College and Research Libraries 268 College & Research Libraries presented more and more in the literature. Plans for analyzing library services and other activities through economic models are suggested to replace the more typical and straightforward approach to budget- ing that many librarians follow, i.e., using the collective judgment of library adminis- trators to construct a budget request based on perceived needs and demands. These judgments have been based on observa- tion and supplemented by routine statis- tics of size or number of transactions. This volume takes a different approach. It looks at the ''economics'' of library ser- vice, applying hard quantitative analysis to most aspects of library financial man- agement. The science of economics is brought to bear on decision making for li- braries. The first half of the volume dis- cusses microeconomic theory as it relates to areas of library management. The flavor of the text is economic, not bibliographic. Chapters on consumer preference, market demand, library production, and equilib- rium analysis present areas for library management through microeconomic models. The second portion of the book provides further analysis of library deci- sion making through actual examples- collection adequacy, waiting-line time at a service desk, and correlation between cir- culation rates and inventory. This is definitely not casual or easy read- ing for most librarians. Selected sections include properties of isoquants, indiffer- ence curves, rules of probability, and pro- duction with multiple variant inputs. Concepts are expressed in the language of the economist, with formulas and graphs. While librarians know well that books should not be judged by their covers or by the look of their texts, this volume has the appearance of one that most humanists would avoid after leafing through for only a moment. A more relevant consideration, how- ever, is the value of the text in library deci- sion making. It may be compared with Stephen Roberts' Cost Management for Li- brary and Information Services (C&RL 47:520-22 [Sept. 1986]), which also presents a formal, quantitative approach to resource allocation. Those librarians and managers comfortable enough with May 1987 economic theory to utilize its quantitative approach as an aid to decision making may find value in this material. How one balances the numbers approach to equally valid library concerns of professionalism, politics, and other unquantifiable factors is critical. One must assume, however, that to implement the approach presented here is beyond the training or experience of most librarians. As in the Roberts book, the basic methods for obtaining the infor- mation to aid in the decision-making pro- cess may not be possible for most library situations and existing staff. The volume presupposes at least some familiarity with the concepts and mathematics of eco- nomic theory; better yet, an academic 1 background in this area would be of great assistance. Beyond the ability to set up and collect the economic information dis- cussed here (which would involve consid- erable effort), the library administrator must have the ability to integrate the infor- mation gathered into overall planning. A system of information gathering that demonstrates the cost of alternatives to administrators is probably as good aid in decision making. What must be consid- ered, however, is the amount of effort re- quired to gather the information in rela- tion to its usefulness. Such decisions can only be made on a case-by-case basis. The economic analysis of library operations ~ presented here may be useful in some sit- uations, but the method for obtaining the information is probably inaccessible to most library administrators.-John Vasi, Library, University of California, Santa Bar- bara. American Books Abroad: Toward a Na- tional Policy. Ed. by William M. Childs and Donald E. McNeil. Washington, D.C.: The Helen Dwight Reid Educa- . tional Foundation, 1986. 309p. $35 (ISBN 0-916882-05-5). LC 85-17540. The foreword by Jeane J. Kirkpatrick boldly sets the ideological and political framework for the reader: books are tools both of democracy and development; freedom of thought requires that ideas be communicated; the Soviet Union is far ahead of the United States in disseminat- ing its own books abroad. In the introduc- RESOURCE AUTHORITIES. Other Television News Transcripts and Indexes International Newspapers on Microfilm Newspaper Indexes Journals in Microform Research Collections in Microform Award-winning Wl\TBT/:NY Public T.V. enters your library for the first time. Informative, entertaining, invaluable referenc:in.g for students, journalists, and the general public. Re- search Publications has sought out the finest Public T.V. programming, and brought it to microfiche for quarterly delivery to your library. Plus a quarterly