Gentle Reader,
This latest update vividly reminds me why I enjoy working in libraries so much: the materials here are so widely varied, it is impossible to get bored studying them! With content ranging from baseball and virtual gaming to film soundtracks, Sixties culture, and a host of health care issues, this may be the most diverse Update yet. As you work through these reviews, you will note the repeated use of the word “interdisciplinary” – indeed, it seems almost to be the mantra of modern journals. But in each case it is used, the context is there to see that disciplines are blurring, and that studies are already crossing the lines of arts, humanities, science, and social science research. It will be fascinating to see how the journal environment evolves and responds to this phenomenon. I look forward to your comments and suggestions about this Update as with every one: please do send them to me at claguard@fas.harvard.edu.
Cheryl
Reviews in This Issue
Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression
Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal
Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict: pathways toward terrorism and genocide
Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice
International Journal of Culture and Mental Health
International Journal of Prisoner Health
Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds
The Sixties: A Journal of History, Politics and Culture
The Soundtrack
Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies
Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression. ISSN: 1943-4472, E-ISSN: 1943-4480, published 3 times a year by Routledge, peer reviewed, $396/year combined print and online to institutions; $376 online only.
Given the increase in both terrorism and political aggression worldwide, this is a peer-reviewed journal whose time has come.
Its purpose is to address the issues of terrorism and political aggression by “bringing together timely, consistently scientifically and theoretically sound papers… from an interdisciplinary, integrative, and behavioral science perspective (encompassing biological, evolutionary, developmental, ecological, personality, social, military, and neuroscience approaches to psychology, as well as anthropology, economics, history, political science, nonlinear dynamic systems, and sociology.” It is explicitly stated that “the journal is not intended as a forum for articles presenting policy or opinion, but instead will publish empirical and theoretical papers, letters to the Editor, and invited visionary manuscripts by leading experts in the field, which have a strong base in behavioral science research.”The preceding statement seems like a tall order, but it is one that the journal does aim to fill in its first two issues. The opening editorial, “Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression: integrating the science of political violence across disciplines, cultures, and nations,” by Samuel Justin Sinclair and Daniel Antonius, lays out the journal’s philosophy and raison d’etre, providing the context for why it is needed and a quick review of the papers in that issue, which include: “Low hanging fruit: reflections about studying terrorism,” “Righteous Violence: killing for God, country, freedom, and justice,” “The hegemon’s dilemma: internalizing international terrorism,” “Terrorism perception and its consequences following the 7 July 2005 London bombings,” and “On the relationship between weak states and terrorism.” No puff there at all.
The editorial board is international, as is the authorship, and although the scope of the journal, as outlined above, seems extraordinarily demanding, the first two issues do begin to fulfill its stated purpose. This is recommended for academic and scholarly audiences. (Ac), (Sa)
Cheryl LaGuardia, Research Librarian, Widener Library, Harvard University
Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal. ISSN: 1939-8484, E-ISSN: 1939-8379, published semiannually by McFarland & Company, Inc., $120/year to institutions, $40 to individuals.
Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal debuted this last year. The semiannual publication offers feature articles on many 
facets of Negro League baseball and its historical times: players, managers, teams, sportswriters, and a segregated society. There is a fascinating article on African American sporting clubs and their image, which includes reproductions of editorial cartoons and newspaper advertisement for “Anti-curl,” a hair-straightening preparation. Some of the drawings were from the Indianapolis Freeman, the first African American illustrated newspaper. Other articles cover Effa Manley, the first woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, who co-owned and managed the Newark Eagles. She was also a civil rights activist and a person who racially identified herself, at various times, as black or white, depending on the situation.
