College and Research Libraries Service to the Public Ten Year Report of the New York Public Library, 1946-1956. N e w Y o r k : N e w Y o r k P u b l i c L i b r a r y , 1957. 8 6 p . T h e Ten Year Report of the New York Public Library, 1946-1956, is a s i g n i f i c a n t study in l i b r a r y a d m i n i s t r a t i o n which s h o u l d p r o v e to b e i n t e r e s t i n g a n d p r o f i t a b l e read- i n g f o r a n y o n e a s s o c i a t e d with a l a r g e a n d c o m p l e x l i b r a r y system. It p r e s e n t s briefly a n d l u c i d l y a n a c c o u n t of the p r o b l e m s a n d c o n t i n g e n c i e s f a c i n g the L i b r a r y in the several a r e a s of a d m i n i s - t r a t i o n a n d m a n a g e m e n t a n d o u t l i n e s the steps t a k e n to r e s o l v e the p r o b l e m s a n d f o s t e r the d e v e l o p m e n t of the i n s t i t u t i o n . T h e r e p o r t is p r e s e n t e d in five sections: I — T h e R e p o r t of the P r e s i d e n t , I I — T h e R e f e r e n c e D e p a r t m e n t , I I I — T h e Circula- tion D e p a r t m e n t , I V — T h e L i b r a r y as a W h o l e , a n d V — F i n a n c e s a n d the F u t u r e . T h e r e p o r t of the p r e s i d e n t reviews brief- ly the service o b j e c t i v e s , v o l u m e of service r e n d e r e d , s o m e of the g e n e r a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s of a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a n d m a n a g e m e n t , a n d a n analysis of the L i b r a r y ' s financial p o s i t i o n a n d p r o b l e m s . T h e section o n the r e f e r e n c e d e p a r t m e n t is largely d e v o t e d to the b o o k c o l l e c t i o n . T r e n d s a f f e c t i n g the a c q u i s i t i o n of b o o k s a n d o t h e r m a t e r i a l s o n a world-wide basis a r e r e v i e w e d . C h a n g e s in the L i b r a r y ' s ac- q u i s i t i o n p r o g r a m , a n d c o o p e r a t i v e p r o g r a m s u n d e r t a k e n with o t h e r l i b r a r i e s a r e de- s c r i b e d . S i g n i f i c a n t specific a c q u i s i t i o n s in i m p o r t a n t s u b j e c t fields a r e e n u m e r a t e d . U n d e r technical processes, the c h a n g e s in- i t i a t e d to i m p r o v e efficiency in the proce- d u r e s a n d m e t h o d s u s e d in p r o c e s s i n g ma- terials which r e s u l t e d f r o m a survey con- d u c t e d by a firm of m a n a g e m e n t c o n s u l t a n t s a r e set f o r t h . T h e section o n the r e a d e r use of the r e f e r e n c e d e p a r t m e n t is e s p e c i a l l y i n t e r e s t i n g . P a r t of the m a t e r i a l p r e s e n t e d r e s u l t e d f r o m the L i b r a r y ' s o w n statistics a n d o b s e r v a t i o n s , a n d p a r t of it r e s u l t e d f r o m a survey m a d e by o u t s i d e e x p e r t s . T r e n d s in the v o l u m e of u s e of the v a r i o u s s u b j e c t d i v i s i o n s o v e r the ten-year p e r i o d a r e i n d i c a t e d . F l u c t u a t i o n s in the v o l u m e of t e l e p h o n e r e f e r e n c e service, m a i l serv- ice, a n d r o o m u s e a r e a n a l y z e d . T h e r e p o r t then raises the i n t e r e s t i n g q u e s t i o n of w h a t is " n o r m a l u s e , " that is, the p o i n t a t which l i b r a r y can g i v e the m o s t effective service to the g r e a t e s t n u m b e r of p e o p l e . T h e section o n the c i r c u l a t i o n d e p a r t m e n t reviews the d e v e l o p m e n t of the b r a n c h li- brary system a n d its services. I n the ten-year p e r i o d it is n o t e d that the n u m b e r of b r a n c h a g e n c i e s i n c r e a s e d f r o m fifty-four to eighty- two, a n d the b o o k collection rose f r o m one- h a l f b o o k p e r c a p i