lib-MOCS-KMC364-20140103102400 52 Journal of Library Automation Vol. 4/1 March, 1971 BOOK REVIEWS Computerized Library Catalogs: Their Growth, Cost, and Utility, by J. L. Dolby, V. J. Forsyth, [and] H. L. Resnikoff. Cambridge, Mass.: TheM. I. T. Press, 1969. 164 pp. $10.00. On the verso of the title page of this book extolling the benefits of com- puter stored information we read: "No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, . . . , or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher." This is ironic evidence of the inner contradiction between the pioneering aspirations of new technological development and the interests of an exist- ing industry which feels threatened by unfounded fear of obsolescence and pursues claims to undesirable universal control of information. It is a vivid indication of an urgent need for statutory regulation of the right to information as opposed to the right of profit-motivated control of information. Behind this disturbing title page are found seven chapters, three of which constitute a specially important contribution to the very scarce literature on quantitative aspects of bibliographic administration. The other four chapters deal at some length with various cost-related aspects of bibliographic record conversion in machine readable form and with computer use for the production of library catalogs from such records: a chapter analyzing the user costs, costs of programming, hardware costs, and record conversion costs; another chapter on the effect of type face design and page format characteristics on the cost of printed catalogs; a chapter on automated error detection in bibliographic record processing; and a chapter on the use of machine readable catalog data in the production of bibliographies. The three chapters on statistical analysis of machine readable bibli- ographic data are chef-d'oeuvres of library literature. They demonstrate the wealth of quantitative information inherent in bibliographic record files, which with application of appropriate statistical methodology can yield most important information for library management. The introductory chapter illustrates a methodology of analysis of book publication trends, and comparing these with the Gross National Product and other economic indicators, points out forcibly the extent of vital quantitative information available to the administrator if he cares to analyze. This is a brilliant essay on the topic of the growth rate of library collections! The case study of the Fondren Library shelf list is a further elaboration of this theme, especially in terms of title vs. volume ratios and class distri· bution, leading to the third analytical essay on the similarities between the economic growth of nations and archival acquisition rates. This essay trio should not be missed by anyone concerned with the objectives and rational management of libraries. It should be obligatory Book Reviews 53 reading for administrators who want food for their creative vision. These essays not only are informative, illuminating and stimulating, they also attest the virtuosity of their authors in the area of imaginative statistical analysis. We put this book on our ready reference shelf with the conviction that its authors should be persuaded to give us a most needed textbook on the methodology of library statistical analysis. Ritvars Bregzis Library Use of Computers, An Introduction, edited by Gloria L. Smith and Robert S. Meyer. New York: Special Libraries Association, 1969. 114 pp. $5.00. ( SLA Monograph No. 3). This little paperback book is the result of a lecture series held during the spring of 1965 and sponsored by SLA's San Francisco Bay Region Chapter and the University Extension, University of California, Berkeley. According to the introduction, it is intended to be "a librarian's primer for computers: briefly, how they work, and basically what kinds of output can be got from them for use in libraries." The book includes most aspects of library automation in a very gen- eralized manner. The chapters include programming, systems analysis, hardware, applications, reference services, conversion, and current trends and future applications. The most informative chapters are the ones on application and current trends. The other chapters matter-of-factly present their information, but because they fail to raise questions do not challenge the beginner to seek additional answers. In addition, most of the papers do not include a bibliography or reading list and therefore do not give the reader guidance to further his interests. The more substantive papers in the book confront the reader with provocative statements, such as, "it should be the cost to the patron which the library should worry about. What is the cost to the ~atron of not knowing something, or the cost of having to find out?" or ' . . . Library Science . . . today is really only a technology, much like medicine was before biology was developed, namely a handbook-cookbook world. We must continue to search for underlying principles so that librarianship may become a science and grow out of its technological phase." The papers