College and Research Libraries 280 I College & Research Libraries • May 1979 sense of what influenced and what was in- fluenced by these two decades of the American publishing industry. This view of the publishing trade in its wider context does much to compensate for the long trek through the hundreds of pages of detail. The publisher represents one of a soci- ety's primary brokers of ideas and illusions, a point of exchange between what a public thinks and wants and is told. Because of this, Tebbel's History, however much an omnium-gatherum of a single industry it may appear, achieves a further dimension, a further significance that makes it that much more worthwhile an acquisition for any academic library.-Charles Helzer, Univer- sity of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Gough, Chet, and Srikantaiah, Taverekere. Systems Analysis in Libraries: A Question and Answer Approach. Hamden, Conn.: Linnet Books; London: Clive Bingley, 1978. 158p. $9.50. LC 78-7539. ISBN 0-208-01753-4 Linnet; 0-85157-278-2 Bingley. Despite ongoing arguments whether management is a science or an art, much progress has been made in recent years in our ability to describe scientifically the op- erations and activities of a library. Yet paradoxically, the application of systems analysis techniques appears to be of less importance today than during the early 1970s. Perhaps management science from the business world when applied to libraries loses something in the translation! Nonethe- less, this volume by Gough and Srikantaiah attempts to stress the importance of library systems analysis for scientific analysis of li- brary services. The authors tell us that the volume is in- tended for students and is a guide or con- cise aid that synthesizes common elements of library systems analysis. They emphasize the conciseness of the volume rather than its comprehensiveness. Although the struc- ture of a dialectic conversation throughout the volume adds to its uniqueness, the book is well written and straightforward. This combination of conciseness and the question/answer structure is both the strength and the weakness of the book. The first five chapters, i.e., understand- ing systems, the library as a system, stating goals, methods of description, and systems engineering, are excellent summaries of basic system concepts and applications. They may tend to be too concise for pur- poses of teaching, but they should be re- quired reading for the many academic li- brarians who are not familiar with systems analysis as an ongoing management process in the library environment. The volume falters somewhat during the next three chapters, evolution of computers, programming languages, and library auto- mation. Although the discussions, in them- selves, are useful, they tend to be general essays and are not tied into the systems analysis process. Implications of the com- puter in terms of its usefulness for systems analysis, management information systems, and statistics are not discussed. The tra- ditional role of automated circulation, cataloging, and acquisition systems is de- scribed but not integrated into the concept of systems analysis for library management. The text concludes with excellent obser- vations on cost studies and the evaluation process. After the 102 pages of text, 25 pages of PERT, keeping a flowchart, work sampling, and other exercises are pre- sented. An extensive bibliography and a somewhat limited index complete the vol- ume. The exercises and bibliography them- selves are worth the purchase price of the volume. Because the volume is a concise sum- mary, specific techniques cannot be explained adequately. Furthermore, the process of model building and the induction-deduction process are not ad- dressed although they are critical compo- nents in the analysis and design of library systems . . Nonetheless, the volume accom- plishes its stated objective and provides a useful guide to 'library systems analysis. Readers will look forward to an expanded edition that provides details on specific techniques, research methods, and model building and integrates automated systems into the systems analysis process of the li~ brary as a whole.-Charles R. McClure, University of Oklahoma, Norman. Kirk, Thomas G., · Jr. Library Research Guide to Biology: Illustrated Search Strategy and Sources. Library Research Available through Microfilming Corporation of America's Current Documents Publishing Service ... Essential-yet difficult to obtain-print materials on MAJOR SOCIAL ISSUES: Vital primary source collections on topics of universal concern for universities .. . community colleges .. . government agencies ... law firms ... hospitals . .. law enforcement agencies ... research institutions . Maximum control and access to collections provided through bibliographic guides, indexes and catalog cards. Collections frequently updated. Crime and Juvenile Delinquency-1920-1975 • More than 2,300titles classified according to 40 subject categories including capital punishment...correc- tion ... courts ... parole ... police .. . recidivism ... violence • Includes municipal, county, state, federal and pri- vately