College and Research Libraries the kind of book that many people would like to write but can't, because few have the ability to express themselves as suc- cinctly, as forcefully, and as engagingly as Melcher. For this is above all a personal book expressing the wise opinions and rea- sonable prejudices of a knowledgeable and rational man, one who employs wit instead of anger, and who prefers the rapier to the bludgeon as a weapon for scoring points. Of special interest and value is that Mel- cher is a publisher, so that while he is view- ing the common terrain, his perspective is 180° out of phase with that of the acquisi- tions librarian. Thus, for example, the in- credibly complicated discount structure that governs relations between publishers and wholesalers, and which the librarian is probably only aware of as a molehill on the horizon, appears close-up as the formidable mountain it is, capable of inhibiting the smooth How of books from source to ulti- mate consumer. This difference of perspec- tive does not mean that Melcher is insensi- tive or unsympathetic to the plight of the acquisitions librarian and the problems that confront the latter at his own end of the territory. If there is criticism of some tradi- tional library practices-and there is-it is not offered in shrill condemnation but as encouragement to change what is to what should be. Melcher not only wants us to take our dreams and pretentions at face val- ue, but takes it for granted that we have the capability of realizing them. Perhaps the true value of the book lies in this atmosphere of self-confidence that pervades it and in its open avowal of boot- strapism. This is not to suggest that it fa- vors exhortation over information; on the contrary, it contains a plethora of facts and figures on the operation of the book busi- ness, especially as it relates to libraries. Nor is it a how-to-do-it book in the usual sense. Rather, it offers information with the tacit assumption that a knowledgeable librarian is more capable of shrugging off the dead hand of conventional practice and of ful- filling his purpose than one who remains wholly ignorant or poorly informed. In this respect Melcher's book may appeal less to the neophyte than to the scarred veteran who still retains a spark that can be fanned into a flame of challenge to the status quo. Again and again the point is made, rein- Recent Publications I 155 forced by examples, that no situation or procedure has to be accepted or continued just because it is hallowed by tradition, that all aspects of an operation should be exam- ined and judged on how efficiently they contribute to the ultimate purpose of get- ting books to readers. And always Melcher advocates grass roots solutions, which he defines as ". . . solutions which grow out of the problems ... ," as opposed to " ... pre- packaged solutions imported from else- where." (The latter he feels " ... are about as satisfactory as mail order dentures.") It is hard not to want to respond to this kind of approach with a new surge of determi- nation to make things better and make them work. If some of the author's confi- dence in an individual's ability to dominate the institutional system he is a part of is ab- sorbed by the reader, librarianship in gen- eral and acquisitions work in particular can- not help but benefit. Earlier I alluded to Melcher's prejudices. (I called them reasonable ones and will stick with that despite the paradox.) Some of them are well known by now, but the reader should enjoy encountering these once more and others for the first time. Melcher is not one to stand mute before the sacred cows and begged questions of li- brarianship, but his observations are con- sh·uctive, not retaliatory, and he is practi- cally one of the family. While he may be a heretic, he is not an apostate. If I were to indulge myself in a minor disappointment, it would be that he allows to stand unchallenged the concept that a primary objective of an acquisitions depart- ment is speed in getting books to readers. Better is faster. It may well be true, but I would have enjoyed a hard-nosed Melcher appraisal of it so I could be sure. But on the other hand, I suppose a man who has lost his faith in computers and the Library of Congress has to retain belief in some- thing.-Howard A. Sullivan, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. OTHER BOOKS OF INTEREST TO ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS Adamson, John William. Pioneers of Mad- ern Education in the Seventeenth Cen- tury. New York: Teachers College Press, 1971. 285p. $6.95. (79-165366). 156 I College & Research Libraries • March 1972 Baird, Newton D., and Greenwood, Robert, New York: Ktav Publishing House, Inc., eds. An Annotated Bibliography of Cali- 1971. 240p. $17.50. (72-138460). (ISBN fornia Fiction: 1664-1970. Georgetown, 0-87068-139-7). Cal.: Talisman Literary Research, Inc., Mesa, Rosa Quintero, comp. Latin American 1972. 