College and Research Libraries plete study of the application of punched cards to library uses could be presented. L i b r a r i a n s began w r i t i n g about methods and machines used in the business w o r l d and applicable to library operations more than twenty y e a r s ago. M a n y of these early e f f o r t s w e r e simple management studies of isolated uses of v a r i o u s types of mechanical equipment which, under a given set of cir- cumstances, produced savings in time, money or e f f o r t in the pursuit of the l i b r a r y ' s daily business. T h e mechanical aids w e r e in the main easily mastered devices and many came into general usage. Punched card tabulation w a s talked about, a f e w articles appeared on its possible adaptation to l i b r a r y pro- cedures, but f o r the most part, it w a s not understood, considered too expensive, and l e f t to its more common applications in busi- ness and government accounting and sta- tistical w o r k . P e r h a p s punched cards first aroused l i b r a r i a n s ' interest when, as the author w r i t e s in his p r e f a c e , " M i s s M a r j o r i e Q u i g l e y , w h o is L i b r a r i a n of the M o n t c l a i r , N e w J e r s e y , F r e e P u b l i c L i b r a r y , had the temerity to try so radically new an idea as automatic book-charging. . . . " M r . P a r k e r has taken the magic out of the punched c a r d f o r the l i b r a r i a n . F i r s t he c a r e f u l l y describes the operation of punched card equipment, the t w o makes available in this country, their differences and limitations, and the basic equipment required. B y avoid- ing technical details as much as possible, he successfully c a r r i e s the reader through all l i b r a r y activities and discusses the application of punched cards to each o n e — o r d e r w o r k , processing operations, b o r r o w e r ' s records, cir- culation control and analysis, bibliographic and indexing services, personnel records, fiscal records and controls and the administration of punched c a r d installations. M o r e im- portant, he concerns himself w i t h a p r o g r a m of unified record control f o r the l i b r a r y . A s he points out, " t h e greatest v a l u e of punched cards comes f r o m their use in a coordinated p r o g r a m . " T h e punched card is not pre- sented as the panacea which w i l l solve all l i b r a r y management problems. T h e sug- gested procedures, f o r m s , and applications are not considered common to all l i b r a r y situa- tions. L o c a l needs, local procedures, must be evaluated b e f o r e punched cards w i l l w o r k . T h e author serves w e l l the l i b r a r y ad- ministrator in helping him to understand punched card systems, and the v a r i o u s kinds of machines available, and in p a r t i c u l a r , to e v a l u a t e both of them in consideration of his local requirements and his local problems. A bibliography, a glossary and generous use of figures, tables, and charts are most help- f u l . T h e l i b r a r y administrator w i l l also appreciate, as the author points out, that punched cards do not necessarily represent savings in themselves, but that through in- creased efficiency additional w o r k can be ac- complished and the administrator w i l l have at his command data to help him do a more i n f o r m e d job in decision making, in the study of his use of f u n d s , and in his e f f o r t s to con- trol the book collection, to name a f e w examples. I n this connection, M r . P a r k e r ' s projection of the organizational pattern of a l i b r a r y employing punched cards in all sug- gested applications and in a coordinated pro- g r a m o f f e r s stimulating reading. H e r e then is a complete and c a r e f u l ex- amination of punched cards and punched card machines f o r libraries. I t is a book f o r both the experienced and the inexperienced, and it should be read by all interested in l i b r a r y management problems and the mechanization of l i b r a r y clerical r o u t i n e s . — J o h n H. Otte- millerYale University Library. General Education General Education in Action. . . B y B . L a m a r J o h n s o n . W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . , T h e A m e r i - can Council on Education, 1 9 5 2 . 4-ogp. $4.00. Action, p o w e r and vision are the keynotes of General Education in Action, a R e p o r t of the C a l i f o r n i a Study of G e n e r a l Education in the J u n i o r C o l l e g e , w r i t t e n by D r . B . L a m a r J o h n s o n of Stephens C o l l e g e , C o - lumbia, M i s s o u r i , under the auspices of f o u r educational organizations, and with the aid of a g r a n t f r o m the C a r n e g i e F o u n d a t i o n f o r the A d v a n c e m e n t of T e a c h i n g . D r . J o h n - son is w e l l known as the v e r y able l i b r a r i a n and dean of instruction of one of the nation's outstanding j u n i o r colleges. T h e f o u r f a r - r e a c h i n g organizations which sponsored this study are the C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e J u n i o r C o l l e g e Association, the C a l i f o r n i a State D e p a r t m e n t of Education, the School of Education at the U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a at L o s Angeles, and the P a c i f i c C o a s t C o m - mittee of the A m e r i c a n Council on Education. 