College and Research Libraries 190 College & Research Libraries the fields of statistics, survey research, and education, and extend to more thor- ough treatments of these two difficult ar- eas. This work calls for a more formal, rigor- ous evaluation of instruction programs. Certainly, the field of bibliographic in- struction would benefit from research based on scientific methodology, espe- cially if the research leads to establishing more effective output measures. On a day-to-day basis, however, instruction li- brarians also need to be adept at "infor- mal" evaluation techniques-talking to faculty members to understand their im- pressions of student needs, judging stu- dent reactions and making adjustments in lecture style or content ''on the spot,'' an- alyzing questions received at the reference desk as representative of student needs and experimenting with new activities to meet those needs, and many others. These techniques allow librarians to tailor programs to the individual needs of their institutions and are also valuable as test- ing grounds from which more formal re- search projects can emerge. To battle- worn instruction librarians, informal evaluation methods are likely to be second nature. The formal techniques this hand- book introduces may encourage these li- brarians to conduct evaluation based on scientific methodology. Librarians new to the field, however, would benefit from an examination of the full range of evaluation techniques. Informal evaluation may not lead directly to research and publication, but it does make an essential contribution to effective instruction.-Martin Courtois, University of Illinois at Chicago. Woods, Lawrence, A., and Nolan F. Pope. The Librarian's Guide to Microcom- puter Technology and Applications. White Plains, N.Y.: Knowledge Industry Pub- lications for American Society for Infor- mation Science, 1983. 215p. $34.50. LC 83-13548. ISBN 0-87629-045-5. Carter, Ruth C., and Scott Bruntjen. Data · Conversion. White Plains, N.Y.: Knowl- edge Industry Publications, 1983. 173p. $34.50. LC 83-84. Each of these two 1983 offerings from Knowledge Industry Publications ad- March 1985 dresses a timely topic of interest to aca- demic librarians as well as to information specialists in other branches of the profes- sion. Lawrence Woods and Nolan Pope in The Librarian's Guide to Microcomputer Tech- nology and Applications have compiled a comprehensive overview and resource guide to microcomputers and their use in library situations. Data Conversion by Ruth Carter and Scott Bruntjen attacks the multisided question of retrospective con- version. The Librarian's Guide discusses the gen- eral fundamentals of microcomputers while focusing on library applications. The authors point to a felt need in the pro- fession for such a discussion and state in the preface that most of the information in the text was taken from a survey of ASIS and UTA individual members and of ARL member libraries. The survey, conducted in 1982 and 1983, revealed that 67 percent of the respondents used microcomputers in their facilities. The first chapter gives us the dime tour of computer history, which is all that is needed for the purposes of this volume. Technical buzzwords are nowhere to be found in this and succeeding chapters, and all legitimate technical terms are de- fined in a glossary. A basic understanding of the concept of computers and electroni- cally stored data is expected of the reader. However, as Woods and Pope conclude in chapter 1, "As information specialists, li- brarians cannot afford the luxury of com- puter illiteracy if they are to maintain their place in the information marketplace.'' Chapters 2 and 3 delve fairly deep into hardware and software descriptions cov- ering processors, storage medium, input/ output devices, networks, operating and database management systems, compil- ers, and programming languages. As fast as the micro industry is changing, these 1983 models, specifications, and prices provide a sound springboard from which to begin a survey of this year's offerings. Chapter 4 outlines some designs of library-specific software, taking off on the general discussions of chapter 3. How to assess your library's needs and potential uses for micros is the topic of chapter 5. Given the multitude of options available from even a single vendor, the individual requirements covered in this chapter are vital to selection of a proper system. The real meat of things, actual department-specific applications, are dis- cussed in chapters 6-9. Here we see that, from administration to public service, effi- ciency and access to information can po- tentially be improved by the use of micros. Online searching is dealt with at length in chapter 6. The authors use examples of ac- tual library situations to demonstrate the broad scope of online searching on mi- cros. Many commercial online systems are also discussed. Other aspects of public service that can be enhanced by micros are detailed in chapter 7. This includes circu- lation control, interlibrary loan, and edu- cational instruction. Unfortunately for chapter 8 and the cov- erage of technical services, OCLC's M300 micro was not introduced in time to be in- cluded in any of the survey results. This system, though, has been well- documented in the past year throughout Recent Publications 191 the professional literature. As in chapter 6, examples of local success stories help to highlight potential applications. Chapter 9 on management applications serves as an added appendix, listing ex- amples of local use with brief explanatory text. Management functions are as broad as the entire field of institutional