College and Research Libraries 86 College & Research Libraries the academic library from 1638 to 1945 and concludes that academic libraries expanded in those institutions in which there was strong presidential leadership and support. Although this fact has been acknowledged by library historians and other observers, they, however, also chron- icle the contributions of the great librari- ans appointed by these presidents and comment on the importance of profes- sional education to the quality of the staff who have worked in these libraries. Chap- ter two traces the history of the university and the academic library from 1945 to the present. In this chapter, Atkins outlines the emergence of technology in library opera- tions and expresses concern over the fu- ture of automation in the library. He believes that librarians will be required to convince the person in charge of campus computing, as well as the budget people and others, of the library's needs. As in the first chapter, Atkins does little to chron- icle the influence of individual librarians on the development of their operations. Chapter three considers the budget is- sues and outlines approaches to budget- ing used on various campuses. The discussion is not very illuminating. Atkins observes that the library must follow in- stitutional directives regarding the budget and goes on to write, ''The semiautonomous position of the academic library within the institution still allows the library ad- ministration considerable freedom to consider alternatives after the original allocation decision is made." This obser- vation is not developed, so the reader must speculate as to the prevalence and impact of this autonomy. In chapter four, "The University Ad- ministration and the Academic Library," Atkins tries to understand the structure of the university in the context of organiza- tional theory. He assumes, regrettably, that there is one best way to organize and misses the point that it is good manage- ment practice to allow units within the university to organize in ways that best suit them. Instead he observes that li- braries subscribe to a bureaucratic model or a political model, while in his view, a collegial model is most appropri- ate. A greater understanding of how or- January 1992 ganizations behave would have helped the author refine some of these opinions. Chapter five, "The Teaching Faculty and the Academic Library," and chapter six, "Academic Librarians and the Uni- versity," continue the author's effort to bolster the argument that faculty status for librarians is essential for the continu- ing success of the library in American higher education. One of the main points of this book is that librarians, not just the directors of libraries, must work to im- prove and to elevate the profession. Few would disagree with that statement. Many, however, would disagree with the means proposed by Atkins, that is, full faculty status for librarians. This book exhorts; it does not convince or offer evidence. The present environments and politi- cal realities on most college and univer- sity campuses are turbulent, complex, and filled with competition and conflict. Coalitions are formed, used, abandoned, and reshaped routinely. There are many players in this environment. The suc- cessful librarians will be those who can assess the environments, help form and shape the coalitions, and know how to operate within them. Ladd suggested that in 1974. Successful librarians have operated that way for years and have improved and enhanced the profession while doing so. Atkins has missed those successes and the reasons for them.- Beverly P. Lynch, University of California, Los Angeles. Hagler, Ronald. The Bibliographic Record and Information Technology. 2d. ed. Chi- cago: American Library Assn., 1991. 331 p. $37 (ISBN 0-8389-0554-4). LC 90- 45317. In the preface to this second edition of The Bibliographic Record, Ronald Hagler states that this is not a how-to book, but a "why" book. While he does not hesitate to explain the specifics of bibliographic records, his overall emphasis is on the bibliographic principles that have shaped the details of cataloging practice. Hagler has attempted a systematic arrangement of concepts that are "the common cur- rency of people professionally concerned with the many aspects of bibliographic control." Because the book does not focus on the production of bibliographic records, it is addressed to all who compile and use bibliographic information, not just pro- spective or practicing catalogers. Hagler's care in defining terms, provid- ing historical context for current prac- tices, and pointing out the connections between theory and practice result in a work accessible to the nonspecialist or novice, useful to a library administrator responsible for planning for the future management of bibliographic files, and helpful to a library school student inter- ested in putting into perspective the enor- mous detail of the bibliographic record, especially in machine-readable form. As Hagler reviews bibliographic control in twentieth-century practice, certain themes recur. Most obvious is the impact of com- puter technology as a force in changing attitudes as well as specific practices. Hagler shows how both have been shaped by the constraints and possibilities of avail- able technology. Standardization, always necessary for the identification and retrieval of bibliographic records, has gained new importance in the computer era. In part 1, "Principles of Bibliographic Control," Hagler considers the biblio- graphic record in its widest possible con- text, including abstracting and indexing publications as well as the library cata- log. In both practice and theory, the bib- liographic record is becoming more uniform across types of tools and agen- cies (libraries, archives, galleries, muse- ums). The entry for a book in a library catalog used to be considered only mar- ginally related to the listing of a journal article in an abstracting and indexing