College and Research Libraries 158 I College & Research Libraries • March 1981 opposition to AACR2 was widespread on the grounds of cost of implemention and lack of conviction that the new rules greatly improved on AACR1-invited readers to submit their opinions . Issue 21 contains re- plies received . As this review is being prepared, OCLC is "flipping" headings to AACR2 forms, and libraries everywhere are gearing up to cope with changes now less than a month away. If the editors hoped to stem this tide , they have probably failed. However, the issue makes interesting reading, and future revis- ers of catalog rules should take note. Thirty-one persons responded. Eighteen were from small to medium-size university libraries. The rest represented special, col- lege, and very large research libraries and one was a vendor of data-base services . Most writers were catalogers and heads of cataloging, with a sprinkling of library direc- tors and heads of technical services. Thir- teen took the opportunity to let off steam about the rules themselves . Six others, while generally positive about the code, fa- vored deferring all or part of AACR2 until on-line authority control is in place , in order to lessen the devastating effect of massive changes on file maintenance. Only eleven were supportive of full implementa- tion of AACR2 in January 1981, several on the grounds that it's far too late rather than because of overwhelming enthusiasm for the rules. Not surprisingly, Michael Gorman , one of the editors of AACR2, takes to task "no-neck administrators" who prefer "dumb headings" to the cost of change. Several others , however, point to equally "dumb" portions of the code. Jim Thompson comments that, between the ambiguities and inconsistencies in AACR2 itself and the decisions on ap- plying it at the Library of Congress, "it will be virtually impossible for a cataloger in any other library to create a record which another cataloger can accept with confi- dence. " The hope that AACR2 would in- crease standardization seems not to have been achieved. AACR2 may have had more input from the field than previous code revisions, but until publication only a few persons had seen a complete draft. Patrons, those for whom cataloging presumably is done, were not consulted at all. Administrators and others ask why impact studies were not done before adoption and why so much time and effort should be invested in the card catalog just before it ceases to exist. Those who took up ACN's invitation are, for the most part, thoughtful, rational librar- ians who will comply somehow with AACR2 because they have no choice. Most of them are dependent not only on the Library of Congress but also on data bases such as OCLC and RLIN. Not complying would be even more expensive. However, they raise serious questions about the wisdom of this step at this time. Since rule revision is an ongoing process, AACR2 will not be the last code. In the fu- ture , drafts of proposed changes should be distributed and publicized more widely. Those who are highly critical then have the responsibility to express their concerns while there is still time.-Mina H. Daniels, State University of New York at Albany. Osborn, Andrew D. Serial Publications: Their Place and Treatment in Libraries. 3d ed. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1980. 486p. $20. LC 80-11686. ISBN 0- 8389-0299-5. Eighteen years elapsed between the first and second editions of this book, but only seven years between the second and third editions . This is a recognition of the local, national, and international developments in librarianship , technology , and economics that have affected serials purchasing, cata- loging, and accessibility. A thorough effort has been made to update names and edi- tions in the text and in the chapter bibliog- raphies, leaving the basic organization of the text unaltered. Osborn mentions the "growth of understanding in serials manage- ment ," the financial crisis of the seventies, and progress in automation. However, the text does not give a full and integrated dis- cussion of the concerns foremost in the minds of those working with serials and ad- ministering the overall collection: automa- tion of local records, economics and budget- ing, full text retrieval, and nontraditional formats including electronic journals. The book still offers the best available in- troduction to the basic traditional proce- dures of serials processing within libraries. the elusive definition of a serial is made in twenty pages of exceptions and illustrations. This thorough exposition is excellent be- cause it is both enlightening for those who have never worked with serials and thor- ough enough to satisfy those who have had extensive experience in coping with them. The chapter on serials selection gives basic principles which are true in their most general form . Collection development li- brarians will find little guidance here, other than an admonishment-based on a 1966/67 survey-that New Serials Titles Classified Subject Arrangement is not used extensively enough. Sources for current awareness beyond NST-CSA have been added to this edition but many have been excluded. The time-honored principles of completeness of files and the use of microforms in modera- tion are stated but not discussed in light of continuing realities of inflationary prices , in- adequate budgets, and space problems . The earlier dictum that the bulk of a serials