College and Research Libraries • ABSTRACTS The following abstracts are based on those prepared by the Clearinghouse for Library and Information Sciences of the Educational Resources In- fo1·mation Center (ERIC / CLIS), American Society for Information Science, 1140 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 804, Washington, DC 20036. Documents with an ED number may be ordered in either microfiche (MF) or hard copy (HC) from ERIC Document Reproduction Service, LEASCO Information Products, Inc. , P.O. Drawer 0, Bethesda, MD 20014. Or.ders must include ED number and specification of format desired. A $0.50 handling charge will be added to all orders. Payment must accom- pany orders totaling less than $10.00. Orders from states with sales tax laws must include payment of the appropriate tax or include tax exemption certificates. Documents available from the National T echnical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22151 have NTIS number and price following the citation. Are Computer-Oriented Librarians-Really Incompetent? Excerpts from the Pro- ceedings of a LARC Meeting Held Dur- ing the ALA Conference in Dallas, Tex- as. Library Automation Research and Consulting Association, Tempe, Ariz. 1971. lOp. (ED 056 701, MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29) The May 1971 issue of College & Re- search Libraries featured an article by Dr. Ellsworth Mason which constitutes an all- out attack on the application of computer technology to library systems. Mason views the computer-based technology to library systems developed to date (at least the ones he has studied) as unqualified dis- asters from a cost benefit point of view and librarians who have made the decisions to implement them as naive, incompetent, and hypnotized by the siren songs of the com- puter industry. In conjunction with the American Library Association conference in Dallas, Texas, The Library Automation Research and Consulting Association (LARC Association) arranged to hold an informal discussion of Mason's charges. This paper presents excerpts of the proceedings. Informal Communication Among Sci- entists: Proceedings of a Conference on Cur1•ent Research. Ed. by Susan Crawford. American Medical Association, Chicago, Ill. Feb. 22, 1971. 50p. (ED 056 697, MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29) On February 22, 1971, a meeting of in- vestigators studying informal commul)ica- 248 I tion among scientists was held at the Amer- ican Medical Association. The participants were limited to ten members in order to preserve a seminar-type format. The meet- ing was led by Derek Price, and Fred Strodtbeck, an authority on small groups, was invited as resource scientist. Besides a list of the participants, the "Proceedings" of the meeting include major presentations by Drs. Price and Strodtbeck, discussion of these papers, and resumes of work sub- mitted b y the attendants. Materials Transfer: A Report of a Pilot Document Delivery Service, November 1969-June 1970. By Elizabeth Pan and Ron Miller. Five Associated University Libraries, Syracuse, N.Y. 1971. 52p. (ED 056 721, MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29) The purpose of the FAUL Technical Memoranda ( FTM) series is to disseminate quickly to librarians and information sci- entists the objectives, methods, procedures, analyses, conclusions, and recommendations relating to the performance of small proj- ects in applied research. This report is an account of a study to develop a document delivery service between the Five Associat- ed University Libraries (FAUL). The ap- proach and activities of the Access Com- mittee and the FA UL Central staff about materials and people movement among the libraries during the 1969-70 academic year are described. The primary objective of the experiment was to measure and com- pare the transportation modes under con- l sideration in terms of speed, cost per pound, and predictability. The results are present- ed in tables. An appendix summarizes the usage and costs of the service. The recom- mendation that the pilot system be extend- ed from June 1970 until January 31, 1971, was followed; however, all the data re- quested in the recommendation were not collected and were not incorporated into the report. A. National Survey of the Public's At- titudes Toward Computers. Time, Inc., New York; American Federation of In- formation Processing Societies, Montvale, N.J. 1971. 51p. $5.00. The general public's attitudes toward continually expanding computer usage is frequently speculated about but is far from understood. This study is aimed at provid- ing objective data on the public's attitudes toward computers, their uses, their per- ceived impact on the American economy as well as on the individual, and their fu- ture uses. The report discusses. selected data but these are intended to be illus- trative of rather than a definitive summary of major results. Survey results are based on 1,001 telephone interviews with a statis- tically drawn probability sample of the population (adults, 18 years and over) of the United States. Thus, it is believed that the figures presented can be extrapolated with a reasonable degree of accuracy to the entire American adult population. Although attitude studies are subject to a wide va- riety of interpretations, it is believed that this study is a significant step forward in the search for a better understanding of the public point of view on computers. Widening the Circle, Libraries for Tomor- row; Interim Report of the Governor's Task Force to Study Library Services in Maine. Governor's Task Force to Study Library Services in Maine, Augusta. 1971. 36p. (ED 056 73·8, MF-$0.65 HC- $3.29) The Governor's Task Force to Study Li- brary Services in Maine were directed to accomplish three tasks: ( 1) survey the present resources and services of the state, public, college, school, and special libraries Recent Publicati.ons I 249 in Maine and evaluate these resources and services in terms of identified needs; (2) determine ways in which libraries, their services and resources, may be improved and coordinated at all levels to assure equal access for all citizens to their edu- cational and cultural benefits; and ( 3) rec- ommend action by which the state can en- courage and effect development of library service indicated by the study. This in- terim report summarizes the findings of the Task Force regarding library resources, ser- vices, and principal needs. It then outlines the elements of a library service concept based on the library as a means of access to the full body of library resources in the state. As the first step toward translation of this concept into explicit recommenda- tions for state action, it recommends the development of new library service stan- dards for Maine. College Bibliocentre Acquisition and Ac- counting System Operating Manual. College Bibliocentre, Don Mills, Ontario. 1971. 54p. (ED 056 691, MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29) The Acquisition and Accounting System has been programmed and tested, and is currently running in parallel with the man- ual operations. Implementation is taking place in planned stages so as to ensure a smooth takeover and to enable staff to fa- miliarize themselves with a number of dif- ferent approaches to their work. As would be expected, the workload has increased considerably, but it is to be hoped that the extra effort will pay off in terms of maxi- mum effectiveness: of the operating sys- tem. The ultimate purpose of this man- ual is to illustrate the reports that the Community Colleges will be receiving, to describe their content, and to provide the means for interpreting the information. The manual is divided into four sections. Sec- tion I summarizes the Acquisition and Ac- counting System from the machine stand- point by means of flowcharts and accom- panying narratives. Section II des·cribes the operating environment. Section III shows the reports the Colleges are to re- ceive and Section IV outlines the admin- istrative and housekeeping reports of the College Bibliocentre.