College and Research Libraries some, the reader will want to go to more detailed material rather quickly or to a consultant. This is a good first book for anyone; and except for the most experi- enced library manager working in this area, it is difficult to see how anyone would not gain useful practical advice from the more detailed chapters.- Lawrence Miller, Florida International University- Tamiami Campus. A Reader on Choosing an Automated Li- brary System. Ed. by Joseph R. Mat- thews, Chicago: American Library Assn., 1983. 390p. $35. LC 83-11821. ISBN 0-8389-0383-5. Intended to complement the editor's earlier publication, Choosing an Automated Library System: A Planning Guide (ALA, 1980}, this collection of forty articles ex- tends considerably beyond the concept of . merely choosing an automated library sys- tem. The book's seven sections encom- pass topics ranging from needs analysis and the selection process and contracts, to installation, implementation, and the im- pact of automation in libraries. The latter section comprises 40 percent of the book and contains subsections on acquisitions; cataloging, the catalog, circulation, and online search systems. Although badly dated in some respects and neglecting some applications of li- brary automation, the selections are gen- erally well chosen. Most derive from pa- pers presented at conferences or are reprints from monographs or the standard library literature representing such au- thors as John Kountz, Paul J. Fasana, Mi- chael Gorman, Susan K. Martin, Richard Boss, S. Michael Malinconico, and D. Kaye Gaypen. In addition, there are a handful of articles written for this collec- tion and selections from outside the li- brary literature. The latter include useful essays on cost analysis and contracts re- printed from Computing Surveys and Data- mation. Of the new articles, those most welcome are Kevin Hegerty' s essays on contracts and vendor and/or system selection, Wil- liam F. Adiletta's "primer" on data com- munications (which suffers, however, from being written prior to the breakup of Recent Publications 93 AT&T) and Nolan Pope's article on con- tracts, which provides an excellent expla- nation of the RFI/RPI process, good advice on writing RFPs, and clear explanations of such terms as benchmarks, performance bonds, escrowed software, and accep- tance tests. The editor's introductions to each of the sections are generally helpful in stating the problems and setting the stage for the articles that follow. On p. 23-24, however, there is unfortunate confusion between "standard bibliographic records," ''MARC records,'' and LC cataloging dis- tributed by the MARC distribution ser- vice. An index adds to the book's useful- ness although at least one entry (Cataloging in Publication) contains only blind references. Considering that the earliest of the thirty-five reprinted articles dates from 1967, and that half of the others stem from the years 1979-80, this useful collection can be utilized either for its historical viewpoint or as a rapidly aging but useful aid for library managers involved in the automation process.-Charles W. Simpson, University of Illinois at Chicago. Amy, Linda Ray. The Search for Data in the Physical and Chemical Sciences. New York: Special Libraries Assn., 1984. 150p. $17. LC 83-20376 ISBN 0-87111- 308-2. The title of this work will pique the inter- est of any scientific or technical reference librarian; we are daily challenged with re- quests for reliable data on sometimes ob- scure properties of often obscure sub- stances. Linda Ray Amy is an obviously experienced reference librarian who used a sabbatical to "investigate the nature, generation, collection, and retrieval of physical and chemical data in general, and to analyze and index National Bureau of Standards' compilations in particular.'' The first part of her book begins by discus- sing the nature of physical and chemical data, the difficulties involved in locating and critically evaluating data, and data centers that have been established to com- pile reliable data. Amy presents a brief but thorough review of the problems in- volved, and although she does not cite my 94 College & Research Libraries own fav0rite papers on the subject, ''Is the Literature Worth Retrieving?" by S. A. Goudsmit (Physics Today 19:52-55 [Sept. 1966] and "Is the Literature Worth Re- viewing?'' by L. M. Branscomb (Scientific Research 3:49-56 [May 27, 1968], her dis- cussion is no less illuminating for these omissions. Next she presents information on major data compilations and sources of data, with. detailed discussions of the N a- tional Bureau of Standards and its Na- tional Standard Reference Data System, and briefer sections on other national and international programs. Sources of infor- mation on handbooks and data compila- tions, including online access to data, are also covered. In such a rapidly changing area it is to be expected that some recent developments are not included. Thus there is no mention of the online Superin- dex; and in discussing the problem of the lack of standardization in query languages for online systems, she suggests that a possible solution would be for commercial vendors to create interface software that would translate commands of the end user into appropriate commands for a par- ticular file, but she does not mention that such software is already on the market (e.g., Sci Mate). The second part, nearly half of this rather slim book, is taken up by informa- tion about National Bureau of Standards data compilation series and with descrip- tions of selected compilations in these se- ries . In addition, having convincingly made the point in the first half of her book that NBS data series are not adequately in- dexed, Arny concludes this second part with her own index to selected NBS data compilations. Since the NBS is such a sig- nificant producer of critically evaluated data compilations, there is some justifica- tion for this section, but of course it is not and does not pretend to be a comprehen- sive guide to physical and chemical data. Moreover, it is evident that such indexes quickly become dated. For example, the indexes refer to Technical Note 270 forcer- tain thermochemical data, rather than to Supplement 2 to volume 11 of the Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, which supersedes the various parts of this Technical Note. (In fairness, the description January 1985 of TN270 does mention this Supplement, in a note probably added late in the proof stage.) Despite this limitation the index should prove useful. This book would be useful as supple- mentary reading for a course on scientific reference sources, although the lack of an index to the text detracts from this pur- pose. More significantly, I think that any practicing science reference librarian could profit from reading the book and from consulting its NBS index in dealing with reference questions.-Robert Mi- chaelson, Northwestern University Library, Evanston, Illinois. New Options for Librarians: Finding a Job in a Related Field. Ed. by Betty- Carol Sellen and Dimity S. Berkner. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1984. 300p. $19.95. LC 83-22143. ISBN 0-918212-73-1. This collection of pieces by librarians who are in careers outside of the tradi- tional library organization provides excit- ing and important viewpoints on the op- tions as well as requirements for success in these alternative careers. The book is di- vided into two sections: Part 1- "Changing Career Directions," and Part 2-"Some Career Options." There are a total of eighteen pieces, and the editors, Sellen and Berkner, have done a fine job of pulling these diverse pieces together into a well-organized and cohesive presenta- tion . .~. Part 1 offers pieces that cover strategies for assessing career options, evaluating strengths, and marketing skills. The ideas and suggestions contained in these pieces represent the most direct and honest guid- ance about what it takes to be successful in gaining entry and then surviving in the not-for-profit sector that this reviewer has seen in the library field . The authors present a no-nonsense picture of realities of the not-for-profit world and discuss in specific terms the commitment, energy, and time that it takes to be successful. Anyone reading these pieces will go away wiser about the general expectations in al- ternative careers but also with specific ideas and suggestions on how to approach planning a career change. Librarians who want sound suggestions on job hunting