College and Research Libraries


372 I College & Research Libraries • july 1980 

cated machinery and expensive information 
devices, the availability of new techniques, 
new media and new theories . . . at a time 
when budgets are decreasing, the purchas-
ing power is suffering from inflation, and 
wages are going up" (p. 7). 

Unfortunately, library practitioners and 
library school faculty are likely to find few 
new solutions to these problems in the pa-
pers that follow. In fact, most of the issues 
addressed here have been repeatedly dis-
cussed over the past several years in rel-
evant journal articles and professional meet-
ings. Since the volume is a transcript of a 
1977 conference, this should not be surpris-
ing. Yet, this volume does not even summa-
rize in any coherent fashion the current 
issues related to library effectiveness. 

Half of the book is devoted to the nine 
invited papers, which span the areas of 
planning, automation, cost-benefit analysis, 
user studies, instruction in library use, per-
sonnel, networking, and the library's place 
in higher education. Neither these papers 
nor the shorter essays following are unified 
by any conceptual underpinnings; rather 
they represent a "shotgun" approach to the 
topic of effectiveness, in which the overall 
conceptual issue of what library effective-
ness means is never addressed. 

This conference reflects the continuing 
gap between theory and practice in the li-
brary field. The practitioners represented 
here seem quite willing to deal with the 
pragmatic issues they define as related to 
"library effectiveness," but they obviously 
do not see the necessity of working out the 
theoretical basis on which such issues are 
based. 

The result is that effectiveness is dealt 
with unidimensionally in each article ; out of 
the nine major papers, three define effec-
tiveness as efficiency (Evans, Mittler, De-
clercq); two define effectiveness as user 
satisfaction (Meister, Fjallbrant); two define 
effectiveness as achieving library objectives 
(Schofield, Webster); and two define effec-
tiveness as cost-effectiveness (Bonus, Hill 
and Ross). The multidimensionality of the 
effectiveness construct is not examined, 
leaving the reader · with the fragmented 
view offered by this collection of papers. 

· Aside - from these conceptual problems, 

readability of these proceedings is hindered 
by poor editing. One paper (Meister) 
appears to be a translation, but it is so gar-
bled as to be useless. Another paper (Mitt-
ler) is written in good English, but its illus-
trations are written in German, making 
them less than useful. 

All in all, although individual authors 
make some good points concerning aspects 
of library effectiveness (particularly Webster 
and Bonus), the overall treatment of effec-
tiveness is rudimentary. At best this confer-
ence may encourage more definitive re-
search on effectiveness in the future.-
Rosemary Ruhig Du Mont, University of 
Kentucky, Lexington . 

Boss , Richard W. The Library Manager's 
Guide to Automation. Professional Librar-
ian Series . White Plains, N.Y.: Knowl-
edge Industry Publications, 1979. 106p. 
$24.50 softcover; $29.50 hardcover. LC 
79-3057. ISBN 0-914236-38-5 softcover; 0-
914236-33-4 hardcover. 
On the premise that the decision to auto-

mate is one of the most significant decisions 
in a library manager's career, the guide's 
stated purpose is "to describe the present 
state of automation, its value to libraries, fu-
ture trends, and the role of the library man-
ager in the conversion process." In doing 
this, no expertise is assumed and the stated 
emphasis is on the context in which tech-
nical decisions are made. 

The chapter on fundamentals of automa-
tion includes a discussion of the advantages 
and disadvantages of turnkey versus in-house 
development; minicomputer capabilities; 
and a general, very brief discussion of hard-
ware and software basics. The discussion of 
automation today is largely a discussion of 
current vend.ors , products, and services , 
such as BATAB , LIBRIS, OCLC , WLN, 
etc. 

In a brief glimpse into the future, the au-
thor predicts that more library functions , in-
cluding office procedures, will be auto-
mated ; files will be built as by-products of 
other functions and through use of shared 
facilities like OCLC; and patrons will be 
using terminals that are "user cordial." He 
further states that libraries will have an in-
creasing array of commercial competitors 



Having easy access to review articles is very import-
ant to librarians and researchers since these articles 
are among the most useful published. They are a key 
starting point for a thorough literature search. They 
also enable students to get an overview of an un-
familiar field and specialists to stay informed about 
advances at the periphery of their desciplines. 

But it's not always easy to find a review article in a 
specific field. At least, it wasn't until the Index to 
Scientific Reviews•• -the index which brings review 
articles in science together in one easy-to-use ref-
erence. 

