College and Research Libraries 78 College & Research Libraries SAVER Conserve shelf space and get fast, easy access to present and past life science discoveries through Biological Abstract~ (BA} on Microfilm and BA Collective Indexes! BA on Microfilm provides citations that lead you to in-depth biological and biomedical research findings derived from approximately 9,000 serials published in over 100 countries. The same comprehensive information found in the printed publication is covered, but with minimal storage space! And, don't miss the latest edition of BA Collective Indexes, 1985-1989 in film or fiche! The Collective Indexes bring together five years of BA Cumulative Indexes to maximize searching convenience and minimize searching time! For more information contact BIOSIS, Marketing Section, Dept. CRL190MF, 2100 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1399 USA. Or call toll free 1-800-523-4806 (USA except PA); (215) 587-4800 (worldwide); Telex 831739; Fax (215) 587-2016. Information for Today's Decisions and Discoveries lllolti(Jiul Abstracts is a registered trademark of BIOSIS. BIOS IS is a registered trademark of Biological Abstracts, Inc. January 1990 and Gee often rely on unsupported gener- alizations to advance their cause. Many of these seem to exaggerate the importance of the library to scholars across the board and, therefore, are at odds with this re- viewer's experience as well as with anum- ber of scholars' descriptions of how they work. Although the reader may not neces- sarily be converted to the authors' pano- ramic vision, many of the points they make and ideas they present are valuable, and their book serves as a guide to action, both for the academic officer at whom it is directed, and also for the librarian who wants to involve academic officers effec- tively in achieving the library's goals. Few of the ideas are likely to be completely new to librarians, but their presentation from the viewpoint of the academic administra- tor provides a number of fresh insights.- Melissa D. Trevvett, University of Chicago Li- brary, Illinois. Nicholas, David, Gertrud Erbach, Yin Wah Pang, and Koren Paalman. End- users of Online Systems: An Analysis. Lon- don and New York: Mansell Publish- ing, 1988. 181p. (ISBN 0-7201-1995-2). LC 88-8220. This book is a final report of an eighteen- month study funded by the British Li- brary. It was completed in September 1987. An interim report has been previ- ously published under the title of Online Searching: Its Impact on Information Users (Mansell, 1987). The stated goal of this project is to examine the effect online sys- tems are having on information-seeking behavior among those nonlibrarians who perform their own searches in Great Brit- ain. What it has accomplished is no doubt valuable, but more modest. Given the immense scope of the project, an eclectic approach was adopted to gather the necessary information. The re- search team employed surveys, inter- views, case studies, analysis of two mail- ings of questionnaires administered for management purposes, and literature re- views where it deemed appropriate. The project population eventually included the newspapers, broadcasting media, fi- nancial institutions in the City of London, academic departments in the universities announcing an Intensive Institute: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT FOR THE ELECTRONIC LIBRARY integrating electronic publishing Into the concepts and practices of collection development April 29 • May 2, 1990 Spomaored by Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University and The Faxon Institute Institute organizers: Sam Demas & Jan Olsen, Mann Library; Peter Young, Faxon Institute Program: As information technology transforms scholarly communication, collection development librarians are called on to play a crucial role in academic library decision-making on electronic Information. In plenary sessions, the institute will explore the implications of electronic publishing for library "collections" and how they are "builr, financed and managed. A selection of workshops will provide participants with opportunities to put theory into practice through case studies and discussion. Workshop topics include: *Collection management and development policies for electronic resources; *Selection criteria for electronic formats (CDROM, computer flies, online resources and micro software), and for selecting among formats; *Management Issues/strategies: organizing for Integration of electronic resources Into library collections; *Mounting flies locally vs.provldlng remote access: financial, technical and political considerations In providing patron access to numeric, bibliographic and full text flies; *Financing access to electronic Information while building print collections; *Legal and ethical Issues: negotiating equitable access. Location: All meetings and room accommodations will be in the new Statler Inn & Conference Center on the Cornell University campus. Audience & registration: Administrators and collection development librarians responsible for determining the form and substance of collections, and for allocating funds to develop the scholarly information resource base of academic institutions. Limited to 90 registrants. The $325 conference fee indudes registration, and all meals and housing. FOR REGISTRATION FORMS AND MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Sam Demas A.R. Mann Library Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y. 14853 80 College & Research Libraries THE SOLID RESEARCH FOUNDATION. Success in life science research depends on a solid base of knowledge . For over 60 years, BIOSIS has laid this groundwork by providing the most comprehensive life science database in the world. Biological Abstracts • (BA), our corner- stone reference publication, helps you access the biological and biomedical litera- ture published in more than 100 countries . In 1990 alone, BA will include 275,000 citations with