without doubt met the needs of the lecture series for which they were originally intended, and the authors are experts in the field. Most of them are well known for their work in library automation and mechanized information retrieval The question nevertheless arises-must ~very spoken word subsequently appear in print? Very little contribution Is made to the literature by this book as most of it has appeared elsewhere, many times, before-even down to many of the illustrations. As a group of elementary instructional lectures designed to stimulate intere!Jt, most of these papers make the grade, but as a contribution to the literature, a fllW of the papers may have better served as journal articles. Donald P. Hamme1' 54 Journal of Library Automation Vol. 4/1 March, 1971 The Career of the Academic Librarian-A Study of the Social Origins, Educational Attainments, Vocational Experiences, and Personality Charac- teristics of a Group of American Academic Librarians, by Perry D. Morri- son. Chicago: American Library Association, 1969. VIII, 165 pp. $4.50. This ACRL Monograph No. 29 is a revised and condensed version of a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Library Science at the University of California at Berkeley, published ten years after the data were collected. In 1958 the author sent questionnaires to two groups of academic librarians: head librarians of American college and university libraries earning $6,000 or more, which he calls the "primary group," and a "control group" from the same institutions selected from the 1955 edition of Who's Who in Library Service. The findings are quite interesting, often expected, but sometimes sur- prising. It would be expected that the study would support the theory that the true leader has interests broader than those whom he leads, that participation in professional and scholarly organizations is directly cor- related with position and salary, and that willingness to move around to different positions is an important ingredient in the formula of "success". But this reviewer, and perhaps others, are surprised to learn that librarians, psychologists and business leaders tend to come from families of men who are better educated than the average, and that it is more advantageous for a woman than a man to hold a master's degree in a subject field and/or to possess the old-type master's in library science. The chapter on "Implications of Findings" has some interesting com- ments from respondents, among which is the notion that rewarding special- ized competence, as opposed to general administrative ability, is essential if a maximum contribution is to be secured from both men and women. Not many academic library administrators would quarrel with this point of view, but might quarrel with the heavy burden which the respondents lay on the library schools to solve the problems of academic librarianship, rather than sharing them with the libraries. Criticism of the study is directed toward the rather pessimistic, probably unrealistic, attitude taken by the author on the question of faculty status, and the omission of any substantial inclusion about information science and information specialists, although one needs to recall that these were not prominent issues in 1958, though they were in 1969. The wealth of information contained in this little volume can be useful in recruiting to the profession and to individual libraries, helpful to the young librarian just starting out in the practice of his profession, and of value to administrators of academic libraries. The appendices include a copy of the questionnaire, a statement of the statistical treatment, sugges- tions for further research and an extensive bibliography. Lewis C. Branscomb Book Reviews 55 The Computer in the Public Service: An Annotated Bibliography 1966- 1969. Compiled by Public Administration Service. Chicago: Public Infor- mation Service, 1970. 74 pp. $8.00. It seemed useful to approach this review from the point of view of a designer of automated library systems, to see how well this bibliography covered the use of computers in that sector of the public service. Thus approached, The Computer in the Public Service is disappointing in the extreme. Nearly a quarter of the volume is used to explain the classification system, wherein one finds libraries lumped together with museums and the promotion of science and research. This over-generalization is reflected throughout the work and results in very thin coverage, at least as con- cems the field of library automation. For example, in the four-year period covered, one finds a single article by Henriette A vram. One finds neither MARC nor RECON in the subject index. The indexes, by the way, refer one to the numbers of the sections of the classification code, rather than to page numbers. This takes some getting used to. Both journal articles and monographic works are included, but one is hard put to find reference to most of the major systems problems now being tackled by library systems designers, and is struck by the fact that most imprints included seem to be 1966-67. But to return to the real problem with