College and Research Libraries well worth its price of $3. It shouldn't be missed by libraries offering or planning on- line services or by schools of library and in- formation science.-Sara D. Knapp, Coor- dinator, Information Retrieval Section, State University of New York at Albany, Albany. Japan-U.S. Conference on Libraries and In- formation Science in Higher Education, 3d, Kyoto, Japan, 1975. japanese and U.S. Research Libraries at the Turning Point: Proceedings of the Third Japan- U.S. Conference on Libraries and Infor- mation Science in Higher Education, Kyoto, Japan, October 28-31, 1975. Edited by Robert D. Stevens, Raynard C. Swank, and Theodore F. Welch. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1977. 240p. $10.00. LC 77-2535. ISBN 0-8108-1028- X. Any assessment of this third Japan-U.S . Conference must be made in the context of the two preceding ones in 1969 and 1972. Ryohei Hayashi, 1975 steering committee chairman, observed that the first confer- ence , in Tokyo, had been an important event for Japanese librarians faced with the rapid expansion of higher education in his country. For many participants, both Japan~se and American, it had highlighted the differences in the organization of academic libraries in the two countries. It was difficult to share common experiences because, clearly, development of Japanese libraries had lagged seriously behind that of the United States and other Western coun- tries. The second conference, held in Racine, Wisconsin, also was concerned with these disparities but nevertheless moved with de- termination to consider problems common to both countries. It concentrated, there- fore, on the theme of library cooperation and on ways to utilize new technologies to further it. This third conference, in Kyoto, dealt with the theme of "Inter-library Networks: Prerequisites for Sharing Resources.,, Again, there was much talk by Japanese partici- pants about impediments to cooperation among themselves, not to mention interna- tionally. The disparate goals of university li- braries and the independent endeavors of Recent Publications I 143 the scientific and technological communities were stressed repeatedly. Most importantly, Japanese universities were shown to be clinging to the costly and inefficient system of maintaining separate "central" libraries and faculty laboratory libraries, side by side. (But there has been one startling and heart- ening break in this pattern at Keio Univer- sity, where the two types of libraries have recently been integrated into one organic whole .) It was remarked bluntly by professors Hosoye and Tsuno, of Hitotsubashi and Tokyo Universities respectively, that some prominent librarians in the Tokyo area have "little intention of cooperating with other li- braries"; and Y asumasa Oda, distinguished systems librarian of the National Diet Li- brary, observed that "unfortunately, Japanese librarians have not been as con- cerned with standardization as they should be" and progress toward participation in broad cooperative programs had therefore been impeded. These, and other similar ex- pressions, were seen as symptomatic of a widespread lethargy and reluctance to give up older attitudes and practices and move toward cooperation. In contrast is the description by Takashisa Sawamoto, of Keio University, of a coopera- tive program among agricultural libraries in Japan-certainly one of the most encouraging evidences of progressive planning and of the beginning, at least, of a valuable experi- ment. With this should be mentioned the important paper by Yoshinari Tsuda, also of Keio, in which he reported on the well- organized network of Japanese medical li- braries , already in operation . Speaking for the United States, Douglas W. Bryant described eloquently some of the major programs of research library coopera- tion, depicting in some detail the Research Libraries Group. It seems regrettable that Joseph Becker's bold proposal for an exper- iment between Japan and the United States through a project for a binational library and information network in some specialized field of common interest was apparently considered a bit too advanced for serious consideration by the conferees. Perhaps it c-an be retrieved sometime in the future. Yet, despite evidence that Japanese li- braries still lag discouragingly behind their THE PRECIS INDEX SYSTEM: Principles, Applications, and Prospects EDITED BY HANS H. WELLISCH This is the first. practical introduction, in one volume, to explore PRECIS (PREserved Context Index System) which is an innovative approach to subject indexing and subject heading construction. The eleven papers in this collection, originally presented by lec- turers from the United States, England, Canada, and Denmark dur- ing the International PRECIS Workshop held at the University of Maryland in October of 1976, describe and evaluate the system for librarians, indexers, and subject specialists. The papers are divided into three distinct groups: those in Part I explain the prin- ciples of the system; Part II contains reports on research projects and comparative studies with traditional indexing systems; and Part Ill presents papers dealing with the practical applications of PRECIS. In use by the British National Bibliography si nee 1971, PRECIS provides a logical system that is based on natural language and combines human indexing skills with computer technology. Accord- ing to Dr. Wellisch, "The system has potential to be applicable to any language, thus becoming the first translingual indexing lan- guage ... PRECIS-in regard to the number of user access points and the clarity of subject relationships-is more efficient than any of the older indexing systems currently in use." THE PRECIS INDEX SYSTEM offers a comprehensive examination of a new indexing system that warrants the attention of students and professionals alike. Anyone concerned with subject retrieval, cataloging, and indexing will welcome this book. "The presentation of PRECIS and the enthusiasm of its practi- tioners are impressive.''