The articles here are research quality, documented with end notes and sometimes additional reading lists. The book reviews are signed, and the editorial board is impressive. There is a strong connection with three baseball organizations: the Negro Leagues Baseball Players Association (NLBPA), the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. NLBPA was founded to honor and celebrate the significant contribution of Negro Leagues players to baseball and American history. SABR is a national organization devoted to baseball research, history, and statistics. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, is devoted to preserving and educating on this once untold part of American history. This journal, while nominally seeming to have a narrow focus, should appeal to a large audience – that being: fans of the sport (and we are many!). (Ga), (Ac), (Sa)
Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict: pathways toward terrorism and genocide. ISSN: 1746-7586, E-ISSN: 1746-7594, published 3 times a year by Routledge, peer reviewed, $374/year combined print and online to institutions; $355 online only..
The inaugural editorial for this peer-reviewed journal states that “DAC is a new scientific and professional journal that seeks to contribute to understanding and ameliorating conflict between states and non-state challengers. Differences in power between the two are expressed in asymmetric conflict. Many experts believe that this is the predominant form of conflict in the world today, and 
will be the predominant source of violent conflict in the twenty-first century. The nature of war and organized violence has changed. War between states is becoming rare, but political violence between states and non-state groups is growing more common.”
Articles in the first two issues illustrate the direction the journal is taking: “Conflict resolution in asymmetric and symmetric situations: Northern Ireland as a case study,” “Self-sacrifice as innovation: the strategic and tactical utility of martyrdom,” “Terrorism in the year 2020: examining the ideational, functional and geopolitical trends that will shape terrorism in the 21st century,” “How democracies fight insurgents and terrorists,” and “The language of violence: distinguishing terrorist from nonterrorist groups by thematic content analysis” demonstrate the quite specific themes being examined in the pages here.
Each issue contains several substantial articles as well as signed book reviews. The international editorial board is very impressive. Although the overall stated goal of the journal sounds broader than that of Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression (reviewed above), it seems, in fact, to have an even narrower focus. This may well develop into an important title in this evolving field, and it is worth taking a look at if your collection serves scholars and researchers in terrorism studies. (Ac), (Sa)
Cheryl LaGuardia, Research Librarian, Widener Library, Harvard University
Global Public: Health An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice. ISSN 1744-1692, E-ISSN: 1744-1706, published 6 times a year by Routledge, peer reviewed, $498/year combined print and online to institutions; $473 online only. 
Global Public Health now publishes 6 issues a year with an occasional special issue. It is a peer-reviewed journalcovering key public health issues across the globe, with a commitment to cross-disciplinary research within public health. Included are articles on health policy, AIDS & HIV, access to medicines, globalization, conflicts in pandemics, Third World studies, social and cultural dimensions of health issues, and global health governance. Each issue contains a wide variety of 6 to10 research articles, 2 to 5 book reviews, and an occasional obituary. This small, but important to the field, journal is producing articles that will be in demand by researchers, scholars, and the general public interested in worldwide health issues. Recommended. (Ga), (Ac), (Sa)
Michael R. Blake, Digital Resources Librarian, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA
International Journal of Culture and Mental Health. ISSN: 1754-2863, E-ISSN: 1754-2871, published twice a year by Routledge, peer reviewed, $260/year combined print and online to institutions; $247 online only.
This new journal is an international peer-reviewed resource aimed primarily at psychiatrists, psychologists, medical anthropologists, medical sociologists, psychiatric nurses, and social workers. Cultural psychiatry and mental health deals with how different cultures react to similar experiences or similar cultures to produce different responses to a particular form of stress. The journal is divided 
into three main sections that provide an international and multidisciplinary forum for addressing cross-cultural issues and mental health. These sections are: (1) invited papers on a specific topic; (2) empirical research papers; (3) a miscellaneous section including book reviews and a single article presenting the "Current State of Psychiatry in...[a country]." The first issue contains the article, "Socio cultural and clinical factors in repetition of suicide attempts: a study from India," a study done specifically because of a lack of information in these areas. Another recent article, "Are western community psychiatric models suitable for China? An examination of cultural and socio-economic foundations of western community psychiatry models using assertive community treatment as an example," explores three main foundations of community psychiatry (availability of public funding for psychiatric care; role of the family in patient care; availability of functioning mental health laws and community and resource readiness) in relation to China. Given the increased interest in all things global, and the fact that this journal covers material none other does, it is recommended for academic and special libraries supporting research in mental health. (Ac), (Sa)
Hilary Kline, Manager, Reformatting Support Services, Imaging Services, Widener Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
International Journal of Prisoner Health. ISSN: 1744-9200, E-ISSN: 1744-9219, published quarterly by Taylor & Francis, Inc., peer reviewed, $331/year combined print and online to institutions; $314 online only.