this work: covering four years of the use of computers in the public service in forty-seven pages of citations naturally leaves wide gaps in the literature. The person wishing to learn all about the use of computers in the public service, especially in library systems, will do well to look beyond this meagre list of citations. It can perhaps be best charac- terized as - too little and too late. Lawrence G. Livingston Computer Programming for Business and Social Science, by Paul L. Emer- ick and Joseph Wilkinson. Homewood, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, 1970. xviii, 429 pp. $13.25. This book is devoted principally to business programming, with a few of the examples being taken from educational administration or social ~cience. The computer language used throughout most of the chapters ~s FORTRAN-not the current FORTRAN IV, which is covered briefly m an appendix, but the older FORTRAN II. One chapter is devoted to COBOL and another to an "Overview of Other Languages" including BASIC, ALGOL, and PL/I. It is a satisfactory introduction to program- ming fundamentals, generally clear and well presented. Furthermore, the ?umerous exercises in business programming would seem to be a useful mtroduction to that field. However, neither the language nor the type of ~xample used gives the book any special relevance for persons approaching library automation. Foster M. Palmer 56 ] oumal of Library Automation Vol. 4/1 March, 1971 Consortiwn of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area: Union List of Serials, edited by Bruce Dack. 2d edition. Washington, D.C.: Distributed by the Catholic University of America Press, 1970. $20.00. This edition represents 23,787 diHerent serial titles located in American, Catholic, George Washington, Georgetown and Howard Universities. The scope has been enlarged to include monographic series. Among the sub- jects emphasized are Africana, astronomy, canon law, chemistry, classics, Latin Americana, law, linguistics, medicine, physics, Semitics, theology and the American negro. Although the citations lack the complete biblio- graphic data that was included in the first edition, the cross references are more than adequate to get from variant forms of the entry to the latest form. In most instances only the title is noted along with the holdings of the various libraries. The print is not as good as that of the first edition. Even though the quality does not quite come up to that of the first edition, the list is still worthwhile for people doing research in the Washington metropolitan area. Sue Brown The Case for Faculty Status for Academic Librarians, edited by Lewis C. Branscomb. Chicago: American Library Association, 1970. 122p. $5.00. This volwne is available at a most opportune time because of the current interest in faculty status for librarians in academic institutions. Fourteen articles and statements examine the various aspects of the subject and generally support faculty status for librarians. Although only two of the articles have not appeared in Colleges and Research Libraries during the past decade, this compilation effectively brings together the relevant state- ments on the subject. Faculty status for librarians is a burning issue on many campuses where recognition is being sought, threatened, or questioned. Unfortunately, many librarians take faculty status for granted or perhaps do not completely understand or appreciate it. This book will be useful for many groups and situations because of its comprehensiveness. Some of the subjects discussed are priviliges and obligations of faculty status, definition of professional duties, criteria for appointment and promotion, opportunities for study and research, and the granting of tenure. On individual campuses faculty status for librarians must be secured and retained in terms locally acceptable and in a frequently unfriendly, if not hostile, atmosphere. The article, "Institutional Dynamics of Faculty Status for Librarians," by Robert H . Muller very effectively describes the advantages of faculty status for the institution and explains the forces that tend to work against faculty status for librarians. ]ames T. Dodson Book Reviews 57 MONOCLE; Projet de Mise en Ordinateur d'une Notice Catalographique de Livre, [by] Marc Chauveinc. Grenoble: Bibliotheque Universitaire, 1970. (Publications de Ia Bibliotheque U niversitaire de Grenoble, III) 156p., [32 leaves] This attractively printed volume is an adaptation, not a translation, of LC MARC II and BNB MARC by the Librarian of the University of Gre- noble. As M. Chauveinc points out, the format established in a country is based on the cataloging rules used there, since the latter determine the cataloging elements, their functions and relationships. Element by element, code by code, everything in MARC had to be redefined for MONOCLE in the context of the French rules. Because of a commitment to international standardization, care was taken not to alter the basic structure of the content designators used in MARC. When a MARC variable field is not needed in MONOCLE, e.g., 650 ( L. C. topical subject headings) it is