College and Research Libraries 82 I College & Research Libraries • ] anuary 1980 cess to articles, books, patents and other documents strike very close to what is prob- ably the most frustrating experience of daily librarian-scientist interchange. And his comments on the most likely future outlook of the many chemical publishers' services are valuable to the budget-conscious librar- ian. The work does make a significant and au- thoritative advance over the older refer- ences in this field. While its individual treatment of each chemical information source is not quite so complete as say Bot- tle, for example, it more than makes up for this in recency of coverage and valuable supplemental material. Maizell has succeeded in what is often very difficult for the technical writer: or- ganize it well and make it practical and at- tractive and say just enough to truly inform. This should prove to be a solid item for the science reference shelf.-David Kuhner, Claremont Colleges, Claremont, California. Bibliographic Instruction Handbook. Chicago: Association of College and Re- search Libraries, Bibliographic Instruction Section, Policy and Planning Committee, 1979. 69p. $5 ACRL members; $6 non- members. In 1971 a Bibliographic Instruction Task Force was established within ACRL to facilitate the development of instructional programs in college and university libraries. Six years later this task force was succeeded by the ACRL Bibliographic Instruction Sec- tion. Its Policy and Planning Committee, which was chaired initially by Thomas G. Kirk and later by Mary W. George, recently issued a Bibliographic Instruction Hand- book to assist libraries in making use of an ACRL policy statement formulated by the Task Force, "Guidelines for Bibliographic Instruction in Academic Libraries" (College & Research Libraries News 38:92 [April 1977]). This spiral-bound publication contains the "Guidelines," a needs assessment checklist for gathering data to be used in preparing a profile of information needs in an academic community, and a discussion of administra- . tiv~ matters-such as staffing, budgeting, facilities, and organization structure-to be considered in planning a library instruction program. In addition, it provides a model timetable for the implementation of a pro- gram, an ideal statement of program goals in terms of terminal objectives and enabling (behavioral) objectives, and a chart showing the pros and cons of various instructional methods. Also included are a brief glossary, a "Pathfinder" on bibliographic instruction (in lieu of the usual list of reference sources), and-to improve the next edition of the Handbook-an evaluation sheet to be returned by the reader to the ACRUBIS Policy and Planning Committee. The authors have done a fine job of clarify- ing and illustrating the steps involved in planning for an effective bibliographic in- struction program, although they have not dealt with the question of how to "sell" li- brary instruction to academic administrators and classroom faculty. Nor have they de- voted a section of this booklet to the essen- tial topic of program evaluation, as they readily acknowledge in their introduction. Nevertheless, until a new edition is re- leased, this work deserves to be read and commented upon by all college and univer- sity librarians interested in bibliographic instruction.-Leonard Grundt, Nassau Community College, Garden City, New York. Bollier, John A. The Literature of Theology: A Guide for Students and Pastors. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1979. 208p. $5.95. LC 78-10962. ISBN 0-664-24225-1. "Of making many books there is no end . . " (Ecclesiastes 12: 12). This significant work attempts to give the reader some bib- liographic control of the mass of publications in the g~neral area of theology. John Bollier writes in his preface that the volume is in- tended for "the theological student, the parish pastor, the layperson, or the librar- ian, all of whom must be generalists in this age of increasing specialization" (p.18). John Bollier, acting divinity librarian at Yale Divinity School, is well prepared for compiling this volume, being an experi- enced pastor of eighteen years' service and a reference librarian for the past seven years. This book grew out of research spon- sored by a grant from the Association of Theological Schools and was tested by fire in a course in theological bibliography and .-----~·Martin's­-vress New and forthcoming Reference titles Great Writers of the English Language A treasury of information on the foremost writers of the English language. Pub- lished in 3 volumes, the series records the achievements of these authors and places their lives and works in a literary and historical context. Biographies, bibliog- raphies and signed critical essays are provided for some 500 poets, 500 novelists and prose writers and 200 dramatists, all of whom have been selected by a distin- guished advisory board . It is the first time ever that this information has been brought together in a single volume or series. Volume 1: Poets. 1200 pp. + xii pp. index. 7 x 9 \h . ISBN: 0-312-34640-9. $45.00. September 1979. Volume II: Novelists and Prose Writers. 1400 pp. + xii pp. index. 7 x 91h. ISBN: 0-312-34624-7. $45.00. September 1979. Volume Ill: Dramatists. 700 pp. + xii pp. index. 7 x 91h . ISBN: 0-312-34570-4. $45.00. September 1979. Contemporary British Artists A comprehensive, unique picture of fine art in Britain today. Biographical infor- mation, artists' statements and illustrations are presented for 212 contemporary British painters and sculptors. A series of photographs of the artists is also in - cluded. For the first time, established figures of the art world and artists of the younger generation are brought together. 320 pp. 9 X 9. 