t a to three-quarters b o o k p e r c a p i t a . C h a n g e s in service were character- ized by the i n c l u s i o n of n o n - b o o k m a t e r i a l s in the c o l l e c t i o n s of e x t e n s i o n a g e n c i e s , the c r e a t i o n of s p e c i a l i z e d l i b r a r y service to y o u n g a d u l t s , a n d the e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a m u n i c i p a l r e a d e r s ' center. T r e n d s in v o l u m e of u s e of the e s t a b l i s h e d c h i l d r e n ' s services, r e f e r e n c e services, g r o u p activities, etc., a r e set f o r t h . T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l a n d p r o c e d u r a l c h a n g e s r e p o r t e d a r e n u m e r o u s . T h e y i n c l u d e the c o n s o l i d a t i o n a n d c e n t r a l i z a t i o n of process- i n g activities with r e s u l t i n g assembly-line o p e r a t i o n s , the f o r m u l a t i o n of a r e g i o n a l b r a n c h p l a n a n d the f o u n d a t i o n of f o u r r e g i o n a l b r a n c h centers, the d e v e l o p m e n t of staff " m a n n i n g t a b l e s " a n d the establish- m e n t of three staff p o s i t i o n s f o r service co- o r d i n a t o r s in the a r e a s of a d u l t service, y o u n g a d u l t service a n d c h i l d r e n ' s service. U n d e r S e c t i o n IV, T h e L i b r a r y as a W h o l e , the historical s e p a r a t i o n of the ref- e r e n c e a n d c i r c u l a t i o n d e p a r t m e n t in terms of service, a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , a n d financial sup- p o r t is n o t e d . I n the p a s t d e c a d e the s t e p s t a k e n to r e v e r s e this t r e n d a r e c i t e d ; n a m e l y , the e s t a b l i s h m e n t of u n i f o r m p o l i c i e s , pro- c e d u r e s a n d p e r s o n n e l practices, a n d the c r e a t i o n of offices a n d p o s i t i o n s which en- c o m p a s s b o t h d e p a r t m e n t s . T h e s e p o s i t i o n s i n c l u d e the p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s office, b u s i n e s s office, p e r s o n n e l office, e d i t o r of l i b r a r y p u b - l i c a t i o n s , a n d a n e x e c u t i v e officer f o r f u n d r a i s i n g . T h e work a n d a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s of these offices in c o o r d i n a t i n g the activities of the e n t i r e l i b r a r y system a r e d e s c r i b e d in de- tail. U n d e r F i n a n c e s a n d the F u t u r e , the re- p o r t p o i n t s o u t t h a t the i n c o m e f r o m b o t h p r i v a t e a n d p u b l i c f u n d s h a s i n c r e a s e d in the p a s t d e c a d e , b u t n o t as r a p i d l y as the in- c r e a s e d use, n e e d , a n d d e m a n d f o r l i b r a r y services a n d facilities. T h i s l e d to deficit fi- n a n c i n g which in t u r n c r e a t e d p r o b l e m s f o r 340 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES f u t u r e s u p p o r t . A n analysis of t r e n d s in in- c o m e f r o m state a i d , a n d the results of con- t i n u o u s f u n d r a i s i n g c a m p a i g n s a r e d e s c r i b e d . A l t h o u g h the r e p o r t is a s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d , b u s i n e s s l i k e d o c u m e n t , d e v o i d of the p o p - u l a r , d e c o r a t i v e type of p r e s e n t a t i o n which has b e e n m u c h u s e d in r e c e n t years, it is very r e a d a b l e a n d i n c l u d e s m a n y a n a l o g i e s in terms of the h u m a n e l e m e n t s of l i b r a r y service. T h e r e p o r t is a n e x c e l l e n t o n e , a n d con- stitutes a r e a l c o n t r i b u t i o n to the l i t e r a t u r e on the l a r g e p u b l i c l i b r a r y . — G e r t r u d e Gscheidle, Chicago Public Library. Selected