generated documents and reports • From the library of the National Council on Crime and De- linquency • Updated annually beginning with 1976 Abstracts on Crime and Juvenile Delinquency-1968-1977 • 15,000 comprehensive abstracts from the Information Center of the National Council on Crime and De- linquency • Can be used alone or with the Crime and Juvenile Delinquency documents collection • Covers studies published in books ... pamphlets .. .monographs .. .federal and state documents ... more than 180 professional journals ... and significant unpublished materials • Updated every five years beginning with 1978-1982 Health Care-1970-1978 • Classified according to 16 relevant subject categories including health economics ... health education ... health facilities ... health legislation .. . health planning ... health services • Includes government documents and reports of government sponsored studies by private agencies not available through ordinary acquisi- tions channels • From the holdings of Parklawn Health Library, Rockville, MD; Parklawn Health Library, Hyattsville MD; and the National Health Planning Information Center, Hyattsville, MD • Updated an- nually beginning with 1979 Housing and Urban Affairs-1965-1976 • Covers a wide range of subjects including fair housing .. .federal housing programs . ..land use ... regional planning ... shopping centers ... suburbs ... urban renewal • Rimed from the resources of the Library of the DepartmentofHousingand Urban Development, Washington, D.C. • Includes a major series of govern- ment working papers on "housing in the seventies" • Updated annually beginning with 1977 For more information, mail the coupo n pro- vided here or ca ll the Sales Department toll- free at 8 00-334 -7501. N. C. reside nts call collect (919 ) 775-3451 Microfilming Corporation of America ~!~ A New York Times Company 1620 Hawkins Avenue /P.O. Box 10 Sanford. North Carolina 27330 Mail to : Microfilming Corporation of America ~TJ A New York Times Company 1620 Hawkins AvenueiP.O. Box 10 Sanford , Nort h carolina 27330 DYes . I would like a broc hure on : D Cri m e and Ju ve nile Delinq ue ncy - 192 0-19 75 D Abstracts o n Crime a nd Juvenile Delinque nc y - 1968-19 77 D Health Ca re - 1970-1978 D Hou si ng and Urba n Affa irs - 1965 -1976 DYes. I would like a sale s representative to ca ll me at ( ext. __ Name ___________ Title------- Institution------------------ Add ress ------------------- State-----------Zip ______ _ P579 282 I College & Research Libraries • May 1979 Guides, No.2. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Pierian Press, 1978. 83p. $8.50 cloth; $4.50 paper (prepaid). LC 78-61710. ISBN 0-87650- 098-X cloth; 0-87650-099-8 paper. This self-instructional guide to the litera- ture of the biological sciences discusses and illustrates "techniques for an effective li- brary search," thus encompassing its twofold purpose of teaching library methodology while integrating it with the needs of a spe- cific discipline. Search techniques discussed in the first four chapters would be useful for a library search in any discipline. They deal with general methods for beginning any term paper: choosing a topic , gaining more general information, and using the card catalog. The style manual for biology papers is mentioned early, thus helping biology students prepare proper note cards as they employ these techniques. It should be men- tioned that, even though these four chapters are applicable to a wide range of disciplines, all illustrations are taken from the biological sciences. The remaining five chapters focus in de- tail on encyclopedias, guides , and indexes applicable only to the biological sciences. Sample pages and sample entries of these encyclopedias and indexes are included, with arrows pointing to and explaining abbreviations, symbols, etc. A concise summary concludes each of the nine short chapters, permitting one to gain a capsule view of key concepts within the chapter. Three appendixes offer classified lists of major biological publications available in 1978. However , neither the periodicals nor the books are annotated. There are also ap- pendixes providing information on the use of Chemical Abstracts and the Zoological Record. This somewhat overpriced book fulfills its mission of aiding biology students with their first term papers without requiring the con- stant guidance of a librarian . The author, a science librarian himself, does not overlook, however, the value of consulting a library professional when difficulties arise. The book concludes with a short chapter on the use of libraries and interloan privileges. In short , Kirk, of Earlham College, a well- known writer and speaker on libi:_ary in- Why Choose Faxon? A choice of three renewal services to suit your requirements. A choice of six (one-, two-, and three-year) ordering plans. A common expiration date achieved on subscriptions. Punch cards or tapes containing all the data shown on the annual invoice. FACS- Faxon's Automated Claim System with a quarterly follow-up report on all claims activity. Annual receipt of the Faxon Librarians' Guide. Serials Updating Service - a monthly newsletter with the latest information on serials changes and irregularities. A yearly invoice with full periodi- cal information. More than 95,000 international publications in Faxon's file. An agency that combines small personal handling with large automated know-how. But these are only 10 of the many reasons for choosing the F. W. Faxon Company. For a full description of our "Total Service Package" - our various services and how they can be useful to you - write for a copy of our Service Brochure and our annual Librarians' Guide. Or call today toll-free. 00F.W. FAXOn COmPAnY, IDC. Library Magazine Subscription Agency 15 Southwest Park, Westwood, Mass. 02090 Tel: 800-225-6055 (toll free) • 617-329-3350 (collect in Mass. and Canada only) struction, has produced an excellent library guide for the undergraduate biology student.-Deanne Holzberlein, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. Rowley, J. E., and Turner, C. M. D. The Dissemination of Information. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1978. 356p. $17.75. LC 78-6138. ISBN 0-89158-830-2. This volume brings together much of the widely dispersed material relating to infor- mation handling by libraries and attempts to place it in a meaningful structure in order to provide, for the first time, a comprehen- sive textbook for courses in this developing area of librarianship. This attempt is, on the whole, successful. Other works have dealt with information handling problems but from a more specialized viewpoint . The au- thors have been especially successful in de- scribing modern library research techniques and their application to this information transfer process. The early development of information sys- tems and services occurred, for the most part, in special libraries in response to the highly practical, specialized, and urgent demands made upon them by their parent organizations. These libraries normally col- lected, organized, and dispensed the scien- tific and technical information needed by manufacturing organizations or research and development operations. The needs of users were clearly defined by the nature of the organization . The information services operating in this context reached a high level of efficiency through the development of extremely ef- fective information-handling techniques . Most of the existing literature discusses this kind of operation. Rowley and Turner are concerned with the expansion of this kind of service to all types of libraries. Such an ex- pansion raises new kinds of problems. The research techniques discussed are necessary for their solution. The authors begin by describing the cur- rent state of knowledge abo~ft information behavior. They deal concisely and clearly with theories of information growth, with bibliometrics, with Bradford, Zipf, and Lot- ka' s laws, and with citation analysis. They also deal with dissemination theories. Hav- ing laid this theoretical foundation, they Recent Publications I 283 proceed to a discussion of the problems in- volved in creating appropriate information services. The general library, unlike the special library, must satisfy hundreds or even thousands of specialized needs. The authors deal with methods for discovering what these needs are. In their discussion of the analysis of user data they provide a marvelously brief and clear description of basic statistical techniques that should make these matters clear, even to the willfully un- informed. However, they also make clear that we have not yet developed a really satisfactory way of finding out who needs what. The coverage of the various kinds of in- formation services is thorough, clear, and up to date. The DIALOG, DIALTECH, and MEDLINE computerized bibliographic search services are discussed . Curiously, substantive data bases such as those pro- vided by ICPSR are not mentioned. Foreign languages, copyright, and mi- croforms are discussed under the general heading of barriers to dissemination . The in- tractability of the language problem is noted by implication in discussing cui-rent meth- ods of dealing with it. Copyright is dis- cussed principally from the British viewpoint, but with a short note on the new United States law and the Williams and Wilkins case. Happily for the micrographics industry and for the librarians who have supported this medium, this section obvi- ously was placed in the barriers category by accident. There is a growing tendency in some li- brary circles to define the sole function of all libraries as the dispensing of information. New fads of this kind seem to arise to take the place of decaying ones, and, as in this case, they usually arise from the overem- phasis and glamorization of some new and useful development. The reaction to this overenthusiasm often discredits the de- velopment and restricts its usefulness. This volume might have performed an even greater service had it attempted to place in- formation services in a reasonable relation- ship to total library operations and services. Unfortunately, these highly competent and qualified authors did not address this prob- lem. This book will be of practical value to any