ISR •• covers over 30,000 reviews from more than 
2,900 of the world's most important journals every 
year. These journals range from agriculture to medi-
cine to the physical, chemical and behavioral sciences. 
In fact, over 100 disciplines in every area of science 
are covered. You don't have to go through separate 
references to find reviews for subjects in any of these 
areas -- they are all in the multidisciplinary /SR. 

/SR is highly current, keeping you on top of the 
latest review articles. It comes out as a soft-bound 
semi-annual issue, which covers January to June, and 
a hard-bound annual cumulation. 

ISR makes it easy to find the review articles you need. 
Search by authors, title words and phrases, or organi-
zations. Or use the ISR's Citation Index. It lets you 

start a search with an older publication relevant to 
your subject, and find more recent reviews which 
cited it and thus likely to be on the same topic. 

Learn more about how you can have better access to 
the review literature. Send today for a free brochure 
which describes ISR and how to use it. 

r-----------------------------------------, 
~~ I'd like to know more about the 
Index to Scientific Reviews ··. Please send 
full information for my library and me. 

Name Title 

Organization 

Address 

City State/Province 

ZIP/Postal code Country 

~~~· Institute for 
U~U Scientific Information• 
3501 Market Street , University City Sc i ence Center 
Philadelph i a. Pa. 1910• U S.A. 
Tel (2151386.0100. Cable SCINFO . Telex &• ·5305 

Europeen Office 
132 Hi gh Slreet . Uxbri dge . Middlesex . UK 
Tel Uxbridge 30085 Telex 933693 

Ci1980 lSI 

101-2332 

L-----------------------------------------



374 I College & Research Libraries • july 1980 

providing access to information for a fee and 
that libraries "may find it difficult to com-
pete in ease of use or speed of response un-
less they become highly effective managers 
of technology." 

In the remaining chapters, filled with ex-
amples and quotes from the literature and 
the author's experiences, the manager is 
alerted to the steps in the planning process 
(define, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and 
iterate); the need to train staff; the political 
requirements to sell the system of choice; 
failures and pitfalls of automation; and the 
manager's role. There is a brief glossary of 
automation terms, a very selected reading 
list, and a list of selected sources for auto-
mated products and services. 

The guide is very general, organized like 
a handy shopping list of topics with a brief 
description or list of things ta remember 
under each. There are shortcomings, 
however, which must be noted. 

First, the inevitable complexities, alterna-
tives, and combinations in automation deci-
sion making are lost in the effort to sim-
plify, list, and report in a telegraphic style. 
For example, the possibilities of combining 

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minicomputer applications with network use 
or in-house systems are not addressed in 
favor of discussing each as discrete options. 

Second, the discussion of the manage-
ment process is so abbreviated as to leave 
the novice unsure of what to do, especially 
in the requirements and problem definition 
phase. 

Third, the information about current ven-
dors and services will become outdated 
quickly, given the rapid pace of develop-
ment. 

Fourth, the guide frequently advises 
using consultants because library managers 
cannot, should not, or do not master some 
of the complexities involved in automation 
decisions or implementation. The reviewer 
appreciates the role of consultants but sug-
gests that library managers are appropriate-
ly becoming increasingly sophisticated con-
sumers and managers of technology and 
should be encouraged to continue in this 
direction. 

The appropriate audience for the guide is 
the inexperienced librarian/manager or the 
interested nonlibrarian. Others will find it 
incomplete and less usefuL-Eleanor Mon-
tague, University of California, Riverside. 

The Nature and Future of the Catalog: Pro-
ceedings of the ALA's Information Science 
and Automation Division's 1975 and 1977 
Institutes on the Catalog. Edited by 
Maurice J. Freedman and S. Michael 
Malinconico. A Neal-Schuman Profession-
al Book. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx, 1979. 
317p. $16.50 (plus $. 95 for postage and 
handling). LC 79-21629. ISBN 0-912700-
08-4. 

Malinconico, S. Michael, and Fasana, · Paul 
J. The Future of the Catalog: The Li-
brary's Choices. The Professional Librar-
ian Series. White Plains, N.Y.: Knowl-
edge Industry Publications, 1979. 134p. 
$24.50. LC 79-16619. ISBN 0-914236-
32-6. 
Libraries today are faced with two 

momentous prospects for 1981-the closing 
of the Library of Congress catalog and the 
adoption of the Anglo-American Catalogu-
ing Rules, second edition. Consequently, 
librarians must decide whether or not to 
close their own catalogs in order to adjust to 
these changes. Such decisions are made on