-Mr. Edward J. Blume (Subject Cata- loging Division, Library of Congress). 212p. 1977. (ISBN 0-8242-0611-8). $12.50 U.S. and Canada; $15 in other countries. THE H. W. WILSON COMPANY 950 University Avenue, Bronx, N.Y. 10452 United States counterparts in developing networks, Professor Hayashi stated that with the present rapid development of Japanese libraries he was confident " that we will sooner or later have our contributions to make." Certainly we must recognize those already made by a number of Japanese li- brarians (particularly in the National Diet Library) in assisting American academic li- brarians in the acquisition and processing of Japanese publications . It is too early to de- termine whether this air of confidence is justified, but no one who is at all acquainted with the remarkable capabilities and achievements of the scholarly and technological community in Japan should take too pessimistic a view of long-range prospects .-Everett T. Moore , University of California, Los Angeles. Cutter, Charles Ammi. Charks Ammi Cut- ter: Library Systematizer. Edited by Francis L. Miksa. The Heritage of Librar- ianship Series, no. 3. Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1977. 344p. $17.50 U.S . and Canada; $21.00 elsewhere. LC 76-58870. ISBN 0-87287-112-6. Were it not for the Cutter-Sanborn Ta- bles, it is probable that many librarians would not have heard-or would not remember-the name of Charles Ammi Cutter. Yet, this thoughtful , dedicated li- brarian was one of the shapers of the profes- sion and made lasting contributions to li- brary service. Miksa' s new book helps to give Cutter his rightful place in the profes- sion's hall of fame. Part I of Charles Ammi Cutter: Library Systematizer provides the details of Cutter's life , his career, the overall principles under which he practiced his chosen profession, and the contributions he made to it. Part II, the greater part of the volume, gives selec- tions from Cutter's writings classified under the s.ubjects: administration, fiction, perspectives on the library profession, cataloging, classification, and personal perspectives . Part III provides a bibliogra- phy of Cutter's works, of which only sum- maries can be supplied for some categories of his large output. And last, a short but useful index. Each of the sections is intro- duced with an informative statement by the editor. In an inspired gesture, Miksa has Recent Publications I 145 chosen to dedicate his opus to Seymour Lubetzky, who, like Cutter 100 years ago, "has called our attention to the need for basic principles in cataloging." Michael Harris, editor of The Heritage of Librarianship Series , of which this is number 3, says in his foreword, "Those who seek a model of how practical expertise might be developed within a clearly and constantly understood philosophy of library service can do no better than to study care- fully the life and work of Charles Ammi Cutter." And this is indeed the process that Miksa unfolds in his book. The articulate and hardworking Cutter examined his own and his colleagues' activi- ties critically and sought to improve and generalize from experience. He shared his conclusions through writing and public de- bate and worked for progress through cooperative attacks on common problems . He was a generous man, dedicated more to improving his profession than to improving his position in it. Miksa explains Cutter's ideal of the li- brary as an "enculturating process" and his view of the library itself, in Harris' words, "as a complex, but unified, system which could make a basic contribution to life in America." Cutter's best known contribution to li- brarianship is his codification of cataloging rules first appearing in 1876 as Rules for a Printed Dictionary Catalogue. The late Paul Dunkin, no slouch as a writer himself, wrote of the Rules: "Probably his is the only book of rules for cataloging which is fascinat- ing reading." Miksa' s drawing together of the four editions of the Rules to show suc- cessive changes, while useful, cannot serve as a substitute for holding the original pub- lication in one's hands, savoring its elegance of presentation, and realizing what its first appearance meant. Cutter the man emerges clearly from his writings. To relish his attractive personality the reader should turn to his writings, where, with clarity, ease, and grace, Cutter has shared the products of his lively intelli- gence. Based on some of Cutter's work, Miksa calls him a "literary and library journalist." Lacking a library press, Cutter perforce wrote for less specialized periodicals. He