College and Research Libraries Recent Publications BOOK REVIEWS Moran, Barbara D. Academic Libraries: The Changing Knowledge Centers of Colleges and Universities. Washington, D.C.: Assn. for the Study of Higher Educa- tion, 1984. 97p. (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Research Report, no. 8) $7.50. ISBN 0-913317-17-9. American higher education has always claimed for itself the over arching theme of striving for excellence. This theme echos with renewed emphasis in the offices and conference rooms of academic administra- tors as program plans and budget fore- casts for the next decade are reviewed and debated. A recurring-no, a serial- discussion among administrators focuses on questions about how to determine ap- propriate budget levels for the academic li- brary. The prevailing method of assessing the quality of an academic library empha- sizes rather simple quantitative measures such as size of the collections, number of ·full-time librarians, hours per week of op- erations, physical facilities, and total oper- ations and acquisitions budgets. Throw in a few statistics such as turnstile counts and average daily number of books in cir- culation, add a small constant for the rare book collection or other special collec- tions, and the funding formula is espe- cially complete. It is not surprising that the academic li- brary's share of the budget loaf averages between 3 and 4 percent in most universi- ties. Often-blame it on priorities, blame it on lack of time, blame it on paucity of information-the discussion recesses with general agreement that the acquisitions budget should receive an increment one or two percentage points above that for general price increases, the librarian should be encouraged to keep the library open longer hours, and automation should be evaluated on a cost-benefits ba- sis. That many university administrators think of academic libraries as ''bottomless pits" (academic computer centers, for which even simple funding formulas do not exist, are often considered voracious first cousins to libraries) arises from an awareness that they are more complex than the traditional measures would im- ply, but without a better understanding of the forces that are changing academic li- braries these same administrators are without the tools needed to justify a differ- ent approach to the funding issue. Moran's research report provides a valuable framework within which the quality of the discussion can be improved. A well-organized review of almost two hundred publications that are concerned with the present and future excellence of our academic libraries is arranged into four sections: new technologies and auto- mation, organization and management, personnel issues, and collections and co- operation among libraries. The emphasis is on research libraries in larger universi- ties, but smaller libraries are not entirely ignored. This slim volume will serve nicely as a primer for overworked aca- demic administrators, who appear to be the primary audience. The bibliography alone should make it of value to most pro- fessional librarians. It should be placed in the hands of senior faculty who are most directly affected by many of the changes described by Moran, and who certainly will influence much of the policy on cam- pus. The acclerating pace of technological changes, which provides the dominant theme for all four sections of this book, is 179 180 College & Research Libraries not news on most campuses, nor is it con- fined to the academic library. The value of Moran's research, for the librarian, as well as for the administrator, will be in the ar- gument that ''libraries are in a state of fun- damental transformation" (p.S). Academic Libraries systematically exposes the reader to a broad range of issues with which li- braries are grappling and with which uni- versity administrators, faculty, and the funding agents for universities should be familiar. The outline of the main develop- ments of automation, bibliographic utili- ties, online use of the databases for infor- mation retrieval, and online public access catalogs establishes a valuable set of guideposts for the layperson. Her discus- sion of the effects of these advances and the unresolved challenges that they present should provide a focus for cam- puswide strategic planning: Can the vari- ous networks be linked into a national bib- liographic network? If not, what are the alternatives? Are regional networks and shared costs of cataloging reasonable goals, and can our major research libraries accept leadership in these developments? What is the role of the university adminis- trator in answering these questions? What is the role of the faculty in determining what the library of the future will be and what services it will provide? How do we assess the differential impact of these changes across academic disciplines? The second major theme of this book is that, driven by costs, the traditional em- phasis on collections is shifting to one of access. The effects of the "information ex- plosion'' and the rising costs of printed materials have been well documented by librarians. The figures cited by Moran are impressive. The problems of preservation of collections (deacidification, controlled environments, security) are becoming ma- jor factors in budgeting and management of libraries. Librarians are fully aware that no library can now plan to be self- sufficient, but many members of their most powerful client group may not be