College and Research Libraries


date of publication, other resources (this 
would be very helpful to the users on the local 
campus), reference to other subject policy 
statements of interest to this clientele, levels 
of collecting intensity, and, finally, a state-
ment on the collection's strengths and weak-
nesses. 

The policy uses a system of six levels for 
definition of collecting levels, the five from 
Library Resources & Technical Services 21:42 
(Winter 1977), plus one called "exhaustive." 
These designations are overly broad, though a 
few are further broken down, such as for maps 
and music. The statements are usually in 
standard English, rather than library-ese, so 
that even students and faculty can com-
prehend them! Some are refreshingly 
honest-for example, the strengths and weak-
nesses summary for architecture and urban 
design. 

Business administration covers fourteen 
pages, including an entire page on purpose , a 
summary of the reference collection, business 
periodicals, business books, a study of the ef-
fectiveness of the approval and standing order 
program as it affects monographs , the percent-
age of publications received, importance of the 
work of the bibliographer, and a study of core 
titles (wandering a bit afield?). 

The children's collection statement tells 
what it is not, plus the admission that it is an 
"unselective collection." For economics there 
is much on the history of the local collection , 
including comments on the uncataloged 
titles-one may question if this belongs in a 
collection development policy. 

There are policies on some new or unusual 
collections, such as women's studies, univer-
sity archives, special collections, social wel-
fare, radiation biophysics, other foreign lan-
guages, museum of natural history, current 
fiction, and applied English. Much work went 
into this compilation, and it is well 
indexed.-Wilmer H. Baatz , Indiana Univer-
sity, Bloomington. 

Martin , Susan K. Library Networks, 1978-79. 
White Plains, N.Y.: Knowledge Industry 
Publications, 1978. 144p. $24.50 pbk.; 
$29.50 hardbound. LC 78-10666. ISBN 
0-914236-26-1; 0-914236-18-0 pbk. 
This is the third edition of a work that was 

originally issued by Knowledge Industry Pub-
lications in 1974. Although Susan Martin did 

Recent Publications I 183 

not prepare the first edition, she revised it in 
1976 and again last year. By heeding criticisms 
of the earlier volumes, Martin has managed to 
produce a generally excellent overview of re-
cent activities in on-line bibliographic net-
working throughout North America. Her new 
book discusses computerized library systems 
in terms of individual libraries , regional net-
works , and national programs. 

Writing for librarians and for those in busi-
ness who require only a brief introduction to 
on-line networks for libraries, Martin has not 
created a scholarly monograph , but she has 
included some footnotes and a bibliography. 

The eleven chapters deal concisely with 
such topics as: the growth and scope of net-
working; uses and standards for machine-
readable data; major computer utilities 
(OCLC, BALLOTS, UTLAS, and WLN); 
existing network organizations; commercial 
suppliers of services and systems; relations 
with hardware manufacturers, subcontractors, 
and consultants; selection, operation, and 
management of on-line systems; unsolved is-
sues and problems in network development 
and implementation; planning for a national 
library information network; and merging tra-
ditional library cooperatives with on-line sys-
tems . Computer-based indexing and abstract-
ing services are only mentioned par-
enthetically. 

The information supplied is definitely cur-
rent, with references to 1978 publications and 
events , including the adoption of Proposition 
13, appearing frequently in this volume. Net-
working plans for 1979 and subsequent years 
are also given in some instances. In the appen-
dix are up-to-date (mid-1978) listings for 
twenty-six on-line bibliographic networks 
operating in the United States and Canada. 
While entries vary considerably in detail, most 
provide the following data: location, mem-
bership (with a complete list of member librar-
ies), director, a status report, and future plans. 

This book contains a two-page bibliography 
and a two-page index, both of which need 
improvement. Nevertheless, Library Net-
works, 1978-79 is a very useful, albeit inordi-
nately overpriced, publication. -Leonard 
Grundt, Nassau Community College, Garden 
City, New York. 

