College and Research Libraries


494 College & Research Libraries 

programs rest on delicate underpinnings 
which can always be strengthened by re­
viewing goals and the factors which influ­
ence their accomplishment.-Laine Farley, 
University of California, Riverside. 

Chen, Ching-chih and Schweizer, Sus­
anna. Online Bibliographic Searching: A 
Learning Manual. New York: Neal­
Schuman, 1981. 227p. LC 81-83497. 
ISBN 0-918212-59-6. 
This book is intended to serve as a be­

ginner's self-instruction manual to online 
searching. It is meant to be used as "part 
of an on-going, hands-on learning pro­
cess." The authors suggest the use of the 
Dialog Lab Workbook, and the appendix of 
this book contains· possible solutions to 
the workbook's exercises. 

This book uses a combination of practi­
cal and theoretical information to give the 
student a good introduction to the subject. 
It begins with an overview of the different 
types of databases, lists of the vendors, 
and which databases they provide. The 
overview also contains information about 

November 1983 

how the database is constructed by show­
ing sample records and the possible in­
dexes that result from them. 

There is a brief introduction to terminals 
and modems after which is a sample 
search session. This introductory session 
as well as the advanced techniques in the 
later chapters are all examples of search­
ing on Dialog. The authors do this to avoid 
the confusion of having a beginner try to 
learn three different systems at the same 
time . The initial chapter covers basic com­
mands and Boolean operators. A chapter 
on the reference interview serves as a 
good introduction to determining the ben­
efits of free text versus controlled vocabu­
lary .searches . The discussion of the opera­
tors which can be used with free text 
searching point out the sophisticated ca­
pabilities of this kind of search . Multi­
database searching is also described . 

The three major search services-BRS, 
DIALOG, and SDC-are compared as to 
hours of availability, cost, system fea­
tures, and availability of training. The 
book concludes with chapters on manag­



ing an online search service, the future of 
online searching, and a glossary. -Susan 
Jurist, Research Libraries Group, Stanford. 

Dodd, Sue A. Cataloging Machine-Readable 
Data Files: An Interpretive Manual. Chi­
cago: American Library Assn., 1982. 
248p. $35 LC 82-11597 ISBN 0-8389­
0365-7. 
Machine-readable data files (MRDF) 

have existed for forty years, data archives 
and data libraries for almost thirty years, 
yet it was not until the 1970s that ALA's 
Resources and Technical Services Divi­
sion appointed the Subcommittee to Rec­
ommend Rules for Cataloging Machine­
Readable Data Files. The inclusion in 
AACR2 of chapter 9-Machine-Readable 
Data Files-incorporates the recommen­
dations made by the committee in its final 
report, and constitutes the library commu­
nity's official recognition of MRDF as le­
gitimate resource materials. 

The format of AACR2, however, pre­
cluded the inclusion of appropriate back­
ground material necessary for under­
standing the fluid nature of MRDF and the 
difficulties associated with cataloging and 
controlling them; hence the necessity for 
this manual. 

In the preface, Dodd sets the objectives 
of the manual: "(1) to provide guidelines 
for establishing bibliographic conventions 
for MRDF ...; (2) to suggest integrated 
levels of recordkeeping for MRDF; (3) to 
bring into sharper focus the AACR2 rules 
as they relate to cataloging computerized 
files; (4) to provide notes, examples, and 
interpretations of MRDF cataloging, 
which would otherwise not be available; 
and (5) to provide working tools for those 
cataloging MRDF for the first time." 

The manual is divided into three basic 
sections. Part 1 describes MRDF in basic 
terms to the uninitiated, and discusses the 
distinction between documentation and 
data files. Part 2 is a step-by-step interpre­
tation of AACR2 chapter 9, and chapter 21 
as it relates to MRDF. Each part begins 
with a summary quote from the specific 
rule followed by interpretation and exam­
ples related to a variety of MRDF (text 
files, numeric files, program files). Part 3 
includes sample catalog cards for all types 

Recent Publications 495 

". . . It helps [the] beginning researcher 
. .. by putting basic information at his or 
her fingertips, and it helps the mature 
scholar to be sure he or she hasn't 
missed anything. " 

Wilbur R. Jacobs 
Department of History 
University of California, Santa Barbara 

"... students love [it]. The indexing is so 
thorough they can tell what an article is 
about before they even look up the 
abstract .. . " 

Kristi Greenfield 
Reference/History Librarian 
University of Washington, Seattle 

"... an incomparable way of viewing the 
results of publication by the experts." 

Aubrey C. Land 
Department of History 
University of Georgia, Athens 

AMERICA: HISTORY AND LIFE is a 
basic resource that belongs on your 
library shelves. 

Write for a complimentary sample 
copy and price quotation. 

ABC [~·~ Information Services 
Box 4397

CLIO ~ Santa Barbara, CA 93103