College and Research Libraries 382 I College & Research Libraries • july 1980 news, finance, sport, entertainment, weath- er, and travel data. Prestel (sometimes re- ·ferred to as Viewdata) is a development of the British Post Office and unlike CEEF AX enjoys the major advantage of being inter- active. A separate chapter is devoted to the de- velopment of videotext and teletext systems within the United States. These develop- ments have been slow especially when com- pared to Britain and France. Passing men- tion is made of Warner Communication's Qube service launched in Columbus, Ohio, and the ambitious projects of Knight-Ridder Newspapers and General Telephone and Electronics. · Although Sigel and the other contributing authors are to be commended for what they have written , it is what they have not writ- ten and what they have not addressed that makes this book of little value for most li- brarians. No mention is made of the signi- ficant implications that videotext/teletext systems have for the future of libraries or the role that libraries will play as these in- formation systems are developed . Informa- MCGREGOR "PERSONALIZED SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE" Every customer is assigned an experienced "Home Office" r~presentative. You correspond direct; any title needs, changes, cancellations or problems can be handled promptly by letter or phone. This makes your job easier and keeps you abreast of your subscription needs at all times. With over 45 years experiMlce, McGr~gor has built a reputation of prompt and courteous service on both domestic and International titles. We pr~pay subscrip- tions ahead of time. Our customers, large and small, like the prompt attention we give them. We think you would tool Ask about McGr~gor's "Automatic Renewal" plan de- scribed In our new brochur~. Write today for your free copy. OUR 47th YEAR Mount Morris, Illinois 61054 tion access and copyright are other issues not discussed. Should one wish to read of the back- ground and technological development of CEEFAX, Prestel , Oracle, etc., then this book will be helpful; but for current, li- brary-oriented discussions of videotext/tele- text information systems, this reviewer rec- ommends constant perusal of current library literature. Susan Spaeth Cherry 's article published in the February 1980 issue of American Libraries is an excellent place to start.-David B. Walch , State University of New York , College at Buffalo. Woodbury , Marda. Selecting Materials for Instruction: Issues and Policies. Littleton, Colo .: Libraries Unlimited, 1979. 382p. $18.50 U.S. and Canada; $22 elsewhere. LC 79-18400. ISBN 0-87287-197-5. Marda Woodbury's substantial experience in the school library field is clearly reflected in her book Selecting Mate rials for I nstruc- tion: Issues and Policies . She has written "a handbook for the establishing of an effective and efficient selection process" from which teachers, school administrators , librarians , media specialists , parents , and even library and education students can profit. The book covers a wide variety of issues such as budgeting for instructional mate- rials , needs assessments , materials selection policies, use of evaluation criteria in select- ing instructional materials , learner verifica- tion and revision and appraisal of materials for readability , to name only a few. The emphasis throughout is to provide the read- er with information about materials selec- tion from preschool through high school , with major consideration being the selection of materials for classes and individuals , although the criteria employed in this study can be adapted to libraries and learning re- source centers. The author sees her study of materials selection as "a source of ideas , stimulating starting place for groups or individuals grap- pling with the processes or concepts of selection. " She combines both theory and practical information throughout the book. One of the most functional characteristics of this study is the number of different sets of guidelines, specific policy statements, needs assessment forms, evaluation guidelines, rating scales, etc., which offer the reader systems that could be adapted to local situa- tions. At the end of each chapter, the au- thor has included a list of key organizations which develop or assess materials as well as pertinent literature reviews. Today, perhaps more than at any other period in time, selection of instructional materials has become more than a school system issue. Community groups and spe- cial interest organizations are seriously questioning the inclusion of certain types of reading and instructional materials. The concerns of parents, educators, and em- ployers about teacher preparation, instruc- tional style, test scores, and basic compre- hension ability directly affect the debate over the proper selection of materials for classroom or individual use. As Woodbury illustrates throughout, selection is a complex decision-making process involving many factors and criteria. This book is a comprehensive, readable, contemporary assessment of the issues and policies involved in materials selection (in- cluding references to the effects of Proposi- tion 13 in California). The author's practical experience in the field, coupled with the attempt to integrate research models with basic factual information and examples, makes this work most valuable as an intro- duction to the field of materials selection.- George Charles Newman, Findlay College, Findlay, Ohio. Robinson, A.M. Lewin. Systematic Bib- liography: A Practical Guide to the Work of Compilation. 4th ed. rev. With an additional chapter by Margaret Lodder. London: Clive Bingley; New York: K. G. Saur, 1979. 135p. $10. LC 79-40542. ISBN 0-85157-289-8. This work is an introduction to the "main principles involved in the practical work of compiling bibliographies" and is intended for the nonlibrarian and student of librar- ianship. Any work on bibliography must attempt to define the nebulous boundaries in that realm, and chapter one, in a very short space, does this quite well. The tech- niques described in the next three chapters are limited to systematic, or enumerative, bibliography. The emphasis is on the practical decisions Recent Publications I 383 to be made in compilation: how to collect material, how the field is to be limited, what form of entry to use, the place of annotations, and methods of arrangement and layout. The last chapter, by Margaret Lodder, briefly surveys the role of com- puters in both compilation and retrieval. Twenty plates provide pages from as many preeminent bibliographies and are very use- ful in illustrating points made in the text. There is a highly selective list of recom- mended books and an index. First published in 1963 by the University of Capetown School of Librarianship, suc- ceeding editions have seen very little change other than the added chapter on computer applications in 1971 (3d ed.). The major improvements have been in type size and legibility. This is not a style manual, nor a treat- ment of bibliographic history or theory; but for the person faced with a task of compila- tion, the book has immediate value. In one sitting the subject is introduced and the va- rious alternatives outlined. The presentation is scholarly and the advice sound. Enough references are given to the work of analyti- cal bibliographers to spark further investiga- tion on the part of the reader. Although the few changes may not have warranted a new edition, this remains a useful, perhaps unique, discussion of the "preparation of lists of books. "-Douglas Birdsall, Idaho State University, Pocatello. Warren, G. Garry. The Handicapped Li- brarian: A Study in Barriers. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1979. 147p. $7.50. LC 79-21811. ISBN 0-8108-1259-2. The purpose of this book is to present in- formation about the career structures, work- fig conditions, personal characteristics, edu- cational preparation, interests, attitudes, and motivations of handicapped librarians and to examine the psychological and physical barriers, including policies, affect- ing their careers. The book is the outgrowth of the au thor's dissertation. Warren indi- cates that the experiences of his own speech impediment gave special insight into the preparation of the eleven-page question- naire used for the study. It is hoped that once the physical and psychological barriers are identified, the profession and the hand-