print index, cumulated annually, that enables users to quickly pinpoint subjects, names of personalities and program titles. In addition to current annual subscriptions, backfiles are available, complete with a cumulated index. From Bill Moyers' Journal and Adam Smith's Money World to the celebrated MacNe11/Lehrer News Hour-your library patrons can have access to una- bridged information never before available through libraries. We consider it a breakthrough in library science. For further information, utilize the form below. Or call1-800-REACH-RP (1-800-732-2477) to place your order now. From Connecticut, Alaska and Canada, call collect 203-397-2600. ruearffifqf.ile # 13 12 Lunar Drive/Drawer AB Woodbridge, CT 06525 Toll-free: 1-800-REACH-RP TWX: 71Q-465-6345 FAX: 203-397-3893 D Please send me your brochure. D Have a. representative call me. Name Institution Address City Phone Title State Zip !lode u.s. and Interns- For further information, or to place your order tionalPatent directly, call1-800-REACH-RP (1-800-732-2477). ~ 1-800-BIACB-BP 270 College & Research Libraries tion, coeditor William Childs continues the theme of American books as '' ne- glected ambassadors,'' explaining that the work at hand has its most immediate his- torical basis in the commission given by the United States Information Agency (USIA) to the Reid Foundation to examine the U.S. "book gap" question and sug- gest solutions. The results of the Reid Foundation Task Force findings are incor- porated into the seventeen essays by eleven contributors that constitute Ameri- can Books Abroad. Childs and Donald McNeil are major contributors to the col- lection, which is divided into six parts. Part 1, '(The American Book World,'' records the recent history of the American publishing industry and describes current activities of that industry, both domestic and international. As a free-enterprise or market-driven system, the specific objec- tives of American foreign policy are, of course, not being met. Cultural and legal (including copyrighl) complications abound for all concerned, with piracy tak- ing a tremendous toll. Part 2, ''Economics and Finance,." describes the American agencies and organizations that have facil- itated the export of books, cites such prob- lems as currency barriers (specifically, the lack of dollars), and points out the need for low-priced books for Third World readers. Part 3, "Introducing Books to Their Markets," discusses the value of book reviewing tools, book fairs and ex- ยท hibits, and donations and gifts. Part 4, ''International Education and Market In- formation,'' underscores general Ameri- can ignorance of overseas markets and proposes courses and seminars for pro- spective traders to help overcome this ob- stacle and to provide for meaningful mar- ket research in the field. Part 5, ''Institutional Responsibilities,'' weighs the relative merits of public versus private efforts in supplying American books abroad and reviews the preeminent role of the USIA in this endeavor. Questions per- taining to suitability of content are raised, and procedures for selection of materials are examined, with the recognition that the USIAS understandably acts in accord with the dictates of "national purpose." Part 6, "A National Policy," details the May1987 book publishing/ distribution activities of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France, and Spain and calls for appropri- ate similar action by the U.S. government. Throughout the maze of programs, agencies, and commissions that have- with greater or lesser success-served to facilitate the distribution of American books abroad, the points elaborated are very clear: (1) A multitude of obstacles and complications conspire to impede th~ dis- tribution of American books overseas, es- pecially in Third World countries; (2) The United States is consequently losing an in- tellectual and ideological war with the So- viet Union; and (3) Corrective action by the U.S. government is urgently needed. The arguments adduced are convincing, and one is left with the distinct impression that the "war of ideas" potentially waged via the export of American imprints has not been a high priority of American for- eign policy. Given the massive economic, legal, and cultural obstacles described, it seems seriously debatable that the objec- tives set down in the present study will ever be realized. And, indeed, the extent of the USIA's role in disseminating works deemed appropriate to American "na- tional purpose'' will continue to be sus- pect. The questions of intellectual free- dom and censorship are close to the hearts of librarians and many others as well, and propaganda even in the national interest will not likely find much support in the li- , brary community, as a recent editorial (''Propaganda, the USIA, and ALA,'' Li- brary Journal, Dec. 1986) suggests. This collecti