College and Research Libraries 184 College & Research Libraries through Adler, Hutchins, and Whitehead to Mill, Newman, Bacon, Aristotle, and Plato. While the times may appear unpro- pitious for new ventures, the obligation of educators, Professor Bowen correctly re- minds us, is not to "supinely accept the present situation as permanent but . . . [to] continually present new long-range possibilities to the public and their lead- ers." This book is about what higher educa- tion could potentially become and about what it could potentially contribute to American society. As such, it is a welcome contrast to much of the current literature of academic planning, and recommended reading for all who have a serious concern for the future of the university.-Thomas J. Galvin, School of Library and Information Sci- ence, University of Pittsburgh. [Editor's note: This book recently re- ceived the Frederick W. Ness Book Award for the outstanding publication of the year on a subject dealing with the liberal arts, from the Association of American Col- leges.] . Libraries in 11 countries use BCTV Do you? BCTV: bibliography on cable television contains - 700 + authors; books, periodicals, news/magazine articles, doctoral dissertations, ephemera; Canadian citations. Annually since 1975; open-ended serial/6 mo updates ' $25.00 current; $35.00 back copies. PREPAID ONLY Communications Library 1550 Bryant Street San Francisco, Calif. 941 03 415 + 626-5050 March 1983 I ~ Goodrum, Charles A. and Dalrymple, Helen W. The Library of Congress. 2d ed. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1982. 318p. $25 cloth, $10.95 paper. LC 82- 8457. ISBN 0-86531-303-2 cloth; 0-86531- 497-7 paper. The first edition of this work was written solely by Goodrum and published as part of the Praeger Library of U.S. Govern- ment Departments and Agencies series. A number of changes at the Library of Con- gress, including the sizable reorganization effected in 1977 under the direction of Li- brarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin, obliged Goodrum and coauthor Helen W. Dalrymple to issue a revised and updated version of the 1974 work. The result is a pleasing and useful account of the Library of Congress, the world's "largest center for information storage" (Introduction). In an unobtrusive and easy writing style, the authors structure their narrative in four parts. Part one traces the history of LC from its beginnings to the present, in- cluding a chapter on its current compo- nents. We are told of its major units ("six great empires") within which "eighty- five independent operations" function; an organizational chart provides guidance through the maze. Part two describes the internal processes: acquisitions, control, and research services. Here the authors wax eloquent about the treasures to be found in the manuscript, geography, and map collections, as well as other divisions and collections. There are informative dis- cussions on the importance of gifts, the copyright deposit procedures, the awe- some responsibilities of the Congressional Research Service, the famous "K classifi- cation" of the law library, services to the blind and physically handicapped, and the several ''glamour'' collections and ac- tivities, such as music, poetry, and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Library. Part three addresses the problems and tensions that arise from LC' s efforts to serve three demanding clients: the Con- gress, the library profession, and the scholarly research world . The authors wryly observe that these groups "barely tolerate each other at best, and at worst, they resent each other bitterly.'' Dis- LIBRARIANS AND .INFORMATION SPECIALISTS. 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Box 1943 Birmingham, AL 35201 (205) 991·6600 186 College & Research Libraries cussed in detail is the vexatious, perennial dispute inherent in an organism that at- tempts to be on one hand a library for Con- gress, and, on the other, a library for ev- eryone. Although this section of the book is of great interest, one questions with raised eyebrows the assertion that "for years, librarians have been urging that the Library of Congress be put into the De- partment of Education,'' an entity that has only been in existence since 1980 (90 Stat. 668). Part three also notes LC' s initial re- luctance to accept the computer (followed by its subsequent embrace), the difficul- ties of locating materials at the Library, and Boorstin' s impact upon the institution he directs. The last part is a brief comment on the future of LC as it begins to harness the technological wonders of videodiscs and digital storage in the service of en- hanced control and access. Throughout the narrative run basic phil- osophical issues. Does LC really help Con- gress govern? Is the Library doing a proper job of preserving the nation's his- Heritage on Microfilnt Rare and out-of-print titles and documents on 35mm silver halide microfilm. • French Books before 1601 • Scandinavian Culture • 18th Century English Literature • Victorian Fiction • Literature of Folklore • Hispanic Culture Send for catalog and title information today. ~~~~[M ~COV\P~Y 70 Coolidge Hill Road Watertown, MA 02172 (617) 926-5557 March 1983 tory? Are the manifold information needs of users really being met? While the con- . elusion is affirmative, it is tempered with the caveat that future managers of this vast enterprise must be ever alert to the processes and technologies by which its disparate clientele will be served wisely and well. This informative monograph contains a six-page bibliography. No index was available for evaluation, presumably be- cause the above review is based on a ''not for sale" advance copy made from uncor- rected proofs. With the assumed inclusion of an index, the book when published will be a valuable addition to our professional literature and may well enjoy a wider audience.-Joe Morehead, School of Library! Information Science, State University of New York at Albany. Neustadt, Richard M. The Birth of Elec- tronic Publishing: Legal and Economic Is- sues in Telephone, Cable and Over-the-Air Teletext and Videotext. White Plains, N.Y.: Knowledge Industry, 1982. 143p. $32.95. LC 82-6614. ISBN 0-86729-030-7. Ever since "the paperless society" be- came buzzwords in our language, there have been many discussions debating the pros and cons of electronic publishing. The discussions this reviewer has heard have typically been subjective and some- times emotional. The issues raised have related to the emergence of a new mass medium, described eloquently by the au- thor: Until recently, mass distribution of information has been dominated by publishing and broad- casting. Now, technology is marrying these media to spawn a new one: electronic publish- ing . Print-type information-text and graphics-is being distributed over electronic channels : television, radio, cable TV and tele- phone wires . Electronic publishing . . . has no place in the law at present. No statute or regulation men- tions it, and the first court decision on this me- dium was issued in the fall of 1981 . In the next few years, policy-makers must answer a string of questions to fill this vacuum. How will the First Amendment apply-will electronic pub- lishers have the full freedom of newspapers or will they be covered by content regulations, as are broadcasters? Will would-be electronic pub-