College and Research Libraries 366 I College & Research Libraries • july 1979 Carson. There is no point in quibbling with the author's selection of the titles or in proposing substitutions by the reviewer; Downs' list of books is as good as any, and his depiction of the impact of each work upon history is sound. The book is one for dipping and browsing, rather than for con- tinuous reading. Experienced readers will find little that is new, but they will have at hand a reliable assessment of the books Downs considers to be epochal. In Search of New Horizons performs the same function for explorers and travelers, arranged chronologically from Herodotus to the conquerors of Annapurna and Everest. Here the subject matter calls for a more vigorous treatment than that which Downs' rather sluggish prose gives it. The informa- tion is solid, but the spark of life is fre- quently missing. As the range of narratives of exploration is so great, one may properly question some of Downs' choices. When there is still so much doubt that Peary reached the North Pole, why describe his account of the supposed feat? One also wonders why this work was published by the American Library Association rather than a commercial publisher, considering that · s subject matter appears to be more appro riate for trade publication.-Henry Miller Madden, California State University, Fresno. National Research Council. Study Project on Social Research and Development. The Federal Investment in Knowledge of Social Problems. Volume 1: Study Project Report. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1978. 114p. $7. LC 78-7928. ISBN 0-309-02747-0. National Research Council. Study Project on Social Research and Development. Knowledge and Policy: The Uncertain Cdnnection. Laurence E. Lynn, Jr., editor. Study Project on Social Research and Development, Volume 5. Washing- ton, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1978. 183p. $8.25. LC 78-1960. ISBN 0-309-02732-2. The works cited above are the report and one of five volumes of background papers of the National Research Council's Study Proj- ect on Social Research and Development, commenced in 1974. This was the fourth federally sponsored investigation since 1968 of the usefulness of social science to social policy and possibilities for improvement. According to its chairman, Professor Donald Stokes of Princeton, the latest study differs from its predecessors in considering the limitations as well as the potentialities of social research for governmental purposes; in encompassing all aspects of "knowledge production and application" (including, for example, collection of social statistics) in addition to research and development as conventionally defined; and in including nonfederal users and uses in calculating the benefits of federal knowledge-promoting ac- tivities. Among the study group's recommen- dations are that federal research sponsorship be more -systematically planned, as well as increased; that research users outside gov- ernment be involved in planning; that dis- semination activities include periodic syntheses of the knowledge gained from re- search (a propos.al that recalls the Weinberg Report of 1963); and that the role of knowl- edge brokers-officials whose job is to iden- tify and elucidate for government and the scientific community their opportunities for mutual betterment-be enlarged. The six background papers collected under the title Knowledge and Policy: The Uncertain Connection make for livelier reading than the study report, displaying an interesting range of opinion on such matters as the past usefulness of social science to policy formation and the extent to which so- ciety both can and should expect direct and immediate benefits from scientific en- deavors. To mention just a few examples in this small space, Carol H. Weiss reports that use of social science by federal decision makers has been shown to be greater than is generally assumed (p.26), while James Q. Wilson asserts that serious social science is given serious governmental attention only rarely, and perhaps never (p.82, 92). A sys- tem called PIPs (policy implication papers) established in HEW to systematize dissemi- nation and use of research results is judged promising in one paper (Howard Davis and Susan Salasin, p.121-22), while another concludes "PIPs flopped" (Weiss, p. 70). Alone among the contributors, Weiss dis- NEW HORIZONS FOR ACADEMIC LIBRARIES Invited and contributed papers presented at the ACRL 1978 National Conference Ed. Robert Stueart and Richard Johnson June 1979.588 p. ISBN 0-89664-093-0 CIP 829.00 This volume focuses on the future of college, university and research libraries in North America. It includes the theme addresses by individuals of national renown in the fields of higher education and academic librarian- ship. Included as well are papers covering such areas as: 1) management of libraries; 2) the role of the academic librarian -faculty status, staff development, research interests; 3) economic support and budgeting for libraries; 4) library automation; 5) cooperative programs among libraries, etc. MECHANISED IN-HOUSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS Ed. J .E. Rowley 1979. 