College and Research Libraries Recent Publications COLLEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES Machlup, Fritz; Leeson , Kenneth; and associates. Information through the Printed Word, reviewed by Hendrik Edelman.... ...... .. .. ........ ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. ........ ..... 71 Serials Management and Microforms : A Reader, reviewed by Sister Alma Marie Walls . 75 Personnel in Libraries , reviewed by J. Wayne Baker .. .. .. .. .... .... ........ .. .... .. .. ...... ..... 75 McCoy, Donald R. The National Archives: America's Ministry of Documents , 1934- 1968, reviewed by Patrick M. Quinn .. .. ...... .. .. .... ........ .. ............ .. .................. .. 76 OCLC: A National Library Network , reviewed by Patricia Ann Sacks .. .......... .... .. .... . 78 Miller, Jerome K. Applying the New Copyright Law: A Guide for Educators and Li- brarians , reviewed by Nancy H . Marshall .. .. .......... .... .. .. .... .. ............ .... .. .. .. .. .. .. 80 Maizell, Robert E. How to Find Chemical Information: A Guide for Practicing Chemists , Teachers, and Students , reviewed by David Kuhner .............. .. .... .... .. .. . 81 Bibliographic Instruction Handbook , reviewed by Leonard Grundt .... .... .... .... .... .... .. 82 Bollier, John A. The Literature of Theology: A Guide for Students and Pastors , re- viewed by John B. Trotti ...... .... .. ........ .. .... .. .............. .. .............. .. .............. .. .. 82 Morrow, Carolyn Clark. A Conservation Policy Statement for Research Libraries, re- viewed by Catherine Asher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Rowley , J. E . Mechanised In-House Information Systems , reviewed by Sarojini Balachandran .. . .. .. . .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . . .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. . . .. .. .. . .. . .. .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 84 American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Pres- ent, reviewed by Martha Chambers .. .. ........ .. .... ...... .............. .... .................... .. 86 Brenni, Vito Joseph. The Bibliographical Control of American Literature , 1920-1975, reviewed by Jim Elledge ... . . .. .. ... ..... .. ...... .. ...... .. .. . ...... . .... ........ . ......... ... ........ 87 Studies in Library Management . V.5, reviewed by Mary Scherger Bonhomme .. .. .. .... . 89 Clasper, James W., and Dellenbach, M. Carolyn . Guide to the Holdings of the Ameri- can Jewish Archives, reviewed by Kurt S. Maier ...... .... .......... ............ ............ ... 89 Stineman, Esther. Women 's Studies: A Recommended Core Bibliography , reviewed by Jeanette Mosey . ... . . .. .. .. . .. . .... . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. . .... . .. . .. . ..... .. . ... .. . .. .. . . . . .. . ..... .. . ... .. .. . . 90 Williamson , Jane . New Feminist Scholarship: A Guide to Bibliographies, reviewed by Jeanette Mosey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Proceedings of the American Studies Library Conference , reviewed by Wayne A. Wiegand ........ ...... . ....... .. ...... ..... . ............. ..... . ...... .. . ... ................ ..... ... ...... . . 91 Other Publications of Interest to Academic Librarians .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 92 BOOK REVIEWS Machlup, Fritz; Leeson , Kenneth; and asso- ciates. Information through the Printed Word: The Dissemination of Scholarly, Scientific, and Intellectual Knowledge. New York: Praeger, 1978. 3v. V.1, Book Publishing, $22.95; V.2, Journals, $25.95; V.3 , Libraries, $20.95. LC 78-19460. ISBN 0-03-047401-9, V.1 ; 0-03-047406-X, V2; 0-03-047411-6, V.3 . New York University economist Fritz Machlup and his associates have worked at least four years on their statistical survey of the American scholarly and scientific book world. The results are now available in 860 pages including 187 statistical tables , reproduced from typescript in three volumes and possi- bly one more to follow . The study was largely funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities in response to the per- ceived crisis in scholarly publishing and li- brary acquisitions during the early sev- enties. In contrast to the availability in some Western European countries, usable statistical information on this subject has I 71 72 I College & Research Libraries • january 1980 been extremely scarce in the United States. The lack of quantitative and descriptive . standards for statistics of book and journal production, prices, and sales, as well as li- brary collection development, has been the reason for much shallow and speculative writing on the subject, not to mention the rather uncertain basis for commercial and institutional planning. Machlup' s earlier work The Production and Distribution of Knowledge in the United States (1962) was a first major step, and in recent years the work of the Book In- dustry Study Group and notably that of statistician John Dessauer as well as Donald King Associates have made real contribu- tions. In this ambitious project, Machlup and Leeson build carefully on all earlier work, but they have made extensive surveys themselves of some seventy-five American publishers (representing 75,000 titles), an unspecified number of scholarly and scien- tific journals, 120 academic and research li- braries, as well as some scholarly consumer 1979 Edition University of California Union List of Serials Key Term Index Titles from the University of California and The California State University ahd Colleges. Access by approximately 104,000 Key Terms to 322,000 Titles and over 502,000 Holdings. · KWOC (Key Word Out of Context) format on 48x microfiche. Prices $100.00 with binders $ 