College and Research Libraries 136 I College & Research Libraries • March 1974 tates locating specific information. No course syllabus is completely satisfac- tory except perhaps to the person who has designed it. There are, nonetheless, some surprising omissions from this volume. A post-master's course in library automa- tion, especially one designed for librarians with little knowledge of, or experience with, automation, should include an analy- sis of the economic and managerial impli- cations of automation; it should also discuss how such techniques as operations research can improve managerial decision making. This syllabus treats economics minimally, and omits operations research and manage- ment information systems entirely. Other subjects are covered unevenly. The description of the MARC program is excel- lent; a lucid text is complemented by a rel- atively comprehensive bibliography of pri- mary and secondary sources. The unit on related technologies, on the other hand, is disjointed. With a vocabulary that is not al- ways precise, the authors present informa- tion on micrographics, dial-access systems, and telecommunications. In some instances trade names are used in place of generic terms, e.g., Kalvar film for vesicular film, and Microcard for micro-opaque. CRT ter- minals are described as permitting "extru- sion of an electron beam through a matrix of alphanumeric and special characters which are precision etched on a metal disk [and] when the beam strikes the phosphor- coated CRT, a high resolution character lights up" (p. 116). The reader is never told that CRT means cathode ray tube, or that a CRT presents a visual display of in- formation in a manner analogous to a tele- vision set. Neither the bibliography with the unit nor the general bibliography in- cludes references to standard sources of in- formation on micrographics. The sections covering computer technolo- gy, systems analysis, and library clerical processes are indebted to Robert M. Hayes' and Joseph Becker's Handbook of Data Processing for Libraries (New York: Wiley, 1970). A comparison of the two publica- tions shows that the syllabus is a precis of the Handbook and, as such, exhibits many of its weaknesses. Much of the material in these sections (and in other parts of the syllabus as well) is no more recent than 1970 and the majority of the bibliographi- cal citations are either to the Handbook or to mid-1960 publications. While the genesis of this syllabus and the reputations of its authors are impressive, there is little to distinguish the volume's content, scope, or approach from other pub- lications treating the same subject. The de- mand for a post-master's course in library automation may exist, but this syllabus does not supply that course.-Howard Paster- nack, Library Technology Reports, Ameri- can Library Association, Chicago, Illinois. Coburn, Louis. Library Media Center Problems, Case Studies. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications Inc., 1973. $7.50. Most librarians, I suppose, realize the limitations of the theoretical instruction (however good) they got in library school. It quickly becomes apparent that we were not fully prepared by our classwork for what faced us in the field. One answer to this problem has been the work-study ap- ·proach, but routine experiences in a work situation, completely divorced from theory, seem to be the other extreme. The case study approach may prove to be the answer. It involves a simulated work experience in the classroom where condi- tions can be controlled and theory can be applied as well as practical solutions. The major weakness seems to be that the case studies used are determined by the biases of the people who select and write them. In this book, however, Mr. Coburn seems to evidence a good set of biases. His simulated situations go right down the list of a school librarian's nightmares, from cen- sorship hassles to personality conflicts with the principal. The usual table of contents is followed by a helpful list of brief synop- ses of the cases. The introduction is well documented, for the sake of the further- reading crowd. The physical format of each case is clear and concise, short, and to the point. The author standardizes the cases with a scene-setting paragraph, some char- acter development, a presentation of the problem, then a list of discussion questions. Undeniably, the number one strong point of the case studies is brevity. The stage is set for discussion without reams of redun- dant reading. There are, however, some weak points. I wonder if this second edition (the first was a local publication which I've never seen) isn't also only the second draft. The standardized format mentioned above is, on the whole, an advantage, but, at least in some of the cases, it reduces the book to the literary quality of a police report. A lit- tle more style would be appreciated even by the most businesslike library science stu- dent. Some stated causes of the problems un- der study seem rather simplistic, even for a simulation. I remember at least two kids who avoided books because their "mother works." Perhaps a little more imagination in the third edition would add to the real- ism. Another problem is stereotyping. Are all reading-guidance school librarians really as pushy as the one in the second case, who hounded some poor kid until he began to read in self-defense? I hope not. If so, per- haps Mr. Coburn should include a case on subtlety or diplomacy in the next edition. Other typed characters also appear here and there in the book. Poor old Flora, age fifty-five, a "teacher-librarian," always seems to be messing up, but young (hand- some?) Kurt, from the Accredited-Library- School, usually saves the day. Actually, a little of this kind of stuff adds a light touch to a textbook, but perhaps Mr. Coburn's touch was not quite light enough. My general impression of this book, and certainly of the idea of case studies as an instructional resource, is positive. In a pro- fession like library science, which is really just a trade after all, on-the-job training (simulated or otherwise) is the coming thing. Louis Coburn, along with Thomas Galvin who wrote the introduction, seems to be in on the ground floor of a new and promising instructional strategy. I recom- mend that you read it and even buy it if you have the funds. I like.d it but I confess that I can hardly wait to see the next revi- sion.-James Doyle, Head of Reference, University of Detroit Library. Reynolds, Michael M., ed. Reader in Li- brary Cooperation. Washington, D.C.: NCR Microcard Editions, 1972. 398 p. $12.95. Novices in librarianship may not under- stand what all the fuss concerning library Recent Publications I 137 cooperation is really about. In their inno- cence, they have probably equated the li- brary mission to disseminate knowledge with a seemingly obvious notion of cooper- ation among all libraries in their pursuance of that objective. It may indeed be sacrilege in this age of ecumenism to start this re- view with a heresy by saying that, contrary to all the preaching, the concept of coop- eration is not unequivocally supported. At least, not yet. Otherwise, there would be no need for the multitude of articles writ- ten on this subject, nor could the collection of such reprints ever be justified. A lot of convincing and educating has to be done before cooperation in librarianship becomes the proverbial American apple-pie. Thus, the Reader in Library Cooperation is a timely and welcomed restatement of the is- sue. The book is itself a part of a coopera- tive venture, "intended as a means of ex- ploration for the practicing librarian and as a textbook for the library school stu- dent," and it admirably draws "attention to significant social, behavioral, theoretical, organizational, functional, and operational generalizations about library interrelation- ship . . . [and] cooperative endeavor'' (p.l). The underlying, and occasionally under- scored, theme of the collection is a concern about the basic value of cooperation. Many essays in this collection deal competently with cooperation as an efficient means for achieving the objectives of library service; some of the authors, however, also reflect on the real effect of cooperation on the li- brary user. They seem to warn the reader that cooperation in itself is not a panacea for all the headaches of disseminating in- formation, but rather it is an effort to iden- tify and to solve similar problems together. One may almost detect a common non- theme, characterizing all essays. Although a lot is said in these essays about the dif- ficulties in establishing and maintaining meaningful networks, no one attempts to solve the basic problems inherent in the concept of cooperation, since to resolve them would, in effect, eliminate the need for cooperation itself. Library cooperation is not just an activity, an efficient device for lowering costs or for speeding up library services. It is what an unindoctrinated stu- dent of librarianship might think it is: an