208 p. ISBN 0-89664-404-9 817.50 This text, designed as an introduction to computer-based systems operated by library or information units for users, has the intention of providing current or retrospective informa- tion usually in the form of bibliographic references. As such, it offers a basic apprecia- tion of the role of mechanised in-house in- formation systems. This approach supplies the user with an explanation of different systems on an individual basis, thus allowing the uninitiated to unravel the intricacies of any system they may encounter. K.G. SAUR PUBLISHING INC. NEW YORK· MUNCHEN ·LONDON· PARIS 1.1.5111 INTERNATIONAL BOOKS IN PRINT English Language Titles Published Outside the USA and the United Kingdom 1979. 2 volumes, 1,251 p. ISBN 0-89664-050-7 8168.00 In addition to the books published each year in England and the US, over 100,000 books are published in English in other countries, which until recently were insufficiently cata- logued and registered in various indexes. INTERNATIONAL BOOKS IN PRINT consists of two volumes containing about 100,000 available titles in English from publish- ers all over the world. Areas with the largest number of titles are: Canada (ca. 20,000), Australia (ca. 11,000), India (ca. 10,000), Africa (altogether ca. 10,000) and the German- speaking countries (ca. 6,500), Netherlands (ca. 5,000). All entries are listed alphabetically under author and title and include: year of publica- tion, number of pages, publisher, cover, price, country of origin and ISBN. An index of all publishing houses is provided. LIBRARY SERVICES FOR THE BLIND AND THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED: AN INTERNATIONAL APPROACH (IFLA Publications, volume 16) By Frank Kurt Cylke May 1979. ca. 200 p. ISBN 0-89664-013-2 CIP 819.50 An outgrowth of IFLA conferences held in 1977 and 1978, this work proposes international cooperation and standardization for library resources, identification of production formats, inter-library loans and the coordinated applica- tion of existing and future technologies to production requirements. An essential work for those serving the blind and handicapped. 175 FIFTH AVENUE. NEW YORK. NEW YORK 10010 All prices subject to change without notice. Prices do not include postage and handling charges. Orders outside USA please add US Sl for postage and handling. Payable in US funds on US banks only. Orders from individuals should be prepaid . TELEX 238386 KGSP UR (212)-477-2500 ~ 368 I College & Research Libraries • July 1979 cusses the mixed motives of social scientists in seeking to forge stronger links between research and policy (p.25, 33, 35, 55), and the mixed benefits to society of more scien- tific contributions (p.61, 73). The other writers seem inclined to assume an identity between research and progress and between the interests of the research profession and the public at large, although Wilson's short piece hints at skepticism on the latter point. The forthcoming volumes of background papers will consider federal agency funding of research, issues in the management of so- cial R&D , and case studies in the uses of basic research.-Thelma Freides, State Uni- versity of New York , College at Purchase . Southgate, Robert L. Black Plots & Black Characters: A Handbook for Afro- American Literature. Syracuse , New York: Gaylord Professional Publications, 1979. 456p. $25. LC 78-14394. ISBN 0-915794-14-4. - This handbook helps to fill a long- standing void in the field of Afro-American literature and will undoubtedly prove a handy source of information for librarians and interested readers. But it is unfortunate that this handbook was not undertaken as a collaborative effort by two or more scholars. Although Southgate's knowledge and abilities are ·obvious, his choice of entries for discussion leaves much to be desired and is certain to frustrate users. . The handbook is divided into four parts. Part I , plot s·ummaries, comprises the largest portion. One hundred significant works of Afro-American literature, including fiction, plays, poems, speeches, and essays, are described and commented on. The for- mat is similar to that used in M asterplots. The summaries are well written and average ne~rly a page in length. But the problem here is that while the author has chosen a number of the familiar, standard works he has failed to include quite a few very important works that most readers would expect to find, e.g., Richard Wright's Native Son and Black Boy, Lor- raine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun, James ~ swets subscription service ~ . A DIVISION OF SWETS &ZEITLINGER BV SWetS PO. Box 830, 2160 SZ Lisse -Holland Phone 02521-19113 I Telex41325 Swets North America Inc.-P.O. Box 517, Berwyn, Pa 19312, U.S.A.J el. 215/644-4944