College and Research Libraries


the general position, attitudes, or knowledge 
of some major segment of the profession, as 
distinguished from the personal views of the 
author, varies from paper to paper. But the 
collection as a whole reflects the profession 
of librarianship as a dynamic one, aware of 
important obligations and concerned with 
finding the best solutions.—Herman H. 
Fussier, University of Chicago Library. 

Methods of Research 
Methods of- Research: Educational, Psycho-

logical, Sociological. By Carter V. Good 
and Douglas E. Scates. N e w York, Apple-
ton-Century-Crofts, 1954. xx, 920p. $6.00. 
"This book has been written for field 

workers, graduate students, and members 
of the senior division of the undergraduate 
college who would evaluate the quality of 
conclusions, either as producers or consumers 
of research." This is the first sentence of 
the preface of this volume by Drs. Good and 
Scates, who represent two-thirds of the writ-
ing team which produced the useful The 
Methodology of Educational Research. T h e 
new volume is a more detailed analysis of 
methods in research on a wider scope than the 
work of Good, Barr, and Scates. Librarians, 
library school students, and members of li-
brary school faculties should find it a most 
helpful guide. As the authors further point 
out in the preface, the work is not intended to 
be a "recipe book," "cookbook," "rule book," 
or a series of "lesson plans" for problem-
solving. Rather, it discusses concepts, prin-
ciples, and procedures in educational, psycho-
logical, and sociological investigations. 

Although the entire volume will be of in-
terest to librarians, chapter 3, "Survey of 
Related Literature and Library Technique," 
and chapter 5, "The Descriptive Method: 
Classification," are worth particular attention. 
Chapter 3 emphasizes the need of searching 
the literature prior to starting on a new in-
vestigation, and, within the subject limits of 
the volume, suggests the many bibliographical 
and other aids useful to the researcher. In 
some instances, the detail is unusually full. 
For example, specific topics treated in the 
Review of Educational Research are traced in 
the various issues of the journal (pp.136-37)-
It is perhaps understandable that the authors 
would be intrigued by the "automatic elec-

tronic library" described by Fred L. Walker 
in the Scientific Monthly for February, 1951. 
Some attention is also given to national and 
international cooperation in library service, 
but, except for a number of citations to li-
brary literature, there is no discussion of the 
part played by subject specialists and refer-
ence librarians in assisting researchers. 

Librarians will find chapter 5 a provocative 
discussion of classification as a fundamental 
basis of research. While the problems of 
classification in a research study are of a 
different order than those in organizing a li-
brary collection, the authors call attention to 
the several library classifications and lists of 
subject headings which are suggestive to stu-
dents in the pursuit of their investigations. 

Chapter 10, "The Reporting and Imple-
menting of Research," summarizes in concise 
form the steps that should be familiar to re-
search librarians. Included are details of 
presentation of data, bibliographical and foot-
note form, and style. Librarians who are 
interested in reporting on projects or writing 
for the library journals should find this dis-
cussion instructive.—Maurice F. Tauber, 
Columbia University. 

Junior College Books 
Books for Junior Colleges: A List of 4.000 

Books, Periodicals, Films and Filmstrips. 
Compiled by Frank J. Bertalan. Chicago, 
American Library Association, 1954. 32ip. 
$7.50. 
Here is the long awaited and much needed 

list that will be helpful to all junior college 
libraries. Since Mohrhardt's list appeared in 
1937, and many of its entries are now out 
of print or out of date, librarians and teach-
ers of junior colleges have been requesting a 
current compilation. Entries in Mohrhardt's 
list were not included here unless they had 
been revised or enlarged. 

This volume represents the work of junior 
colleges all over the country, the American 
Association of Junior Colleges, the American 
Library Association and its Junior College 
Section of the Association of College and 
Reference Librarians, the United States Office 
of Education and a few senior colleges. 

The subjects included and the number of 
titles in each area were based upon an analysis 
of 115 junior college catalogs, and the advice 

JANUARY, 1955 115