College and Research Libraries


grams, history courses with a research 
focus, one- or two-credit historical biblio-
graphical courses, graduate library courses, 
and independent or general study courses as 
appropriate settings. 

Materials & Methods for History Re-
search is a solid contribution to the litera-
ture of library instruction. It is comprehen-
sive in scope, excellent in design and execu-
tion, and easy to use. Furthermore, it ex-
poses students to a large number of sources 
and clearly relates the materials to the 
method. The authors are to be commended 
for their work.-Daniel F. Ring, Oakland 
University, Rochester, Michigan. 

SPINDEX Users Conference. Proceedings of 
a Meeting Held at Cornell University, 
Ithaca, New York, March 31 and April 1, 
1978. Edited by H. Thomas Hickerson. 
Ithaca, N.Y.: Dept. of Manuscripts and 
University Archives, Cornell University 
Libraries, 1979. 125p. $5. LC 79-53690. 
(Available from: Office of Budget and Ac-
counting, 234 Olin Library, Cornell Uni-
versity Libraries, Ithaca, NY 14853.) 
Among the reasons for libraries to partici-

pate actively in OCLC, RLIN, and other 
automated data bases is the desire of reduc-
ing cataloging costs while simultaneously 
making new acquisitions more quickly ac-
cessible. Compared to libraries, however, 
archives have seemed to respond much 
more slowly to the challenge of providing 
improved access through automation. Due 
more to a lack of resources than to a lack of 
initiative, as well as the problem that costs 
cannot be shared given the uniqueness of 
archival and manuscript material, some re-
positories have nevertheless tried to de-
velop alternatives to a ~anual system. 

Of the systems developed to date, SPIN-
DEX (Selective Permutation Indexing) is 
the best known. Designed originally in the 
mid-1960s at the National Archives and 
Records Service (NARS) to facilitate intel-
lectual control over archival holdings, it was 
to serve also as a possible foundation for a 
national data base of information. As with 
earlier systems, the latest version, SPIN-
DEX III, is available from NARS. In addi-
tion to producing finding aids, SPINDEX 
III has the capacity for being hierarchical in 

Recent Publications I 151 

nature with up to eight distinct levels for 
input. Thus a repository may choose to 
identify a collection only by using the first 
level, or if a collection warrants more detail, 
it can provide item description at the last 
level. 

In the spring of 1978, a SPINDEX Users 
Conference convened at Cornell University 
to exchange information about the system. 
So that the information could be dissemi-
nated more broadly, an edited version of 
the proceedings was prepared for publica-
tion. In addition to appendixes, this volume 
contains the presentations of representatives 
from seven different organizations. The pa-
pers are arranged in the order in which 
they were given at the six major sessions of 
the meeting. The topics range in scope from 
current applications and the future to tech-
nical aspects of SPINDEX use and design-
ing tag structures. 

The volume will prove of particular inter-
est to individuals who are considering the 
possible adoption of SPINDEX at their in-
stitutions. According to the comments made 
at the Cornell conference, this system ap-
pears to have a high degree of flexibility. It 
has been applied not only to certain collec-
tions in the Cornell University Archives and 
the South Carolina Department of Archives 
and History but also in private organizations 
such as the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints and, on a limited scale, in 
businesses. Further the form of material 
placed in the system so far includes archival 
records, photographs, maps, and select pub-
lications. SPINDEX also allows for subject 
access through the use of locally prepared 
thesauri that institutions can develop to 
meet their respective needs and programs. 

Despite the informational nature of the 
volume, it suffers from unevenness in cer-
tain areas. Instead of the comparatively 
large amount of space given to the history of 
Public Utility Districts in the Pacific 
Northwest that appeared in one of the pa-
pers, a brief history of SPINDEX, in an in-
troduction to the volume, would be more 
beneficial to potential users and other in-
terested parties. 

