College and Research Libraries Review Articles Farmington Plan Farmington Plan Handbook. By Edwin E. Williams. Association of Research Librar- ies, 1953. 170 pp. $2.50. Orders should be addressed to Office of the Executive Secretary, ARL, Indiana University Li- brary, Bloomington, Indiana.) If this were nothing more than a handbook of Farmington Plan practice, it would have even greater utility than the modest disclaimer in the Introduction which suggests that it "may be of some use to Farmington Plan dealers and their advisers, to the sixty-two participating libraries, to those who wish to locate recent foreign books in order to borrow them or obtain photographic copies, and to others who are interested in library coopera- tion and resources for research." For handbook purposes Mr. Williams has provided a concise initial chapter on "What The Plan Is and How It Works" and then in the latter half of the booklet a succession of practical cross indexes which permit the user to work easily from several approaches. There is a list of the ninety-nine countries whose publications are procured under the Plan with indication of the procurement agent or library, a list of the participating libraries with report of the subject fields for which each is responsible, a fairly detailed alphabeti- cal subject index that indicates the library responsible for each subject, and then a classi- fied (L.C.) cross index. In view of the complexity of the subject allocations and the considerable number of countries and libraries that are involved, it seemed obvious that after six years of opera- tion it was worth while to publish these por- tions of the Handbook if only for the benefit of the libraries receiving books and the dealers sending them. During the first five years of operation (1948-1952) the Plan brought in over 50,000 volumes, so already a large body of material that "might reasonably be expected to interest a research worker in the United States" has been added to the country's collections. Since under the terms of the Plan we can assume that much of this material might not other- wise be available here, and even though indi- vidual titles are supposed to be listed promptly in the National Union Catalogue, this Hand- book provides an important resources guide for all libraries in the country. Although re- sponsibility for a subject under the Plan does not necessarily mean that the particular li- brary has a major collection in the subject field, certainly this is a tendency. Thus scholars and reference librarians, as well as acquisitions librarians, will find the Handbook a useful bibliographical tool. Happily, however, Mr. Williams has gone beyond the handbook stage and provided a historical and critical report on the Plan that is both impressive and readable, and also a full bibliography. This was well worth doing because the Farmington Plan is a truly monumental program, conceived in bold and generous terms, and because much of the source material is not easily accessible. This portion of the Handbook has been prepared with the documentary skill and thoroughness, as well as the candor, that we expect of Mr. Williams, who has had the special advantage of working closely with the Plan almost since its inception. If the Handbook contains any of the small errors that are the badge of a scholarly review, this reviewer found none and would consider it supererogatory to list them anyway. If effec- tive criticism of the Plan or research into it are stimulated on the basis of Mr. Williams' shrewd comments, he will consider his work well repaid. Even without such important projections, he has performed here an im- portant service to scholarship as well as a good job of scholarship.—Robert Vosper, University of Kansas Library. Lamont Library Catalog Catalogue of the Lamont Library, Harvard College. Prepared by Philip J. McNiff and members of the Library Staff. Cam- bridge, Harvard University Press, 1953 x, 562 pp. The Catalogue of the Lamont Library reflects accurately the main purpose of the Lamont Library which is to provide " . . . a live, working collection of books selected to serve the required and recommended reading 236 COI.LEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES needs of Harvard undergraduates in addition to a good general collection of books that it makes readily available." The Catalogue contains more than 39,000 titles arranged in classified form by the La- mont Library classification scheme. It is provided with a brief table of contents in which the structure of the classification scheme is clearly outlined, an author index, and a subject index. Individual entries are brief but adequate. The general format is simple, unpretentious and attractive. Altogether, from a physical point of view this book ap- pears to meet the criteria for a good printed catalog. Philip J. McNiff, Lamont Librarian, pre- pared the Catalogue with the assistance of Roland H. Moody and William B. Ernst, Jr. of the Lamont staff, and George W . Cottrell, Jr., Editor of the Harvard University Li- brary. Its preparation was made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. As McNiff emphasizes in his introductory statement this is the catalog of a working collection; it does not attempt to represent an ideal book collection for a liberal arts college. Consequently, it would be imperti- nent to criticize or appraise this catalog in the light of the criteria one might apply to the ideal or theoretical type of book best exempli- fied by the Shaw1 list. As a working list of books for undergradu- ates in an eminent liberal arts college, the Catalogue automatically achieves a place of importance for college and university librari- ans. It represents the experience of an ex- cellent library staff working in conjunction with a first rate liberal arts faculty in the determination of book selection policy and the actual selection of books. Added to this condition has been the observation of the use made, of the collection so selected, by Har- vard undergraduates. The method of book selection for the La- mont collection is described in some detail in an article entitled "The Selection of Books for Lamont," by Edwin E. Williams.2 The subse- quent refinement of the original lists and the limitations and general coverage of the pres- ent Catalogue are briefly but simply set forth in the introduction to the Catalogue. Librarians will find much to study and 1 S h a w , Charles B . A List of Books for College Libraries. Chicago, American L i b r a r y Association, 1 9 1 1 . 2 Harvard Library Bulletin, 3:386-94, A u t u m n , 1949. perhaps to emulate in the selection, organiza- tion and presentation of this list. Despite its limitations, they will find the catalogue a highly suggestive and useful guide in evaluat- ing their collections. In the arrangement of the titles and forms of entry there will be found useful suggestions; in the simple format and economical method of production, en- couragement for additional projects of this sort.—Morris A. Gelfand, Queens College Library. Problems in Psychology Professional Problems in Psychology. By Robert S. Daniel and C. M. Louttit. New York, Prentice-Hall, 1953. 416 pp. $5.50. Undoubtedly, a more significant title for this book might have been "A Guide to the Literature of Psychology," since the chief professional problems it .takes up are those of library research, manuscript preparation, outlets for publication, etc. In addition, the authors have included material intended to help the student in psychology acquire profes- sional perspective, around which the entire book centers. There has not been a guide to the literature of psychology since Louttit in 1932 published his Handbook of Psychological Literature, of which Professional Problems is partly a revision and expansion. Louttit (University of Illinois) is editor of Psychological Ab- stracts, and Daniel teaches a course in Studies in Professional Problems at the University of Missouri. Their successful collaboration has resulted in a handy little reference volume that ranges from such basic information as where to put' the period when your sentence ends in parentheses to membership require- ments for the American Psychological Associa- tion. The book proper is divided into four parts. The first of these orients the reader in the growth of psychology as a profession. The fourth and final part reinforces the emphasis on "professionalization" and discusses fields of training, job opportunities, legal, ethical, and public relations, and professional organiza- tions. Parts 2 and 3, the major portion of the book, comprise the guide to psychological literature. The authors investigate the im- portant sources of information and how to APRIL, 1954 237