College and Research Libraries


370 I College & Research Libraries • july 1979 

data that let librarians ask questions about 
productivity and efficiency and give them 
the tools to begin to analyze library prob-
lems and to present a realistic audit. For 
example, it was determined from the pro-
gram that file maintenance cost for 1976-77 
was more than $149,000. This was 9 percent 
of all staff costs and 10 percent of all staff 
time, clearly an area for further study. 

It is good to read that a start has been 
made with a program covering labor and 
time costs of all library functions. This is 
necessary, difficult, and costly work, but it 
can and must be done. This competent, 
practical account should be useful in show-
ing the way.-Barbara R. Healy, University 
of Rochester, Rochester, New York. 

Davinson, Donald. The Periodicals Collec-
tion. Rev. and enl. ed. Boulder, Colo.: 
Westview Pr., 1978. 243p. $18.75. LC 
78-17873. ISBN 0-89158-833-7. 
Perhaps the .biggest problem with this 

book is determining who will find it useful. 
Practicing librarians who have worked with 
periodicals for some time should know most 
of the material ;- while library school stu-
dents may find it difficult to follow without 
reading many of the references. The begin-
ning librarian or the experienced librarian 
just moving into the periodicals area proba-
bly will be its best audience and should find 
it to be a good introduction with many ref-
erences to o,ther material for additional 
study. 

The book is divided into three parts. The 
first section is a history and description of 
the types of periodicals. While mainly con-
cerned with the British viewpoint, it covers 
the subject thoroughly. Even the experi-
enced periodicals librarian undoubtedly will 
find it informative. Although most of the 
examples listed are British publications, it 
should be relatively easy to transfer the in-
formation for use in American libraries. 

The second part covers bibliographic ac-
cess to periodicals. Specific publications, 
e.g., Ulrich's International Periodicals Di-
rectory, .Chemical Abstracts, Current Con-
tents, Science Citation Index, Union List of 
Serials, are mentioned and their uses and 
limitations described. Again the British slant 
is noticeable, but the titles covered include 
the major U.S. and European bibliog-

raphies. Davin son's comments on the prolif-
eration of abstracting and current awareness 
services are interesting. Because so many 
more articles are being published now than 
in the recent past, specialists are finding it 

. increasingly difficult to read all the material 
pertinent to their fields and, therefore, are 
forced to resort to abstracting and similar 
services. The increases in the size, number, 
and price of these services, in turn, are 
causing problems of control for librarians 
and of production for the publishers. 

The third part covers the librarian's and 
the user's contact with the actual periodical. 
This is the weakest part of the book because 
Davinson tries to cover too much in too lit-
tle space. Only the highlights of purchasing, 
recording, storing, and displaying peri-
odicals receive mention, and the reader is 
left needing more practical advice to put 
into immediate use or more theory for fu-
ture consideration. 

The 1978 edition of The Periodicals Col-
lection is a revised and enlarged edition of a 
title w,ith a rather long and apparently 
evolving history. The 1960 edition, Peri-
odicals; A Manual of Practice for Librarians 
(London: Grafton), was more a practical 
manual with suggestions on titles to be pur-
chased, staffing, and furniture. As time has 
gone by, the book seems to have become 
more and more theoretical. Whether or not 
this edition is needed depends upon the 
type of information being sought. It is not a 
how-to-do-it book; it does give the history 
and purpose behind what is being done'. 
There are a selected subject and title index 
and an author index.-Martha Willett, In-
diana State University, Evansville. 

Jackson, Eugene B., and Jackson, Ruth L. 
Industrial Information Systems: A Manual 
for Higher Management and Their In-
formation Officer/Librarian AIBociates. 
Publications in the Information Sciences. 
Stroudsburg, Pa.: Dowden, Hutchinson & 
Ross, Inc., 1978. 314p. + 1 fiche in 
pocket. $35. LC 78-15890. ISBN 
0-87933-328-6. (Distributed by Academic 
Press.) 
The present volume is undoubtedly a val-

uable addition to the series entitled Publica-
tions in the Information Sciences. The pur-
pose of this book is to outline the technical