College and Research Libraries


Letters 
To the Editor: 

I support opportunities for professional recognition. Thus, I was pleased to see the an-
nouncement in the November 1987 issue of awards for distinguished librarians. However, 
I object to one of the criteria: that of'' working longer.'' We should not be fostering a profes-
sional culture where overtime is rewarded. First of all, some who routinely work overtime 
are workaholics. Workaholism is an addiction that leads to loss of productivity as the per-
son's life becomes increasingly out of balance. Second of all, hours worked overtime are 
hours away from the cultural, leisure, and family pursuits that contribute to the growth of 
intelligent, aware humanists and generalists-qualities I believe are necessary for the infor-
mation specialist of today. 

DONNA RUBENS 
ESTIS Coordinator, University of Minnesota 

To the Editor: 
We appreciate the coverage of Dissertation Abstracts Online in "Dissertations-an On-

line Dilemma" (C&RL, January 1988, p. 78-84), by Donald Hartman and Manuel Lopez. 
We'd like to take this opportunity to address a few of the comments in the article that 

might be considered misleading. 
While it is true that the entry in the database of Databases for Dissertation Abstracts On-

line does not include a document type field, the entry is the only one with ''Dissertation'' 
in the title (document type being a trifle redundant in this case). Often while searching a 
variety of databases we forget that specific field searching can be dangerous-causing glar-
ing omissions such as those you discover. 

Harvard University has been a member of UMI's publishing program since 1980. Cita-
tions appear as early as 1957. While the University of Chicago does not participate in UMI' s 
publishing program per se, we do publish abstracts and make citations available online. 
Even though some schools do not submit everything, we attempt to be comprehensive by 
providing citations from our publication American Doctoral Dissertations. 

Again, we thank the authors for reminding the online searcher not to ignore ''this partic-
ular resource" in the area of dissertation searching. 

CANDACE C. WISE 
Manager, Online Support 
Dissertation Abstracts and Japan Technology 

To the Editor: 
Michael Buckland (C&RL, March 1988, p.119) is not alone in claiming that paper publica-

tions require no equipment to use, but his considerable company does not make the as-
sumption correct. Ever try to read in the dark? The use of a book requires adequate lighting 
and, about 80 percent of the time, corrective lenses for the reader. Some secondary consid-

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364 College & Research Libraries July 1988 

erations include a suitable table or study carrel and a comfortable environment in terms of 
temperature and humidity. My nit-picking should not, h~wever, spoil a perceptive article. 

JOSEPH POPECKI 
St. Michael's College 
Winooski, Vermont