85.00 without binders Brochure on request UCULS Distribution, University of California, Dlv. of Ubrary Automation, 186 University Hall Berkeley, California 94720 groups, notably the members of the Ameri- can Economic Association. The results are interesting from many view points, but I would like -to single out two main areas. First of all, there is no question that this report is the most com- prehensive survey produced yet and that the information will be extremely useful for further research and planning. There are also numerous shortcomings in the data presented, but the results have been very carefully documented and qual- ified wherever necessary. There are some real problems with the surveys and their re- sults, however. For unspecified, but presumably practi- . cal, reasons the survey is limited to U.S. publications. While one could easily defend the position that the flow of information as it pertains to the U.S. is limited to the En- glish language, there is no way that one can exclude the British and Western European book and journal production in that lan- guage. A substantial part of the commercial expansion of scholarly and scientific publish- ing after World War II has taken place overseas. That industry is largely based on American research and produced by Ameri- can authors, and (until very recently) the market for these publications was primarily the American library market. The exclusion of such a significant segment of the market makes the title misleading and the interpre- tation difficult. The general exclusion of publications is- sued by official agencies, such as the United Nations, the United States government, and social, economic, and political bodies, such as banks and labor unions, creates a prob- lem on an even larger scale. In terms of quantity as well as scholarly utility, these publications appear to be the fastest grow- ing group of primary research reports. The authors try to refrain from making · generalizations-and they succeed in most cases; but when they do, there are prob- lems. For instance, the estimate that scholarly, scientific; and "intellectual" books account for between 28 and 62 percent of the total net dollar sales of the industry can hardly be considered a helpful figure. In some areas, such as the analysis of book prices, not much new light is shed, and the results given in the report are as 'unreliable Now available for the first time on Microfiche 1973-1977 Quinquennium Library of Congress National Union Catalog and Four Quinquenniums 1953-1972 also Current NUC's for 1978,1979, 1980 all from a single source Advanced Library Systems - the leading producer of the LC NUC on microfiche - now offers the 1973-1977 NUC Quinquennium on microfiche for immediate delivery. Also available for the first time, the four previous Quinquenniums (1953-1972) in the same microfiche format for immediate delivery. This gives you 25 years of retrospective NUC's in one compatible and easy-to-use form. ALS can also provide updates to your NUC collection with monthly, quarterly and annual cumulations from 1978 forward. Updates will be deliverea in approximately two weeks after publication by the Library of Congress. ADVANCED LIBRARY SYSTEMS INC. 93 Main Street , Andover, Massachusetts 01810 (617) 470-0610 Serving Libraries throughout the World By switching to ALS microfiche from LC hard copy, you can reduce shelf space by 94%, and have the entire collection at your fingertips. The ALS current NUC subscription is less than 1/3 the cost of the LC hard copy. ALS microfiche NUC service is COMPLETE ... COMPATIBLE . .. CONTINUING . .. and COST SAVING. For complete information use the coupon below. Or call the number below left. ,-------·-----·-------------, I Advanced Library Systems Inc. CRL180 1 1 93 Main Street, Andover, Mass. 01810 I Please rush me full information on ALS's NUC microfiche I service, plus microfiche sample. I NAME TITLE - --- 1 ORGANIZATION'------- ----- - 1 ADDRESS _______ _ _____ _ I I CITY/TOWN STATE ___ ZIP--- 1 I D Please have your representative telephone me at (-l--- L-------------------------~ 74 I College & Research Libraries • January 1980 as anything presented before. The need for specific and comparable data in this area, so essential for research library planning, re- mains unsatisfied. The data produced as the result of the li- brary q·uestionnaires deserve special atten- tion here. Machlup' s approach to problems in data gathering from research libraries was rather abrupt, and he should have recog- nized the sensitivity in the library world toward outside surveyors. All too often have these "quickies" resulted in naive, sweep- ing, and sometimes damaging gener- alizations, such as the Allen Kent study of circulation and acquisitions data at Pittsburgh. There is nothing really new, however, in the 200 pages that make up the library chapters of this report. Those familiar with the controversial questionnaires will not be surprised by that. Nevertheless, there are somewhat better data in a few areas than . were available before. The librarians' per- ception of the relative increase or decline of buying in specific subject fields is notewor- thy . Similarly, the data on foreign purchases have not been documented before in this fashion. This leads to what I would suggest as the second most important aspect of the Machlup-Leeson study. The report is a study in frustration. Its utility lies in its painful limitations. No one will ever have to do again what the authors have done, and we should be very grateful for that. The seriousness and tho~oughness with ·which the researchers went about their work clearly expose the real problems that face investigators and interpreters of communication through the printed word. The complete