College and Research Libraries 266 College & Research Libraries and questions to use in assessing and im- proving reviews. The whole book reflects alert and in- formed intelligence that, without pomp or pretension, sets out purposefully to re- form and improve a key element in the whole process of thought and research by which scholars hope to add to knowledge. The informed wisdom behind the book makes its advice and insights applicable to virtually all aspects of scholarship. It is thus a book that repays reading by almost anyone involved in serious study and is entirely likely to satisfy the publisher's prediction that it will ''become a method- ological classic."- W. L. Williamson, Uni- versity of Wisconsin, Madison. Metz, Paul. The Landscape of Literature: Use of Subject Collections in a University Li- brary . Chicago: American Library Assn., 1983. 143p. (ACRL Publications in Librarianship, no.43) $30. LC 83- 15511. ISBN 0-8389-3286. This work is a thought-provoking study of the use of libraries, and it is likely to be- come one of the most influential as well. Metz, user services librarian at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI), analyzed data from VPI's auto- mated circulation system in order to an- swer the question, "Who reads what?" Information on 58,457 books in circulation to 10,126 borrowers on two days in May 1982 provided the data for the study. The circulation data provided information on five categories of borrowers, their depart- mental affiliation (or major), and the clas- sification of the borrowed material, bro- ken into eighty-one subject categories. This review can only summarize some of the most important results of Metz' s study; the 143 pages are packed with in- formation. His most important finding is that the use of library collections is ex- tremely interdisciplinary, much more so than previous studies have indicated. Metz writes: The data show quite clearly that the majority of faculty use of most subject literatures is by outsiders-that is, by readers with other speci- alities than those primarily associated with those literatures. The findings support a view of the library as a most unrestricted and unpre- May 1985 dictable bazaar for the exchange of ideas andre- flect a much more catholic and interdependent view of knowledge than citation studies have ever suggested. This view of library use, in turn, suggests policies stressing the integration of services, an opposition to arbitrary barriers to the flow of information, and the avoidance of narrow specialization. (p .56-57) In the sciences, Metz' s study shows that not only did faculty in the sciences use the monographic collection (a majority had books checked out), but his study rein- forces other use studies that indicate that a large majority of the science faculty's li- brary needs are met by books in the sci- ences. However, the VPI study showed a higher use of literature outside the fac- ulty's specific discipline than indicated by citation studies. Social scientists at VPI were heavy li- brary users (two-thirds had books checked out; with an average of 16.3 books) with extensive reliance on materi- als outside their specific disciplines. Ge- ographers were especially interdiscipli- nary; only 7.8 percent of books in use by geographers were classed in geography, while 22.4 percent were in economics, and 9.5 percent were in sociology. Only 10.5 percent of books in use by psychologists were classed in that discipline. While these figures are not inconsistent with the findings of citation studies, what is new and surprising in the Metz study is the ex- tent of interdisciplinary use of the collec- tions. Metz suggests that reliance on fund allo- cations to departments for book selection may not build balanced collections, be- cause the needs of departmental users may not be the same as those of nonspe- cialists from whom ntuch of the use mate- rials in the discipline will come. Periodicals often present problems in use studies. Since at VPI periodicals do not circulate, they were not part of this larger study. However, Metz attempted to monitor their use in the library's photo- copy service. While the sample was small, the use'' seems'' to follow similar patterns as for monographs, but with ''a more nar- row concentration of use on materials in core literatures." As almost 70 percent of the books were Do you and your book wholesaler speak the same language? Sometimes it takes one well-trained and skilled librar- ian to fully understand the real needs of another That's why Baker & Taylor has made a point of having more trained librarians on staff than any other book supplier These professional librarians are dedicated to helping you get the most benefit from Baker & Taylor's spe- cialized services. So when you order from Baker & Taylor you can be assured that nothing will ever