521p. $20.00. Serial Documents, A Holdings List, Val- Bradshaw, Charles I., Wiggins, Marvin E., ume 5: Argentina. New York: R. R. Bow- and Hall, Blaine. Using the Library: The ker Company, 1971. 693p. (73-180800). Card Catalog. Provo, Utah: Brigham (ISBN 0-8352-0515-0). Young University Press, 1971. 104p. 7 Mesa, Rosa Quintero, comp. Latin American (71-175298). (ISBN 0-8425-0817-1). Serial Documents, A Holdings List, Val- Clifton, H. D. Data Processing Systems De- ume 6: Bolivia. New York: R. R. Bowker sign. Princeton, N.J.: Auerbach Pub- Company, 1972. 156p. $10.95. (73- lishers, 1971. 154p. $6.00. (78-171054). 180800). (ISBN 0-8352-0519-3). (ISBN 0-87769-118-5). North, Jeanne B., ed. Communication for Corbett, Edmund V., and Corbett, Enid W., Decision-Makers; ASIS Proceedings of comps. The Libraries, Museums and Art the American Society for Information Galleries Year Book, 1971. New York: Science. v.8. Westpmt, Conn.: Green- R. R. Bowker Company, 1971. 694p. wood Publishing Company, 1971. 413p. $16.50. $11.00. ( 64-8303). (ISBN 87715-408-2). DeMolen, Richard L., ed. Richard Mul- Roxas, Savina A. Library Education in Italy: caster's Positions. New York: Teachers An Historical Survey, 1870- 1969. Me- College Press, 1971. 284p. $6.95. (77- tuchen, N.J.: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 168389). 1972. 248p. ( 70-167643). (ISBN 0-8108- Doll, Russell C. , and Hawkins, Maxine, eds. 0419-0). Educating the Disadvantaged: 1970- R. R. Bowker Company, Children's Books in 1971, An AMS Anthology. New York: Print 1971; Author Index, Title Index, AMS Press, 1971. 604p. $8.95. (70- Illustrator Index. New York: The Author, 143794). (ISBN 0-404-10155-0). 1972. 787p. $15.95. (70-101705). (ISBN Griffin, Charles C., ed. Latin America, A 0-8352-0509-6). Guide to the Historical Literature. Austin, R. R. Bowker Company, Subject Guide to ... Texas: The University of Texas Press, Children's Books in Print 1971; A Sub;ect 1971. 700p. $25.00. (71-165916). (ISBN Index to Children's Books in 7,000 Cate- 0-292-10089-X). gories. New York: The Author, 1972. Fridley, Russell W. , and Holmquist, June 471p. $15.95. (70-101705). (ISBN 0- Drenning, eds. Publications of the Minne- 8352-0511-8). sota Historical Society. St. Paul, Minn.: Smith, Roger C., and Reid, W. Malcolm, The Minnesota Historical Society, 1972. eds. Guide to the Literature of the Life 216p. $7.00. (73-186382). (ISBN 87351- Sciences. 8th ed. Minneapolis, Minn.: 070-4). Burgess Publishing Company, 1972. 166p. Kempkes, Wolfgang, ed. International Bibli- $6.50. (74-181748). (ISBN 8081-1964- ography of Comics Literature. New York: 5) . R. R. Bowker Company, 1972. 213p. University of Tasmania Library, Union List $12.50. (ISBN 3-7940-3393-0). of Higher Degree Theses in Australian -Kloster, Gudrun B., ed. Handbook of Mu- University Libraries, Supplement 1966- seums: Germany, Austria and Switzer- 1968. Hobart, Australia: The Author, land. 2v. New York: R. R. Bowker Com- 1971. pany, 1971. 1300p. $34.00 for 2v. set. ( University of Virginia Medical School Li- (ISBN 3-7940-3411-2, 3-7940-3412-0). brary, Virginia Union List of Biomedical Lathem, Edward Connery, ed. A Concord- Serials. 2d ed. Charlottesville, Va.: The ance to the Poetry of Robert Frost. New Author, 1971. 266p. York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., Walker, Gregory, ed. Directory of Libraries 1971. 640p. $30.00. (75-177494). (ISBN and Special Collections on Eastern Eu- 0-03-091225-3). rope and the U.S.S.R. Hamden, Conn.: Marcus, Jacob R., ed. An Index to Scientific Archon Books, 1971. 159p. $9.00. (ISBN Articles on American Jewish History. 0-258-96837-0). Wilding, Norman, and Laundy, Philip. An Encyclopedia of Parliament. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1972: 931p; $20.00. (72-162373). Withey, Stephen B. A Degree and What Else? Correlates and Consequences of a College Education. New York: McGraw- Hill Book Company, 1971. 147p. $5.95. (74-172034). Woody, Thomas. Life and Education in Early Societies. New York: Hafner Pub- lishing Company, Inc., 1970. 825p. ABSTRACTS Recent Publications I 157 $27.50. (75-153591). Woy, James B., ed. Investment Information: A Detailed Guide to Selected Sources. Vol. 19 of Gale's Management Informa- tion Guide Series. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Company, 1970. 231p. $14.50. (79-118791). Yates, J. V., ed. The Authols and Writer's Who's Who. Darien, Conn.: Hafner Pub- lishing Company, Inc., 1971. 