104 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES T h e s e organizations deserve credit f o r their encouragement and sponsoring of this report. D r . Johnson is to be heartily commended f o r the tremendous task which he undertook in 1950 of evaluating, identifying and de- scribing the programs and practices, the gen- eral education advances, and developments of the junior colleges of C a l i f o r n i a . Of the 59 junior colleges in C a l i f o r n i a , D r . Johnson participated in conferences attended by 4300 participants on 41 campuses in C a l i f o r n i a and has reported first hand findings gleaned from talks and discussions with faculty members, administrators and students of the junior col- leges of C a l i f o r n i a . It is fitting that a study of this sort should have been made in a state where more than half of the junior college students in public junior colleges in the United States are enrolled, in a state which has a larger number of junior colleges than any other state in the country, and in a state where one might say the greatest advances in public education on the junior college level have been made. T h e book is divided into f o u r parts: P a r t one, Identifying the Common Needs of Y o u t h and of Society; part two, M e e t i n g the Com- mon Needs of Y o u t h and of Society; part three, Operating the P r o g r a m s ; part f o u r , U n - finished Business. P a r t one, " I d e n t i f y i n g the Common Needs of Y o u t h and of Society," attempts to formu- late the goals of general education. T h e educators and members of the instructional staffs of the junior colleges of C a l i f o r n i a met at the General Education Workshop in the summer of 1950. T h e y felt that before they could begin their work, they must define the term general education. A f t e r much dis- cussion and considerable thought six princi- ples w e r e drawn up to amplify the definition, followed by twelve statements of goals evolved f r o m the principles. I t w a s agreed that general education could be defined simply: " G e n e r a l education is that part of education which encompasses the common knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed by each individual to be effective as a person, a member of a family, a worker, and a citizen. G e n e r a l education is complementary to, but different in emphasis and approach f r o m , special training f o r a job, f o r a profession, or f o r scholarship in a particular field of knowl- edge." Students in C a l i f o r n i a public junior col- leges differ greatly in experiences, needs, ca- pacities, interests, and aspirations. T h e gen- eral education program aims to help each student increase his competence in: 1 . Exercising the privileges and responsi- bilities of democratic citizenship. 2. Developing a set of sound moral and spiritual values by which he guides his life. 3. Expressing his thoughts clearly in speaking and writing, and in reading and listening with understanding. 4. Using the basic mathematical and me- chanical skills necessary in everyday life. 5. Using methods of critical thinking for the solution of problems and f o r the discrimination among values. 6. Understanding his cultural heritage so that he may gain a perspective of his time and place in the world. 7. Understanding his interaction with his biological and physical environment so that he may adjust to and improve that environment. 8. Maintaining good mental and physical health f o r himself, his family, and his community. 9. Developing a balanced personal and so- cial adjustment. 10. Sharing in the development of a satis- factory home and family life. 1 1 . Achieving a satisfactory vocational adjustment. 