get lost in the transla- tion. EXPER IENCE YOU CAN DEPEND ON ea11 or write us now BAKER & TAYLOR for more information. oGRPCEcompany Eastern Division , 50 K~rby Avenue. So mer vill e. NJ 08876 (20 1) 722-8000 Midwestern Division , 50 1 S. Gladi olus Street. Momence. IL 6095-+ (8 15) -+7 2- 2-+-+4 Southern Division, Mt. Olive Road. Commerce. GA 30599 (40 4) 335-5000 Western Division , 380 Ed iso n Way. Reno. NV 89564 (,702) 786-6700 268 College & Research Libraries charged to students, their use was also an- alyzed. Metz found that reading patterns of graduate students were similar but not identical to the faculty in the same area as the graduate student, the former showing greater concentration in the area of spe- cialization. Undergraduate use was broader and less predictable. In an interesting chapter, Metz ques- tions if branch libraries affect this exten- sive interdisciplinary use of the collec- tions. He compares VPI (with only two branches) with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, a similar educational institu- tion but one whose library has eleven branches. Using circulation statistics from Nebraska to replicate, as much as possi- ble, the VPI study, Metz concludes that the existence of branch libraries does in- fluence patron use of the collections heav- ily, and what is read by whom. This is an excellent work, one with which all librarians should be familiar. It is a pioneering study in the use of circulation data to study use of a library's collections. Metz' s study will be the model for studies at other libraries.-William Z. Schenck, Uni- versity of Oregon. Lincoln, Alan Jay. Crime in the Library: A Study of Patterns, Impact, and Security. New York: Bowker, 1984. 191p. $26.95. LC 83-22288 . ISBN 0-8352-1863-5. Security for Libraries: People, Buildings, Collections. Ed. by Marvine Brand. Chi- cago: American Library Assn., 1984. 128p. $12.00. LC 84-455 . ISBN 0-8389- 0409-2. Consistent with a long tradition of ser- vice, librarians, especially in public insti- tutions, have tried to provide an environ- ment that encourages active patron use of the materials in their repositories. Attain- ing this laudable goal, however, can often prove elusive because they also have a concomitant responsibility to protect their collections, facilities, fellow staff mem- bers, and patrons from those who destroy property, abuse staf( annoy legitimate us- ers, and damage, if not wrongfully re- move, materials. In the process of per- forming these duties in a publicly accessible library, a staff member may suf- fer physical injury, psychological stress, May 1985 and even loss of life such as that which oc- curred at the Cleveland Public Library in late 1984. Contrary to the public percep- tion of libraries as safe and comfortable in- stitutions, works such as Bruce A. Shu- man's The River Bend Casebook: Problems in Public Library Service (Phoenix: Oryx Pr., 1981), and its 1984 sequel, River Bend Revis- ited, dramatize very well the point that all libraries are far from being sanctuaries from the ills that plague society. Making libraries more secure places is an area that has attracted much attention in the last two decades. As noted in one of the studies reviewed below, for example, the number of articles on matters of library security that were indexed in Library Liter- ature rose from 27 for the period 1950-59 to 336 for the period 1970-79. Interest in this multifaceted area is evident in other forms as well. Not only is there a journal devoted solely to Library and Archival Society; but, on a regular basis, various book-length studies-such as Brand's and Lincoln' s- appear. In addition to four separately authored essays, Brand's book contains a topically arranged bibliography. Each narrative fol- lows a standard format and includes an outline of important points relative to se- curity at the end of the essay. Although this work is designed primarily for aca- demic, public, and school libraries, it pro- vides information that will prove helpful to all librarians whatever their specialty. Thomas W. Shaughnessy's "Security: Past, Present, and Future/' for example, goes well beyond a historical overview and the futuristic concerns of library secu- rity by reviewing many of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of se- curity systems. Other essays focus on the need for a procedures manual, training programs, and the hiring of guards. The final essay, "Legal Aspects of Library Se- curity/' is the most thought-provoking piece, inasmuch as the authors identify is- sues such as the increasingly important area of constitutional or civil rights torts and their relationship to libraries. Among other pertinent aspects are the potential for liability suits and the need to update an institution's liability insurance. Every li- brary director, in particular, should derive