College and Research Libraries


82 I College & Research Libraries • ] anuary 1980 

cess to articles, books, patents and other 
documents strike very close to what is prob-
ably the most frustrating experience of daily 
librarian-scientist interchange. And his 
comments on the most likely future outlook 
of the many chemical publishers' services 
are valuable to the budget-conscious librar-
ian. 

The work does make a significant and au-
thoritative advance over the older refer-
ences in this field. While its individual 
treatment of each chemical information 
source is not quite so complete as say Bot-
tle, for example, it more than makes up for 
this in recency of coverage and valuable 
supplemental material. 

Maizell has succeeded in what is often 
very difficult for the technical writer: or-
ganize it well and make it practical and at-
tractive and say just enough to truly inform. 
This should prove to be a solid item for the 
science reference shelf.-David Kuhner, 
Claremont Colleges, Claremont, California. 

Bibliographic Instruction Handbook. 
Chicago: Association of College and Re-
search Libraries, Bibliographic Instruction 
Section, Policy and Planning Committee, 
1979. 69p. $5 ACRL members; $6 non-
members. 
In 1971 a Bibliographic Instruction Task 

Force was established within ACRL to 
facilitate the development of instructional 
programs in college and university libraries. 
Six years later this task force was succeeded 
by the ACRL Bibliographic Instruction Sec-
tion. Its Policy and Planning Committee, 
which was chaired initially by Thomas G. 
Kirk and later by Mary W. George, recently 
issued a Bibliographic Instruction Hand-
book to assist libraries in making use of an 
ACRL policy statement formulated by the 
Task Force, "Guidelines for Bibliographic 
Instruction in Academic Libraries" (College 
& Research Libraries News 38:92 [April 
1977]). 

This spiral-bound publication contains the 
"Guidelines," a needs assessment checklist 
for gathering data to be used in preparing a 
profile of information needs in an academic 
community, and a discussion of administra-

. tiv~ matters-such as staffing, budgeting, 
facilities, and organization structure-to be 
considered in planning a library instruction 

program. In addition, it provides a model 
timetable for the implementation of a pro-
gram, an ideal statement of program goals 
in terms of terminal objectives and enabling 
(behavioral) objectives, and a chart showing 
the pros and cons of various instructional 
methods. Also included are a brief glossary, 
a "Pathfinder" on bibliographic instruction 
(in lieu of the usual list of reference 
sources), and-to improve the next edition 
of the Handbook-an evaluation sheet to be 
returned by the reader to the ACRUBIS 
Policy and Planning Committee. 

The authors have done a fine job of clarify-
ing and illustrating the steps involved in 
planning for an effective bibliographic in-
struction program, although they have not 
dealt with the question of how to "sell" li-
brary instruction to academic administrators 
and classroom faculty. Nor have they de-
voted a section of this booklet to the essen-
tial topic of program evaluation, as they 
readily acknowledge in their introduction. 
Nevertheless, until a new edition is re-
leased, this work deserves to be read and 
commented upon by all college and univer-
sity librarians interested in bibliographic 
instruction.-Leonard Grundt, Nassau 
Community College, Garden City, New 
York. 

Bollier, John A. The Literature of Theology: 
A Guide for Students and Pastors. 
Philadelphia: Westminster, 1979. 208p. 
$5.95. LC 78-10962. ISBN 0-664-24225-1. 
"Of making many books there is no end 
. . " (Ecclesiastes 12: 12). This significant 

work attempts to give the reader some bib-
liographic control of the mass of publications 
in the g~neral area of theology. John Bollier 
writes in his preface that the volume is in-
tended for "the theological student, the 
parish pastor, the layperson, or the librar-
ian, all of whom must be generalists in this 
age of increasing specialization" (p.18). 

John Bollier, acting divinity librarian at 
Yale Divinity School, is well prepared for 
compiling this volume, being an experi-
enced pastor of eighteen years' service and 
a reference librarian for the past seven 
years. This book grew out of research spon-
sored by a grant from the Association of 
Theological Schools and was tested by fire 
in a course in theological bibliography and