in agreement with this conclusion. Collection-development policies are al- ready the source of some tension between librarians and faculty who often interpret ''access'' as a short walk to the bookshelf. March 1986 Although most administrators have been exposed to the problems of rising costs in all of these areas, the implications of re- source sharing reach beyond budget and management issues internal to the library. This review of the literature. suggests that librarians find most of the existing ar- rangements for resource sharing expen- sive, limited to a select few, barely re- gional in scope, and often "slow, cumbersome, and an uncertain method of obtaining needed materials" (p.72). These inadequacies are of major concern because they are the source of faculty and student complaint. This is stuff for major debate and difficult decisions around the cam- pus. It is clear that resource sharing leaves much to be desired. It is also clear that in- fusions to the budget for journal subscrip- tions, although helpful, will not be the so- lution. If Moran is correct that academic libraries are forced to concentrate funds and efforts on solutions for today, with lit- tle attention to the research needs of the future (p.65), then expansion and im- provements in these programs appear to be the necessity. More information on the history, success, costs, and limitations of the various models for cooperation and sharing of access to collections among li- braries will be enlightening for academic administrators. Research into the issues and problems associated with the failure to achieve a federally funded National Pe- riodical Center (p.68) would involve uni- versity administrators in productive dia- logue with professional librarians, public officials, funding agencies, and other sec- tors of American society. The summary and discussion of litera- ture concerned with nonprint formats in library collections is both informative and disturbing. Academic librarians have more than two decades of experience with a wide variety of nonprint formats. This material does not leave the lay reader with an impression that librarians view this ex- perience as the valuable asset that it should represent. The potential of elec- tronic publishing and electronic file trans- fer as long-range solutions to the issues of collections development receives a great deal of attention, as do the dangers and On microfilm ... from Research Publications The Golden Age Spanish Theology, History and Literature from 1472 to 1700 Spanish Rare Books of the Golden Age offers the opportunity to research the wide variety of literature written in Spain or composed in Spanish from 1472 to 1700. Spanish Rare Books of the Golden Age includes drama, works on jewish and Christian theology, medicine, and classical texts written in Lltin and vernacular translations. Spanish Rare Books of the Golden Age represents the writings of Boscan, Luis de Leon, Borja, Cervantes, Aleman, and others. Based on a collection at the Library of the University of Illinois, Spanish Rare Books of the Golden Age encompasses the development of prose and poetic styles from a period rich in religious, literary, and political works. Divided into units of approximately 50 reels each, the standing order unit price is only $3,000.per unit (over 15% off the individual unit price). Prices for U.S. and Canada only. Shipping and handling charges will be added. To order, or for more information on Spanish Rare Books of the Golden Age call or write: Research Publications 12 Lunar Drive/Drawer AB VVoodbridge,Ct06525 (203) 397·2600 Toll.free: 1·800·RfACH-RP lWX: 71 0·465·6345 FAX: 203-397 ·3893 Outside North and South America P.O.Box45 Reading, RG 1 8Hf England TEL: 0734-583247 TELEX: 848336NADL G research publications® 182 College & Research Libraries problems that will accompany this devel- opment. As academic libraries approach this next major technological change, they may find a natural and knowledgeable partner in the academic computer center (the other "bottomless pit" for many uni- versity administrators). In another section of this book Moran reviews the increasing need in academic libraries for professional librarians with training and expertise in application of the new technologies of in- formation science. The skills that are needed by these personnel overlap with those considered very attractive by direc- tors of comprehensive academic computer centers. Increasingly, computer centers are finding their client base expanding among almost all academic disciplines, and concomitantly the range of services expected of them is expanding. That Moran's extensive search of the literature fails to produce a discussion of benefits and problems in achieving a successful working relationship between these two units surprises and disappoints. The author devotes one section of this The Academic Librarians' Choice with CLASS • Over 18 Million Records • Subject Access/Boolean Capabilities • Choice of Accounts: • Search Access • Online Cataloging • Acquisitions • Interlibrary Loan Contact: CLASS. Dept. AC, 1415 Koll Circle, Suite 101. San Jose, CA 95112 408/289-1756 March 1986 book to a review and discussion of the in- creasingly complex organization of aca- demic libraries and the development of the professional librarian as a manager. In many respects, this section may be the more informative and beneficial for the university administrator. The challenges and problems of automation can be di- gested