publication because the two were cre- ated in administratively separate envi- ronments and in different physical media. The growing practice of merging, abstract- ing, and indexing databases with local li- brary catalogs, however, makes the need to standardize formats between libraries and abstracting and indexing services more urgent. As libraries make transitions from man- ual to automated processes, the terminol- ogy used by practitioners changes, but gradually. Hagler recognizes that students Book Reviews 87 1+1 National Ubrary of Canada BlbliotMque nationale du Canada Csnadlana Products from the National Library of Canada The National Library is responsible for promoting, gathering and preserving the published heritage of Canada. The Library has a vast collection of Canadiana dating from Canada • s earliest days to the present. In order to provide access to Canada's published heritage the Library has developed various products which are invaluable to those with an interest in Canadian Studies or research. The Library produces Canadiana, a comprehensive bibliography which documents the nation's published heritage. Canadiana is a valuable aid for Canadian Studies and is available in printed and microfiche formats and on magnetic tape. Canadianaauthorities lists verified name headings of Canadian origin and can help in compiling bibliographies and answering research and reference questions. Canadian Theses is a microfiche bibliography of masters· and doctoral theses accepted by Canadian universities, as well as selected foreign theses of Canadian authorship or interest. For more information or a descriptive brochure on these products please contact Publications & Marketing Services National Library of Canada 395 Wellington Street Ottawa, Canada KIA ON4 Can ad~ 88 College & Research Libraries learning new concepts in library school may become confused when encounter- ing old and new terms in the literature. He explains that the computer revolu- tion has changed the nature of many parts of bibliographic control and made new terminology desirable. Generic terms are replacing those whose primary mean- ings are related to books and to print. Hagler explains such old/ new terms as entry /record, heading/access point, and collation/physical description, putting the definition of the old terms into histori- cal perspective and showing why they are now too restrictive. Part 2 of the book, ''Library Standards," includes clear explanations of such con- cepts as name authority work, controlled subject vocabularies, uniform titles, and superimposition. Hagler stresses the im- portance of standardization for ade- quate identification of a document and .. consistency of description to avoid un- necessary ambiguity. In the past, a li- brary created its own rilles of practice independently. Common standards and practices are now widely followed by libraries in creating and communicating their catalog records. With common rules, institutions can contribute records to a use- ful union catalog, use each others' records interchangeably, and acquire records produced from a central source. Com- patibility is needed, not necessarily uni- formity. A library obtaining some of its records externally naturally adjusts its internal cataloging practices to conform. Idiosyncratic variants tend to disappear. Rapid changes in the nature of biblio- graphic controlled the author to begin this revision of the 1982 edition in 1985. Future changes will probably lead to subsequent editions. The present edition quite adequately describes what the bib- liographic record is today and how it came to be that way.-Elaine A. Franco, University of California, Davis. Avrin, Leila. Scribes, Script, and Books: The Book Arts from Antiquity to theRe- naissance. Chicago: American Library Assn.; London: British Library, 1991. 356p. $60 (ISBN 0-7123-0245-X). LC 89-18024. January 1992 Readers interested in the history of books before the advent of printing pre- viously either had to be content with brief preliminary surveys found in histo- ries of the printed book or had to work through numerous specialized publica- tions. Scribes, Script, and Books is an at- tempt to remedy this situation. While it primarily focuses on manuscripts and books, it touches on such areas as epigraphy and numismatics as well. Some general historical and literary background mate- rial is included also to set the develop- ment of writing and books in context. Avrin sets the stage with a brief intro- ductory overview. She then treats in de- tail the early history of writing and the development of the alphabet. Individual chapters are devoted to books and to writing among each of the major ancient civilizations: Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, and Roman. The discus- sion of Roman books leads directly into a survey of Latin scripts from early Roman inscriptions to modern calligra- phy. Avrin next deals with medieval manuscripts and illumination. Islamic books are discussed separately. Chap- ters on papermaking, bookbinding, and block printing round out the work. The chapters on Hebrew and Islamic books are particularly useful, since these topics have seldom been treated in any detail for the nonspecialist. Avrin's dis- cussion of Hebrew manuscripts is com- prehensive and extends from ancient and medieval scribes and manuscripts to the modern preparation of Torah scrolls and other texts for religious use. Her coverage of Islamic book arts draws at- tention to the many influences that these have had on Western bookmaking. In addition to preserving and later restor- ing to the West many classical Greek scien- tific and philosophical works, the Islamic world introduced to Europe the Chinese inventions of paper and marbled paper. Islamic binders also heavily influenced the techniques and materials used by Western bookbinders. Avrin stresses the essentially conser- vative nature of bookmaking throughout her work. Innovations occur in materials and technique and are duly noted, but