College and Research Libraries ~---------------------- - - - - -- - - Selected Journals in Library and Information Sciences Beverly P. Lynch his article continues the series of reviews of journals pub- lished in the field of library and information science. Although it appears under a by-line, the reviews are a project of the librarians of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Each review is signed with the initials of the librarian who prepared it. 1 Several journals being reviewed are ones not normally considered journals of the profession. These titles were called to our attention as being useful to librarians and thus suitable for review. Patricia Tegler comments in her review of the in- dexes and abstracts of the library litera- ture2 '' ... management, communication, education, and operations research infor- mation is regularly read by some librarians and information scientists and should, if one accepts use as a criterion, be consid- ered library literature.'' Tegler comments that because there is little agreement within the profession as to the definition of library literature and because there are few clearly understood guidelines, the in- dexes and abstracts of the library literature have different philosophies of coverage. They also lack a comprehensiveness of coverage . Some services index a journal from cover to cover; others are more selec- tive. Several abstracts and indexes must be used in order to access the library litera- ture satisfactorily. 3 Of the journals being reviewed here, two are indexed in Bulletin Signaletique, two in Reterativnyi Zhurnal, four in Infonnation Science Abstracts, seven in Library and Infonnation Science Abstracts, and five in Library Literature. We welcome suggestions of titles for re- view in subsequent issues. BYTE. Peterborough, N .H.: Mc- Graw-Hill. V .1 no.1 (Sept. 1975), monthly, $21 per year. ISSN 0360-5280 . Unlike many popular computer jour- nals, which tend to narrow their scope and to concentrate more and more on one subject (e.g., games), one brand of com- puter (IBM PC, Apple, TRS-80, etc.), or one area of user interest (business applica- tions, computer-assisted instruction), BYTE maintains its position of a general- interest publication. Each issue concen- trates on a special theme, such as mass storage, new computer chips, database management systems; the September is- sue is always devoted to a specific com- puter language. Issues are large (about 500 pages), with advertising by most of the major manufac- turers and software houses . Articles may be about almost any aspect of hardware or software, and can be fairly technical; they assume some working knowledge on the part of the reader, and can be hard going for a novice. Book and software reviews are usually good, and regular monthly columns are generally excellent. BYTE is probably the best choice for moderately knowledgeable readers who are looking for one monthly journal to keep them informed about microcom- puters and related matters.-LAS. 1. Frank Immler, Nancy R. John, Louis A. Schultheiss, Stephen E. Wiberley, Jr. 2. Patricia Tegler, "The Indexes and Abstracts of Library and Information Science," Drexel Library Quarterly, V .15 Ouly 1979) 2-23 . 3. __ ,p.7. 368 Collection Building. New York: Neal- Schuman Publishers. V.1 no.1 (1978), quarterly, $55 per year. ISSN 0160-4953. Arthur Curley's initial editorial states that by stressing ''excellence in resource development'' for all sizes and types of li- braries, Collection Building challenges the monopoly of collection development con- cerns enjoyed in the literature by "the large university-research library.'' A typi- cal issue contains five to seven essays which may vary widely in length but which share a traditional vocabulary, style, and approach to librarianship-free, that is, of management .jargon and bib- liometrics. Each issue contains a judicious mix of settings-college, public, and school libraries, even an occasional network-as well as one or two biblio- graphical essays on such topics of current popular interest as community health care, retirement, and chemical wastes. Specialists contribute regular columns on free and inexpensive materials (Kathleen Weibel, later Ilse B. Moon), alternative press materials (Elliott Shore, later Sandy Berman), and collection development pol- icies (Elizabeth Futas). These columns help to account for the unusual level of co- herence maintained through the twelve numbers of the completed four volumes. Despite a primary focus on public and col- lege libraries, the editor has in fact at- tracted essays that should interest librari- ans in most settings. The fifth volume inaugurates a new physical format, a quarterly schedule, and a substantial content increase, at no in- crease(!) in subscription price. If the Spring 1983 number remains typical, the additional content will appear in new columns on administration, youth, "the library-publishing connection,'' and per- sonal perspectives. What the abandon- ment of the rather clumsy former subtitle, "Studies in the Development and Effec- tive Use of Library Resources,'' may imply for the future is questionable. Slicker graphics and two articles on the Island Trees school library case (one by nonli- brarian Nat Hentoff) suggest a bid for a broader, more issue-oriented journal. An · article by David Starn of RLG and the an- nouncement of a column by Hendrik Selected Journals 369 Edelman herald the welcome admission of the hitherto-excluded research library. Faced with these possibly conflicting sig- nals, one hopes that Collection Building does not lose the canny balance of sub- stance and general appeal so admirably achieved thus far.