Admittedly, these proceedings resulted 
from a gathering of users who were familiar 
with the intricacies of SPINDEX. In pub-



152 I College & Research Libraries • March 1980 

lished form, however, the volume should 
have contained at least some background in-
formation for the uninitiated who wish to 
acquire a more complete knowledge of au-
tomated systems in archives. The table of 
contents also should be paginated in more 
detail. 

Such criticisms should not detract from 
the overall value of the work, especially 
since it helps to elucidate some of the appli-
cations, as well as some of the problems, of 
the SPINDEX system in archival 
repositories.-James W. Geary, Kent State 
University, Kent, Ohio. 

Tymn, Marshall B.; Zahorski, Kenneth J.; 
and Boyer, Robert H. Fantasy Literature: 
A Core C oUection and Reference Guide. 
New York: Bowker, 1979. 273p. $14.95 
plus shipping and handling. LC 79-1533. 
ISBN 0-8352-1153-3. 
This work "is intended to serve ... as an 

acquisitions tool for librarians building core 
fantasy collections; as a guide to the litera-
ture for teachers; as a reference handbook 
for fantasy scholars and researchers; and as a 
comprehensive introduction to the literature 
of fantasy and its related activities for in-
terested readers." Unfortunately, it falls 
short of the mark much of the time. 

The opening chapter, "On Fantasy," at-
. tempts to define fantasy literature and its 
subsections in fairly · rigid terms. The au-
thors admit to exceptions; but rather than 
admit that an academic attempt to bring 
order to a fairly chaotic literature is at best 
a tentative working model, they play word 
games that at times attempt to hammer the 
exceptions into line with the definitions. 

· The chapter "Fantasy Scholarship" is 
quite thorough in its listings, but when I am 
ego-gratifyingly but inaccurately described 
as "America's foremost map scholar and li-
brarian" one wonders at the correctness of 
the other brief annotations. 

One can't argue with the listings of peri-
odicals, fantasy societies, and literary awards 
(with winners over the years). The list of 
fantasy collections in the U.S. and Canada is 
useful but far from complete. The directory 
of publishers is thorough. The index is 
good. 

Fortunately, this book is saved from triv-
iality by the excellent "Core Collection" list, 

which represents most of the work. While 
one can argue with the selection of authors, 
titles, and even with the selection of collec-
tions and editiops cited, the annotations are 
extensive, detailed, thorough, and good-
most of the time. Plot, theme, and charac-
ter are discussed in detail, making this ex-
tremely useful to teachers who haven't read 
the stories. Based on British Books in Print 
1978, the listing of British editions of works 
cited in the "Core Collection" enhances the 
utility to U.K. libraries. 

Though this is far from the comprehen-
sive and definitive work claimed by the au-
thors and publisher, it is a very useful list-
ing of works in the genre of fantasy and 
should be in all large libraries. When used 
with a book like Diana Waggoner's Hills of 
Faraway (Atheneum, 1978), Fantasy Litera-
ture can provide a solid basic collection list. 
When taken with a healthy disrespect for its 
definitions of the parts of fantasy, it can 
even provide some meaningful insights into 
an increasingly important literary genre. 
Whatever the faults of this work, any final 
evaluation must be positive if for no other 
reason than the thoroughness of the exten-
sive annotations.-]. B. Post, Free Library 
of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Libraries in Society: A Reader. Edited by 
David Gerard. London: Clive Bingley; 
New York: K. G. Saur, 1979. 163p. 
$13.25 ISBN 0-85157-260-X Bingley. 
This collection of fifteen essays, written 

between 1881 and the present, is brought 
together in an effort to reevaluate the role 
of the library in society. While there is a 
definite British emphasis in the chosen arti-
cles, there are also contributions by Ameri-
cans, a South African, and an Australian. 
The last article, written especially for this 
publication by two Russian scholars, at-
tempts to define the role of the library in 
modern Russian society. In addition, there 
is an introductory article by the editor and a 
brief preface to each article that provides a 
general philosophical statement and iden-
tifies the author. 

The spotlight is mainly on the public li-
brary, but one of the longer essays deals 
with the function of the university library 
and its role in the university community. 
About half the selections are by librarians