887p. $24.95. The following abstracts are based on those prepared by the Clearinghouse for Library and Information Sciences of the Educational Resources In- formation Center (ERIC/CLIS), American Society for Information Science, 1140 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 804, Washington, DC 20036. Documents with an ED number may be ordered in either microfiche (MF) or hard copy (HC) from ERIC Document Reproduction Service, LEASCO Information Products, Inc., P.O. Drawer 0, Bethesda, MD 20014. Orders must include ED number and specification of format desired. A $0.50 handling charge will be added to all orders. Payment must acco111r pany orders totaling less than $10.00. Orders from states with sales tax laws must include payment of the appropriate tax or include tax exemption certificates. Documents available from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22151 have NTIS number and price following the citation. Planning and Implementing Academic Li- brary Automation Programs: Proceed- ings of the Librarianship Training In- stitute Held at Louisiana Tech Univer- sity, June 14-28, 1970. Ed. by Sam A. Dyson. Louisiana Tech University, Rus- ton, Prescott Library. 1971. 223p. (ED 054 836, MF-$0.65 HC-$9.87) A library-oriented, concentrated course in the use of .computers in libraries is a def- inite need in the profession. Librarians can learn the use of computers even though they have no background in data process- ing. The profession is also in need of a course syllabus which can be used either in a formal college course or in an in-ser- vice training situation. One of the by-prod- ucts of this institute will be such a syllabus. Pre-institute activities induded a pro- grammed instruction course to acquaint participants with terminology, theory, and logic of computers and to furnish all par- ticipants with a common store of back- ground knowledge. Eight manufacturers' representatives presented their firm's hard- ware capabilities, library applications, cost and learning arrangements, and impending developments of interest to the library user. Fourteen papers on automating library technical processes, problems in library technical processes, systems analysis and flow charting, and COBOL programming language are included. Statistics of Public Libraries Serving Areas With at Least 25,000 Inhabitants, 1968. By Ruth L. Boaz. National Center for Educational Statistics (DREW), Washington, D.C., Library Surveys Branch. 1970. 149p. (ED 054 804, MF -$0.65 HC-$6.58) The report is based upon two question- naires administered by the Office of Educa- tion. The first questionnaire, sent to each 158 I College & Research Libraries • March 1972 state library agency, asked for a list of li- braries in the state which served areas with at least 25,000 inhabitants. Forty-nine re- sponding states and three outlying areas re- ported a total of 1,135 qualifying libraries. The second questionnaire produced a total of 1,057 responses. Table 1 presents sum- mary data for the 1,057 reporting libraries, by population size group; tables 2 and 3 present selected summary data for these li- braries, by state; and tables 4 through 9 provide detailed information for each re- sponding library, arranged alphabetically by state and city. All annual data included in this report cover the libraries' fiscal year that ended during the period January 1, 1968, through December 31, 1968. The vm·iation in type of fiscal year used by pub- lic libraries is shown in appendix B. The questionnaires, definitions, and instructions are reproduced as appendixes C and D. A Cost Analysis and Usage Study of the Reserved Materials Collection of the University of Arizona Main Library. By Ford Jensen. 1971. 25p. (ED 054 822, MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29) A study of the reserve materials collec- tion at the Main Library from a usage and cost analysis perspective revealed that 93.7 percent of all items that circulated could have been circulated an equal number of times through the standard circulation pro- cedure which allows material to be used for seven days. The remaining 6.3 percent of the material which circulated more than five times in the five-week summer session is the only material that merits special at- tention as a reserve collection. Collection Development and the Comput- er: A Case Study in the Analysis of Machine Readable Loan Records and Their Application to Book Selection. By Peter Simmons. British Columbia Uni- versity, Vancouver, School of Librarian- ship. 1971. 63p. (Available from Univer- sity of British Columbia Press, Vancou- ver 8, Canada, as ED 054 817, HC- $2.50) At the library of the University of British Columbia, computers are used for a variety of tasks, including the control of book and serial acquisitions. The computer-produced circulation records have been employed to study the use of library materials at U.B.C. in three distinct areas. There have been studies of use in relation to loan policy, studies of use by defined groups of borrow- ers, and studies of heavily used materials. This report is an account of a group of studies of books which circulated with un- usual frequency. Since these studies of the library's services have had a direct effect upon the acquisition of library materials, they provide the missing link that is help- ing to turn the U.B.C. library into a closed- loop control system: an integrated system that is able to alter its behavior based on accurate information about the specific de- mands that are being made upon it. These studies, therefore, permit the library to make the most efficient and effective pos- sible use of its limited funds, and afford the library's users a quality of service that. here- tofore has not been possible. Information Requirements of Researchers in the Social Sciences. v.1: Text; v.2: Tables. Bath University of Technology (England), University Library. 