College and Research Libraries 230 j College & Research Libraries • May 1971 the Association of Research Libraries and the American Council on Education. The stated purpose of the study, carried out by a consulting firm, was to identify problems. It is quite evident from the report that they have accomplished their purpose. It is equally evident that these problems are obvious enough to those less than dedicat- ed to modern management theory; the net result is essentially a restatement of a col- lection of enduring problems long ago iden- tified and deplored, if not attacked. The introductory chapter sets the stage, describing current trends in higher educa- tion with particular emphasis on the place of the library in this framework and how the library is affected or affects these trends. The Special Report of the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education is taken as the point of departure. The second chapter sketches out the ma- jor management problems in university li- braries in the areas of planning, budgeting, operations, organization, staffing, facilities, financing, and interinstitutional coopera- tion. A third chapter is devoted to a series of detailed recommendations for improving the management of university libraries in each of the weak areas identified. There is a tabular summary, listing with each problem area one or more courses of cor- rective action and the agencies which should be responsible. For virtually all of the problem areas the ARL is advised to serve as prime mover and shaker. Some responsibilities are also suggested for the joint committee sponsors, the university and the library, the library alone, and in one case, the federal government. In near- ly all areas the promotion of further re- search and study is recommended. The study team does not offer package solu- tions or prescriptions. The final, very brief chapter is entitled "Plan of Action." In it a long-term pro- gram of research is outlined with a strong recommendation for the establishment of an ARL standing committee to carry out the initiation, design, financing, and nom- inal direction of each area of needed re- search. The program envisions the use of headquarters personnel and supervision, with additional operating specialists and consultants as needed. Financial support for this recommendation by the Council on Library Resources has already been an- nounced. There can be no doubt that numerous and real problems of university libraries have been accurately diagnosed in this re- port. It is unlikely, however, that operating university libraries will find anything new or unexpected in this catalog. What may be new is a consequence of the close col- laboration of ACE with ARL and the re- sulting frequent consideration of the ef- fective coordination (or lack of coordina- tion) of university and university library. This is not to excuse the library for its failures or to blame its parent institution, but to emphasize the necessary interde- pendence, often neglected. It is this em- phasis and the growing recognition of the mutual advantages to these two prime na- tional agencies which may constitute the most important contribution this study has made. Only time and the productive com- pletion of the broad range of research out- lined can speak for the usefulness of this document. Lacking this, what we have here is no more than an accurate outline of the numerous problems which beset university libraries in our time.-]errold Orne, Univer- sity of North Carolina. UK. MARC Project: Proceedings of a Seminar (March 1969) Organized by the Cataloguing and Indexing Group of the Library Association. A. E. Jeffries and T. D. Wilson, eds. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oriel Press, 1970. 116p. A. J. Wells, of the British National Bibliog- raphy, in his introduction to this seminar, labels it as the first full-scale discussion of the British National Bibliography, or rather U.K. MARC Project. It was intended that the participants emerge with the ability to look at library problems as they exist now in the light of computers and MARC, rath- er than spring out with full-fledged oper- able computer systems. This is important to keep in mind when evaluating the papers presented and the comments made dur- ing the seminar. The volume contains nine papers plus Wells' introduction. Topics covered in- clude: planning and form at of U.K. MARC; user programs and package deals; subject retrieval in U.K. MARC; why MARC?; rules for alphabetical filing by computer; MARC in a special library en- vironment, MARC in the current scene; MARC and the future in libraries; MARC and the National Bibliography. The purpose of the seminar was to con- sider the several facets of MARC so that a better evaluation of the relevance of a cen- trally produced, machine-readable, catalog record can be made, and also so that the designers of the system ( s) can bend it to the requirements more effectively. Each pa- per is tied to the basic acceptance of stan- dardization. This standardization of a cat- aloging code, a book numbering scheme, and a subject retrieval system, such as a classification scheme, is implicit, perhaps as- sumed in all presentations. In some in- stances MARC appears to be almost an afterthought, and indeed, several authors acknowledge this. Such is the case in the paper on computer filing, subject retrieval and to some extent that of the British Na- tional Bibliography. But this should not be considered a fault in light of the stated purpose of the seminar; also, the reader can project for himself the impact of MARC. There are several aspects of the seminar which appear most refreshing. One of these is the attitude of both the authors and the participants who have apparently assumed that the projects and its problems are co- operative, that the solutions are a national concern, and that only by working through a central organization (in this case BNB) with government support can MARC be used effectively. There are few illusions in relation to financial investment. One paper leaves the reader with a vaguely negative feeling, but generally the attitude is one of positivism and imagination, as well as a seemingly clear idea of the task ahead. Another refreshing note is provided by the papers themselves. They are short, con- cise, to the point, and substantive, not only in relation to MARC and its characteristics but also to general library problems, e.g.: the card catalog versus the book catalog; doing speedily what does not need to be done at .all; and the varying requirements of libraries. All too often seminar and con- Recent Publications I 231 ference presentations fall so far short of being either substantive or informative, so that it is truly a work of art to provide both. Why is the volume of any use to the American librarian? Mr. Batty in his dis- cussion supports the preliminary work of MARC I and four experimental studies done in the United States, and cautions the British librarian not to minimize it. Amer- ican librarians can and should learn a great deal from these papers. Some of the posi- tive, constructive attitude of our British counterparts is sorely needed. The identi- fication and description of specific prob- lems is well done and would be helpful for librarians planning for MARC in the U.S. A very pertinent .analogy is provided by P. R. Lewis in his discussion of MARC and the future of libraries based on what he labels the "tower crane syndrome." This identifies a prevalent attitude and ap- proach of many American librarians and systems designers which must be avoided. Hopefully, the centralized, cooperative an- swers provided by these papers may filter into the planning and design of American library systems. This small volume is recommended to the library administrator and library school student because of the information it pro- vides, and to the technical service and systems personnel for both the information .and the identification of problems and pit- falls it provides.-Ann F. Painter, Drexel University. Introduction to Cataloging. Vol. 1: De- scriptive Cataloging and an Overview of Catalogs and Cataloging. John J. Boll. (McGraw-Hill series in library ed- ucation) New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970. 400p. $6.95. This text is the first of three volumes which, when used together, form an in- b·oduction to cataloging. Volume one cov- ers descriptive cataloging, volume two will cover personal name entry headings, and volume three will treat the subject ap- proach to cataloging. These texts are de- signed for individual study, for extension courses, and as a substitute for formal classroom instruction. Volume one is a combination of text il- '