Reference Books of 1957-1958 (Continued from page 304) S t e i n (Guide V236), the p r e s e n t c o m p i l a t i o n follows, w i t h c e r t a i n m o d i f i c a t i o n s , the sub- j e c t a r r a n g e m e n t of that work. T h e r e a r e s e p a r a t e s u b j e c t a n d a u t h o r i n d e x e s . P r o f . A n d r e A y m a r d h a s c o n t r i b u t e d a n " A p e r ^ u b i b l i o g r a p h i q u e sur les p u b l i c a t i o n s r e c e n t e s c o n c e r n a n t l a G a u l e a n t i q u e , 1945 a 1955." — E . S . Lancaster, J o a n C. Bibliography of His- torical Works Issued in the United Kingdom, 1946-1956. Compiled for the Sixth Anglo-American Conference of Historians. L o n d o n , University of L o n d o n , I n s t i t u t e of Historical Re- search, 1957. 388p. 25s. L i s t i n g historical works p u b l i s h e d in the U n i t e d K i n g d o m d u r i n g 1946-1956, this is a c u m u l a t i o n of six a n n u a l e x h i b i t i o n c a t a l o g s p r e p a r e d f o r the A n g l o - A m e r i c a n C o n f e r - ences of H i s t o r i a n s , to which h a v e b e e n add- e d the titles of s u c h o t h e r historical works as c o u l d b e f o u n d in o r d e r to m a k e the bib- l i o g r a p h y as c o m p r e h e n s i v e as p o s s i b l e . A s such, it serves as a c o n t i n u a t i o n of L . B . Frewer's Bibliography of Historical Writings Published in Great Britain and the Empire, 1940-45 (Guide V I 2 ) a l t h o u g h it d o e s n o t in- c l u d e works p u b l i s h e d in the C o m m o n w e a l t h as the F r e w e r d i d . Classified, with a n a u t h o r i n d e x , the bib- l i o g r a p h y c o n t a i n s 7,882 n u m b e r e d titles a n d lists b o o k s o n all c o u n t r i e s a n d p e r i o d s , with the B r i t i s h section q u i t e n a t u r a l l y b e i n g the largest a n d c o m p r i s i n g a b o u t h a l f of the v o l u m e . M a u r i t i u s . Archives D e p t . Bibliography of Mauritius (1502-1954) Covering the Printed Record, Manuscripts, Archi- valia and Cartographic Material [Com- piled by] A. T o u s s a i n t a n d H . Adol- phe. P o r t Louis, M a u r i t i u s , Esclapon Ltd., 1956. 884p. T h i s , the first c o m p r e h e n s i v e b i b l i o g r a p h y of M a u r i t i u s , a t t e m p t s to list as f u l l y as pos- sible " a l l p r i n t e d , m a n u s c r i p t a n d carto- g r a p h i c m a t e r i a l r e l a t i v e to the I s l a n d of M a u r i t i u s a n d its d e p e n d e n c i e s f r o m 1502 to the e n d of 1954, w h e t h e r a v a i l a b l e in M a u - r i t i u s itself o r in o t h e r c o u n t r i e s . " It lists s o m e 8,865 items d i v i d e d i n t o six g r o u p s : A , B o o k s a n d p a m p h l e t s issued in M a u r i t i u s f r o m the i n t r o d u c t i o n of p r i n t i n g in 1768 t h r o u g h 1954; B , P e r i o d i c a l s , n e w s p a p e r s , a n d serials, 1773-1954; C , G o v e r n m e n t a n d semi-official p u b l i c a t i o n s issued in M a u r i t i u s a n d G r e a t B r i t a i n , 1810-1954; D , Publica- tions r e l a t i v e to M a u r i t i u s issued a b r o a d in E n g l i s h , F r e n c h , D u t c h a n d o t h e r l a n g u a g e s , 1600-1954; E , M a n u s c r i p t s a n d a r c h i v a l i a , 1598-1954; F , C a r t o g r a p h i c m a t e r i a l , 1502- 1954. T h e r e is a n i n d e x of i n d i v i d u a l a n d cor- p o r a t e n a m e s a n d titles of p e r i o d i c a l s in o n e a l p h a b e t . U n d e r the heading, " L e Jazz H o t , " the Duke University Library News- letter for April, 1958, reports t h a t " V o l u m e 154 of the Catalogue General des Livres Imprimes de la Bibliotheque Nationale bears p r o u d l y on its spine: 'Rock-Roll.' " JULY 1958 341