and understood in a general way because they are similar to those that con- front other units of the university. Issues such as policies governing collections de- velopment, branch libraries, online bibli- ographies, etc., involve directly the larger academic community and are certain to come to the attention of most administra- tors. Librarians may find university ad- ministrators less sensitive to the issues arising from the perspective of internal management of the library. Finally, Moran offers four recommenda- tions to help academic libraries meet the challenges for the next twenty years. The most important of these is the call for greater involvement of faculty and admin- istrators in long-range planning efforts aimed at ensuring that academic libraries meet the requirements of institutional ex- cellence. The recommendation that the university make a greater commitment of funds is one heard every day from every budget center on campus. The argument for more funds remains an argument that the university make a shift in priorities, and, as Moran has already informed the reader, this is a political decision. The rec- ommendation that the institution support efforts at more cooperative ventures should be viewed by administrators as an invitation from the librarian. The key, how- ever, is serious and active participation by administrators and faculty in strategic planning aimed at coping with the '' funda- mental transformation'' of the library. If funding priorities are to change, adminis- trators and faculty must be in a position to make some informed judgments about the issues discussed in this book. Strategic planning is a relatively new exercise for many universities, one that should be treated by librarians as an opportunity to bring these issues to the policy councils. Barbara Moran's work is only a first step in this direction.~ Vernon A. Miller, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Uni- versity of Illinois at Chicago. Hagerstrand, T. The Identification of Prog- ress in Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1985. 204p. $39.50. LC 84- 14277. ISBN 0-521-30087-8. This is a collection of papers presented at the European Science Foundation Col- loquium, held in Colmar, France, in March 1983. Because its purpose is to in- crease an understanding of knowledge, of the research process and of learning, it is central to the concerns of academic librari- anship. The collection consists of twelve essays by respected scientists and scholars in the fields of physics, mathematics, biol- ogy, medicine, sociology, linguistics, art history, history, and economics,· each ac- companied by the commentary of another scholar. Two general essays help to make of this diverse assembly of ideas a coher- ent contribution to the sociology of sci- ence. Each paper is a synthesis of consider- ations such as the criteria for the evalua- tion of knowledge in each field; identifica- tion of the significant discovery, breakthrough, or advancement; priorities within fields; and obstacles to advance- ment. Such syntheses are more important now than ever before because of the rapid movement toward specialization and in- terdisciplinary research, rendering com- munication among scientists and scholars more complex, and an understanding of the growth of knowledge more difficult for anyone involved. The undersigned is not competent to judge the merits of indi- vidual contributions to this collection, but it is fairly clear that, overall, they provide stimulating insight into the fluid nature of the classification of knowledge, para- digms of theory, and changing method- ologies for advancement. Reference to the library appears only once in this book, yet a common thread that links concerns about the present and · future among the disciplines represented has to do very essentially with library and information science. That is the techno- logical control and, increasingly, the intel- lectual control of information in the broad- est sense. Briefly, significant advance- Recent Publications 183 mentis dependent upon the ability to deal selectively with the growing volume of compartmentalized information and to enhance cross-fertilization among disci- plines. The logic is as follows: knowledge is advanced by discovery, variously inter- preted among disciplines; discovery is de- fined as such within a context of knowl- edge accepted within each discipline; the better the organization of that knowledge is, the more readily identifiable will be the discovery that will advance the field; where discovery is both most likely and most fruitful is the region of overlap or po- tential overlap between fields. None of this is terribly new, of course, but it is focused particularly well in this collection of essays. And it underscores the important pivotal function that librari- ans could perform in the evolving schol- arly communication system. Based on the logic of the advancement of knowledge outlined above, it appears that it falls to our profession to become more active in the intellectual organization of informa- tion (in the broadest sense) and to direct Heritage on Microfilnt Rare and out-of-print titles and documents on 35mm silver halide microfilm. • French Books before 1601 • Scandinavian Culture • 18th Century English Literature • Victorian Fiction • Literature of Folklore • Hispanic Culture Send for catalog and title information today. ~~t:~[M ~COv\PfNY 70 Coolidge Hill Road Watertown, MA 02172 (617) 926-5557