College and Research Libraries


240 /College & Research Libraries • May 1975 

Ayres, F. H., and Hall, J., eds. Information 
Services in University Libraries: Pro-
ceedings of a SCONUL Exchange of 
Experience Seminar on Information Ser-
vices in University Libraries Held at the 
University of Bradford from the 17th to 
the 19th of December 1973. London: 
SCONUL, 197 4. 214p. £2.25 (Order 
from: SCONUL Secretariat, c/o The 
Library, School of Oriental & Mrican 
Studies, Malet Street, London WClE 
7HP, England.) 

This book includes the proceedings of a 
seminar held at the University of Bradford 
in December 1973. The seminar centered 
on the emergence of information services 
in British universities and polytechnic in-
stitutions. The papers deal primarily with 
the state-of-the-art situations, but there is 
some concern with future developments 
and the evolving needs of library users. 

The twelve papers included were given 
both by librarians and representatives of 
subject disciplines. The central theme 
shows how information services are begin-
ning to be an integral part of British aca-
demic libraries. A point which is noted 
throughout is that there is not one model 
of service which will fit all institutions. 
Both computerized and manual services 
are needed, and services must be provided 
in the library as well as outside of it. Each 
institution must develop a variety of ser-
vices which most fully serve the needs of 
its patrons. The library should be consid-
ered an instrument of communication, not 
an end in itself. 

Information services in this book refer 
mainly to computerized retrieval systems. 
The range of coverage of the services by 
subject and time span is more limited than 
similar American services. This impression 
may be due to the fact that the meeting 
was held in 1973. Developments in the past 
two years have been significant. It is evi-
dent from these papers that public service 
in British academic institutions is not as 
fully developed as it is in American li-
braries. 

Computer-based services are only one as-
pect of the larger problem of information 
services. The first priority should be to de-
termine the needs and then ascertain which 
type or types of services best meet the 

needs. Cost effectiveness must be a part of 
the consideration. 

There is a clear distinction made in sev-
eral cases between information services and 
reader service. Information service is more 
current awareness while reader service is 
information and self-help guidance. The ini-
tiation of information services often seemed 
to unleash latent demands for more service. 

One of the most valuable contributions 
in the book is the "Survey of Information 
Services Provided by British University Li-
braries, 1973." The survey lists most Brit-
ish academic institutions and includes in-
formation on staff, reference services, man-
ual current awareness services, computer-
based information services, and publica-
tions. This listing provides a good overview 
of information service activities. 

Any set of proceedings begins with the 
disadvantage of being dated before it is 
published and presenting papers which 
were prepared for oral presentation con-
verted to a written format. The editorial 
work in this case has been thorough, and 
the material has a natural How. 

One of the unfortunate shortcomings of 
the collection is that there were no con-
clusions drawn either in the individual pa-
pers or based on the total presentation. It 
is good to know what is going on, but it is 
better to evaluate the activities than to ac-
cept them at face value.-Irene Braden 
Hoadley, Texas A & M University Library, 
College Station. 

Oboler, Eli M. Fear of the Word: Censor-
ship and Sex. Metuchen, N.J.: Scare-
crow, 1974. 362p. $10.00. (74-6492). 
(ISBN 0-8108-0724-6). 

Fear of the Word is an inquiry into the 
"whole complex of causes, of sources, of the 
origins of censorship" and devotes itself 
primarily to the censorship of written state-
ments concerning the sexual life of men. It 
attempts to answer the question: "Why are 
men afraid of certain words, even though 
the behavior they denote is generally ac-
cepted?" 

Oboler, librarian of Idaho State Univer-
sity and a leader in intellectual freedom ac-
tivities of the American Library Associa-
tion, has attempted to do this through an 



examination of linguistics, anthropology, 
and theology, with some additional research 
in history, law, morals, ethics, aesthetics, 
general philosophy, sociology, psychology, 
and related fields. His chief objective was 
to demonstrate that censorship has no basis 
in reason and that it is "neither essential 
nor inevitable for man's progress and well-
being." 

