College and Research Libraries Recent Publications COLLEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES Book Theft and Library Security Systems, 1981-82, reviewed by Jean Walter Far- rington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 355 University Librarianship, reviewed by David C. Weber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Issues in Personnel Management in Academic Libraries, reviewed by Frederick Duda . . 357 Personnel Administration in Libraries, reviewed by Carolyn J. Henderson . . . . . . . . . . . 360 Telecommunications and Libraries: A Primer for Librarians and Information Man- agers, reviewed by William t. Basinski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Video Discs- Their Application to Information Storage and Retrieval, reviewed by John R. Schroeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Developments in Optical Disc Technology and the Implications for Information Storage and Retrieval, reviewed by John R. Schroeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 User Fees: A Practical Perspective, reviewed by Sara D. Knapp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Mainstreaming Outsiders: The Production of Black Professionals, reviewed by John Farley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 BOOK REVIEWS Bahr, Alice Harrison. Book Theft and Li- brary Security Systems, I981-82. White Plains, N.Y.: Knowledge Industry Publi- cations, 1981. 157p. $24.50 softcover. LC 80-26643. ISBN 0-914236-71-7. In typical Knowledge Industry style, this guide to library security systems aims to present the totality of the universe. As one would expect, the electronic secu- rity systems currently on the market are de- scribed in detail: for each, there is a discus- sion of how it works, what equipment is required, whether it is bypass or fully circu- lating, what the physical dimensions of each turnstile or gate are, what the detection strips or targets look like, and any special fea- tures that particular system has. One of the real pluses of the book is the number of photographs of installations in- cluded. Cost information and number of in- stallations are also cited for each system. The factual descriptions of the available systems are followed by comments from owner li- braries regarding reductions in loss rate since installation, frequency of false alarms, and ease of using the detection strips. If this book only described security systems it would be a useful tool; in addition, how- ever, it covers at some length the whole prob- lem of book theft and how to determine a li- brary's annual loss rate. There are chapters dealing with the general increase in library theft, the three methods of measuring book loss (book census, inventory, and sample), the use of electronic security systems in book- stores, and alternatives to security systems such as door guards, restricted access, and duplicate-copy policies. The special problems presented by jour- nals, nonprint media, and manuscript and rare book collections are addressed in a later chapter that is especially relevant given the recent activities of book thief par excellence James Shinn. For anyone consulting the book for quick information, it is well organized and easy to use. There is an index to the text and a list of libraries owning the individual security sys- tems that is broken down by type of library. Footnotes appear at the end of chapters and I 355 356 I College & Research Libraries· July 1982 there is a selected bibliography as well. An earlier edition for 1978-79 was pub- lished, but this reviewer was unable to ob- tain a copy; it was missing from the shelf. Recommended. -Jean Walter Farrington, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia. University Librarianship. Ed. by John F. Stirling. Handbooks on Library Practice. London: The Library Association, 1981; dist. in the U.S. by Oryx Press. 229p. $32.50. ISBN 0-85365-621-5. This manual is well done and will cer- tainly provide American readers with a basic understanding of principal philosophies of academic library management that are as applicable in this country as in Great Britain. The university libraries whose head or se- nior librarian wrote these chapters include: Exeter, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Stirling, Lancaster, Leeds, Surrey, Sheffield, Lon- don, Loughborough, and Nottingham. Each of nine chapters begins with a gen- . eral treatment of a subject such as acquisi- tions and relegation , rare books and special collections, reader services, or automation. Following that concise theoretical treatment is a case study of that topic as treated in the author's own library. A tenth chapter covers library building planning "in an era of finan - cial constraint." The several chapters range in quality from very good to superb; and the first one by J. F. Stirling of Exeter, which treats "The Library within the University,'' is the latter. Stirling provides an excellent section on relations with the university at large, finance, and staff structure. For example, he writes about a change gradually taking place in British ac- ademic libraries that affects staffing struc- tures: "The decreased mobility of senior li- brary staff over the past decade has meant that the proportion of older to younger mem - bers of the academic-related grades has grown steadily. Consequently, there is now a large body of experienced men and women in academic libraries who see no prospects of promotion, either in their own institution or elsewhere, but who wish to contribute in a greater measure than has been possible in the past to the running of their library. This mir- rors the situation in academic departments and has led to a demand for a more general staff-representation on library committees, and for involvement in library manage- ment." Stirling adds somewhat later: "While it is important that there be good communica- tion at all levels within the library and that 'there be appropriate consultation and par- ticipation of interested and competent staff members on important decisions affecting them,' it is equally important to remember that 'the library's critical strategy decisions involve a world outside the library and must usually be made by the director and his chief associates. Staff committees can give good advice on such matters, but they simply do not have the information, the knowledge, or the perspective required to make those decisions-and they cannot take responsibil- ity for the results.' " (The interior quotations were from Richard DeGennaro.) The authors provide political as well as administrative factors. There are a good amount of useful statistical data, some exem- plary tables, and a good set of references that include American as well as British publica- tions of recent date. The authors intended that the case-study approach serve as a general textbook of uni- versity librarianship, replacing the Manual of University and College Library Practice issued forty years ago by the Library Associa- tion and edited by Woledge and Page. The present volume is identical in size and may well be intended as a manual to supplement the ten-year-old Introduction to University Library Administration by James Thompson of Reading. Thus , the volume is intended for two purposes- "Firstly, it will bring home to the student that there is seldom one definitive answer to a given set of problems and that theory must be adapted to a particular local circumstance. Secondly, at a time when there is less opportunity for librarians to move between institutions to climb the pro- motional ladder and enrich their experience, a glimpse into the workings of other libraries could be especially useful.'' The volume has succeeded well in these purposes. Some of the flavor of the treatment may be of interest. Speaking of automation, A. J. Evans states that at Loughborough, "many mistakes have been made and blind alleys ventured into, although this is not atypical of any research and development program. Whether such errors ever appear in the liter-