College and Research Libraries


410 College & Research Libraries July 1986 

tors who need an improved sens~ of why 
and in what way museum practices are 
different from archival practices. The 
product is a volume that treats the initia­
tion of an archival program in a very gen­
eral manner. It is a starting point for those 
interested in the subject, concluding with 
a useful bibliography where one might 
pursue the subject in more depth. Museum 
Archives: An Introduction is therefore not 
recommended for anyone with a substan­
tial amount of training or knowledge of 
the archival profession. 

The first half of the volume discusses the 
justification for an _archival program in a 
museum as well as critical issues related to 
how a program is started. Examples of the 
uses of archival materials include adminis­
trative activities, publicity purposes, and 
exhibits. Other preliminary information 
provided in the first section includes ex­
plaining archival terminology, conducting 
a records survey, and defining archival 
priorities. Examples are prolific in the vol­
ume and are given in the context of mu­
seum experiences. Photographic and 
other illustrative materials derive from 
museum environments as well. 

The second half of the volume is a re­
view of basic archival procedures, begin­
ning with records surveys, continuing 
through appraisal, accessioning, and ar­
rangement and concluding with outreach 
and public programs. The manual ends 
with a series of appendixes that are, in 
fact, types of archival forms appropriate to 
museum use. 

Museum Archives: An Introduction is un­
questionably very basic but will serve well 
initially to acquaint museum practioners 
with the basic procedures and issues of 
the archival profession. Given the level of 
the volume, it might only have been 
strengthened by expanding the appen­
dixes to include actual examples of mu­
seum archives forms rather than the pro­
totypes reproduced here. This would not 
only add further points of reference but 
would also demonstrate that some muse­
ums have taken to heart Deiss' claim that 
"the resources of museums vary greatly, 

· but all of them need to make some provi­
sion for the preservation of archival re­
cords.''Elizabeth C. Stewart, Folsom Library, 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New 
York. ~ 

Foundations of Cataloging: A Source­
book. Ed. by Michael Carpenter and 
Elaine Svenonius. Littleton, Colo. : Li­
braries Unlimited, 1985. 276p. $27.50 
LC 85-10333. ISBN 0-87287-511-3. 
This chronologically arranged collection 

of philosophical essays written from 1841 
through 1983 recounts the history of mod­
ern cataloging. The selections range from 
Panizzi's 1841''Rules for the Compilation 
of the Catalog" to the 1983 essay by Pat­
rick Wilson, ''Catalog as Access Mecha­
nism: Background and Concepts." The 
editors have also included Charles Jewitt' s 
1853 work, ''Smithsonian Catalog Sys­
tem/' which encouraged a standard and 
uniform style of cataloging, and C. Cut­
ter's classic 1904 "Rules for a Dictionary 
Catalog: Selections," along with several 
other equally meritorious selections. With 
balanced coverage and method, the edi­
tors have succeeded in illustrating the past 
and recent changes in cataloging, cata­
logs, and theory with these historical es­
says that conclude with M. Gorman's 1981 
"Most Concise AACR2" and his 1979 
"Cataloging and the New Technologies" 
as well as the P. Wilson article ''The Cata­
log as Access Mechanism: Background 
and Concepts.'' These essays present ma­
jor issues: each is a highlight in the history 
of cataloging, preceded by an introduction 
from the editors, placing the individual 
work in its proper historical context. Read­
ers will find this approach useful, be­
cause, by providing us with these influen­
tial essays on cataloging, the editors give a 
perspective on the past and a feel for the 
direction in which cataloging is heading. 
The book is timely, extremely readable 
and authoritative, and serves as a lively 
backup for current debate in the catalog­
ing field. 

Its audience, however, may be limited 
to those in the cataloging field. As is said 
in the preface, "This anthology is ad­
dressed to teachers and students of cata­
loging." And indeed it is. Those in public 
service might find this book of marginal 
interest, as would those involved in online 
system design, since the essays deal more 



"Easily the best index in the field ... an invaluable guide." 
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index expands its coverage to in­
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a total of 230 periodicals, yearbooks, 
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the January 1986 issue of Art Index . 