12. T a k i n g part in some form of satisfy- ing creative activity and in appreciating the creative activities of others. These twelve goals w a r r a n t serious study by all junior college educators. P a r t two, Meeting the Common Needs of Y o u t h and of Society, contains eleven chap- ters, the first of which is entitled " A p - proaches to G e n e r a l Education." H e r e the author points out the factors and problems with which junior college educators must deal. Some of the characteristics or ap- proaches of general education a r e : 1. G e n - eral education should aim to educate the total personality; 2. T h e general education pro- gram should be planned f o r all students; 3. G e n e r a l education must permeate the total college curriculum; 4. J u n i o r colleges should organize courses addressed primarily to gen- eral education on a basis which is consistent JANUARY, 1953 105 with the educational philosophy of the college. Particularly recommended in the Study is a functional approach to general education which builds courses and programs directly on the basis of the needs and characteristics of students and of society; 5. T h e general education program should include both re- quired and recommended courses and other experiences. T h e rest of part two is divided into the ten following chapters: 1 . T h e Advising, Guidance, and Counsel- ing of Students 2. Psychology and Personal Adjustment 3. Health, Physical Education and Recre- ation 4. Family L i f e Education 5. Communication 6. T h e C r e a t i v e A r t s and the Humanities 7. T h e N a t u r a l Sciences and Mathematics 8. Vocational Courses 9. Citizenship and the Social Studies 10. T h e E x t r a c l a s s P r o g r a m Logically, each of these groupings fits very nicely into one or more of the twelve princi- ples in the definition of general education. T h e author gives the whys and w h e r e f o r e s of each subject grouping, statistics on the subject as discovered in his study, and the type of program offered at different junior colleges. F o r example, the chapter " P s y - chology and Personal A d j u s t m e n t " is di- vided into the following subheadings: the im- portance of psychology in general education; varying practices in psychology courses, courses in action, problems and promises. Each of these subject groupings is presented in a similar manner. " O p e r a t i n g the P r o g r a m " is the title of part three of the report. In it are two chap- ters, "Administration: facilitating general education" and " T h e L i b r a r y : an oppor- tunity." T h e chapter on administration is one of extreme importance. T h e author ad- mits to f o u r different types of administrators and leaves no doubt as to the ideal type; establishes f o u r steps and elaborates upon these steps in educational engineering by giv- ing concrete examples. T h e effective edu- cational engineering f o r general education purposes which has been accomplished at San Francisco State College and Orange Coast College is c a r e f u l l y detailed to show clearly the steps taken by administrators to bring about the necessary changes and improve- ments needed in their college programs. L i b r a r i a n s can find a wealth of informa- tion in the chapter entitled " T h e L i b r a r y : an opportunity." In fact, to those of us who know D r . Johnson's already published w o r k s on the junior- college library it is a very complete summary in a f e w pages of his basic ideas and beliefs on the administration and organization of an effective and efficient library in a junior college community. N o t only can librarians find information of inter- est, but also the instructional staffs. T h i s chapter is meant f o r junior college educators and offers many concrete suggestions. D r . Johnson states that the administrator should: I. make the position of librarian of m a j o r im- portance on the instructional s t a f f ; 2. make the library the resource center of instruc- tional m a t e r i a l s ; 3. use the library as an avenue of instructional supervision; 4. recog- nize the role of the library in educational engineering. F o r the entire instructional staff, the author lists nine excellent services which the teachers can do f o r the librarian, and eight suggested activities which the li- brarians can do f o r the teachers. T h e author's excellent summary leaves the reader in no doubt as to the library's very im- portant part in the life of the junior college. P a r t f o u r , entitled "Unfinished Business," contains two chapters which summarize many of the principles elaborated in the text. Chapter fourteen, "Continuing Problems and Opportunities" considers some of the prob- lems and opportunities of junior colleges. T h e s e are junior college-high school rela- tionships; adult education; education of women; recognizing varied aptitudes, abilities and interests; the small junior college; the training of teachers. T h e author presents the problems that each of these statements holds and the opportunities which each offers. T h e last chapter entitled " L o o k i n g A h e a d " singles out certain general education develop- ments, nine of them to be exact, which seem particularly significant, and recommends specific lines of development that appear vital to the service of C a l i f o r n i a junior college students and to the communities and the state which support the junior college as