adminis- tration. Future trends in hardware and software and their effect on library appli- cations are covered in the final chapter. If the results of the survey reported in this text are not enough, appendix A con- sists of twenty pages of libraries with mi- cros for the reader to contact. Appendix B contains lists of hardware vendors and ap- pendix C, software and system vendors. These listings could prove to be an invalu- able resource for micro networking. A glossary follows the appendixes, and an extensive bibliography complements the chapter footnotes. With all the literature listed here, it is a wonder this text was not written sooner. Data Conversion by Carter and Bruntjen LATIN AMERICAN PAMPHLETS Frolll Yale University Library 1600 to 1900 • -On Microfiche SPECIAL PRE-PUBLICATION OFFER • SAVE $6,000 This rich collection of primary source information covers a wide range of sub- jects ·documenting political, economic and social conditions in 17th-, 18th-, 19th- and early 20th-century Latin America. The microfiche collection is accom- panied by a meticulously cataloged Guide, organized into 150 subject categories, which provides access chronologically and by subject, author and title. ~ ~ear,water Publishing Company, Inc. I ~""""\._~ ...• world or microforms 1995 Broadway· New York· New York 10023 (212) 873·2100 Telex 237334 • Mexico-6,300 pamphlets •Peru-2,000 pamphlets •Central & South America- 1 ,325 pamphlets •Complete Collection-1 0,500 microfiche Complete Microfiche Collection: Order and pay before 4/1/85 .......... $18,000 Order before 7/1/85 ..... $22,000 List Price ............. $24,000 Call Collect (212) 873-21 00 for Descriptive Brochure 192 College & Research Libraries is an introductory text on the purposes and procedures of retrospective conver- sion. The authors do not claim to have concentrated on all the details, but rather have compiled a "philosophical and theo- retical'' text on conversion. Many librari- ans may be thankful for having delayed their conversions to take advantage of this comprehensive guide. The first chapter discusses the products and purposes of data conversion, touch- ing briefly on most of the main points to be covered in later chapters. The "total sys- tems approach" is recommended "to help prevent the 1990s from being filled with reconversion.'' It is in this chapter that the MARC record is introduced in its many varieties and uses. Planning for the conversion and aware- ness of standard practices are emphasized in chapter 2. This planning is outlined to include the establishment of goals and ob- jectives, description of the present situa- tion, identification and analysis of alterna- tives, evaluation of available resources, and decisions on formats and standards. The evaluation of available resources for machine-readable records, staff, equip- ment, space, time, and money are exam- ined. Chapter 3 discusses proper design of the entire conversion project from how the machine-readable bibliographic infor- mation will be identified to who will docu- ment the bar code specifications. This chapter addresses the most detailed as- pects of conversion and includes discus- sions of some local systems and their in- terface with vendors. The authors conclude this chapter with the emphatic directive, "If you are not willing to ade- quately plan for a data conversion project, don't attempt one." Hear, hear. After the many aspects covered in chap- ter 3, chapter 4 launches into "Special Considerations." These include conver- sion of serial records, reclassification, treatment of pre-AACR2 records (author- ity control), and item control. These con- siderations bring to light additional stan- dards, for which planning must again be done prior to beginning a conversion. Chapter 5 compares some conversion methods in terms of time, cost, and per- March 1985 formance. Since each library's situation is unique, no be-ali and end-all method is given, only a method for comparing op- tions. Possible pitfalls are discussed in chapter 6. A project as large as a conversion is very open to error in planning and/or imple- mentation. Libraries attempting conver- sions after the first brave few have fallen or succeeded have the advantage of learn- ing from the mistakes of others. Things can go wrong in financial planning, orga- nization, contracting, standardizing, and purpose. A final summary is given before the comprehensive appendixes. Librarians who are conversion veterans are listed in appendix A. Appendix B lists consultants: here are people who have been through it or who are in the midst of it. Appendix C covers vendors of conversion services. Both of these current volumes, en- hanced by their extensive bibliographic entries and appendixes, are valuable addi- tions for library planners. The texts are easy to read and understand, and conform to the high Knowledge Industry standards.-Jill Sanders, Blackwell North America, Inc. Wright, Kieth C. and Judith F. Davie. Li- brary and Information Services for Handi- capped Individuals, 2d ed. Littleton, Colo: Libraries Unlimited, 1983. 184p. $20. LC 83-13560. ISBN 0-87287-391-9. Association of Specialized and Coopera- tive Library Agencies. Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 1984. Chi- cago: American Library Assn., 1984. 55p. $6.50. LC 84-6356. ISBN 0-8389- 3306-8. The first edition of Library and Informa- tion Services for Handicapped Individuals by Kieth Wright (1979) was the first standard text aimed at assisting librari- ans in planning library services for peo- ple with various disabilities. This sec- ond edition, coauthored by Judith F. Davie, has the same objectives as the previous edition with udpated and ex-