Full disclosure...I am a crafter...in fact in my previous career I was a professional weaver for the textile industry. I love to do needlepoint and am a novice knitter. Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center was new to me. I have to be honest...I did not like it. I love craft books and magazines and have Googled things such as quilt patterns or a video on a knitting stitch, BUT what I like and need are colorful photos! That is where I get inspiration and information.

When I tried this database, I was immediately frustrated. I mean blood pressure going up frustrated. So I search for knitting/ Scarves and got 833 rsults. But how do I know if I want the Chattahoochee Scarf? I have to open the file and wait for the pdf to download just to see what it look like. Why is there not a Quick View option? And that search window...so basic! I learned from Help that I can use tags for searchable fields such as SU and AU but who can figure that out? Certainly not the average public library patron. And if a student were to use this for actual research, most of these publications are also in other Ebsco products such as Master File, with it's complete searching functions. An browsing...don't get me started. How can you browse arts and crafts without images?

So, my academic library, which does not subscribe to any craft magazines, might be able to use it to supplement or general interest areas, but for me...

TWO THUMBS DOWN!