College and Research Libraries ample, an old, family-run publishing house is swallowed up by a manufacturer of canned goods. Com paine speaks briefly to this point in the introduction and in his final summary, but this will not satisfy those who feel he should view with more alarm. Who Owns the Media?, as a source of data on a variety of factors related to the owner- ship of the several media, remains a useful reference tool. What's more, it also pro- vides, in its textual matter, an interesting introduction to each of the areas repre- sented by one of its chapters. Those who want to explore further the questions of quality and social responsibility in the me- dia will find this a basic source of informa- tion on which to build their own interpretations.-Lester Asheim, University of North Carolina. The Nationwide Provision and Use of In- formation. Aslib Joint Conference Sept. 15-19, 1980. London: The Library Assn., 1981. 414p. ISBN 0-85365-563-4. A perception of common concerns emerging within a technologically dy- namic and unpredictable environment ap- pears to have been a prime motivating force in convening the first tripartite con- ference of British library and information service organizations. In proposing a toast to the City and University of Sheffield, the hosts of the conference of Aslib, the Insti- tute of Information Scientists, and the Li- brary Association, Monty Hyams, presi- dent of the Institute of Information Scientists, stated: "This week we are dis- cussing the nationwide provision and use of information, particularly in the light of the new technology, and especially the ef- fect that this might have on automating and perhaps changing the whole charac- ter and life style of the traditionally stable profession of librarianship." Mr. Hyams went on to say that ''in times of uncer- tainty about the future, it is customary for unity to prevail and so it was that this tri- partite conference was conceived." On a more positive note, W. L. Saun- ders, president of the Library Association, in his opening paper, "Information, the 'Unscarce' Resource," pointed out that the convening of this historic conference Recent Publications 387 " ... affords students an overview of represen· tative current work in the areas of methodol· ogy and philosophy of history, even in languages the undergraduates do not have . . . gives them a world scope they might otherwise lack. " Robert I. Burns, S.J. Department of History University of California, Los Angeles "Historical Abstracts is a tool that can be used effectively in a small college ... " Stanley J. ldzerda Department of History College of St. Benedict " ... Historical Abstracts enables me to take shortcuts in my own research, and to do in a fraction of time what would otherwise take many hours. " Peter Klassen Dean of Social Science California State University, Fresno " ... It aids in the winnowing process. Most researchers discard about 90% of the material they read as irrelevant to their own work. Anything that helps one to know in ad· vance what will be useful is extremely valuable." Paul W. Schroeder Department of History University of Illinois, Champaign·Urbana A handful of reasons to get your hands on Historical Abstracts! Write for a complimentary sample copy and price quotation. ABC (I. ) Infonnation Senk" CLIO liJI\ Box 4397 Santa Barbara, CA 93103 388 College & Research Libraries represented ''a most significant recogni- tion by all three organizations of a com- mon concern with the vitally important theme ''The national provision and use of information,'' and that an examination of the conference program would reveal ''the essential and underlying unity of many of the concerns and preoccupations of Aslib, the Institute and the L.A." As would have been the case had we sponsored here a miniature and repre- sentative conference of SLA, ASIS, and ALA, a number of presentations were made which dealt with a variety of sub- jects. The majority of the more than fifty papers published in the proceedings hover around the major conference theme and several subthemes which include ''In- formation Provision," "User Needs, Wants and Demands," and "Changes and Constraints." Special interest groups, for example, the Public Libraries Research Group, also contributed papers or sponsored workshops of interest to their respective members. For the most part, the papers are of high quality and treat with lucidity, historical perspective, and depth the major concerns of the field. It is significant that no segment of the field was ignored or considered unimportant and that the role played, for example, by the school library, is accorded its proper and rightful recognition alongside the contribution of the online system. The closing session of the conference featured a comprehensive and thought- provoking presentation by D. J. Foskett on the theme "Professionalism and the Fu- ture" and also one by Sir Montague Fin- niston, past president of Aslib, on the theme of ''Information for a Dynamic Economy.'' An index to the proceedings, compiled by L. J. Taylor, allows access to the main and subordinate topics of the conference and undoubtedly enhances the value of the proceedings. Fractionalization and disunity within our field have been major concerns of some of the leaders of our national and in- ternational library and information sci- ence organizations. Enormous expendi- tures of professional time and effort have been devoted in the past to divide rather than unify our field. Our British col- September 1983 leagues are to be congratulated for their clarity of vision, industry, and political ex- pertise in setting an example for others to follow-/ruing M. Klempner, State Univer- sity of New York at Albany. Priorities for Academic Libraries. Ed. by Thomas}. Galvin and BeverlyP. Lynch. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1982. 106p. $7.95 LC 81-48572. ISBN 0-87589-897-1. This slender volume was designed to bridge the gap created by the ''benign ne- glect" of academic administrations, the audience for whom the ten authors were asked to write. While the contributions of Millicent Abell and Jacqueline Coolman on person- nel, Patricia Battin on preservation, and Russell Shank on changes in user expecta- tions are very good, there are weak chap- ters on collection development and re- source sharing, and nothing on libraries within the academic organizational struc- ture or on physical problems in old or large library systems. Further, the specu- lative chapter by the president of Clarkson College of Technology asserts that "li- braries as such will not last as long as books" and "most college libraries at present are large study halls." Would I buy and give this to my presi- dent to help education on the more com- plex library issues that we face? I have de- cided not to. The price is right. The text is clear. It reads easily, and was well assem- bled by the two editors. Yes, there is excel- lent advice from Ms. Battin, useful thoughts from Richard Talbot on financing, some good insights in the Abell-Coolman piece, yet I do not see that it is, overall, the set of messages that would help me work with my administration on tough library is- sues that we face together. A unique contribution is made by Wil- liam Moffett, the Azariah S. Root Director of Libraries at Oberlin College. Moffett's assignment was to state "what the aca- demic librarian wants from administrators and faculty.'' I am not aware of a compara- ble statement anywhere else, certainly not in a concise eleven pages. While every aca- demic librarian would have his or her own set of messages on such a topic, Moffett based his on "scores of thoughtful let-