College and Research Libraries 386 I College & Research Libraries • july 1980 interpreting what constituted a collection of materials "by or about women's lives or roles." Some archivists probably overlooked collections that might have been listed. There are also some collections listed that are only marginally related to women. The size of collections ranges from multivolume sets of family papers to single items such as the letter from Eleanor Roosevelt stating that her trip to a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was pleasant. Size is measured in many ways (cubic feet, volumes, boxes, rooms, etc.), but this does not cause any real problems. The real value of Women's History Sources is that primary source materials are made accessible to those who are describing and analyzing the lives of women in Amer- ica. Other reference works, such as the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Col- lections, the Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories, and its prede- cessor, Hamer's Guide to Archives, provide access to only a small percentage of the col- lections listed here. Even those collections that are listed may not be identified as women's sources. Women's History Sources will do much to facilitate the study of women by historians as well as by researchers in other disci- plines. Perhaps the existence of this guide will also encourage repositories to collect more sources relevant to women's history. The guide will certainly stimulate women's studies research. Libraries with women's studies collections will want to acquire it- Janet L. Ashley, State University of New York, College at Oneonta. Radke, Barbara, and Berger, Mike. Analysis of the 1977 University of California Union List of Serials. Berkeley: University-wide Library Automation Program, University of California, 1978. 80, 20p. $7. (Avail- able from: Division of Library Automa- tion, Office of the Academic Vice-Presi- dent, University of California Statewide Administration, 2150 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94720.) The development of serial union lists in several formats continues to attract fiscal support, and these cooperative efforts face many technical difficulties deriving from the characteristics of serial publication patterns. The staffs of union list projects need a dis- cussion of specific, common problems to be used as an early-warning device, as a guide to manipulation problems which will trap the unwary, and as a means to demonstrate complexity and consequent cost to adminis- trators. The analysis provided by Radke and Berger accomplishes these goals, and more. The analysis details the problems and errors found in the 1977 version of the Uni- versity of California Union List of Serials (UCULS), outlining the negative, and pro- viding, for the most. part, only one side of the picture. Radke and Berger identifY four major problem areas in the UCULS project: variations in cataloging practice; difficultie~ in merging nonparallel, machine-readable records produced on variant standards; dis- parities of CONSER records with local Cali- fornia records; and consolidation problems with the KWOC portions of the numerous files. These problems are not surprising considering that CONSER records were combined with thirty-two California uni- versity and college lists, all as of April 1977. Together they included 450,000 holdings for 350,000 serial titles. At the time, the file produced about 300 fiche. First, the introduction reviews the results of studying the KWOC and its register, lists the steps taken in the study, and proposes several recommendations for improvement. Second, a historical review places the UCULS in context. The third section covers general record and machine problems not surprisingly presented by so many separate files and such a large number of records. Section four outlines a series of recom- mendations which could alleviate these problems in either the UCULS or in some other union-listing project. The fifth section summarizes specific types of examples need- ing change. It also implies techniques for improvement. The sixth section examines the UCULS register and its own significant problems. Section seven examines in detail a "worst case," identifYing additional prob- lems in merging multi-institutional, ma- chine-readable files. This analysis of union list difficulties and specifics surrounding them has wide ap- plication and should be studied by anyone involved with union lists. The analysis, as a historical document, summarizes develop- ments in a major union list project and, as such, is a proper part of the literature. The self-examination is honest in pointing to errors and will be of considerable interest and value to other projects. The text is a classic exposition of what happens in the merger of differing machine-readable files. A few poorly produced charts and the soft paper format bound with plastic strips are all minor when compared with the intellec- tual content and the 'contributions this analysis makes to union-listing in general. No one will want to curl up with this in front of a fire, but any union lister will learn from this document and should treat this analysis as a benchmark of what to avoid.- Neal L. Edgar, Kent State University, Kent , Ohio. Gabriel, Michael R., and Ladd , Dorothy P. The Microform Revolution in Libraries. Foundations in Library and Information Science . V.3. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1980. 176p. $24.50. LC 76-5646. ISBN 0-89232-008-7. This informative book starts with a histor- ical sketch of microphotography and an overview of microformats. These first two chapters are very readable and form a con- venient setting for what is to follow . The third chapter, on computer-output- microform (COM), is limited in scope. Prime attention is placed on the role of COM in production of library catalogs and other library activities. The role of COM as a print medium for non-library-generated publications is not discussed. With the di- versity of COM applications , the potential for library res_ources generated by others through COM should have been men- tioned. Serials and monographs in microform compose the fourth and fifth chapters . The serials chapter provides some useful informa- tion for libraries converting or considering converting from hard copy to microform. The monograph chapter gets bogged down in a listing of large monographic collections available on microform. The listings are brief and highly selective and probably would have been best if eliminated. The sixth chapter, "Micrographics and Government Publications," will be of great interest to document librarians. The num- Recent Publications I 381 her and diversity of government publica- tions available in microform are discussed and examples cited. Again, this listing is· not meant to be all-inclusive but representative. This chapter does not address some of the problems with document microforms, such as lack of quality control, which has caused at least some nonacceptance of this format by documents librarians . Acquisition of microform and equipment for its use are the topic of Chapter 7. This chapter pulls together from several sources some guidelines for evaluation of micro- forms and equipment. The variety of sources for reviews of microforms and equipment are of prime interest to li- brarians and are well covered here. In addf- tion, a select listing of micropublishers is in- cluded. This section could have been im- proved by the inclusion of some guidelines to use in considering the conversion from hard copy to microform or for selection of microform initially. The eighth chapter reports some research findings on the comparison of hard copy and microform. Unfortunately, this interesting chapter is buried in the book. The readabil- ity of microforms has received so many de- rogatory comments that it is encouraging to see quoted readability studies favorable to microforms. The last chapter deals with setting up a microform facility. This chapter would have been enhanced with a discussion of central- ized versus decentralized facilities. Guide- lines for either type of facilities and floor plans would also have been helpful. Overall, this book represents a consolida- tion of material, possibly difficult to iden- tify, and a helpful discussion of problems common to microforms. This book should be read by both practicing librarians and. library school students. A useful glossary is included. Because of the specifics included, this volume will become obsolete quickly although it provides a good statement of the current status of microforms in libraries.- Helen R. Citron , Georgia Institute of Tech- nology, Atlanta. Maltby, Arthur, and Gill, Lindy. The Case for Bliss: Modern Classification Practice and Principles in the Context of the Bib- liographic Classification. London: Clive