Recent events at Guantanamo Bay and questions surrounding the “ethos” of waterboarding have focused the world’s attention 
on prisoner health and treatment possibly more than ever before. This is a peer-reviewed journal that “provides a platform for an interdisciplinary approach to prisoners’ health…[whose purpose] is to facilitate an exchange of information and good practice among experts in the field from a range of different cultural interpretations and perspectives.” Stated objectives of study include: key health issues within prisons (tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis); the influence of prisoner culture; health issues applicable to women, migrant and ethnic minority populations in prisons; the impact of prison conditions on the prison staff; and taking a holistic look at prison settings within the context of public health. Contents of issues include an editorial and “Original Articles,” and may also include “Letter(s) to the Editor” and “Health and Prison Briefings.” The emphasis here is very international in scope, as evidenced by its editorial board (with members from the United Kingdom, United States, The Netherlands, Canada, Finland, Moldova, Singapore, Australia, Ireland, and Germany) and such articles as “Substitution treatment and HCV/HIV-infection in a sample of 31 German prisons for sentenced inmates,” “Women’s health and prisons: It’s time for urgent action – a Report from the WHO Health in Prisons Project Annual Conference; “Prisons and Women’s Health,” 13 November 2008, Kiev, Ukraine”; and “Substance use patterns in newly admitted male and female South Australian prisoners using the WHO-ASSIST (Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test).” There is valuable information here for libraries supporting serious researchers in prison health. (Sa)
Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds. ISSN: 1757-191X, published twice a year by Intellect, peer reviewed, $240/year combined print and online to institutions; $175 online only.
The Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds is a small (the first issue contains 79 numbered pages), peer-reviewed, international journal with a very broad scope. It aims to focus on “theoretical and applied, empirical, critical, rhetorical, creative, economic, pedagogical 
and professional approaches to the study of electronic games across platforms and genres, as well as ludic and serious online environments such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games.” The target audience of the publication is researchers and professionals working in creative new media and entertainment. The journal informs readers of upcoming events and conferences, as well as providing feature-long articles, short papers, poster abstracts, interviews, reports and reviews of relevant new publications, web sites, virtual environments, and electronic artifacts. This ambitious little journal “seeks to document, harmonize, juxtapose and critically evaluate cutting-edge market trends and technological developments, as well as sociocultural, political, economic and psychological concerns.” The first issue contains three main parts, Articles (three composing the bulk of the issue), Interview, and Reviews. One of the long articles is “World of Maskcraft vs. World of Queercraft? Communication, sex and gender in the online role-playing game World of Warcraft,” and I think the title pretty much says it all for an explanation of its content. The interview is “A Discussion with game designers The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar-LOTRO.com.” Given that gaming, online and video, is now a mass market leisure activity for millions around the world, it is not surprising that researchers are recognizing this as a rich area of study. However, I’m not convinced that this journal is appropriate for the masses; rather it is very specialized in content from which only a few academic and special libraries will benefit. (Ac), (Sa)
The Sixties: A Journal of History, Politics and Culture. ISSN: 1754-1328, E-ISSN: 1754-1336, published twice a year by Routledge, $274/year combined print and online to institutions, $260 online only.