Beginning with the taboos of early civili-
zations, he traces the history of sex censor-
ship through Hellenism and Stoicism, the 
J udeo-Christian tradition, and Puritanism 
to modern-day America and the 1970 Re-
port of the U.S. Commission on Obscenity 
and Pornography (COP). Fear of the Word 
uses copiously the quotations of contem-
poraries to reveal the causes of, the reasons 
against, and the ineffectiveness of censor-
ship since the creation of written language. 
One chapter, "The Psychology of Repres-
sion," discusses the psychobiology of the 
censor. Others deal with critics as censors 
communities as censors, librarians as cen: 
sors, the law as a censor, and the U.S. Su-
preme Court as a censor. It concludes with 
an analysis of the social and political impli-
cations of the COP report and with some 
interesting speculations about its future im-
pact. 

After some extensive struggling with the 
subject, Oboler concludes with this answer 
to his original question about the fear of 
certain words: Since the beginning of time 
the word has been identified with deity 
and, therefore, is a sacred and fearful ob-
ject. Although there is, undoubtedly, gen-
eral agreement among librarians about the 
inefficacy . and undesirability of censorship, 
not all will choose to accept this explana-
tion for it, solely on the basis of the evi-
dence which he has presented in this vol-
ume. It is, however, a good compendium 
of quotations on sex censorship and an ade-
quate general survey of this topic.-Doro-
thy Bendix, Associate Professor, Graduate 
School of Library Science, Drexel U niver-
sity, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Foreman, Lewis. Systematic Discography. 
Hamden, Conn.: Linnet Books and Clive 
Bingley, 1974. 144p. $9.50. (74-8463). 
(ISBN 0-208-01197-8). 
The author, a member of the faculty of 

the College of Librarianship at Abery-

Recent Publications j 241 

stwyth, Wales, has provided us with a 
thorough and handy addition to the meager 
literature concerned with the discograph-
ical art. As a matter of surprising fact, this 
volume is the first comprehensive guide to 
discographical compilation. Mr. Foreman 
candidly states in the introduction that 
there is as yet no codification of the rules 
for the compilation of discographies. There 
are but the examples which actual discog-
raphies themselves provide, but nothing 
hard and fast. Therefore, Mr. Foreman 
wisely eschews offering anything other than 
optional solutions from which the discogra-
pher may choose. 

The work begins with a very succinct 
history of sound recording and the early ap-
plications of this technology. Next, Mr. 
Foreman discusses a number of the factors 
both legal and mechanical, which bea; 
upon the preservation (and reissuing) of 
recorded materials. The author then takes 
up the nature of discography and makes 
clear its relationship to bibliography in all 
its forms, e.g., analytical, descriptive, sys-
tematic, etc. He goes deeply into methods 
of grading the sonic qualities of the items 
included in discographies. In the chapter 
titled "Practical Discography," the author 
addresses himself to the problems of de-
fining and limiting the scope of the work 
to be undertaken and the actual collection 
and assembly of discographical information. 
Later chapters take up problems in formu-
lation of the entry, elements for inclusion, 
typographical style and abbreviations (with 
many examples) , methods of arrangement 
(e.g., alphabetical, classified, chronological, 
etc.), examples of select discographies, data 
processing, and bibliographic control. 

The remaining chapters are lists of deal-
ers in out-of-print materials, unusual re-
cording companies and labels, journals and 
reviewing media, and some select discogra-
phies. Following the excellent bibliography 
are, as an appendix, excerpts from R. D. 
Darrell's "Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia 
of Recorded Music," and the index. 

Mr. Foreman's little volume recommends 
itself as a vade mecum to all aspiring dis-
cographers and makes excellent reading not 
only for music librarians not thus engaged 
but also for the disc collector. His discus-
sions, for example, on the relative merits of 
the Gramophone magazine, compared to