300 b & w illustrations. ISBN : 0-312-16655-9. $30.00. December 1979. Contemporary Architects Detailed information on 700 architects of international reputation: biographies, bibliographies, commentaries and illustrations. Most of the information has been contributed by the entrants themselves, all of whom have been selected for inclu - sion by a distinguished advisory board. Approx. 1000 pp. 9 x 12. ISBN : 0-312-16635-4. $60.00. April 1980. The Dictionary of Visual Language An informative visual guide to all those signs, symbols and images which have be- come part of an international visual language in constant use in everyday life. There are more than 1500 alphabetically arranged entries and over 3000 fully-cap- tioned illustrations. 288 pp. 6 1h X 9. ISBN: 0-312-20108-7. $30.00. April 1980. Who's Who 1980-1981 More than 28,000 entries of the outstanding men and women in the world. The facts in this standard biographical dictionary are reliable and current. 132nd edition. 7 X 9 1h. ISBN : 0-312-87469-3. $75.00. May 1980. The Writers Directory 1980-82 Up-to-date biographical and bibliographical listings for over 15,000 living writers of fiction and non -fiction in English. A "Yellow Pages" index lists authors by their writing categories. A separate author index is also included. This is an essen- tial book for anyone needing information on living writers. 4th edition. 1350 pp. + 150 pp. index. 8 x 10. ISBN: 0-312-89426-0. $40.00. November 1979. 175 Fifth Avenue • New York NY 10010 84 I College & Research Libraries • January 1980 research methodology at Yale. The guide lists and annotates 543 refer- ence tools including bibliographies, ency- clopedias, dictionaries, indexes and abstracts, guidebooks and manuals, catalogs, commentarie:;, and a few monographs con- taining extensive bibliographies. It is lim- ited primarily to English-language works of recent vintage. Of necessity, some older works that have not been superseded have been included. While there are some references to world religions broadly, the primary coverage is that of the Judeo-Christian tradition, includ- ing both Protestant and Catholic Chris- tianity. The basic framework follows the classic theological divisions of biblical studies, systematic theology, historical studies, and practical theology. In addition to these, there are sections on bibliography; encyclopedias and dictionaries; and a gen- eral section on biography, almanacs, direc- tories, yearbooks, quotation and poetry in- dexes, and style manuals. Each of the 543 entries is given a terse descriptive annotation indicating the con- tents, purpose, scope, arrangement, depth, and perspective of the work. No attempt is made to give critical evaluations of the items. There is a comprehensive author and title index. There are brief but helpful introductions to each of the chapters giving some de- finitions and guidelines as to the usefulness of the various kinds of tools listed in each section. Where there is unevenness in the coverage of a particular section, we believe that this reflects unevenness in the tools available to the researcher rather than any lack of perspective in the compilation. The guide includes both secular and reli- gious works of value in the field. Where an item has application in more than one sub- ject area, a cross-reference is given. This book should be a basic piece for the study of theological bibliography and should be found in any significant reference collection as well as many a pastor's study.-John B. Trotti, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, Richmond. Morrow, Carolyn Clark. A Conservation Policy Statement for Research Libraries. University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science Occasional Papers, no.139. Urbana: t.Jniv. of Illinois Gradu- ate School of Library Science, 1979. 23p. $2 (prepaid). ISSN 0073-5310. The preface of the Conservation Policy Statement contains a sentence that sums up its major flaw: "It was personally more fun to outline a positive program (even if fic- tional and wildly unrealistic) than to de- scribe the very real limitations." This per- sonal statement of the ideal conservation program does have unrealistic aspects, and these may deter a library from any conser- vation efforts. Rather than encouraging basic preserva- tion efforts, with a staff and budget that can be expanded as necessary, the author out- lines a massive program and emphasizes how expensive conservation is. The organi- zation chart for the conservation department shows eighteen full-time staff members (five librarians and thirteen clerical or technical workers) and fifteen student workers. Even with a staff of this size, binding is done out- side the library, and departmental librarians do minor 'repairs for their own areas. The Conservation Policy Statement can be helpful for conservation planning in academic libraries if the policymakers are already familiar with preservation theory and practice. The lists of "Principles of Con- servation" and "Priorities of the Conserva- tion Program" suggest areas of activity that a library could pursue. The bibliography of sixty-four readings provides some useful ci- tations although the standard reference works by Bernard Middleton, George and Dorothy Cunha, and Howard Winger and Richard Smith are not included. For a more practical approach to a re- search library policy and pr~gram see the University of Wisconsin-Madison Statement on the Conservation of Library Materials. The recently published Toward a California Document Conservation Program, by ]: Michael Bruer, demonstrates how many facets of Morrow's ideal library conservation program could be assumed by a statewide or regional center.-Catherine Asher, In- diana University, Bloomington. Rowley, J. E. Mechanised In-House Infor- mation Systems. London: Clive Bingley; New York: K. G. Saur, 1979. 208p.