College and Research Libraries 70 I College & Research Libraries • January 1977 erature guide seeks to show as precisely as possible the nature of a discipline, the structure of its literature, and the organiza- tion of its research procedures, and to pro- vide annotated citations to representative examples of its reference literature. The sources it cites cannot be exhaustive" ( p. 41). Thus the authors of this guide provide a useful synopsis of their own publication. The characteristics of the science-tech- nical literature are diverse, and it is diffi- cult to cover all these while also including titles of representative reference works in the specific fields. This guide not only ac- complishes this blend in admirable fashion but adds a third dimension-sketches of the history and nature of the various sciences, with examples of landmark publications. The result is a compilation that library school faculty members will find suitable as a text and that practicing librarians working with science literature will find useful. The first three chapters cover the sources underlying all disciplines, the primary and secondary forms of scientific literature, and their reference sources. Chapters 4 through 11 cover the various major scientific fields and engineering. Chapter 12 is on the his- tory of science-both general and specific ~ubject reference works. Chapter 13 touches on science library resources and lit- erature searching, with some general refer- ences. A bibliography of eight pages cites recent articles, books, and reports on topics of relevance to science librarians. There is an index of bibliographies, indexes, and ab- stracting services which apply to more than one discipline. The author-title-subject in- dex is well arranged. The coverage is up-to-date. The annota- tions give useful clues as to special features and limitations. Both the table of contents and the index provide ready access to the appropriate entries. The typography and layout are commendable. Code numbers as- signed to each title allow easy cross-refer- encing. Over one thousand titles are cov- ered, constituting a basic science reference collection.-]ohanna E. Tallman, Director of Libraries, California Institute of Technol- ogy, l'asadena. Comaromi, John P.; Michael, Mary Ellen; and Bloom, Janet. A Survey of the Use of the Dewey Decimal Classification in the United States and Canada. Prepared for Forest Press, Lake Placid Foundation. Albany, N.Y.: Forest Press, 1975. x,290, 18,20p. $5.00. Sponsored and issued by the publisher of the Dewey Decimal Classification ( DDC) schedules, this survey provides a wealth of information concerning the use of the DDC in the U.S. and Canada. This information was gathered from three sources: questionnaires sent to processing centers and school, public, junior college, college, and university libraries; personal visits to processing centers and large li- braries; and questionnaires sent to catalog- ing and classification instructors. Although this survey was conducted by the Universi- ty of Illinois Library Research Center, the principal investigator was John Comaromi o{Western :Michigan University. Conducted during 1975, this survey of- fers new data concerning the relative prom- inence of the DDC and LC systems in American and Canadian libraries. While the vast majority of the respondents were using DDC, nearly two-thirds of the large librar- ies (those holding 500,000 volumes or more) were using LC. The heart of this study is a review of the attitudes and practices of the more than 800 respondents who were using DDC. These respondents presented their views on a lengthy list of topics, including such varied matters as DDC phoenix schedules, segmentation of DDC numbers, DC&, the classification of biography, reclassification, ahd the purpose of classification. The report includes dozens of capsule summaries of the views and practices of large DDC users. The voices of local librarians can be clear- ly heard; unfortunately, these voices often disagree with one another. The questionnaires which were sent to libraries and processing centers were sent to a biased sample of these institutions, for they were sent to 100 percent of the com- mercial processing centers and large librar- ies but only 10 percent of the noncommer- cial processing centers and smaller librar- ies. The response rate varied greatly, for it reached 87 percent for junior college li- braries but fell below 60 percent for school and public libraries (a pattern which the report does not openly acknowledge) . The survey data base therefore rests upon a highly irregular foundation which includes, for example, responses from 86 percent of the large libraries in the survey universe but less than 6 percent of the school and public libraries in this universe. Another questionable feature of this survey was the limitation of the personal interviews to pro- cessing centers and large libraries. This study offers much to the reader, in- cluding a series of thought-provoking com- ments, such as Comaromi's observation, "in most libraries visited . . . the DDC is now used in a mark and park fashion" (p.59); however, this study is marred by various shortcomings, including not only those men- tioned above but also numerous lesser flaws such as the ill-conceived wording of survey · question 21 and the erroneous reference to Table 10 on page 30. Despite such short- comings, this study should not be over- looked by anyone who is vitally concerned with the present state and future prospects of the DDC.-Robert L. Mowery, Human- ities Librarian, Illinois Wesleyan U niversi- ty, Bloomington, Illinois. Woodbury, Marda. A Guide to Sources of Educational Information. Washington, D.C.: Information Resources Press, 1976. 371p. $25.00 plus postage and handling. (LC 75-37116) (ISBN 0-87815-015-3) Naturally, the bulk of any "guide to the literature" must necessarily be devoted to annotated lists of reference resources. In my opinion, however, those guides succeed or fail on the introduction they give to the use of the literature, i.e., the searching process. Woodbury's book makes a refresh- ingly unique and quite literate stab at pro- viding the library novice with a practical guide to searching the education literature. She starts with a useful table of catego- ries such as "yearly summaries," "hot news," "government documents," etc., which direct one to the correct type of reference re- source, thus effectively indexing the chap- ters on resources. A detailed outline of the searching process and a checklist of ques- tions asked when negotiating a reference question follow. Some of the tables and fig- ures reflect the excellent information ser- Recent Publications I 11 vices work done by the Far West Labora- tory for Educational Research and Develop- ment and other regional labs. The traditional, although well written, annotations of printed resources are supple- mented by a section on nonprint sources, such as agencies and computerized biblio- graphic searching services, The index of this book is good as is the technical quality. Its strong point, however, is definitely the innovative approach to ex- plaining searching. Its weak point is the outrageous price, $25.00~ which is out of line even considering inflation. All in all, Woodbury's manual is clear and concise and should be an excellent source for those users of educational resources who can afford it.-]ames Doyle, Learning Me- dia Center, Macomb Co. Community Col- lege, Warren, Michigan. Langridge, D. W. Classification and Index- ing in the Humanities. London: Butter- worths, 1976. 143p. $11.95. (ISBN 0- 408-70777-1) . (Available from Butter- worths, 19 Cummings Park, Woburn, MA 01801.) This title is a bit misleading-the book is p:r;imarily a treatise on the application of faceted classification principles to human- ities subjects, with a brief nod to other ap- proaches to indexing. The author begins with a general discus- sion of the value of classification, especially for bibliography, followed by an attempt to define the "humanities." The main part of the work is a detailed discussion of the special features of each humanities subject, the consideration necessary in classifying it, and its treatment in the major schemes now used in libraries. A special classifica- tion for the sport of cricket provides a dem- onstration of the principles elucidated. The author concludes with brief comments on thesaurus construction, book indexing, and the like. The British approach appears not only in the theory presented, and in such things as the use of cricket as an example and the inclusion of history as a humanity, but also in the denigration of postcoordinate index- ing and an almost total disregard for the computer, with the only mechanized system noted in any detail a peekaboo card file.