ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries February 1995/105 New Publications G eo rge M. Eberhαrt The African Language and Literature Collection (515 pages, May 1994), at In­ diana University is one o f the largest collections o f African texts in the United States. It includes published materials housed in the Main Library in both cataloged and un­ cataloged collections, and field recordings housed in the Archives o f Traditional Music. A list o f these materi­ als has been compiled based on library cataloging records and the card file for uncataloged materials. More than 700 languages are included in the list, which is arranged by language and indexed by author, and covers materials received through early 1993. $20.00. Publications, African Stud­ ies Program, 221 Woodburn Hall, Indiana Uni­ versity, Bloomington, IN 47405. American Homelessness: A Reference Handbook, by Mary Ellen Hombs (272 pages, 2d ed., October 1994), answers the most com­ mon questions on who the homeless are, how they become homeless, why they stay that way, and what various state and federal government agencies are doing to help alleviate the prob­ lem. Especially helpful are summaries o f fed­ eral legislation and significant court cases on homelessness, the latter arranged by such top­ ics as right to shelter, due process, preserva­ tion and displacement, and welfare. Other chap­ ters provide bibliographies o f print and nonprint resources, a glossary, and a directory o f rel­ evant organizations. $39.50. ABC-CLIO, 130 Cremona Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911. ISBN 0-87436-725-5. Deciphering the Indus Script, by Asko Parpola (374 pages, October 1994), is a com­ prehensive update on the still-undeciphered writing system o f the Indus Valley or Harappan culture, which flourished between 2500 and 1900 B.C.E. in and around modern Pakistan and collapsed before the earliest historical records o f South Asia were composed. Nearly 4,000 samples o f the writing survive, mainly on stamp seals and amulets. Parpola presents a decipher­ ment o f a small number o f interlocking Indus signs and proposes a method that will permit further progress in decipher­ ment. Parpola also argues that Indian astronomy was started by the Harappans and that the Indus religion was closely related to those o f the ancient Near East and Hindu India. A work o f high scholarship and interdiscipli­ nary rigor. $95.00. Cam­ bridge University Press, 40 W. 20th St., New York, NY 10011-4211. ISBN 0-521- 43079-8. D ew ey Decimal Classification: A Pr tical Guide, b y Lois Mai Chen, John Comaromi, and Mohinder P. Satija (211 pa 1994), begins with a brief history o f the cl fication system and discusses the key conc and ideas governing its use. The guide expl the proper methods o f applying the DDC sc ules, locating and assigning the appropriate c number, and synthesizing a class numbe needed. Since notational synthesis is at the h o f the DDC, building numbers with nota from the schedules and the auxiliary table emphasized. The chapters dealing with the p tical application o f DDC principles include exercises and answers. $40.00. OCLC Fo Press, 6565 Frantz Road, Dublin, OH 43 3395. ISBN 0-910608-49-0. The Dictionary o f East European Hist Since 1945, by Joseph Held (509 pages, vember 1994), describes major events, per alities, and policies in the region o f Eas Europe on a country-by-country basis. states within the borders o f the former S empire (including East Germany but exclu the Baltic republics) are described. Each tion offers basic information about the reg a map, and a chronology, followed by ent on people, places, political parties, and ev that have shaped the country’s history s World War II. The multinational states o f south are incorporated into the former Y slavia for simplicity. Much o f the informa assembled here is from sources that are cult to find outside o f special East Europ collections. $59.95. Greenwood Press, 88 Road West, Westport, CT 06881-5007. ISB 313-26519-4. ac­ P. ges, assi­ epts ains hed­ lass r, if eart tion s is rac­ both rest 017- ory N o­ son­ tern Only oviet ding sec­ ion, ries ents ince the ugo­ tion diffi­ ean Post N 0- 106/C&RL News Index to Spαnish-Lαnguαge Short Sto­ ries in Anthologies, by Ivan E. Calimano (332 pages, 1994), analyzes the contents o f more than 200 anthologies o f Spanish-language short stories published in Spanish America, Spain, and the United States from 1979 to the present. It includes stories written from the Middle Ages through modern times. The most heavily rep­ resented countries o f origin are Argentina, Mexico, and Spain, but readers will find many stories from other countries that would other­ wise be very difficult to locate. $49.95 (plus $3.00 p&h). SALALM Secretariat, General Li­ brary, University o f N ew Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1466. ISBN 0-917617-41-X. Museum Careers and Training: A Pro­ fessional Guide, by Victor J. Danilov (546 pages, July 1994), presents a comprehensive guide to museum careers and training programs in the United States and 38 other countries. More than 700 courses, undergraduate and graduate programs, internships and fellowships, and mid­ career training programs are described. Danilov discusses the nature and requirements o f many different types o f museum positions, including director, curator, educator, exhibit designer, registrar, conservator, and careers in business affairs, fundraising, public relations, marketing, membership, physical plant, security, and other aspects o f museum operations. $79 50. Green­ w ood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881-5007. ISBN 0-313-28105-X. Preservation Guide 7: Silver, by Maureen A. Donnelly (14 pages, August 1994), outlines procedures for the handling, polishing, stor­ age, and maintenance o f silver artifacts in li­ brary and museum collections. $3.95 (plus tax and handling). Historic N ew Orleans Collec­ tion, Publications, 521 Tchoupitoulas St., N ew Orleans, LA 70130. ISBN 0-917860-34-9. Using Computers in Legal Research: A Guide to LEXIS and WESTLAW, by Christo­ pher G. Wren and Jill Robinson Wren (816 pages, 1994), organizes essential information according to the steps legal database researchers take in carrying out a research project. The authors iden­ tify the fundamental characteristics that govern the use o f LEXIS and WESTLAW, then discuss the preparations for and execution o f specific online searches. Detailed examples, proce­ dures, and tips for finding, reading, and up­ dating the law are given for both online ser­ vices. This is a comprehensive and practical guide to these two complicated computer ser­ vices. $19.95. Adams & Ambrose Publishing, Dept. P, 1220 S. Park St., P.O. Box 9684, Madi­ son, WI 53715-0684. ISBN 0-916951-21-9.