lack of standardization in the classifi.cation of knowledge and the com- munication channels is a barrier that seems almost . impossible to overcome. Scholars, publishers, librarians, and government of- ficials all use their own language and criteria for describing and evaluating the universe. The field of bibliometrics is still a field of micromeasurements; the longer view still eludes us. Add to this the fact that scholarly communication is an international, worldwide affair, and the complexity of the problem becomes only gre~ter. EUROPE'S BUSINESS NEWSPAPER FINANCIAL TIMES ~ NOW AVAILABLE ON MICROFILM FROM RPI From London, one of the key financial centers of the world, comes the FINANCIAL TIMES , an important newspaper for understanding international economic develop- ments. Beginning January 1, 1980, current subscriptions to the FINANCIAL TIMES and complete backfiles since 1888 wi II be produced and sold exclusively by Research Publications, Inc. For the first time, the new Frankfurt edition of this critical business and economics publication will also be available. Together the London and Frankfurt editions of the FINANCIAL TIMES provide unrivalled coverage of European business news and the European Economic Community. For more information about the FINANCIAL TIMES or our over 20 other world newspapers on microfilm, please write or call collect : Research Publications, Inc. m 12 Lunar Drive Woodbridge, CT 06525 (203) 397-2600 iiiiiiiill Machlup and Leeson have demonstrated more clearly than anyone else before what a task still lies ahead. The failure of the re- cently completed National Enquiry on Scholarly Communication (its report pub- lished by Johns Hopkins, 1979) to come to terms with even the basic concepts of the problem is a similarly clear illustration. A~­ cording to the introduction, Machlup ex- pects to publish a revision and update of his 1962 study in the next few years. We look forward to this with great anticipation. Meanwhile, these three volumes of primary data should be on the desk of everyone who wants to work in this field that is so essen- tial to academic librarians.-Hendrik Edel- man, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Serials Management and Microforms: A Reader. Edited by Patricia M. Walsh. Micmform Review Series in Library Mi-:- crographics Management, no.4. Westport, Conn.: Microform Review, Inc., 1979. 302p. $21.50. LC 78-13179. ISBN 0-913672-11-4. Like the other readers in this series, this is a collection of articles, most of which were published in well-known journals dur- ing the seventies. A general introduction by the editor describes it as "an attempt to analyze factors that would affect the efficient functioning of the microform serials collec- tion, both from a management point of view and from the point of view of the user." The material she has chosen does that well. Introductions to each section preview the factors treated under "Microforms and Se- rials: The User's Point of View"; "The Eco- nomics of Microforms and Serial Conversion Priorities"; "Specific Microform Applica- tions: Case Studies"; "The Impact of Mi- croforms upon Journal Format"; and "Ex- tended Applications of Microforms for Se- rials." The appendix contains ·excerpts from A National Periodicals Center: Technical Development Plan and a statement about the CONSER File on COM. Many of the authors quoted stress the importance of studying the usage patterns, budget, and personnel of the individual li- braries before deciding to convert all or part of the collection to microform. Only then can they expect to enjoy the benefits of the Recent Publications I 15 change, including the replacement of back issues often at lower prices than paper copies. Purchasing the microform eliminates preparing, binding, and processing volumes while costing less than binding and saving 90 percent of the storage space needed for hard copy. A viewing area with well-designed, easy- to-operate equipment, sufficient storage cabinets, and · enthusiastic personnel are prerequisites for obtaining user acceptance, lack of which reputedly results from poor management decisions. The case studies represent libraries connected with large and small universities, junior colleges, a high school, and a hospital. Librarians wish all microform items could be in the same for- mat in order to save equipment costs and instruction time. Additional readings listed at the beginning of each section, as ~ell as after many articles, make evident the prolif- eration of writings on the topic. Libraries receiving many inquiries .about microforms and that do not want . to risk the disappearance of hard copies of these infor- mational articles will find this volume worthwhile.-Sister Alma Marie Walls, Im- maculata College, Immaculata, Pennsyl- vania. Personnel in Libraries. LJ Special Report #10. New York: Library Journal, 1979. 63p. $5; cash with order, $3.95. ISBN 0-8352-1192-4. ISSN 0362-448X. This group of essays offers a brief, suc- cinct overview of some of the problems en- countered by library personnel in this era of rapid change. It covers a wider range than personnel work, per se, as could be mis- takenly interpreted from the title. There are ten essays and one bibliogra- phy, most of which should be thought- provoking. No definitive answers are at- tempted, but several of the essays have ref- erences appended that are helpful for fur- ther investigation. Some of the areas cov- ered include management, continuing edu- cation, performanCe and evaluation, associa- tions, sexual discrimination. and economic inequalities (with bibliography), and a help- ful bibliography of general and library- related personnel literature. Many changes have occurred over the years that have had an effect on libraries