Jeffries, John. A Guide to the Official Publica-
tions of the European Communities. New 



184 I College & Research Libraries • March 1979 

1977-1978 

PICK'S CURRENCY YEARBOOK* 
22nd Edition, 8W' x I 1". Cloth. 
800 pages. ISBN 0-87551 -277- 1. 

This annual is the most complete 
single source of current monetary in· 
formation in print. Contains a compre· 
hensive description and appraisal of 
113 major currencies and accessory 
units, a supplementary review of 40 
minor monies, and latest ;develop-
ments in international gold markets in· 
eluding monthly bar and coin prices 
for ten years. There is also a complete 
survey of official e~change rate struc· 
tures as well as a ten-year record of 
n:JOnetary depreciation. Resident and 
nonresident transferability regulations 
and domestic currency restrictions are 
discussed. PRICE .. $180.00 

includina airmail postaae 
*1955- 1974 ( 19 volumes) available on microfilm ( 16mm. 
20:1 redu ction-positive image) . Postpaid price: $350.00 

ALL THE MONIES OF THE WORLD* 
A Chronicle of Currency Values 
6 " x 9" Cloth. 620 pages. 
ISBN 0-87551 -610-6. 
Historical dictionary of money values. 
Fulfills the need for a standard refer· 
ence work for students and profes· 
sionals alike. Recommended by Li· 
brary Journal for business, financial 
and economics libraries. The volume 
is a·complete chronology of kinds and 
values of currencies used since man's 
first experience with a medium of 
exchange. PRICE .. $80.00 
*Al'iO al •ailable on sel'en. /05mm x 148mm microfiche 
cards. Postpaid price: $24.95 

21 WEST STREET • NEW YORK, N.Y. 10006 

York: Facts on File, 1978. 178p. $20. LC 
78-3183. ISBN 0-87196-371-X. 
A bibliographic research guide to European 

Communities documentation has long been 
needed, and this publication admirably fills 
the bill. It begins with a summary (peppered 
with suggestions for further reading) of the 
history and structure of the European Com-
munities and includes a detailed history of the 
Official journal and brief but adequate cover-
age of the · working documents of the Com-
munities (COM an<l SEC documents and 
Working Documents of the European Parlia-
ment). 

The Guide is primarily intended as an up-
date to the Catalogue des publications 1952-
1971, volume 1 (Brussels: ·European Cpm-
munities, 1972), after which it is patterned. 
The emphasis is on serial publications, al-
though some monographs are also included. 
The Guide summarizes serial information 
found in the earlier Catalogue, then details all 
subsequent issues and new titles, covering au-
thor, title, frequency, format, and content 
changes, and listing all new titles in mono-
graphic series. 

Especially welcome is the listing by title of 
all monographic supplements to the Bulletin 
of theE uropean Communities. The chapter on 
Statistical Office publications was well done; 
Jeffries appears to have caught the numerous 
changes occurring in these series in recent 
years. 

The book includes a welcome list of Euro-
pean Communities abbreviations and ac-
ronyms and concludes with a chapter ofbiblio-
graphic aids produced by the Communities, a 
list of addresses for acquiring publications, and 
a list of European Documentation Centres and 
depository libraries around the world. 

Jeffries has done an exemplary job on a 
difficult subject. His Guide is certainly easier 
to use than the earlier Catalogue, not only 
because it is published in English, but also due 
to its readable format, excellent annotations, 
and index. 

A few minor problems could be noted. His 
cut-off date is hazy; it appears to be 1975 or 
mid-1976. While the work could be consid-
ered dated already, it is not noticeably so, and 
Jeffries does note possible changes under con-
sideration. There is one typographical error on 
page 20: The Collected Acts relating to associa-
tion agreements are not discussed on page 00, 



but on page 99. This was difficult to ascertain 
from the index; it was not found there under 
"collected acts" but only under "association 
agreements,·· for which two pages were cited. 
In general, however, the index is good. 

