College and Research Libraries 478 I College & Research Libraries • September 1976 in-service training program and that all concerned be aware of it. The book has value in that one can ana- lyze the methodology of an interview re- search procedure. The questions used are in an appendix and the results are clearly offered to the reader in the text. Readers can allow themselves to think of other ques- tions that might have been asked. And they can provide themselves the luxury of sec- ond-guessing the conclusions. The review of the literature in chapters 1, 2, and 7 highlights the problem of professionalism for librarians. But as a larger historical per- spective it leaves much to be desired. We will continue to wait for the final an- swer about such professionalism, what it means, how one achieves it, and the means of getting others to accept it. This book makes one small contribution toward that answer. Hopefully, it will .encourage others to continue the research so we will no long- er have to ask, "What do librarians do when they are doing well as librarians?"- Leslie W. Sheridan, Director of University Libraries, The University of Toledo. University of California Union list of Serials tol76 0 Current serial titles from all nine U. C. campuses 0 KWOC format on 48x microfiche 0 244,000 titles accessed through 82,000 key words D Price: $75. Brochure supplied upon request UCULS Editor, ULAP, University of California 2150 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, California 94720 Adamovich, Shirley Gray, ed. Reader in Li- brary Technology. Reader Series in Li- brary and Information Science. Engle- wood, Colo.: Microcard Editions Books, 1975. 236p. $18.95. (LC 75-8051) (ISBN 0-910972-52-4) This volume successfully continues a se- ries aimed at presenting a comprehensive overview of contemporary library concerns. It is primarily about library technical as- sistants-their history, rationale, education, and use-and their relationship to the H- brary profession. To some their existence is a thorny problem, to others a cause to espouse and a way of life. These points of view are reflected in the fifty-one pieces in the book, which include articles and statis- tical studies. They have been selected main- ly from recent periodical literature written by authorities in this area, from library edu- cators and librarians to the practitioners themselves and a student. The collection touches most of the as- pects of subgraduate education in library techniques and the use of such trained non- professionals in diverse library situations. It is hoped that those seeking this informa- tion will not be deflected from their aim by the title. This is not a book about library technology. It is a book about nonprofes- sionals in libraries who have had training in library techniques and their impact. This does seem an area beset with con- cerns over terminology, probably because of the very disparity of its parts. In one of the articles, Lester Asheim answers a list of ten, "I don't like the term ---," by saying, "Suggestions for ideal terminology are always welcome" (p.60). A better title for this book would be "Reader on the Li- brary Technical Assistant."-Barbara R. Healy, Management Library, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. Evans, Frank B., comp. Modern Archives and Manuscripts: A Select Bibliography. Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 1975. 209p. $11.00. (LC 75-23058) (Order from Society of American Archi-. vists, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, P.O. Box 8198, Chicago, IL 60680.) This volume is a revised and enlarged version of the author's earlier bibliography published in 1970. The compilation of the bibliography is an outgrowth of work Evans has done for courses he has taught in the administration of modem archives. Al- though the author modestly subtitles his volume, "A Select Bibliography," it is the most comprehensive single source of Eng- lish-language publications on archival the- ory and practice in the U.S. The book is broadly divided into four major sections: ( 1) archival administration, ( 2) archival functions, ( 3) American archival agencies, and ( 4) international ar-chival develop- ments. Each chapter begins with a list of basic readings on a general topic, followed by bibliographic citations on related sub- topics. Within each subtopic, entries are ar- ranged chronologically by date of publica- tion and printed in paragraph format. Each topic has a decimal notation to which the index of authors and subjects is keyed, a system that is both accurate and easy to use. The heart of the book is the section deal- ing with archival functions. Here the user has easy reference to chapters on appraisal, preservation, arrangement, description, au- tomation, and reference service for archival material. In addition, the section includes information on nonprint material such as still and motion pictures, sound recordings, cartographic records, machine-readable rec- ords, microphotography, and oral history. Evans' Modern Archives and Manu- scripts is a standard reference for any col- lege; its comprehensive list of books, ar- ticles, proceedings, and published sources through December 1973 is the starting -point for information about archives. The fact that it will receive frequent use makes it regrettable that the book was published only in a paperbound edition.-Nicholas C. Burckel, Director of Archives and Area Research Center, University of Wisconsin- Parkside, Kenosha. Metcalfe, John. Information Retrieval, Brit- ish & American, 1876-1976. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1976. 243p. $10.00. (LC 75-29154) (ISBN 0-8108-0875-7) ~ The book's strengths are obvious. Be- cause Metcalfe possesses a reasonable un- derstanding of information retrieval as it developed since the mid-twentieth century, Recent Publications I 479 the reader will find the last three of the book's eight chapters most useful. Here the author analyzes H. E. Bliss and S. R. Rang- anathan, "Pre-Coordinate Indexing with Permutations and Combinations," and "Post-Coordinate Indexing and Mechaniza- tion" in a discourse sufficiently supported by existing source materials. But the strengths of the last three chap- ters contrast sharply with the striking weak- nesses of the first five. Metcalfe judges early information retrievalists like Melvil Dewey and Charles A. Cutter not on the basis of problems confronting them in 1876, but on the basis of problems confronting contem- porary catalogers in 1976. Such tactics make for poor history, and as a history this book has serious shortcomings. For exam- ple, analysis of the Dewey and Cutter sys- tems derives almost exclusively from sec- ondary sources. The author visited no man- uscript collections to bolster his research. Particularly distressing is Metcalfe's prac- Out of Stock? Back Orders? If your wholesaler has long de- lays in completing "out of stock" and "back orders", why not try the firm that specializes in this area. Current imprints are easy to deliver but it takes a penonalized, special- ized attention to give you reliable service on back list or other hard-to- get items. At Book House we call it "Con- cerned Service" and it works every day for a growing clientele includ- ing academic libraries just like yours. Call 517-849-9361 Collect A The House of Superior U. Library Service BOOK HOUSE 208 West Chjcago Jonesville, Mich. 49250