1971. 280p.; 214p. (ED 054 806; ED 054 807, MF-$0.65; $0.65 HC-$9.87; $9.87) The main findings of an investigation in- to the information requirements of the so- cial sciences, conducted between Septem- ber 1967 and December 1970, are report- ed. It covers the information needs of so- cial science researchers , and of teachers in social science departments of universities . The objective of the investigation was to provide material useful for the design of in- formation systems. Data were collected not only on current information gathering prac- tices and information uses but also on more fundamental issues relating to the nature of the work being carried out and the type of information required for it. Three meth- ods of investigation were used: ( 1) a ques- tionnaire circulated to a national sample drawn from a population of all the social science researchers that could be identified, (2) interviews, and (3) day-to-day observa- tion of a very small number of social sci- entists. A review of relevant literature and work already conducted was an essential ingredient of this investigation. The entire second volume of this report • consists of tables based on the study report- ed in Volume l. The Academic Library Administrator and His Situation. Final Report. By Mary Lee Bundy and Paul Wasserman. Mary- land University, College Park, School of Library and Information Services. 1970. 122p. (ED 054 796, MF-$0.65 HC- $6.58) The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of administrators and of the organizations and the environments in which they function in an attempt to in- crease understanding of the human and or- ganizational variables which tend to spawn or to inhibit change. The instrument em- ployed in the analysis was a mail question- naire addressed to administrators of the four discrete types of libraries: academic library, public library, school library, and special library. In this study of the academ- ic library administrator, from a universe made up of academic institutions with stu- dent bodies of 3,000 or more, a total of 161 administrators responded to the question- naires. Full details of sample choice and de- sign and an analysis of the sample are con- tained in the appendixes of this report. It was concluded that to realistically assess the prospects for change in academic li- braries is to expect only the most minimal in the way of basic modification in the fore- seeable future. For there is at present no clear and unambiguous mandate for inno- vation which has yet captured the imagina- tion or provoked the conscience of the ad- ministrative class in academic librarianship. (For other parts of this study see LI 003072 through LI 00307 4.) Congestion at Card and Book Catalogs- A Queuing Theory Approach. By Abra- ham Bookstein. 1971. 32p. (ED 054 793, MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29) The question of whether a library's cata- log should consist of cards arranged in a single alphabetical order (the "dictionary" catalog) or be segregated as a separate file is discussed. Development is extended to encompass related problems involved in the creation of a book catalog. A model to study the effects of congestion at the cata- log is created. Using a drawer chosen ran- Recent Publications I 159 domly from either a dictionary catalog, or the subject or author-title part of a split catalog, three measures of congestion are considered: (1) the probability that the drawer is being used, ( 2) the average time needed to wait for a use, and ( 3) the av- erage number of people attracted to the drawer at any time. All the parameters used and the basic relations among them are collected in Section II. The first mea- sure of congestion considered is the likeli- hood that a user must wait before he can use a drawer. The next measure of conges- tion is the mean time a user must wait to gain access to a drawer. The final measure of congestion is the number of people con- tributed to the system at any time along each drawer. Section VI considers the im- plications of the model for the construction of book catalogs. It was found that each of the three criteria of congestion can lead to a different conclusion. Bibliography of Use Surveys of Public and Academic Libraries. 1950-N ov. 1970. By Pauline Atkin. London: The Li- brary Association, 1971. 82p. (ED 055. 