-FI. Collection Management. New York: Ha- worth Press. V.1 no.3-4 (Fall-Winter 1976-77), quarterly, $48.00 (individ- uals), $60.00 (institutions) per volume. ISSN 0146-2679. (Continues De- Acquisitions Librarian.) Collection Management originated as a fo- rum for quantitative research theory and applications in the management of library collections. It was designed to publish ar- ticles with a ''pragmatic thrust either im- plicit or explicit" for a broadly defined au- dience who desired "better knowledge of the management forces" inside and out- side the library. "Classic papers," semi- nal statements about managing collec- tions would be reprinted to provide historical perspective and a series of "tu- torials" would offer a kind of primer in quantitative methods for those readers daunted by the graphs, charts, formulae, and specialized terminology found in main articles. CM has published a number of signifi- cant or provocative individual pieces. Special issues on bibliometrics (V.2, no.3) and operations research in libraries (V.3, no.2/3) are valuable state-of-the-art com- pendia as is the issue edited by Hendrik Edelman (V.4, no.1/2). Despite such achievements, however, the eleven num- bers of CM, taken together, convey a sense of diffuse editorial purpose and au- dience focus. Some of the "classic pa- pers" are the real thing, for example, Bradford's 1934 article on literature distri- bution in periodicals. Others merely evoke a (smiling or rueful) plus 9a change that vitiates the journal's tough pragmatic stance. The "tutorials" sort uncomfort- ably with the sophistication of many con- tributions. The lack of firm focus is most evident in Volume 3, number 1 where a systems approach to a preservation pro- gram and an evaluation of a science jour- nal collection unsuccessfully cohabit with 370 College & Research Libraries a guide to writing publishable articles. More disturbing than its identity prob- lem has been CM 's production history, which has troubled its followers since its apologetic emergence mid-volume from the ashes of De-Acquisitions Librarian with new editors and a professional quarterly format. As with other Haworth Press pub- lications, CM's cutting edge has been blunted by increasing delays between numbers, double issues misleadingly dated, and further changes of editors and physical formats. Downsized considera- bly now, CM's completed fourth volume is slimmer than its predecessor by a hun- dred pages-yet the current subscription price nearly doubles that of 1976. In fairness, the fourth volume also achieves more consistent tone and focus, and the addition of substantial book re- views is welcome. If its present editor, Jas- per G. Schad, can maintain this coherence and surmount production difficulties, CM could still become the force in the new li- brarianship it set out to be.-FI. Datamation. Barrington, Ill.: Technical Publishing. V.5 no.3 (May-June 1959), (bimonthly 1959-60), monthly $42.00 per year. ISSN 0011-6963. Datamation is intended for data process- ing professionals who wish to keep up-to- date with current developments in their field. Each issue concentrates on a specific topic; recent examples include distributed data processing, integrated office · sys- tems, and PBX systems. Although articles are intended for those with a good work- ing knowledge of data processing lan- guage and concepts, and emphasize cor- porate applications and news, experienced librarians may find this publi- cation useful as a source of information about new concepts and products. This title should be of interest to nearly all academic librarians, as well as to many in large public libraries.-LAS. Journal of Documentation. London: ASLIB. V.1 (Sept. 1945), quarterly, £44. ISSN 022-0418. In spite of its title, the Journal of Docu- mentation is not just for documentalists. It concerns itself with librarianship and in- September 1983 formation science, and with practical problems in the organization of materials, as well as theoretical approaches to infor- mation analysis and dissemination. It is international in scope; recent issues in- clude articles by American as well as Brit- ish authors. Book reviews are excellent. One of the more recent issues (Decem- ber 1982) contains five interesting papers dealing with the British Library from the standpoint of the public library, the re- gional library, the university library, the polytechnic library, and the industrial re- search library. (A sixth paper by two com- puter scientists at Cornell University con- tains enough charts, graphs, and mathematical formulae to gladden the heart of the most determined information scientist.) Another recent issue (September 1982) has an excellent report on the results of in- vestigations by the Royal School of Librar- ianship, Copenhagen, on the cognitive as- pects of search procedures in libraries. There is also a very good paper reviewing studies of the "Invisible College" and the transfer of information between social scientists.