abstracts! And, to build your library of research sources beyond the journal literature, turn to Biological Abstracts! RRM • (Reports, Reviews, Meetings) (BAIRRM) for exhaus- tive coverage of papers from meetings and symposia, as well as books, book chapters and review publications. Together, BA, BAIRRM and their Cumula- tive Indexes give you a solid research foundation- the first step toward success . For more information contact BIOSIS, Marketing Section, Dept. CRL190B4, 2100 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 191 03-1399 USA. Or call toll free 1-800-523-4806 (USA except PA); (215) 587-4800 (worldwide); Telex 831739; Fax (215) 587-2016. Information for Today's Decisions and Discoveries Biologics/ Abstrscts and Biologics/ Abstrscts! RRM (Reports, Reviews, Meetings) are registered trademarks of BIOSIS. BIOSIS is a registered trademark of Biological Abstracts . Inc January 1990 and polytechnics and industry as repre- sented by several chemical and pharma- ceutical concerns. This ambitious reper- toire was hampered by a number of methodological and conceptual difficul- ties. To begin with, since judgment samples were usually chosen; to use the authors' own words, they cannot claim that their findings are "representative" but rather "indicative." Second, in spite of its focus on end-use, the majority of the research was done through the eyes of the informa- tion intermediary such as the online spe- cialists, who the authors described as pos- sessing "an imperfect knowledge of online use." Neither economy nor the li- brarians' willingness could justify this ap- proach. Such treatment is analogous to researching a physician's diagnostic be- havior through a survey of nurses; it is just not as reliable as would be a direct evalua- tion. The fact that the research team ex- plicitly excludes CD-ROM technology also weakened its relevancy. The shortcoming of this omission was revealed time and again through all the case studies where conversations always led to the emerging optical storage technology. The respon- dents, according to this report, frequently expressed their interests in this new me- dium and yet this concern was considered to be outside of the present study. The strength of the present study lies in the pioneer nature of this comprehensive yet empirical treatment of the topic. Use- ful and concrete conclusions regarding the current state of online practices and the fu- ture of end-use in Great Britain were of- fered. Based on the evidence provided, in- formation consumers such as journalists and researchers have adapted very little of their work habits to take advantage of on- line information systems. End-use in Brit- ish higher education was sporadic; finan- cial and investment personnel were found more accustomed to the real-time systems (in the mode of the traditional telex ma- chines) for quotes and statistics; and jour- nalists their telephones and their library of newspaper clippings. In the final analysis, the end-users' reluctance is partly attrib- utable to the imperfection of the available databases. Be it full-text or bibliographic, online systems are not comprehensive and up-to-date enough, and where retro- spective materials are concerned, they do not go back far enough. The readers were also advised that adequate training for be- ginning users was essential to overcome initial resistance. More importantly, un- less library professionals become more ag- gressive and more involved in the plan- ning and implementation of online projects, they would increasingly lose control over online services in their orga- nizations. It is regrettable that little attempt was made to pull all the data together across the wide spectrum of applications. How- ever, readers would be impressed and amused by the descriptions of many inti- mate case studies, notably the newspaper industry. I believe more can be gleaned from these interviews, and more inter- views should be attempted. The repro- duction of the research team's interview schedules or questionnaires would have improved the overall quality of the report. While data in percentage format, lists and charts were occasionally provided, the current study was mainly qualitative in nature. Examples of imprecise language and irrelevant editorializing are too many to mention. The following example is il- lustrative: When an information manager was cited as having suggested that the low demand of a certain legal database was due to a lack of perseverance on the part of the end-users, it was gratuitously intro- jected that this intermediary "runs half- marathons and, this, no doubt, influences his thinking!'' This detailed study calls for a better focus and self-discipline. -Sidney Eng, Borough of Manhattan Community Col- lege, the City University of New York. Fiction Writers Guidelines: Over 200 Peri- odicals Editors' Instructions Repro- duced. Comp. and ed. by Judy Mandell. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1988. 316p. $20.95 (ISBN 0-89950-249-0). LC 88- 42506. The freedom to write is worth protecting in any democratic society. Writing reflects the culture and the generation of each writer. The profligation of books about writing bodes well for this decade. Along Recent Publications 81 Published: Blockson, Charles L. A Commented Bibliography of 101 Influential Books by and about People of African Descent (1556-1982). A col- lector's Choice. Amsterdam 1989. 74 pp. with over 70 illustr. Royal 8vo. Cloth, with dustwrapper. ISBN 90-70775-03-4 $47,-- * Catalogue 29: Old, Rare & Out of Print Books, Jour- nals, Pamphlets and some Manuscripts relating to Anarchism Communism Socialism. Free on request. Ac GERITS & SONS Modern and Antiquarian Booksellers Library Agents Prinsengracht 445, P.O. Box 664 1000 AR Amsterdam, The Netherlands Teleph. 31-20-27 22 85 ·Fax 31-20-25 89 70 * Out of Print & Antiquarian Catalogues and Flyers of New and Forthcoming European Publications Free on request European (West & East) Out of Print Searching Service