617, MF-$0.65 HC-$1.80) Within the public, academic, and school libraries the use of specific types of ma- terials was examined, for example, audio- visual, reference, and bibliographic ma- terials, and different types of catalogs. The physical layout and arrangement of the libraries and their influence on use and nonuse were also considered. The factors inhibiting the use of libraries include the geographical distribution of users, the loca- tion of the library within the community, and the educational abilities and literacy levels of the readers. The levels of usage included are: academic-professional and faculty members, postgraduate, undergrad- uate, research and administrative levels ; public-adults and children, student, pro- fessional and business; and special provi- sion for handicapped or homebound readers. Information for the bibliography was gathered from a search of the published literature, unpublished materials, material obtained from letters . to library schools and published letters, and relevant published indexing and abstracting services, e.g., Li- brary and Information Science Abstracts , Library Literature, and ERIC. 160 I College & Research Libraries • March 1972 Collecting and Reporting Real Costs of Information Systems. By Douglas S. Price. American Society for Information Science, Washington, D.C. Special In- terest Group on Costs, Budgeting and Economics. 1971. 173p. (ED 055 592, MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58) This document attempts to provide man- agers and designers of information systems with a usable, practical, "building block" system for unit costing. The model is suffi- ciently flexible to be applicable to a wide variety of cost control requirements; costing elements include project, product, account, organization, and function. Design of the cost system involves knowledge of basic principles and the system reporting formats, product structure and counts, function roles, nonproduction costs, and allocations. The next steps are identi£cation of product lines, tagging cost elements, and conducting trial runs. System implementation requires design parameters which reflect human limitations, controls, and staff education and orientation. In forecasting it is equally im- portant to know what not to do as how to do it. The design and installation of the described cost system will produce fringe benefits which almost justify the expendi- tures. Fourteen appendices provide working tools for system utilization. A Survey of User Education in New York State Academic Libraries. By Arthur P. Young and others. 1971. 22p. (ED 055 621, MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29) The main objective of the survey was to collect and analyze data derived from a preselected list of questions pertaining to library user education services/programs, and to ascertain how librarians rate various instructional components. Speci£cally, the survey questionnaire attempted to identify and to compare current user education activities from their institutional categories -junior colleges, undergraduate schools, and universities. Questionnaire items cov- ered four broad areas of interest: ( 1) What general instructional services are offered by libraries?; ( 2) What is the extent and ar- rangement of formal basic and advanced bibliographic instruction?; ( 3) What major difficulties do librarians encounter in plan- ning and implementing their programs? ; ( 4) How do librarians rate various instruc- tional components? Eighty-nine percent of the responding librarians concluded that user education is relevant to libraries. A limited profile of instructional services and librarian attitudes toward user education in New York State academic libraries has been produced by this survey investigation. Microform Utilization: The Academic Li- brary Environment. Report of Confer- ence held at Denver, Colorado, 7-9 De- cember 1970. Ed. by Alta Bradley Mor- rison. Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. Bureau of Research. April 1971. 243p. (ED 048 701, MF- $0.65 HC-$9.87) The use of microforms in academic en- vironments has become a general source of concern to all those involved with it. To some extent, the issues underlying the con- cerns of these groups can be summarized as a question: How can an academic li- brary achieve full benefit from microform media? To develop information and to probe the difficulties of managing and using library microforms, a conference was held at the University of Denver in December 1970. The overall perspective of the con- ference treated the library administrator as a mediator between competing interests and forces that are operative in the sphere of academic microform applications. The purposes of the meeting were to foster un- derstanding and use of microform technol- ogy in academic libraries; enhance the util- ity of educational microforms through the exchange of ideas; and inform the academ- ic library community and industrial sector of microform techniques, systems, and re- quirements in an academic setting. Taken as a whole, this document reports con- structive comment for the development of more effective microform utilization in the academic environment in differing situa- tions.