College and Research Libraries


ed are, among others, France, the two Ger-
manies, the USSR, Belgium, Scandinavia, 
Hungary, and Poland; also Japan, India, 
Singapore, South Africa, and Mexico are 
more or less adequately represented. But 
the survey has still considerable gaps, e.g., 
concerning South America. One would wish 
to see them filled in another edition. 

Withers has organized the material ac-
cording to types of libraries. National li-
braries receive limited space only. Libraries 
in universities and colleges are more amply 
covered. Withers is well aware of the diffi-
culty in making valid quantitative compari-
sons between academic libraries in different 
countries (and often even different institu-
tions in the same country). He provides ex-
tensive abstracts from important standard 
documents. For instance, his summary of 
the ALA Standards for College Libraries 
(1959) occupies almost seven pages. The 
Canadian University Library Standards 
(1964), the recommendations of the Wis-
senschaftsrat for scholarly libraries in West 
Germany (1964), and the Standards for 
Colleges of Technology issued by the 
British Library Association (1971) are re-
produced in considerable detail, to give but 
three other examples. 

About half of the volume is devoted to 
public libraries. This rich coverage is due 
to the fact that standards for them have 
been developed in many countries. School 
libraries and special libraries receive much 
less space. The last chapter deals with the 
difficult subject of standards for library ser-
vice in developing countries. Asked by 
Unesco, Withers has prepared a set of 
standards which might be applied in devel-
oping countries, but he recognizes the fact 
that the level of library service depends 
not only on the desire but on the capacity 
of a country to provide the resources 
needed. 

Withers has been successful in avoiding 
partisanship and hasty judgments. The text 
reads well. Surprising for a publication on 
libraries, it lacks a comprehensive bibliog-
raphy and an index. Nevertheless, this is 
an essential purchase for larger academi'c 
libraries.-Felix E. Hirsch, Professor Emer-
itus, Trenton State College. 

Thomson, Sarah Katharine. Learning Re- . 

Recent Publications I 79 

source Centers in Community Colleges: 
A Survey of Budgets and Services. Chi-
cago: American Library Assn., 1975. 
146p. $6.50 (LC 75-16150) (ISBN 0-
8389-0206-5) 
Statistical studies of community college 

libraries supported by empirical knowledge 
obtained by visits of informed investigators 
have long been needed so that valid quanti-
tative standards may be developed. Thom-
son, familiar with the community college 
as well as an experienced surveyor, pro-
vides a solid research report which can be 
of great use in understanding the problems 
and services of such two-year institutions. 

Twenty-seven community colleges in ten 
states were selected from among the forty 
with the largest expenditures. Each was 
visited so that financial data could be inter-
preted in relation to services provided. Only 
partial budget data were available from 
some of them, limiting certain conclusions. 

The study confirms the greater involve-
ment in instruction, the comprehensiveness 
of learning resources programs, and the dif-
ficulty in obtaining comparable financial 
data. The extent of computer utilizati'on, 

DEAN OF 
LffiRARIES 

New York University 
New York University invites applications 
and nominations for the position of Dean 
of Libraries. Candidates should have ex-
tensive experience with a major academic 
library and proven . administrative capa-
bility. The position offers a challenging 
opportunity for a person committed to 
working in a framework of collegial gov-
ernance and to serving in an urban en-
vironment. Advanced degrees and pub-
lications will weigh favorably. Salary: 
$25,000-$45,000 depending upon qualifi-
cations. Send inquiries, resumes and nomi-
nations to: 
R. Bayly Winder, Faculty of Arts and 
Science Chairman, Dean of Libraries 
Search Committee, 5 Washington Square 
North, New York, N.Y. 10003 
New York University is committed to 
equal opportunity employment and af· 
firmative action. 



80 I College & Research Libraries • January 1976 

both in instruction and in daily operations, 
is but one difference from the four-year in-
stitutions which is reflected in the philoso-
phy of the community college as reported. 

The most useful aspect of the report is 
the synthesis of interviews of staff members 
of the various institutions which provide a 
framework within which the budget is used 
to interpret the services provided. As a re-
sult this is a document which can be used 
to evaluate possible services and to justify 
budget requests for expansion of services 
or staff. College financial and administrative 
officers could read the report with profit. 
Its best uses will come from the clearer un-
derstanding of the functions of the learning 
resources programs provided and as a 
source of management data for budget 
planning until a more comprehensive study 

.is possible.-]ames 0. Wallace, Director 
of Learning Resources, San Antonio Col-
lege, San Antonio, Texas. 

Clarke, D. A., ed. Acquisitions from the 
Third World: Papers of the Ligue ·des 
bibliotheques europeennes de recherche 
seminar 17-19 September 1973. London: 
Mansell, 1975. 276p. £5.95 (U.S. 
$15.00) (Distributed in North America 
by International Scholarfy Book Services, 
Inc., P.O. Box 4347, Portland, OR 
97208) (ISBN 0-7201-0453-X) 

This volume contains the papers of a 
seminar sponsored by the Ligue des 
bibliotheques europeennes de recherche 
(LIBER), held in 1972 at the University 
of Sussex, Great Britain, dealing with the 
acquisition of materials from the "Third 
World." The introduction states that the 
purpose of the meeting was "to examine the 
problems of acquisition [of Third World 
publications]; the availability of materials 
in European libraries both for reference 
and for lending; and the feasibility of set-
ting up a European centre for the collec-
tion of such material, to be available for 
loan." These designs were clearly within the 
scope of LIBER's intentions which include 
a special effort to encourage cooperative re-
lationships among the research libraries of 
Western Europe. 

The recommendations offered by the 
seminar are largely predictable, somewhat 

lacking in specificity, and reminiscent of 
the aims and objectives of such antecedent 
efforts as NPAC, LACAP, and the Farming-
ton Plan. The seminar suggests, for exam-
ple, that the acquisition of Third World 
material is important to meet the needs of 
scholars, that at least one copy of this pub-
lished material should be available in a li-
brary in Europe, and that the collecting of 
this material must proceed from coopera-
tion with library and book trade centers in 
countries of the Third World. The seminar 
further recommends that LIBER should es-
tablish a "working party" to undertake the 
implementation of these proposals. 

It is particularly encouraging to note, 
however, that the seminar placed special 
emphasis on the need for general availabili-
ty as opposed to widespread ownership of 
these materials, going so far as to suggest 
the establishment of a European lending 
library for Third World publications. In ad-
dition, the seminar made specific mention 
of the need to ensure the availability of in-
formation concerning the location of loan-
able copies. Too often, much ado is made 
about interlibrary loan in lieu of local own-
ership, but unless the scholar is provided 
with quick and easy information regarding 
alternate locations, much time and effort is 
lost or repeated. 

The real strength of this publication is 
to be found in the content of the chapters 
of the individual contributors . One hesitates 
to single out any of the papers on grounds 
that to do so would suggest that the rest are 
somewhat pedestrian by comparison. It is 
perhaps sufficient to note that here are to 
be found theoretical considerations for the 
head of collection development, practical 
suggestions for the acquisitions librarians, 
and historical perspectives for the student. 
In short, the collection of parts is greater 
than their sum. 

As is so often the case with the publica-
tion of conference proceedings, this volume 
did not appear until two years after the 
close of the seminar. It is regrettable that 
the publishing cycle frequently introduces 
such inordinate delays, and we are perhaps 
fortunate that th~ hiatus was not greater in 
this instance.-]. Michael Bruer, Associate 
University Librarian, New York University. 

(