col- lection should come via gift and exchange has now been revised to apply only to re- search libraries. An area in need of expan- sion is the section on cooperative acquisi- tions . There is no mention or discussion of the prospects, problems , or needs that have brought about the proposals for a National Periodical Center and other large-scale net- . work proposals. One of the book's strengths is the thorough description of acquisitions procedures, espe- cially manual check-in procedures, but the information on payment and budgeting is · very brief. Moreover, there is no discussion ' of how to develop , implement, or manage the serials budget, which the author con- tends should be separate from other mate- · rials. A section on cancellation was added to this edition , but it is only a look at what had happened in the seventies. The chapter on computer check-in has been totally rewritten because of recent advances. Yet underlying the chapter is a 1 tone of misgiving about the advantages of · automating serials files. Osborn's objection is high cost, and that is certainly a valid concern. However , he seems to think of cost in terms of the check-in function alone and maintains that the extras will have to justify the cost. That is also true, but what he considers extras are the real reason for Recent Publications I 159 automating: accessibility, claiming, linking of titles, integration of files, and manage- ment information. The chapters devoted to cataloging were revised to include changes caused by the second edition of the Anglo-American Cata- loguin,g Rules and the developments linked to computers. Added to the solid introduc- tion to descriptive and subject cataloging is a comparison of the approaches to serial cataloging in AACRl and AACR2. He lauds the allowance of increased title entry in AACR2 and its realization that libraries re- quire different levels of cataloging, but he criticizes the AACR2 "preoccupation with card and computer cataloging for serials." Discussion of computer cataloging is con- fined for the most part to a separate chap- ter. Although Osborn acknowledges the strengths of OCLC and CONSER, he is still skeptical of the role computers should play in serials cataloging. It is his contention that most serials need only level I cataloging, and that for most libraries, book catalogs would be sufficient for their needs. Sup- Our Success was Achieved by Putting Your Success ·First We know our future depends on your satisfaction · with our service. Since 1962 the highest stan- · dords in completion of orders, actual publisher reports (not our stock status), and accurate in- voicing to your requirements places us as the best order source for many acquisition librarians. Call Toll Free 800- 248- 1146 Michigan Customers Call Collect the BOOK HOUSE JOBBERS SERVING LIBRARIES WITH ANY BOOK IN PRINT SINCE 1962 208 WEST CHICAGO STREET JONESVILLE . MICHIGAN 49250 160 I Co~lege & Research Libraries • March 1981 Exclusively From Research Publications, Inc. <@) • Financial Times (London or Frankfurt) • Der Spiegel • Far Eastern Economic Review • India Today • Jewish Chronicle The Times Literary Supplement Index (1 902-1 939 Cumulative) Ip Research Publications, Inc. 12 Lunar 0 rive Woodbridge, CT 06525 (203) 397-2600 plementary records that exist already for check-in and binding need not be dupli- cated in a card catalog. Description of computer cataloging is lim- ited to OCLC, CONSER, and computer- generated book catalogs. While these are adequate, it is unfortunate that discussion did not go a step further to investigate the integration of all serials processes in a single computer system, pros and cons. An area that deserves attention in future editions is reorganization of serial departments and re- design of work flow required by automation. The section on binding remains little re- vised, but library binding is certainly a tradition and slow to change. However, this section contains an unnecessarily long his- torical look at bindery procedure in libraries, especially LC. Very little attention is given to developments in binding technology that now provide multiple options at variable costs for preservation of collections, and there is little discussion of the alternatives to binding. Microforms are not considered as an alternative or as a conservation mechanism, but as a necessary evil that is welcome only in moderation. Comments such as "when microforms must be resorted to" are indicative of that view, which may be justified in many specific cases, but should not be the tenor of the discussion. There is much in this book that is very good, very true, and required reading for all students of serials. I regret that more of the present and future were not incorpo- rated into it.-Sharon Bonk, State Universi- ty of New York at Albany. "Current Library Use Instruction." A. P. Marshall, issue ed. Library Trends 29:1- 172 (Summer 1980). $5. ISSN 0024-2594. This issue of Library Trends, edited by A. P . Marshall, contains eleven articles under the rubric of "Current Library Use Instruction." Overall, a great deal of what is said in this issue has been said before--and in some cases it has been said better else- where . Marshall states in his introduction that if some new thoughts or converts to li- brary use instruction result from the issue, the effort is not wasted. Four articles stand out as having the potential to meet Mar- shall's hopes. "Library Use Education: Current Prac-