College and Research Libraries


able debt to Lee Ash mounts.-Marc Git-
telsohn, University of California, San Di-
ego. 

Prentice, Ann E. Strategies for Survival: 
Library Financial Management Today. LJ 
Special Report #7. New York: Library 
Journal, 1978. 56p. $5; cash with order, 
$3.95 ISBN 0-8352-1144-4. ISSN 0362-
448X. 
A fairly current and well-balanced selec-

tion of principles, techniques, and meth-
odologies to aid the library administrator in 
financial decision making during times of 
fiscal stress, this concise "report" could 
serve as a handy outline of some major 
management issues facing library directors 
today. 

The Delphi technique, community 
analysis, program and performance budget-
ing, ZBB, model building, and other cur-
rently sexy economic analysis techniques are 
sketched. (For an antidote see De Gen-
naro's masterful put-down of same in the 
December 15, 1978, Library Journal.) How 
budget cuts may affect various personnel 
management issues and what the library can 
do to maintain control in this area are the 
subject of Sheila Creth' s (University of 
Connecticut Library) chapter. 

A discussion of some library services that 
ma"y be contracted out or implemented 
through automation is nicely balanced by a 
chapter on ways to raise money within the 
library (fees, Ms. Blake). 

Further potential for easing the financial 
burden on libraries is seen in the chapters 
on resource sharing and "Architectural Con-
siderations," the most useful of which are 
conducting an "energy audit" of the library 
and determining the cost of renovation ver-
sus construction. Some general advice on 
the cost of automating services is only min-
imally useful. 

Evaluation of services, the one area in 
which libraries traditionally have been 
weak, is the subject of the last chapter. (Un-
fortunately, Lancaster's important work, The 
Measurement and Evaluation of Library 
Services, is not included in the bibliogra-
phy.) 

Within such short chapters Prentice and 
others manage to balance their presen-
tations with relevant con arguments and 

Recent Publications I 381 

cautions. One strain that comes through all 
ten chapters is the suggested analytical and 
quantitative approach to economic decision 
making in libraries and the implication that 
seat-of-the-pants, intuitive management is 
inadequate to deal with complex library 
problems. 

Armed with a fleshed-out understanding 
of the ideas presented here in skeletal form 
(the bibliography items are c;gsP..ntial reading 
for anyone wishing to go beyond Prentice's 
treatment), the neophyte may gain a good 
understanding of the major issues and 
trends in library management today, 
whereas the seasoned administrator could 
use the "report" to fill in some gaps in his 
or her knowledge.-Albert F. Maag, Capi-
tal University, Columbus, Ohio. 

COM Systems in Libraries: Current British 
Practice. Edited by S. J. Teague. 
Guildford, Surrey: Microfilm Association 
of Great Britain, 1978. 49p. £4 (£3 to 
MAGB members). ISBN 0-906542-00-6. 
(Available from: Microfilm Association of 
Great Britain, 8 High St., Guildford, Sur-
rey GU2 5AJ.) 
This pamphlet contains seven articles dis-

cussing computer output microfilm (COM) 
applications at seven British libraries. Ad-
vantages and disadvantages of COM are dis-
cussed within the specific setting outlined at 
each institution. Limited insight into the au-
tomated library system behind each applica-
tion can be gained by careful reading of 
each article. 

This reviewer is particularly impressed 
with the cooperation of British libraries, 
wh~ch several of these articles discuss·. Each 
library's operation is different, yet each has 
elements of commonality. The meeting, 
which was attended by most of the libraries 
represented in this publication, with COM 
vendors provides insight into the British li-
brary scene. This type of activity produced 
excellent results in Britain. 

Advantages and disadvantages are dis-
cussed from the viewpoint of each COM 
application. A general theme is evident in 
the change from film to fiche, either com-
pleted or planned at each library. The rea-
sons cited for this change to fiche are as 
valid in the U.S. as Britain. 

The reasons given for the change to fiche