Encyclopedia of Social Work: With Statistical Supplement, 18th Edition Hardcover – January 1, 1987 by Anne Minahan (Editor)
 
The purpose of the "Encyclopedia of Social Work" is to provide an objective overview of social work in the United States - its history, its current concerns and interests, the state of its art, and its view of the future. This edition is the eighteenth in a series that began in 1929, and was published at various intervals thereafter. The National Association of Social Workers had planned originally to publish the eighteenth edition in 1983 or 1984. However, in the early 1980s, the political, social, economic and ideological environments in the United States appeared to shift sharply away from the past. These shifts produced changes in the economy; in employment; in governmental social policies; in public and voluntary social welfare services; in societal institutions; in social problems, causes, and issues; and in the lives of people. These changes affected the interactions between people and their environments and thus affected social work practice. The NASW Publications Committee and the Board of Directors therefore concluded that the publication of a complete encyclopedia in the early 1980s would be premature and should be delayed until later in the decade, when the changes that were taking place could be better understood and described. Thus, instead of producing a complete encyclopedia, NASW decided to publish a 1983-1984 supplement to the 1977 edition. The supplement described some of the major changes taking place in social work and social policy. This full eighteenth edition was finally published in 1987 and consists of three volumes. The first two volumes are hardcovered and contain 225 articles and four appendixes covering the full range of major topics and issues in social work. The third volume, a paperback, is a statistical and demographic supplement made up of tables, graphs, and charts. An extensive index to the articles now appears in both main hardcover volumes to aid readers in finding information quickly and easily.
 
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