license agreements are differing in some of the wording on the licenses. Although most of the terms in the license agreement are standard, we have noted a few terms that are unique to FIGURE 3 BEEC Full Entry with Article Table of Contents 18 Advisor Reviews / The Charleston Advisor / April 2019 www.charlestonco.com BEEC Review Scores Composite: HHHH 1/4 The maximum number of stars in each category is 5. Content: HHHH 1/2 Content depth is excellent in comparison to like resources. A score of 4.5 was given instead of a 5 due to the fact that content is not complete yet and will be published over the next few years. User Interface/Searchability: HHH 1/2 Search interface is easy to navigate and intuitive for new users. Design of the platform is a bit dated. Pricing: HHHHH Current pricing options for subscription or purchase are a great deal plus there is no ongoing maintenance fee. However, pricing may go up as more content is added each year. Purchase/Contract Options: HHHH MARC records, COUNTER-compliant usage statistics, discovery service integration, allowance of data-mining technologies, and Interlibrary Loan permissions are the positive aspects of the license. Vendor does not provide allowances for archival copies and under the purchase contract they consider 10 years being the lifetime of a product, which for some institutions might be a deal breaker. this publisher. Brill allows for the use of text and data mining technologies to gather information from encyclopedia for use in research which may include the writing of indexes, abstracts, or descriptions of the encyclopedia. However, if it is “published, the research must be original and must not amount to a derivative work” (<https://brill. com/fileasset/downloads_static/static_librarians_subscriptionlicense. pdf>). BEEC online follows the fair use provisions although not necessarily mentioned word for word in the contract. The resource should only be used for research, teaching, and private study as long as it is not used for commercial use. Interlibrary Loan is available within the same country of the licensee through print, fax, or electronic transmission for non-commercial use. Electronic file must be deleted immediately after printing. Materials may be used in printed course packs (audio and Braille may be offered for those who are visually impaired), electronic reserves, and content management systems (i.e., Canvas, Blackboard). A full citation of the source must accompany the materials to acknowledge the source. Free Text Keywords: early Christianity | encyclopedia | early church | church history | church fathers | patristics | apostolic fathers | creeds | cannons | New Testament studies | early Christian studies | BEEC | biblical studies | historiography Primary Category: Philosophy & Religion Secondary Categories: History & Area Studies; Humanities Type of product being reviewed: Encyclopedia/Handbook/Directory/Dictionary Target Audience: Undergraduate (including community colleges); Graduate/Faculty/Researcher Access: One-time purchase; Subscription In the publisher’s undertaking section they list publisher’s withdrawal rights. When the publisher does not retain the right to publish or in cases of copyright infringement, if more than 10% is withdrawn then in the subscription contract part of the fee will be returned for unexpired content. The consortium contract does not mention that the fee will be returned. The purchase contract has the same wording regarding the withdrawal of 10% or more of content, with a fee to be returned, however it is based on the lifetime of the resource. They define lifetime as 10 years. Therefore if they no longer retain the right to publish content the purchaser loses the data plus the money that was paid for it after 10 years. There is no mention of archival rights. Brill provides COUNTER-compliant usage statistics. 2016-current usage stats are available on the admin portal. They also offer usage data harvested through SUSHI. The admin portal has the information needed to setup SUSHI harvesting including the requestor ID and customer reference ID. MARC21 records are available for all resources that are sold by Brill and each contain a DOI. The MARC records for BEEC online are available to download from <https://brill.com/view/db/eeco>. KBart files are available as well. Here is an example of what a MARC record looks like <https://brill.com/fileasset/downloads_static/static_librarians_opacintegration.pdf>. Brill works with the major discovery products to fully index their data in these products including EBSCO, ProQuest, OCLC, etc. Furthermore they deliver the metadata to major e-resource management services. Finally, the new platform does support federated searching and meets global accessibility standards. Authentication Brill allows for user name/password, IP authentication, Shibboleth, OpenURL, and EZProxy to name a few. On the librarian FAQ page, it is unclear whether they support OpenAthens, therefore an e-mail was The Charleston Advisor / April 2019 Contact Information Brill 2 Liberty Square, 11th Floor Boston, MA 02109 Phone: +1 617-263-2323 E-mail: <[email protected]> Producer URL: <http://www.brilloneline.com/>, <https://brill. com/view/db/eeco> Product URL: <https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/browse/ brill-encyclopedia-of-early-christianity-online> sent to our contact. Initially OpenAthens was supposed to be available starting in December but they are pushing it back now. They did not give us a specific date when it will be available. For libraries using EZProxy, Brill notes that libraries should be using the latest version of the Brill Stanza on OCLC. To check institutional settings and make changes to the settings, the library is given a user name and password for the admin portal. Author’s References Brill. 2016. “Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online.” <https://brill.com/view/db/eeco> (accessed February 1, 2019). Brill. 2018. “FAQ migration of booksandjournals.brillonline.com.” <https://brill.com/page/faq-librarians> (accessed February 10, 2019). Brill. 2018. “Librarians.” <https://brill.com/page/Librarians/bibliotheken> (accessed February 10, 2019). Brill. 2018. “FAQ.” <https://brill.com/page/faq> (accessed February 10, 2019). www.charlestonco.com 19 Ferguson, Everett. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 1997. Harvey, Susan Ashbrook and David G. Hunter. The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Turcotte, Paul-André, Jean Duhaime, and Anthony J. Blasi. Handbook of Early Christianity: Social Science Approaches. Walnut Creek, Kan: Altamira Press, 2002. About the Author Denise Gehring is Associate Professor, Head of Collections and Technical Services at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. In addition to her role in technical services, she is the library liaison for APU’s Graduate Nursing and ESL departments in which she provides reference, collection development, and instruction in the said areas. She is also the Chair of the library’s Collection Development and Integrated Library System committees, a member of the SCELC Consortium Product Review Committee, and the library’s contact for the SCELC Shared Print Group. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies from the University of Sioux Falls, a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Azusa Pacific University, and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Drexel University. Lindsey Sinnott is Assistant Professor of Theological Bibliography & Research at Azusa Pacific University. Prior to this role, she was the Electronic Resources Librarian. Serving as a member of the library’s Collection Development Committee, she helps oversee the evaluation and acquisition of databases and other ongoing resources. She has received a BA in Theology and Philosophy from Azusa Pacific University, a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Drexel University, and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Azusa Pacific University. n