College and Research Libraries the introduction of automation or were instituted to encourage the effective uti- lization of new computing and telecom- munication technologies. Paula Kauf- man, formerly Acting Vice President for Information: Services, describes the evo- lution of Columbia's Scholarly Informa- tion Center as an organizational unit that functionally integrates library and com- puting activities. Authors of the section on the University of Illinois relate how that school contributed to the develop- ment of ILLINET, the statewide library network dedicated to resource sharing. Most librarians, computing profes- sionals, and administrators should find this book surprisingly readable despite its often technical subject matter. Jargon and acronyms are kept to a minimum, and a glossary provides concise, mean- ingful explanations of library and tech- nical terminology. Important concepts are emphasized throughout the book by enumerating them in sections separated from the text. This stylistic practice, along with liberal use of tables and charts, enables the reader to focus readily on each author's essential points. Although the book is well edi~ed, there are a few weaknesses. First, it suf- fers somewhat from attempting to ad- dress multiple audiences. Most librarians will be familiar with the infor- mation in the chapters on OCLC and RLG, while computing professionals may find discussions of technology ele- mentary. Second, the format of the uni- versity chapters becomes somewhat tiresome as each author relates the his- tory of automation at his or her institu- tion. Third, various authors forecast the future of library services and electronic information. By the time the book was published, however, some of the future had become the present, and readers who keep up on the literature will be aware of important developments not covered in the text. These weaknesses are minor and do not seriously detract from the value of the book. Campus Strategies for Libraries and Elec- tronic Information is an important book for decision makers committed to afford- Book Reviews 205 ing faculty and students the most ad- vanced information services possible. I highly recommend it to administrators and computing professionals who need to become familiar with issues sur- rounding the application of computer technology in libraries. I do not recom- mend the book to those looking primar- ily for advice on selecting an integrated library system or other specific com- puter-related products. Although there is certainly ample discussion of specific integrated systems, there is no direct comparison of systems currently being marketed. This is not a failing of the text, because its purpose is to encourage sound planning as a process, not to in- fluence technological decisions. The publication of Campus Strategies for Libraries and Electronic Information at the beginning of the new decade is more than fortuitous. As noted by the presi- dent of EDUCOM, Kenneth King, it is part of EDUCOM's continuing effort "to promote the rational and effective use of information technology in higher educa- tion." This book is a noteworthy contri- bution toward that goal and should be read by decision makers who will shape the scholarly information systems of the 90s.-Randy f. Olsen, Brigham Young Uni- versity, Provo, Utah. Frank, Francine Waltman, and Paula A. Treichler. Language, Gender, and Pro- fessional Writing: Theoretical Ap- proaches and Guidelines for Nonsexist Usage. New York: Modern Language Association, 1989. 341p. paper, $14.50 (ISBN 0-87352-179-X). LC 88-38161. After almost a decade of discussion and debate, the Executive Council of the Modern Language Association adopted in October 1980 a revised statement of editorial policy for the Association's major journal, P MLA. The new guide- lines "urge[d] contributors to be sensi- tive to the social implications of language and to seek wording free of discriminatory overtones." Those de- ceptively simple sentiments opened the floodgates of reaction and response to the adoption of these new guidelines for 206 College & Research Libraries nonsexist usage. In Language, Gender, and Professional Writing, Francine Frank, Paula Treichler, and the other contribu- tors outline the terms of this debate. In so doing, they shed light on what might otherwise be dismissed as arcane aca- demic · arguments by providing a social as well as a linguistic context for lan- guage. A thoughtful and thorough read- ing of this text should have a profound, if occasionally chilling, effect on how we speak and write. As the subtitle indicates, the book it- self is organized into two distinct, yet interrelated, sections. Part one provides a theoretical examination of the debate over language and sexual equality, while part two offers practical gui4elines for nonsexist usage and outlines some of the special problems associated with aca- demic or scholarly writing. Although this book is occasionally difficult, partic- ularly for a nonlinguist, the struggle to grasp ideas that are at once academically objective and politically charged results in an understanding of how rules of "good" usage become canonized-and by whom. Two articles in particular, Sally McConnell-Ginet' s "The Sexual Reproduction of Meaning: A Discourse- Based Theory," and Susan}. Wolfe's con- tribution, "The Reconstruction of Word Meanings: A Review of the Scholarship," allow the nonspecialist to gain insight into the social and sexual construction of language, in which gender plays a major role in how people assign meanings to words. Because both articles refer