-LAS. Journal of Library Administration. New York: Haworth Press. V.1 no.1 (Spring 1980), quarterly, $48.00 per volume. ISSN 0192-0826. The Journal of Library Administration has the makings of a good library journal. It is well-edited and timely. The articles present expert opinion or thoughtful con- sideration of various issues of library man- agement. Leadership, job satisfaction, performance appraisal, job sharing, the use of student workers are some of these. The contents, particularly in the early is- sues, reflect the interests of the editor, John R. Rizzo, Professor of Marketing, Western Michigan University, in staff de- velopment and organization develop- ment. Later issues reflect trends in cut- back management and organizational decline. The format follows that of other Ha- worth Press journals. Regular features in- clude commentaries on technical services, legal issues, and models of public ser- vices. Books on library management are reviewed from time to time. Special issues have been published on ''Planning for Li- brary Services" (V.2, no.2/3/4) edited by Charles R. McClure and "Financial Plan- ning for Libraries" (V.3, no.3/4) edited by Murry S. Martin. These issues are well de- signed and include contributions by well known experts in the field. A good feature is the section ''Worth Re- peating from the Management Litera- ture.'' Articles are reprinted from journals such as The Academy of Management Review, Personnel Psychology, and Public Adminis- tration Review. These are papers the editor considers to be of interest or importance to library administrators. They are usually theoretical discussions, not research pieces, on current trends in organizational theory and work environments. This sec- tion continues the education of the library administrator who does not read widely in the management literature. Library managers will want to keep watching this journal. As yet, there is little in its regular contents that is new or notal- ready somewhere in the library literature.-BPL. Library Research. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Corporation. V.1 no.1 (Spring 1979), quarterly, $22.50 (indi- viduals), $45.00 (institutions) per vol- ume. ISSN 0164-0763. Library Research was established to dis- seminate to the profession significant re- search that employs social science methodologies. The almost four volumes published to date show that the editors have been faithful to their original inten- tions. With the regular exception of each issue's review essay, almost all of the arti- cles have utilized some kind of social sci- ence methodology; quantitative data and analysis abound. The range of topics cov- ered is vast, from Danish book publishing to materials used by high school students. There are as many articles addressed to is- sues of public libraries as there are to prob- lems in academic librarianship. Because the journal covers an extremely broad range of topics, it is reassuring to see the editors have recruited a distin- guished editorial board and have sent manuscripts to an outstanding group of Selected Journals 371 referees. For the present review, ten arti- cles close to the reviewer's expertise were examined carefully. As a group they were interesting, sophisticated, and clearly written. This is an important journal for all li- braries with patrons or staff who have in- terest in rigorous and advanced library re- search. Similarly, individuals interested in developments in methodology should consider a personal subscription. Those who read library literature solely for sub- stantive findings may find the range of topics covered so large that few issues will have articles relevant to their specializations. -SEW. The Serials Librarian; The International Quar- terly of Serials Management. New York: Haworth Press. V.1 no.1 (Fall 1976), quarterly, $48.00 per volume. ISSN 0361-526X. During the first five years of Haworth Press's Serials Librarian, a quarterly, four issues appeared each year. The only irreg- ularity, other than late issues, occurred with volume 2, number 3, when the subti- tle changed from "The Quarterly Journal of Serials Management'' to ''The Interna- tional Quarterly of Serials Management.'' Volume 6, somewhat reduced in overall size from its predecessors, appeared in three issues. Volume 7 is in progress at the time of this review. The first two issues of volume 7 contain eleven articles, a review of a conference, and one book review. Regular features are an editorial by Peter Gellatly, "Into the Hopper,'' by Joe Morehead, and ''Serials News" by Gary Pitkin. An occasional fea- ture, "Microserials Management" by Jean Walter Farrington, also appeared in vol- ume 7, number 2. The articles are a good mixture of prac- tice, theory, and history, and, on the whole, are easy to read. In volume 7, num- ber 1, articles cover such questions as the value of subscription agents; the effective- ness of the OCLC serials control system; sourc~s for selected Canadian periodicals; a review of science fiction journals; and a history of the Polish press in America. An especially interesting and important arti- cle by Gerald R. Lowell updates Frank 372 College & Research Libraries Clasquin's work on periodical prices. Un- fortunately, the cover banner, ''In this is- sue, Geraid Lowell's 1983 serials prices projections (p.75)" really means an up- date of Clasquin's 1975-80 study and Lowell's study of 1981 with Lowell's