left unused and a new tag is created for the equivalent French field. French topical subject headings are thus 681. MARC is a communications format; MONOCLE is a processing format for an individual library which wishes to place its bibliographic records in memory, to produce printed catalogs, and to keep statistics that will be useful in administering the library. The structure of MONOCLE divides each record into two parts: an index file and a library or principal file. This latter is a continuous string of variable length fields which contain the data of a catalog record. The fields and subfields are differentiated in this file only by delimiters and subfield codes. The tags and indicators appear in the Directory. The index file in its turn is divided into three parts: a Leader, Informa- tion codes, and a Directory which is similar to, though not identical with, the MARC Directory. The nineteen-byte Leader and the sixty-nine-byte Information codes area together form the Legend. The Leader is based on the MARC Leader and 001 (Control number) field while the Information codes are an expan- sion and replacement of MARC's 008 field, with provision for serials as well as monographs in this one format. Some of the information indicated in the Legend can be found in full in the variable fields. However, in line with MONOCLE's avowed objective of automating to improve the running of a library, this information is repeated in the Legend, since information placed there, being coded and in fixed positions, can be accessed and sorted more easily, rapidly, and economically. One of MONOCLE's most striking characteristics is the great concern exhibited throughout for sorting and filing arrangement; one example is the effort made to give sorting values to subfield codes. In this respect MONOCLE follows the example of BNB MARC rather than LC MARC, 58 Journal of Library Automation Vol. 4/1 March, 1971 which uses subfield codes only as a means of identifying distinct elements within a field. Everyone interested in the problems of bibliographic formatting, or sorting for filing, should give MONOCLE close attention, both for its specific provisions (such as its tagging conventions, its search code, its treatment of titles, subrecords, and references, etc.) and for the light it throws on MARC. While LC MARC is very succinct in its commentaries and rru:ely justifies its codes, MONOCLE has much fuller explanations of its provisions and its reasons for agreeing with or differing from MARC. Judith Hopkins System Scope for Library Automation and Generalized Information Stor- age and Retrieval at Stanford University. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Uni- versity, 1970. 157 pp. (Available from ERIC Document Reproduction Serv- ice. ED 038153 MF $0.75; HC $7.70) "The purpose of this document is to define the scope of a manual-auto- mated system to serve the libraries and the teaching and research com- munity of Stanford University." The automated system considered is not one, but the joint development of two major bibliographic projects; BAL- LOTS (Bibliographic Automation of Large Library Operations on a Time- sharing System) and SPIRES (Stanford Physics Information Retrieval System). The development activity falls into three areas; applications unique to BALLOTS, applications unique to SPIRES, and common facili- ties that are used by both applications, such as executive and communica- tions software and a text editor. The document is roughly divided in two, with haH being devoted to the scope statement and the other half a myriad collection of appendices. The scope portion of the document defines a second phase of development for the system, as prototype applications have been in operation. The ob- jectives of the applications are redefined in system level detail in view of experience learned from phase one. Hardware is evaluated and there are indications that it is inadequate to effectively handle even the prototype system. The appendices include a glossary for the uninitiated, sample docu- mentation of the present library operations, a comment on how the Law Library could use the system, a review by Louise Addis of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center's experience with SPIRES, and a tutorial on information retrieval. Because of the audience this publication is intended for (librarian users, system developers, and administrators) library automation specialists and information scientists will not find much to put their teeth into. The docu- ment seems to be intended mainly for internal use rather than external distribution. Alan D. Hogan Book Reviews 59 Advances in Librarianship, edited by Melvin J. Voigt. Volume 1. New York: Academic Press, 1970. 