This volume is important not only to Euro-
pean Communities depositories but to any re-
search institution involved with studies of 
Western European political and economic 
affairs.-Carolyn W. Kohler, University of 
Iowa, Iowa City. 

Williams, Patrick, and Pearce, Joan Thornton. 
The Vital Network: A Theory of Communi-
cation and Society. Contributions in Librar-
ianship and Information Science, number 
25. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 
1978. ll1p. $13.95. LC 77-94757. ISBN 
0-313-20324-5. ISSN 0084-9243. 
Since bibliographic and information net-

works are topics of consuming interest in the 
profession today, many librarians may acquire 
this title in the hopes that it will provide some 
insight into the elusive goal we all seek-a vital 
network. These hopes will be disappointed; 
the subtitle, A Theory of Communication and 
Society, is more descriptive of the book's con-
tents. 

Some librarians who acquire this work as a 
result of its misleading title may find that doing 
so is a rewarding mistake. The purpose of the 
work is to present a theory of macrocommuni-
cation systems that would provide librarians 
and other communication professionals a theo-
retical model from which to derive values and 
priorities. 

Briefly, the theory is a simplified derivative 
from the works of George Herbert Mead and 
Lev Vygotsky. It starts with the position that 
human intelligence .is the product oflanguage; 
the "cultural biosystem," which encompasses 
science, literature, and social and political in-
stitutions, is essentially a communications sys-
tem. The ability to communicate is the founda-
tion of human existence, and communication 
is the ultimate human activity. Naturally, the 
theory reflects well on the significance of the 
role of "communication professiona~s. ·· 

After establishing and to some extent justify-
ing this broad framework, the authors analyze 
three communication industries-entertain-
ment, journalism, and education-in terms of 
their roles in American society. These chap-
ters present a series of observations that at 

Recent Publications I 185 

times are interesting and provocative but pro-
vide little systematic evidence in support of 
the authors' theory. Basically, Williams and 
Pearce have succeeded in establishing a point 
of view and presenting a few examples. Al-
though the point of view is held with some 
consistency, it is not developed systematically 
in sufficient depth to warrant the name of 
"theory.·· 

The approach of this book must be consid-
ered somewhat oblique if it is aimed specifi-
cally at our librarians. Librarianship is treated 
in a brief postscript, but no attempt is made to 
establish the relevance of the theory to librar-
ianship in the course of presenting the theory 
in the main text. In light of the series in which 
this title is published, it would have been ap-
propriate to treat librarianship at least to the 
same degree as entertainment, journalism, 
and education. Had such an effort been made, 
the authors might have come clos~r to achiev-
ing their goal. 

Nevertheless, Williams and Pearce have 
produced a book that is provocative enough 
that it may be of interest to librarians who have 
the time to indulge their reflective moods on 
the role of the profession in society.-]oe A. 
Hewitt, University of North Carolina at 
Chapel Hill. 

Stem, Madeleine B. BooksandBookPeoplein 
19th-Century America. N e~ York: Bowker, 
1978. 341p. $25. LC 78-12197. ISBN 
0-8352-1109-6. 
For almost four decades Madeleine Stern's 

well-written essays and anecdotes have graced 
the pages of journals and monographs, re-
minding us of the rich heritage of our nation· s 
book trade. Some twenty-three of those essays 
are now brought together in this volume, 
which is well designed in a manner appro-
priate to its subject. The resulting medley 
should provide several ~venings of agreeable 
reading for anyone interested in the subject. · 

Virtually the entire contents of the book 
have appeared elsewhere. Readers who re-
member Stern's Imprints on Histdry (Indiana 
University Press, 1956) might choose to think 
of this book as its second volume, so similar are 
the styles and contents of the two, were it not 
that fully fifty pages from the earlier title are 
reprinted here. The integrity of the subject of 
Books and Book People, however, and the fact 
that some of its pieces are reproduced from