Used by Professionals,
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Art Index has won an audience in 
all areas of interest and specializa­
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• Archaeologists • Architects 
• Art historians • City planners 
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• Extensive cross-references 
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indexed . 

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412 College & Research Libraries 

with philosophical issues than the actual 
mechanics of automation. Recent writings 
{post-1983) have not been included be­
cause of their preponderance on engineer­
ing and system interface design, with less 
attention given to the underlying philo­
sophical issues of cataloging. By placing 
the selections in such an orderly and logi­
cal fashion, these essays show the 
changes the profession is experiencing, 
not only in its philosophy but also in the 
technology shaping the development of 
cataloging. 

The issues raised by this collection result 
from a multitude of well-known factors, 
among them the problems of defining 

. user and cataloger needs, economics, and 
more recently, the advent of automation. 
A variety of age-old issues and questions 
are presented in the book, including the 
problem of defining the catalog's purpose 
and the method of arranging materials: 
How does the cataloger meet the objec­
tives of the catalog? What has the cata­
loger chosen through time to include in 
the catalog entry? What are the important 
points to consider? What points of consid­
eration have been used in the past? How 
can cataloging be made economically fea­
sible_? The question of cost-effectiveness is 

July 1986 

appropriately addressed time and again. 
Several selections deal with the question 
of authorship: Who is an author? Should 
the name of the author be the primary way 
of identifying library mate_rials? In consid­
ering this point several essays investigate 
the need for main entries, both corporate 
and noncorporate. Is an author main entry 
necessary with the automated catalog? 
Will keyword searching eliminate or dras­
tically alter current cataloging practices? 

Issues like these are addressed in great 
enough detail to give the reader a grasp of 
the problems at hand and the difficulties 
catalogers will face in the future. 

Since the definition of a catalog and the 
needs of its users have changed dramati­
cally over the last century and a half, the 
methods employed by catalogers also 
need to change to keep up with the user's 
requirements and the technology of the 
times. Foundations of Cataloging provides a 
refreshing and thought-provoking look at 
the past, present, and future of catalog­
ing. In view of this it becomes apparent 
that we can't know where we're going un­
til we find out where we've been.-K. Juri­
cek, University of Wyoming Library, Laramie, 
Wyoming. 

ABSTRACTS 
The following abstracts are based on those 

prepared by the ERIC Clearinghouse of Infor­
mation Resources, School of Education, Syra­
cuse University. 

Documents with an ED number here may be 
ordered in either microfiche (MF) or paper copy 
(PC) from the ERIC Document Reproduction 
Service, P.O. Box 190, Arlington, VA22210. 
Orders should include ED number, specify for­
mat desired, and include payment for docu~ 
ment and postage. 

Further information on ordering documents 
and on current postage charges may be obtained 
from a recent issue of Resources in Educa- · 
tion. 

The Role of Fees in Supporting Library and 
Information Services in Public and Aca­
demic Libraries. National Commission 

on Libraries and Information Science. 
Washington1 D.C., 198S. SSp. ED 2S8 
S84. MF-$0.7S; PC-$S.40. 
An overview study was sponsored by the 

Council on Library Resources to gather existing 
information on the extent to which fees are 
charged for library and information services, 
the percentage of libraries charging for any ser­
vices, and the services for which fees are 
charged. The review panel that conducted the 
study found that there is little data available on 
who is charging fees or the services for which 
they are charged and even less about the effect 
of fees on access to information. This report of 
panel's findings is divided into six sections: 
(1) the context of the fee issue in public and aca­
demic libraries; (2) the types of existing fee 
structures and mechanisms and rationale for 
setting price; (3) the arguments for and against 
fees; (4) the types of services for which libraries 
are charging fees; (5) selected sun1maries of re­