exten- sively to the current literature in the field, those who desire to immerse them- selves further in the debate need only refer to the lengthy list of works cited or the collection's fine bibliography to lo- cate a treasure chest (or perhaps a Pandora's box) of additional readings. Librarians approaching this collection may be especially struck by Paula Treichler's essay "From Discourse to Dictionary: How Sexi.st Meanings are Authorized." As professionals who not only use dictionaries ourselves, but pur- chase them and recommend them for others to use, librarians can learn a good deal from Ms. Treichler. Lest we fall into March 1991 the trap of believing that words arrive, unmediated, onto the dictionary's printed page, Treichler poses such com- pelling questions as: "Where do mean- ings come from? What does a 'meaning' formally consist of? ... How does the weight of prior discourse constrain the production of future meanings? Whose discourse? Whose future? ... Who may authorize meanings?" A task many of us take for granted-adding one more dic- tionary (or encyclopedia, for that matter) to our reference collections-becomes a considerably more pressing and import- ant responsibility when we begin to think in terms of the production andre- production of meaning, or, as Treichler puts it, when we realize the extent to which "dictionaries have generally ex- cluded any sense of women as speakers, as linguistic innovators, or as definers of words." Part two, "Guidelines for Nonsexist Usage," consists of two essays address- ing very specific problems. Those of us who teach as well as write should find the discussion of the concept of the ge- neric "he" particularly enlightening. Building on a discussion of "pseudoge- neric" words touched upon several times in the theoretical portion of the collection, Treichler attempts to provide readers, writers, and speakers with a range of alternatives to one of the "most notorious ... discriminatory practices, the use of male-specific words as generics." While Treichler acknowledges that not all solutions to pseudogenerics render equally successful results (the authors represented in this collection have hardly embarked on a campaign to de- stroy "good" writing), she provides nu- merous illustrations of the problem: the supposed inclusivity of the word "he," the universalizing of the term "man" and its variants. Further, and more im- portantly, she demonstrates an array of linguistic possibilities which permit the writer I speaker to exercise social and cultural sensitivity while avoiding ambi- guity. Libraries, as the cUche goes, are store- houses of culture. Cliches aside, they are, in a very concrete sense, repositories of the words which give meaning to our collective experience. Although not spe- cifically aimed at librarians, Language, Gender, and Professional Writing gives us another tool with which to examine a range of assumptions about libraries and what they do--and do not-contain. Along with offering practical solutions to daily communication problems, the collection provides the theoretical framework for us to enter intelligently into the debate about language and usage and to analyze how we, as librarians, may also effect change.-Ellen Broidy, University of California, Irvine. Hernon, Peter. Statistics for Library Deci- sion Making: A Handbook. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1989. 200p. $35 (ISBN 0- 89391-586-6). paper, $19.95 (ISBN 0- 89391-605-6). LC 89-6744. Slater, Margaret, ed. Research Methods in Library and Information Studies. Lon- don: Library Association, 1990. 182p. $35 GSBN 0-85365-908-7). The London Times once Classified re- search under three headings: "the proof of the blindingly obvious;" "the great leap sideways" towards an irrelevant or unjustified conclusion; and the "we'll prove it if it kills you" presentation of incomprehensible statistics intended to overcome any criticism by quantity alone. On the other hand, as Sherlock Holmes said, "Data, data, data!. . .I can't make bricks without clay." The two books under review offer guidance to library managers, library school stu- dents, and other researchers in finding the clay for the bricks of "action re- search," which Peter Hernon describes as applied research through data collec- tion and analysis for decision-making concerning library programs, collec- tions, services, operations, and staffing. The two books complement each other and are complemented by a third recently published book: Arthur Hafner's De- scriptive Statistical Techniques for Librari- ans (Chicago: American Library Assoc., 1989). Hafner's is an introduction to de- Book Reviews 207 Biological Abstractse (BA) on Microfilm and BA Collective lndexes ... your BA on Microfilm provides cita- tions that lead you to in-depth biological and biomedical re- search findings derived from approximately 9,000 serials published in over 100 countries. The same comprehensive information found in the print- ed publication is covered, but with minimal storage space! And, don't miss the latest edi- tion of BA Collective Indexes, 1985-1989 in film or fiche! The Collective Indexes bring togeth- er five years of BA Cumulative Indexes to maximize searching convenience and minimize searching time! Call Today! 1-800-523-4806 (USA except PA) (215) 587-4800 (worldwide) Information for Today's Decisions and Discoveries BIOSIS. Marketing section CRL391SS, 2100 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19103·1399 USA. Blologk• Ab.str.as Is a registered trademark of BIOSIS. BIOSIS Is a registered trademark of Biological Abstracts, Inc.