294 pp. This volume is a most welcome addition to the literature of librarianship, and the prospect of its annual reappearance is indeed cheering. For de- cades, there were few major innovations in librarianship, but about 1960 there occurred a series of events in libraries, including user-operated photo- copying machines, radical improvements and extensions of microphoto- graphy, and computerization, that are leading to formulation of new objectives, new systems, new techniques for printing, new media of com- munication, and new knowledge. Up until a dozen years ago, a librarian could keep abreast of new knowledge in his field by skimming a few journals and reading precious few articles. Today to keep up he should read a couple of abstract journals and request offprints, read most of the artic1es in at least four or five journals, and Advances in Libmrianship. This first volume contains eleven chapters by different authors that · discuss topics in a broad span of librarianship : cataloging; acquisitions; costs; academic, school and public libraries; bibliotherapy; and developing countries. Although the standard observation by reviewers of such volumes is that "as is to be expected, the quality of the papers is uneven, with some falling below others," it would be accurate to state of this volume that the quality of some papers is higher than others. The editor is to be commended for having produced an excellent publication that should be on the personal shelves of every librarian who wishes to keep abreast of advances throughout his profession. Frederick G. Kilgour Folkbiblioteken och ADB. En Introduktion i Automatisk Databehandling. Av Sten Henriksson. Datorn som Hjalpmedel vid Utlan och Katalogisering. Av Claes Axelson, Lund: Bibliotekstjanst, 1969. 86 p., ills., reg. The general service bureau for Swedish public libraries, Bibliotekstjanst, has edited this introduction to computers and library automation ( circula- tion and cataloguing). The book is written for persons who know the functions of a library and have perhaps more interest in than knowledge of computers and computer technique. The introduction about computers by Sten Henriksson from the Uni- versity of Lund is not loaded with numeric statements but carefully ex- plains the computer technique. For non-mathematicians this is an extremely good introduction. Claes Axelson from Bibliotekstjanst writes about the computer's use in circulation and cataloguing. The described circulation system is based on some experiments carried out at a branch library in Malmo (stock: 15,000 vols., circulation: 50,000 vols per year). Borrower's card and book-card are matched, and batch processed once a week. In case any cards are lost, 60 Journal of Library Automation Vol. 4/1 March, 1971 new ones are punched at the desk. Reservations were troublesome to handle (a more serious objection if the systems had been intended for use in research and special libraries). Cataloguing is described without referring to any experiments. All possibilities are mentioned, book cata- logues, card catalogues, databanks, microfiche. Specific problems about book cataloguing are treated too. Both parts of the book are well written and illustrated with taste and economy. There is an index and a bibliography, but one will find ]OLA and Program missing. For librarians in Scandinavian countries this book is a very useful one-though some problems are related only to the Swedish public library world. Mogens Weitemeyer Latin American Literature. Harvard University Library (Widener Library ShelHist, 21). Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Library, 1969. 498 pp. $20.00. The Harvard Library initiated its monumental project for publishing the Widener shelf list in 1965 with the appearance of Crusades. Making available a classed listing of the holdings of one of the world's largest scholarly libraries is a major contribution to scholarship, as reviewers of the early volumes gratefully acknowledged. However, this review is not concerned with content of this remarkable publication, but rather with the typography of the 21st volume. The early volumes ( 1-8) were reproduced by photo-offset from com- puter produced copy that was all in upper-case characters. To be sure, one does not read a shelf list, one consults it. Nevertheless, literature is in lower case, and using large compilations in upper case is tiresome be- cause of the low legibility of upper-case characters. The plates of these first volumes contained an average of 55 entries. The Harvard Library improved its procedures about a year after the volumes began to appear, so that the computer printout was in an expanded character set that included lower-case characters and diacritics. The newer volumes were far more legible and therefore far more comfortable to use. Each page carried a single column of entries; pages averaged 85 entries. Beginning with volume 21, computerized phototypesetting techniques are being employed, and legibility is greatly improved. Economy has also improved, for each page now averages over 130 entries per page-nearly two-and-one-half times the content of pages in the early volumes. Volume 21 has two columns of entries per page-a format that enhances the number of entries as well as legibility. Harvard is to be congratulated on taking advantage of computer de- velopments during the first five years of publication of the Widener Shelflist. Thereby, the aesthetics and economy of a major bibliographic publication have been gratifyingly enhanced. Frederick G. KilgOfJf