College and Research Libraries 246 I College & Research Libraries • May 1972 be expected in a book designed to help facilitate the use of such publications. He raises some very worthy, albeit not star- tlingly new, questions regarding standards for acquisition. Can traditional standards of book selection be applied in these cases? He asks: "How important, after all, is the style in which an opinion is expressed? What if a viewpoint be printed on poor paper, with bad typography, many errors in spelling, inelegant language, and much profanity?" (P. xxii, xxiii). But bad style is not so much the concern as are seemingly libelous statements, intentional deceit, faulty reasoning, and a desire to appeal to man's hatreds. What place does this material have, in libraries, and under what circum- stances? Should libraries collect only "qual- ity" publications, or should they also strive to represent all gamuts of thought even if it means lowering their standards of selection? Any library desirous of building any sort of collection of fringe publications will un- doubtedly need to carefully scrutinize its selection policies. As to locating these ma- terials, selecting the "better" ones, and maintaining a balance within this collec- tion, this bibliographic guide should be of the utmost help. Alternative Press Index (Radical Research Center, Carleton Col- lege, Northfield, MN 55057) should help the librarian make at least some of these publications more readily usable. The re- viewers note if a given title appears in this index. The question of whether one feels a need for such a collection or has the available resources is, of course, an in- dividual one. But even for those libraries which do not wish to actively subscribe to these polemic publications, the guide can be a useful tool in handling gift subscrip- tions, patrons' requests for new subscrip- tions, and in general reference service. It also makes fascinating browsing. The book appears to have been care- fully researched and even though, accord- ing to Muller, " ... few [reviewers]-if any-were conservatives," the reviews and the selection of material reviewed seemed objective. Unfortunately, the book is al- ready somewhat dated since the most re- cent issues examined are from 1969 ,and in many cases from a year or two earlier. Due to the transient nature of many of these publications, the time factor is of spe- cial importance.-Willis M. Hubbard, Eu- reka College, Eureka, Illinois. Lowell, Mildred Hawksworth. The Man- agement of Libraries and Information Centers, v.4: Role Playing and Other Management Cases. Metuchen, N.J., Scarecrow Press, 1971. 420p. Volume four of Dr. Lowell's series is in- tended to provide a simulated library ex- perience through the use of role playing case studies. She defines role playing as ~he "flexible acting out of various types of mterpersonal problems in a permissive group atmosphere; it involves action, doing and practice." It is part of the decision- ~aking process .. The case study technique IS not new and IS the special orientation of volumes one through three, but role play- ing~ while it has been used in library edu- cation, has not been afforded equal time in the literature. Lowell has contributed a ?reat dea! merely by defining role playing, mventorymg the many uses of role playing and its nonlibrary origins, comparing a role case study and a standard case study, and finally providing an extensive bibliography. Another objective of the volume is to provide role playing cases. While cases in the previous volumes could perhaps be adapted to role playing, they are not spe- cifically designed as such and hence are not as effectively contrived. As a result the cases in volume four are heavily per- sonne!-or~ented, although some planning, orgaruzatwn, and controlling cases are in- cluded as well. The latter are designed to supplement the earlier volumes. To the reviewer who has approached the case study technique with some scep- ticism as a teaching device, and who has used the earlier volumes as a text base for management courses with only fair suc- cess, this fourth volume appears as a val- uable addition to the set and a "star" in its own right. The work is carefully researched, well documented, and organized, and does not belabor the obvious. The cases and roles are well designed, interesting to read, and exciting to consider. The cases appear smoother technically than the earlier ones which is perhaps the result of being tai- lored for role playing. The preponderance J of personnel cases may be considered a drawback, but assuming that role playing involves people, it is perhaps inevitable. The volume should prove valuable to li- brary educators and administrators who seek to use the case study-role playing technique for training their students or staff. It is a valuable work in its own right and not dependent on the set for its strength. On the other hand, it comple- ments the other three . volumes very ef- fectively and libraries should consider the entire set as a homogeneous unit worth purchasing.-Ann F. Painter, Graduate School of Library Science, Drexel Univer- sity, Philadelphia. Veaner, Allen B. The Evaluation of Micro- publications: A Handbook for Librari- ans. Chicago: American Library Asso- ciation, 1971. 59p. $3.25 (LTP Publi- cation no.17). If the question were posed as to who is the most knowledgeable librarian in this country to write a book about micropub- lications, the answer would have to be Al- len B. Veaner. Based on his experience in administering a photoduplication service and in acquiring microforms at both Har- vard and Stanford University libraries, his many previous contributions to library lit- erature regarding library microforms, his activity in ALA and in numerous other professional organizations, and particularly his able chairmanship of the ALA, RTSD Micropublishing Subcommittee for the past six years, Veaner is eminently qualified to author this handbook. Veaner's gift for at- tention to pertinent detail is abundantly evident in this work which will serve as a bible for many years to come for anyone seeking information about micropublications. In fifty-nine pages this deceptively small booklet is crammed with a wealth of in- formation for those responsible for acquir- ing, reviewing, evaluating, or producing mi- cropublications. Veaner demonstrates the rare ability to present the many fine de- tails that go into the production and eval- uation of micropublications and yet to bal- ance this with the perspective necessary to assess these in the proper light from the li- brary administrator's point of view. The handbook is divided into two ma- jor sections: ( 1) Micropublishing and Mi- Recent Publications I 241 cropublications, and ( 2) Evaluation Pro- cedures. The first twenty-two pages are de- voted to a discussion of the micropublish- ing industry, microformats, film size and image legibility, film generations and po- larity, the registration and preservation of master films, locating original material, pro- duction of hard copies, types of film, film stock, film coatings, archival permanence, and use of resolution charts. In the latter half of this booklet a complete step-by- step procedure for the evaluation of micro- publications is presented, including how to review the publisher's prospectus, how to seek any additional information that may be necessary, and how to conduct the ac- tual physical inspection of the micropub- lication by an inspection of the packaging of the product, inspection by a '1ight box," and a final inspection on a microviewer. The librarian and even the technician need not be embarrassed at feeling over- whelmed by this handbook. It could have been entitled "Everything You Ever Want- ed to Know About Micropublications" b e- cause its coverage is that complete. How- ever, this is not a criticism but a testimony to the expertise and thoroughness of the author. Veaner in essence has been writing this booklet for ten years and it is the right book by the right author at the right time. With reports due to be published shortly as a result of OE grants to ARL for studies on the bibliographical control of microforms and on the establishment of a permanent national microform agency, with the Den- ver Research Institute seeking to establish The Organization for Micro Information (OMI), with the quantity and variety of micropublications proliferating, as best il- lustrated by the GPO decision to make government documents available to depos- itory libraries in microform, and with li- braries and publishers increasingly being driven to micropublishing because of shrink- ing acquisition budgets and library space, events have conspired to make this L TP publication timely indeed. Those respon- sible for producing, acquiring, or review- ing micropublications will find this publica- tion indispensable. Every medium- to large-sized library should acquire this es- sential reference work.-Robert C. Sullivan, Order Division. Library of Congress.