part of the system of public education. T h i s chap- ter is general education in action f o r the ad- 106 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES ministrator, instructors, and all j u n i o r college personnel. In conclusion, the r e v i e w e r feels that this is a book which every f a c u l t y member, librarian, administrator, member of the boards of trustees in the j u n i o r college field should read c a r e f u l l y . I t w i l l be found interesting and inviting in readability, inclusive in scope, thought provoking in its objectiveness, stimu- lating enough to make the reader w a n t to put into operation many of the suggested recom- m e n d a t i o n s . — R u t h E. Scarborough, Centen- ary Junior College Library ,Hackettstown,N .J. N e w Books About the Book A r t s The Alexandrian Library, Glory of the Hellenic World; Its Rise, Antiquities, and Destruction. B y E d w a r d A l e x a n d e r P a r - sons. A m s t e r d a m , etc., T h e E l s e v i e r P r e s s , 1 9 5 2 . 468p. $ 7 . 5 0 . The Roman Letter, a Study of Notable Graven and Written Forms from Twenty Centuries in Which Our Latin Alphabet Moved towards Its High Destiny as the Basic Medium of Printed Communication throughout the Western World. P r e p a r e d by J a m e s H a y e s . . . on the occasion of an exhibition dealing with this subject held by R . R . Donnelley & Sons Company in its L a k e s i d e P r e s s G a l l e r i e s . . . C h i c a g o . . . 1 9 5 1 - 5 2 . 54p. commentary, 59 illus. Schoene Fischbucher. B y C l a u s s Nissen. S t u t t g a r t , L o t h a r H e m p e V e r l a g , 1 9 5 1 . io8p. Buecher bewegten die Welt: eine Kultur- geschichte des Buches. B y K a r l Schotten- loher. S t u t t g a r t , H i e r s e m a n n , 1 9 5 1 . V o l . I : Antiquity to Renaissance. 278p. D M 20-. Das Buch im wandel der Zeiten. B y W i l - helm H . L a n g e . 6th ed. W i e s b a d e n , F . Steiner, 1 9 5 1 . I96p., with 1 5 8 illus. The Alexandrian Library, to quote f r o m the P r o e m to this important w o r k , " c e r - tainly the greatest of all Antiquity and the g r e a t e s t before the invention of printing, w a s perhaps potentially the most important ever collected. B e c a u s e of the neglect in the annals of history and letters, w e have only the existing f r a g m e n t s of original minor com- ments in the ancient authorities and mostly casual r e m a r k s of many modern w r i t e r s out of which to attempt a restoration of the A l e x a n d r i a . " D u r i n g the past seven y e a r s this restoration w a s undertaken by E d w a r d A l e x a n d e r P a r - sons, man of letters and bibliographer, l i f e - long resident of N e w O r l e a n s and founder of the Bibliotheca P a r s o n i a n a . T h e results of his efforts, a labor of love in the finest sense of the w o r d , are now be- f o r e us in a volume wThich is certain to take an honored place on the shelves of every collector, student and librarian interested in books. A s one reads this magnificent account of the conception of the building of the l i b r a r y , founded " a t the close of the classic period of the w o r l d ' s greatest l i t e r a t u r e , when Athens, its mother, no longer a f f o r d e d the means, p o w e r or genius necessary f o r its protection or preservation," one w o n d e r s w h y this outstanding achievement in the intellec- tual l i f e of man has not before now been the subject of a truly exhaustive study. W i t h meticulous care and scrupulous ap- praisal of its validity M r . P a r s o n s has tried to locate every single reference to the l i b r a r y of A l e x a n d r i a in the ancient sources and in the studies of modern scholars. O u t of these e f f o r t s there arises an astonishingly vivid and complete picture of the founding of this li- b r a r y under the Ptolemies, of its scholarly and administrative s t a f f , of the method of acquisition of its vast holdings, their storage, cataloging and editing and of the alternating destruction and rebirth of this g r e a t institu- tion through nine centuries. W e witness the origin of the science of bibliography and of l i t e r a r y criticism and history. B u t w e are also given a most lively picture of the Hellenistic w o r l d , its leading personalities, its political issues and, above all, its c u l t u r a l mission. I t may be that the spe- cialist student of the Hellenistic tradition w o u l d d i f f e r here and there in points of detail f r o m the conclusions and interpretations o f f e r e d in this-book. T h e general r e a d e r w i l l notice a tendency t o w a r d repetition and he may sometimes wish that the picture might have been presented in a more concentrated manner. H e w i l l also notice a f a i r number of printers' e r r o r s . B u t scholar and layman JANUARY, 1953 107