The Sixties takes “the long sixties” (1954-1975) as its broad focus in this new peer-reviewed journal. In this era much was 
happening both nationally and globally: civil rights, feminism, environmentalism, decolonization, and cultural revolutions, to name just a few phenomena. The journal aims to “stage an open-ended dialogue with the Sixties, in which past and present each pose questions to the other,” with three broad areas of inquiry: the Sixties themselves, their impact, and their construction in memory. The editors seek cross-disciplinary scholarship from not only academics but also public intellectuals, and just about anyone who has something interesting and original to say about the era. Submissions are being sought in the following areas: social movements and political protest; foreign and domestic policy; women’s history, gender history and the history of sexuality; print culture and electronic media; and music, literature, film, theater, architecture and the visual arts. These areas as well as others will be covered in research essays, book reviews, conversations, interviews, and graphics. The first issue contains “Infinity goes up on trial: the questioning of psychedelic art at the Whitney Museum,” which reviews the 2007 offering of the “Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era,” by the Whitney. The exhibition staged a reinvestigation of the continued relevance of Sixties psychedelia and the political stances that it implied. Another recent issue contains the essay, “The idea of ‘the liberal media’ and its roots in the civil rights movement,” which maintains that Southern spokesmen were promoting the idea that the left-leaning Northeastern media were shaping the news to fit their politics—which very quickly became the dogma of the conservative right. I can’t see the average public library shelling out $274 for a biannual publication of this type, but academic libraries may want to consider it for their collections. (Ac)
The Soundtrack. ISSN: 1751-4193, published three times a year by Intellect Ltd., £210 /year combined print and online; £177 online only.
When people see/hear the word, “soundtrack,” they immediately think of the music from a movie. This journal, The Soundtrack, goes beyond the musical score, concentrating on all “aural elements which combine with moving images . . . music, dialogue, effects and atmosphere [as] instruments in the sonification of the film. . . .”
While this may sound complicated, even esoteric, the articles are engaging, drawing the reader into the world of how movies are 
made, and enhanced, by sound. In the premiere issue, Randall Barnes, who has worked as a sound designer or sound consultant on films, considers “The sound of Coen comedy: music, dialogue and sound effects in Raising Arizona.” The Coen brothers planned the use of music and sound effects from the beginning of the film-making process, to emphasize comic cartoonlike situations or to reinforce a sense of place. Other articles published in The Soundtrack cover “Post-production sound: a new production model for interactive media,” “Conceiving of the rhythms of silence,” and “The voice and the uncanny.” Regular features include reviews of books, events, and films (old and new releases).
The editors describe the journal as “rigorous academically yet accessible to all interested readers.” I second that and recommend it for general readers, public libraries, as well as academic and special libraries serving researchers and professionals. (Ga), (Ac), (Sa)
Christine Oka, Library Instruction Coordinator, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA
Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies. ISSN: 1745-0128, E-ISSN: 1745-0136, published quarterly by Routledge, peer reviewed, $358/year combined print and online to institutions; $340 online only.
A peer-reviewed journal devoted to “analyzing psychological, sociological, health, cultural, economic, and educational aspects of children and adolescents in developed and developing countries,” this journal’s contents focus on interdisciplinary studies about vulnerable youth and youth at risk, in relation to health and welfare issues. Themes explored here include illness, disability, 
abuse, neglect, institutionalization, poverty, orphanhood, exploitation, war, famine, and disaster. Issues variously contain review articles, original articles, and research articles; recent examples include “Caring for AIDS-orphaned children: A systematic review of studies on caregivers,” “HIV/AIDS education in Tanzania: The experience of at-risk children in poorer communities,” “Stop It! That’s Enough!: Bystander intervention and its relationship to school connectedness and shame management,” and “A qualitative study exploring how mothers manage their teenage children’s diets.” As with so many Routledge journals, the editorial board is both impressive and international in its membership, and this will be an important addition to collections serving child and adolescent health, psychology, and welfare researchers. (Ga), (Ac), (Sa)
Cheryl LaGuardia, Research Librarian, Widener Library, Harvard University
(Hs) High School (Ga) General Adult (Ac) Academic (Sa) Special Adult
Interested in contributing to an upcoming Magazines for Libraries Update? Please get in touch with Cheryl LaGuardia at: claguard@fas.harvard.edu.
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