College and Research Libraries 474 I College & Research Libraries • September 1976 While there is little new in Harvey's Specialised Information Centres for readers in the U.S., the author does give sound di- rections for the selection, organization, and dissemination of specialized data which transcend national boundaries. She empha- sizes over and over again the reliance which must be placed on various specialists for the selection and evaluation of material. The omission of any reference to the part a librarian with a command of a subject can play seems to be an oversight to this re- viewer. The lack of communication be- tween British centers and those in the U.S. seems strange in this age of cooperation among scientists. The author has tried to remedy this lack in a small way by describing some of the more important centers in the United King- dom and the U.S. Since many of these British centers are not well known in the U.S., this is probably the most useful part of this book for readers in this country. The Campbell book gives many sound principles as to the organization, staffing, and operation of business libraries. In addi- tion, the authors supply much information on British business libraries and sources of information. The initial chapter describes a number of British business libraries and compares them to some of their U.S. counterparts. One point that is brought out is that Brit- ish business libraries stock directories very heavily. This is occasioned by the many overseali connections of British firms. With the rise of so many multinational companies in the U.S., there should be a similar de- mand for the information available in direc- tories in this country. The three chapters by Frank Cochrane on statistics and market research sources are especially useful. Cochrane has sup- plied a complete listing of British govern- ment b"lireaus with their publications deal- ing with marketing. In addition, he lists pertinent European publications. This book is obviously aimed at the li- brary school student or a junior librarian starting his career in a business library. The principles and methods put forth are sound and could apply to a business anywhere. U.S. librarians should find this a useful reference work for the location of British government publications and selected Euro- pean statistical reports. It is a pleasure to use a book with such an excellent index.- Edwin T. Coman, ]r., Retired University Librarian, University of California, River- side. Information Revolution: Proceedings of the 38th ASIS Annual Meeting, Boston, Mas- sachusetts, October 26- 30, 1975. Vol- ume 12. 'Vashington, D.C.: American Society for Information Science, 1975. 170p. +microfiche in pocket. $17.50. (LC 64-8303) (ISBN 0-87715-412-0) Information Roundup: Proceedings of the 4th ASIS Mid-Year Meeting, Portland, Oregon, May 15-17, 1975. Washington, D.C.: American Society for Information Science, 1975. 179p. $14.00. (LC 75- 29520) (ISBN 0-87715-112-1) These two sets of proceedings present, as one might expect, a panoramic view of developments in information science. In a brief review it is impossible to analyze such publications in a detailed way, but the im- pression they give is that the information science community is maturing. There is evidence of a greater sense of realism about what can be accomplished within the im- mediate context of economic constraints. In other words, the papers manifest a more pragmatic approach to information utiliza- tion and a clearer matching of potential to possibility than seemed to be present in earlier conferences. A reading of the Information Revolution still remains an exercise in serendipity, an opportunity for intellectually tasting the fa- miliar as well as the obscure. The effort, however, is tantalizing. The papers whet the appetite but are too short to satisfy the curiosity. To further their knowledge, 'read- ers must depend upon the citations at the end of each article which vary rather con- siderably in number per article, and conse- quently in their usefulness to the reader. But perhaps that's the function of proceed- ings: to encourage further exploration. The papers are organized into twelve sections whose subjects range from infor- mation transfer mechanisms and library net- works to library management and applica- tions in biology and chemistry. The format of each paper is well organized, complete t- \ • with index terms, brief conclusions, and references. The table of contents is exten- sive, and there are author and subject in- dexes. All of these make the volume very easy to use. Abstracts of selected keynote, general, special, and special interest group ( SIG) presentations appear on a microfiche which is enclosed in a pocket. The Information Roundup has a narrow- er focus. It is billed as "a continuing edu- cation session on microforms and data pro- cessing in the library and information cen- ter: costs/benefits/ history I trends." In most respects it lives up to its billing, although it is largely concerned with libraries. One cannot expect a fully balanced presenta- tion from a set of conference proceedings, but some of the papers do seem to be some- what particular to the author's own appli- cation. Nevertheless, even this can be val- uable. The index, while not as detailed as that of its sister publication, provides the reader with easy access to subjects of spe- cial interest. The papers by themselves are somewhat longer, more self-contained, and Recent Publications I 475 therefore, to me, more satisfying, though not necessarily more valuable, than those in Information Revolution. Some of the data and the citations on which the papers are based are a little dated, but it is useful to have a review of this subject in one vol- ume. One troubling note is Ralph Shoffner's introductory article on comparative cost analysis. This is well written and really rather cleverly done, but it is pitched at a rather low level of statistical expertise. If Shoffner's implied ~ssessment of the ability of librarians to cope with figures is accu- rate, the profession has a lot of catching up to do. As Fairthorne says, the librarian of the present and future must be numerate as well as literate. Almost every page of Information Roundup emphasizes the need for at least a modest level of mathematical skill. If these proceedings imbue only a few librarians with the zeal to acquire these techniques, they will have served a useful purpose.-Richard ]. Talbot, Director, Uni- versity of Massachusetts Library, Amherst. r Serials Updating Service, If you're lost in the confusion of the periodicals world- changes in titles and frequency, additional volumes, delays in publication, etc. - Faxon's Serials Updating Service can help you find your way. The Serials Updating Service, containing current information on changes and bibliographic irregularities for all types of periodicals, is available in three ways: Serials Updating Service-a monthly newsletter sent no charge to selected Faxon customers. SUS Quarterly-a quarterly cumulation of the newsletters-$? one year, $13.50 two years, $20 three years. SUS Annual-an annual cumulation of the newsletters-$10. 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