College and Research Libraries 76 I College & Research Libraries • January 1976 fits) to examine the personnel, salary, and staff situations in their libraries and to de- fine possible actions for amelioration of ex- isting inequalities. Both of these volumes should be pur- chased for the professional collections of all libraries. They present a challenge to our profession to assume leadership with the other ranking female professions of educa- tion and nursing in the nationwide battle to end discrimination.-Sherrie S. Berg- man, College Librarian, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts. Christian, Roger W. The Electronic Li- brary: Bibliographic Data Bases 1975- 76. White Plains, N.Y.: Knowledge In- dustry Publications, Inc., 1975. 118p. $24.50 (copyrighted pub.; reprod. pro- hibited); $60.00 (single copy plus li- cense to reproduce). (LC 75~ 7724) (ISBN 0-914236-02-4) Library· Networks '74-'75. General editor: Seth Goldstein. Report editor: Martin R. Miller. White Plains, N.Y.: Knowledge Industry Publications, Inc., 1974. 110p. $24.50 (copyrighted pub.; reprod. pro- hibited); $60.00 (single copy plus li- cense to reproduce). (LC 74-82906) (ISBN 0-914236-01-6) The impact of on-line retrieval systems permitting interactive communication be- . tween the computer and the user may well be reflected in the recent upsurge in the use of machine-readable data bases and may result in an even greater proliferation of library networks in the future. However, even with the off-line capability, the data- base industry and library networks have been growing so rapidly since 1970 that it has been a problem to keep up with devel- opments in both areas. Both of the reports here reviewed fall short of the goal when they attempt to project the state of the art in the growth of bibliographic data bases through 1976 and in the development of library networks through 1975. For the price of these two publications, and even in spite of the price of these pub- lications, they can in no way compare with the excellent chapters on machine-readable data bases by Gechman (Annual Review of Information Science and Technology [ ARIST ], 1972) and Williams (ARIST, 1974) or on library networks by Miller and Tighe (ARIST, 1975). Of the two works issued by Knowledge Industry Publications, however, my reaction to The Electronic Li- brary, by Roger W. Christian, was far more positive than to Library Networks, with Seth Goldstein as its general editor. The latter would profit immeasurably by being returned to the editing board. In fairness to both authors, however, I should indicate that neither attempts to be comprehensive, but each tries to be selective in his respec- tive presentation. It is to Christian's credit that he does not attempt an in-depth analy- sis of the data-base industry, but focuses instead on the structure of the industry. He presents a "brief sampling of the wares and modus operandi of representative data base publishers, indicating not only their scope and variations, but their similarities." Christian discusses three aspects of the industry: {the role of the publisher or pro- ducer of machine-readable data bases; the role of the distributors or vendors who pro- vide access to published data bases, includ- ing the purveyors of the communication facilities that link on-line data-base vendors to their subscribers; and, finally, the role of the users (libraries, research and devel- opment, and the general public). With a series of effective brush strokes he sketches the contributions of such major nonprofit and commercial publishers as the National Technical Information Service, the Ameri- can Chemical Society, the United Engineer- ing Center, INSPEC, and the Institute of Scientific Information. He discusses the marketing techniques and services of the major vendors such as Systems Develop- ment Corporation and Lockheed, as well as provides a brief insight into the opera- tions of the smaller vendors or the third-tier retailers. Christian points out that the struc- ture of the industry is confusing, and that a chaotic competition app~ars to exist be- tween private enterprise, the federal gov- ernment, and government-subsidized ser- vices. In his final chapters, Christian reviews the effect of the industry on libraries and those problems confronting the user relative to cost of the service, charging of fees for information, the redundant coverage of the literature, and the problem of training the users versus providing an intermediarY.. Al- though the publication is worth reading, it is quite probable that its price and scope may limit distribution. My initial reaction to Goldstein's work was negative. His work is poorly composed, is often grammatically incorrect and, most jarring of all, frequently contains factual in- accuracies. With all due respect, OCLC was not the first of the computerized cata- loging. networks, although no one would ar- gue that it is one of the more extensive; nor did FA UL spend $13.2 million dollars on its operations in 197 4, as one might infer from the statement presented by Goldstein. Furthermore, one seeking to find a defini- tion of the term network should not attempt to locate it here. His definition, "Library networks . . . are any coalition formed by a group of similar or dissimilar libraries to share resources and centralized processing with one a,nother," lends itself to systems, consortia, or cooperatives as well as to net- works. On the positive ~ide, Goldstein does at- tempt to restrict his study to a brief over- view of computerized cataloging networks. Although predominantly concerned with an analysis of OCLC, the author does discuss regional developments, such as NELINET, BALLOTS, and PALINET, and very brief- ly touches upon the development in SUNY, FAUL, and CUNY. He also provides a se- lected directory of eighteen computerized cataloging networks, for which he includes information on location, membership, · ad- ministration, equipment, status, and fund- ing. The audience for whom these publica- tions are intended is not quite clear. N ei- ther publication is specialized enough for the information scientist; both are of limit- ed interest to the general public. The price of both may certainly preclude purchase. However, academic and research libraries or library schools with comprehensive col- lections might consider allocating funds for Christian's book-Sylvia G. Faibisoff, Graduate School of Library Science, Uni- versity of Illinois, Urbana. Berninghausen, David K. The Flight from Reason: Essays on Intellectual Freedom in the Academy, the Press, and the Li- Recent Publications I 77 brary. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1975. 175p. $7.50. (LC 74-23236) (ISBN 0-8389-0192-1) 'Tis a pity that America's state of society requires as distinguished a librarian as Mr. Berninghausen to divert his energies from teaching librarianship to apprentice librari- ans to explaining to them and, in this book, to a journeyman audience as well, the ne- cessity of defending the ideas of John Stuart Mill (now 116 years old). But such is our state, and his observations are not amiss. The reviewer of any book on this subject faces a task which is vaguely distasteful. He regrets, first of all, that the subject must be written about. Second, he doubts that the book will either reach or convert the hea- then. Third, he cannot escape the feeling that a dead horse is being flogged. Finally, he probably finds himself in such general agreement with the author· that he is re- duced to enumerating the contents or to echoing, in truncated form, the major points. So reduced, let me say that seven of the eight essays appear to be here pub- lished for the first time; the eighth is a re- A comprehensive, up-to-the minute cyclopedic guide to .all the latest ideas and concepts in business, government, hospital, educational and library administration, management, supervision, personnel, training, development, guidance, fi- [ nce, communication, information & EDP sys- ms and methods. Just published.· Cloth. ISBN 912352-03-5. $12.95 Systems Research. ACRL-2 Box 74524, Los Angeles, CA90004