College and Research Libraries 360 College & Research Libraries Microfilming") holds but one five-page article on preservation options, which is thus segregated from a related category ("Access: Microforms") with papers yielding information about specific mi- croform projects. Some sections use general themes ("Scholars' Sources in Western Europe" and "Research Centers and Special Collections") to gather short descriptions of specific repositories, while others, particularly the two deal- ing with fringe movements, provide more substantive essays attacking circum- scribed problems from various angles. The poor interrelating of the parts repre- sented by the rubrics has the effect of dragging the contributions along a very bumpy surface indeed. A second problem is closely related to the inadequate organization of the volume: the quality, focus, format, and intended readership of the individual contributions are inconsistent. The styl- istic range varies from chatty, fast-paced, and even anecdotal to dry and descrip- tive. Adding to the stylistic diversity, seven papers are in French or Italian, despite English titles in some cases. Most of the first hundred or so pages consist of sparse summaries of library services, with more than a few qualifying barely as abstracts. The middle of the volume contains more substantive and imagina- tive treatments of topics such as regional publishing, fringe movements, the emigre question, issues of marginality, and personal narratives. These contribu- tions deserve better treatment in a more selective and intensively edited volume, and the relatively tight focus of these five sections may suggest a future project along these lines. The last third of Euro-Librarian- ship is a potpourri of largely descriptive papers with a generally traditional focus on library matters, such as access to a variety of formats and the pricing of li- brary materials. A third issue, quite separate from the quality of the proceedings, is whether it is necessary to republish them after prior publication as volume 15 (1992) of the journal Collection Management. The sole difference between the two versions of these proceedings is the addition of an July1993 index for the book volume. In this light, it is worth noting again that the WESS conference took place more than five years ago, so that one might have ex- pected more substantial revisions. At least, it would have been reasonable to excise the eight-page conference schedule, including meals, receptions, and spon- sors for coffee breaks, and improve the abstracts provided for some of the papers. Moreover, some of the contribu- tions have already appeared in other journals likely to be held in many librar- ies. A modicum of editorial rigor would have greatly increased the appeal and readership for these proceedings. And yet, despite these faults, RUN and OCLC records suggest that many aca- demic libraries find themselves in pos- session of both printings of the conference proceedings at a total cost of nearly $200. Considering the role of librarians in the production of this volume, this expenditure of library re- sources for the duplication and redupli- cation of conference papers of uneven quality is ironic. In all, Euro-Librarianship will be a great disappointment for Western European specialists. Despite an impressive list of contributors, admirable goals, and some undeniably good papers, this volume fails to provide either a set of foundation texts or a platform for coherent discussion of issues in European librarianship. There are choice morsels to be found, but the stew is toilsome to digest.-Henry Lowood, Stan- ford University, Stanford, California. Hannesdottir, Signln Klara. The Scandia Plan: A Cooperative Acquisition Scheme for Improving Access to Research Publica- tions in Four Nordic Countries. Metu- chen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1992. 340p. alk. paper, $42.50 (ISBN 0-8108-2540-6). LC 92-1070. A group of large research libraries in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden established the Scandia Plan in 1956 to divide the responsibility of acquiring little- used non-Nordic (plus Icelandic) materi- als thought to be important to Nordic scholars. Participation in the plan was vol- untary, and each library had to bear its own costs. The plan was intended to bring savings when materials were no longer collected for certain selected sub- ject areas, and the funds were to be real- located to the subjects for which the library assumed responsibility. Along one track, national and university librar- i~s worked together, each selecting sub- ject areas in which it was responsible for extensive collection development. Special libraries formed a second group. They agreed on the division of acquisi- tions based on the place of publication or language, and focused on four types of material: agricultural and veterinary sci- ence, technical, medical, and government documents. The plan was dissolved in 1980. According to the author, the Scandia Plan failed for several reasons: a lack of strong administration, deficient locating tools, an emphasis on peripheral materi- als, and the inability to extend into other subject areas. These limitations under- mined the high expectations of the plan and ran counter to the trend in informa- tion provision that emphasized access to the most needed sources. Ultimately, the Scandia Plan became a political issue. The advantages to the individual hold- ing library were thought to be excessive, providing little benefit to the other li- braries. Three other cooperative acquisi- tion projects-the Farmington Plan in the United States, a German plan spon- sored by the Library Committee of the Emergency Society for German Scholar- ship (later the German Research Society), and the Swedish Plan for Cooperative Ac- quisitions-served as models for the Scan- dia Plan. Yet, as Hannesdottir suggests, none addressed or solved the Scandia Plan's dilemmas. It is instructive that the German plan still flourishes, due in signif- icant part to the infusion of funds by the German Research Society. By contrast, the Scandia Plan never received outside monies. Cooperative collection develop- ment projects succeed only when each par- ticipating library perceives the benefits to outweigh the costs. The benefits and costs may be transparent or hidden, real or im- agined, but if the participating libraries lose, then group failure cannot be far away. Book Reviews 361 The particulars of the Scandia Plan have largely faded from memory in re- cent years. Hannesd6ttir's fine history (an essentially unchanged version of her 1987 doctoral dissertation from the Uni- versity of Chicago) provides the first thorough discussion of th~ Plan's in- tricacies. After the initial euphoria of cooperative plans wears off, the issues remain political and economic at the core. This is the major lesson of the failure of the Scandia Plan, and its rami- fications are important and unequivo- caL-Michael P. Olson, University of California, Los Angeles. Dearstyne, Bruce W. The Archival Enter- prise: Modern Archiml Principles, Practices, and Management Techniques. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1993. 295p. alk. paper (ISBN 0-8389- 0602-8) In providing both novice and initiate New From Highsmith Press Preservation Of Electronic Formats& Electronic Formats For Preservation Edited by Janice Mohlbenrich. Answers to Your Questions About Electronic Formats Including the: • Durability and longevity of CD-ROM, • Advantages and disadvantages of microforms vs. electronic storage formats, • Costs and capabilities of imaging techniques, • Appropriateness of electronic formats for 1993 ISBN 0-917846-17-6 libraries. 144 pp Paper $25 P42P-95522 ~ POBox 800 Ft Atkinson, WI 53538 To Order Toll-Free 1-800-558-211 0