study of 1982. Nonetheless, this informa- tion is of great interest and usefulness. Joe Morehead's ''Into the Hopper'' is a highly readable bibliographic essay. Each column takes a subject and describes gov- ernment serial publications on the topic. Recent topics have addressed the handi- capped, the environment, the United Na- tions, and the FBI. Gary Pitkin's "Serials News" column is a true potpourri. As such, the currency and interest of items varies, but of special usefulness is the careful editing and pre- sentation of the news items. Unlike other news sources, this one includes the signif- icance of each item for the serials special- ist. For example, if a statistical study is cited, the news items will give exact cate- gories of serial related statistics available from the study. This is very helpful in de- termining whether to try to obtain the full report. Two special monographic supplements to the journal have been issued: one on sex magazines (1979-80) and the other on serial automation (1981-82). In the recent double issue, volume 6, numbers 2/3, "Serials Librarianship as an Art: Essays in Honor of Andrew D. Osborn,'' comprised all of volume 6, number 3. This collection of essays made for interesting reading. Serials Librarian has found its role and seems to take it seriously. It does not, for example, duplicate the kind of material available in Serials Review. The quality of the articles is good. The wide variety of subjects means that the reader will find most issues to include at least one article of high interest. The Serials Librarian has a growing read- ership: subscriptions total1,433 as of Oc- tober 1982. It's not hard to see why. Be- cause the journal chooses as its focus a class of library material, and not a type of library or single function, its appeal goes easily beyond the serialist. The reviewer hopes that the increasing use of the term September 1983 ''serialist'' in the journal does not fore- bode a title change.-NRJ. Social Science Information Studies. Guild- ford, England: Butterworth Scientific Limited. V .1 no.1 (Oct. 1980), quarterly, $37 (individuals), $74 (institutions) per volume. ISSN 0143-6236. Information science, in its early history, has been dominated by concern with sci- ence and technology. But information sci- ence itself has relied principally on in- sights and techniques of social science. To provide a forum for development of social science methodologies in information sci- ence and to foster understanding of infor- mation issues in the social sciences, Editor T.D. Wilson and Associate Editor Norman Roberts founded Social Science Information Studies (SSIS). Most of what is published in the social sciences today involves quantification. SSIS follows this pattern and many of its best articles employ quantitative data and analysis. There are, on the other hand, valuable contributions that are as much epistemology as they are social science. In the first issue, Wilson specifically so- licited contributions that use qualitative methodologies. Thus far, most of the arti- cles with this orientation have been some- what disappointing. They have concen- trated on the theory supporting qualitative work and on general discus- sion of procedures, and have lacked the impact of reports of actual findings of qualitative studies. An exception is Stella _ Maddock's article on information in hous- ing assistance centers (1:31-46). More con- tributions like hers would be welcome. Since most of the articles deal with the structure of scholarly information and its use by academics and other social science professionals, the journal could be of con- siderable interest to academic librarians. At the same time, many of the articles do not relate their findings to the issues that dominate mainstream library journals. Given that its price is well above average for a library journal, bibliographers and potential personal subscribers should be aware that SSIS is much more a social sci- ence than a library journal. -SEW. Today's Office (formerly Office Products News). Garden City, N.Y.: Hearst Busi- ness Communications, Inc. V.16 no.8 (Jan. 1982), monthly. Distributed 12 times a year to executives in the admin- istrative offices of major industrial, commercial and institutional organiza- tions, and to qualified government of- fices. Out-of-field subscriptions $30.00 per year. ISSN 0030-0241. Although this publication is not directed toward librarians, it is of interest to any li- brarian who wishes to stay up-to-date in terms of new equipment and products in , Selected Journals 373 data processing, photocopying, word processing, office communications, and records management. Articles are brief and well written. The magazine excels in reports summarizing and comparing the most important characteristics of a class of equipment or products, for example, elec- tric typewriters, local area networks, mi- crocomputers, microform readers, photo- copy machines, etc. Although they do not provide test results, they are nearly al- ways much more up-to-date than evalua- tions in Library Technology Reports.- LAS. 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Watson Ryan Research International Bibliographic Services 1593 Filbert Chico, CA. 95926 30 DAY FREE EXAMINATION Introduction by Ronald Miller of CLASS $14.95 --RRI-- $1.50 shipping/handling LCCN 83-61853 ISBN 0-942158-02-4