ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


March 1997 /  201

N ew 
Publications

G eorge M. Eberhart

The Internet, edited by 
Brian C ooper, et al. (128 
pages, October 1996), is one 
o f the easiest and most prac­
tical guides to getting con­
nected available today. Un­
like other handbooks that get 
caught up with Unix com­
mands and overwhelm  the 
Net newbie with 20 pages o f 
TCP/IP protocol history, the 
text is spare and the graph­
ics are splendid. The only 
catch is that this book is spe­
cifically for Windows 95 us­
ers. Here are some o f the user-friendly con­
tents: using W indow s 95 to configure your 
modem; questions you should ask a new ser­
vice provider; time-saving e-mail tips; handling 
cookies; choosing the right search tool; config­
uring an IRC client; exploring virtual worlds. 
An excellent book for beginners as well as for 
those w ho haven’t quite been keeping up with 
it all. $16.95. DK Publishing, 95 Madison Ave., 
New York, N Y  10016. ISBN 0-7894-1288-8.

The Bernard Becker Collection in O p h­
thalmology: An Annotated Catalog, compiled 
by Lilla Wechsler, Christopher Hoolihan, and 
Mark F. Weimer (180 pages, 3d ed., July 1996), 
describes the holdings o f this collection at Wash­
ington University’s School o f Medicine in St. 
Louis. One hundred additional items have been 
cataloged since the second edition was pub­
lished in 1983. N ew  to this edition are 18 color 
illustrations depicting opthalmological history. 
$45.00. Washington University, Bernard Becker 
Medical Library, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Box 8132, 
St. Louis, MO 63110. ISBN 0-912260-13-0.

Developing and M anaging Video Col
lections, by Sally Mason-Robinson ( 133 pages, 
September 1996), is a practical manual for li­
brarians faced with expanding their video hold­
ings. The author covers evaluation, selection, 
policies, cataloging, display, and future tech­
nologies,. Appendices contain Booklist criteria 
for evaluating nonprint materials, a model video 
evaluation form, applicable interpretations o f 
the Library Bill o f Rights, and prominent video 
festivals and awards. $39.95. Neal-Schuman Pub
lishers, 100 Varick St., N ew  York, N Y  10013. 
ISBN 1-55570-230-9.

An In o r d in a te  F o n d
ness for Beetles, by Arthur 
V. Evans and Charles L. 
Bellamy (208 pages, Decem­
ber 1996), is a bug-lover’s 
bible. The title is taken from 
an alleged remark by the 
British scientist J. B. S. Hal
dane w h o , w h e n  asked 
w hat co u ld  b e in ferred  
about the work o f the Cre­
ator from  a study o f His 
works, replied, “an inordi­
nate fondness for beetles” 
(R ingo was His favorite). 

Approximately 350,000 species o f beetles have 
been described since 1758, an average o f 
slightly more than four per day. Not all o f them 
are cataloged here, but readers will get a close 
and colorful look at the Coleoptera in this w ell-
illustrated volum e. Chapters c o ver b eetle 
anatomy and habitat, fossils, behavior, interac­
tions with humans, collecting, and conserva­
tion. $40.00. Henry Holt and Co., 115 W. 18th 
St., N ew  York, N Y  10011. ISBN 0-8050-3751-9.

Catalogers will welcom e LC’s Classification 
Plus on CD-ROM. A full-text, Windows-based 
application, it contains the latest LC classifica­
tion schedules and the complete Library o f Con­
gress Subject Headings (LCSH). Hypertext links 
between LCSH and the schedules are especially 
helpful. Users can view  headings in an expand­
able hierarchical display and construct com­
plex queries using boolean, keyword, phrase, 
wildcard, and proximity searching. The infobase 
itself can be modified by creating shadow files 
that allow notes, highlighting, bookmarks, and 
additional links without altering the original 
data. The program can be used either on a 
single-user workstation or on a LAN server. 
Classificationÿ20Plus is available as an annual 
subscription with quarterly issues for $410 in 
North America for a single user, and $16 per 
additional user. A  demonstration version is 
available from the Catalog Distribution Service 
W eb site at http://www.loc.gov/cds. For more 
information, contact Customer Service, CDS, 
P.O. Box 75720, Washington, DC 20013. ■

George M. Eberhart is associate editor o f American 
Libraries

http://www.loc.gov/cds




March 1997 /  203