ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 241 participants to its spring program m eeting on “Economic Reality: Strategies for the Academic Library” on May 3 at the University of Maine, Orono. The New England Chapter has 768 per­ sonal members and 86 institutional members. • The O r e g o n C h a p t e r has established the pattern of m eeting in the winter, spring, and fall of each year. At the February meeting, held on the campus of Pacific University in Forest Grove, Stephen Beckham, a historian at Lewis and Clark College and an authority on Northwest Indians, discussed the ways in which libraries have been helpful to him in his research. The April meeting at Oregon State University in Corvallis featured a presentation on Earlham College s course-related library user instruction program by Tom Kirk, science librarian, and Jerom e Woolpy, professor of biology at Earlham. • The W e s t e r n N e w Y o r k / On t a r i o C h a p t e r sponsored a workshop on April 7 in Rochester jointly with the Upstate New York Chapter of the Sp ecial L ib ra rie s A ssociation. T h e to p ic was “Analysis of Library Collections: How to Evaluate What You Own and How Much It Is U sed.” ■■ PO O LE NAMED C H O IC E EDITOR Jay Martin Poole has been appointed the new editor of C h o ic e , a monthly book selection journal published by ACRL in Middletown, Connecticut. At C h o ic e Poole will have responsibility for a publication with a circulation of about 6,000, a budget of $700,000, and a staff of twenty-two. Since 1974 Poole has been head librarian of the Undergraduate Library, University of Texas at Austin. He was head of the Reference D epart­ ment at the State University of New York at Buf­ falo Library during 1973-1974, and special pro­ grams librarian and referen ce librarian at the University of Washington (Seattle) Libraries from 1970 to 1973. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of Tulsa and his M .L .S . degree from the Univer­ sity of Oklahoma. Active in ACRL, he was the 1978-1979 chair of the ACRL Undergraduate Librarians Discussion Group. Inside Washington J a m e s D. L o c k w o o d Assistant D irec to r ALA W ashin gton O ffice The W hite House Conference on Library and Inform ation Serv ices is now only two months away. Much has been w ritten about the reso­ lutions adopted by the state conferences. Now people are beginning to speculate on the possible impact of resolutions that will come out of the na­ tional conference. The Washington office is greatly interested in what happens at the W hite House Conference. The office is constantly seeking new material that will help tell the library story to those in gov­ ernment who make laws and regulations. Reso­ lutions of library organizations and meetings lend weight to the message we convey on behalf of li­ brarians and libraries. Resolutions from the W hite House Conference will be special, however, and the 96th Congress will indeed require something special if libraries are to come out ahead. The purse strings of Con­ gress remain very tight. As a result, more than the usual justifications will be necessary just to keep in place successful federal program s, let alone start new ones. Every once in a while federal programs in any area need a shakedown. No matter how impor­ tant the goals of minority librarian recruitment, service to the disadvantaged, and cooperation and sharing, the programs designed to m eet these needs must occasionally b e reviewed and repack­ aged. To be sure, the U .S. Office of Education conducts its own evaluations, but an evaluation by librarians and library users themselves could have an even greater impact. T he results of the W hite House C onference will have special significance for several reasons. First, the time is right for a fresh look at the di­ rection the library field is taking. Second, the conference will focus national attention on library issues. Third, the predominance of citizen partic­ ipants (two-thirds of the total) should not only improve discussion but also enhance the overall credibility o f the process. And finally, multiple targeting on local, state, and national issues and the wide scope of the topics to be considered will give added importance to the resolutions that come out of the conference. All of this is not to say that the current slate of library problem s will be wiped clean, or that long-debated issues will finally be resolved. On the other hand, it will be refreshing to look at a brand new distillation of what is changing (and not changing) in the field. In the Washington office, we are confident that the overall results of the conference will help to highlight our national assets, to reconfirm continuing needs, and to focus our efforts in new areas. ■■ Announcing a Major New Series o f Studies in American Literature CRITICAL ESSAYS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE General Editor, James Nagel, Northeastern University G .K . H all & C o . is p leased t o a n n o u n c e a m a jo r new serie s in A m e ric a n lite r a r y c r itic is m . C r it ic a l E s s a y s o n A m e r i c a n L i t e r a t u r e c o lle c t s th e b e s t o f orig in al and re p rin te d s c h o la r ly essay s o n m a jo r A m e ric a n w rite rs. E d ite d b y o u ts ta n d ­ ing s c h o la rs , th e s e rie s w ill o f t e n p re s e n t th e o n ly c o lle c t io n o f w ritin g s on m a n y o f th e s u b je c ts and w ill c o v e r th e e n tir e h is to r y o f A m e rica n w ritin g fro m 1 6 2 0 to th e p re se n t. A V A IL A B L E I N DECEMBER - 3 MAJOR CONTEM PORARY WRITERS C R IT IC A L E S S A Y S ON JO Y C E C R IT IC A L E S S A Y S ON SA U L BE L L O W C A R O L O A T E S e d ite d by S ta n le y T r a c h te n b e r g e d ite d b y L in d a W agner 0 - 8 1 6 1 - 8 2 8 1 - 7 $ 2 7 . 5 0 0 - 8 1 6 1 - 8 2 2 4 - 8 $ 2 5 . 0 0 P r o fe s s o r T r a c h te n b e r g c h a r ts th e c r itic a l J o y c e C a ro l O a te s w ro te th e p r e fa c e fo r r e c e p tio n re c e iv e d by B e llo w , a 1 9 7 6 th is b o o k , th e fir s t c o lle c t io n o f c r itic is m N o b e l la u re a te . T h e in t r o d u c tio n by th e a b o u t h e r w o rk . H e r f ic tio n is k n o w n fo r e d ito r is a c o m p r e h e n siv e ov erview o f its r e fle c tio n o f th e v io le n c e and n e u ro se s B e llo w ’s c a r e e r and o f c r itic a l re s p o n se to o f c o n te m p o r a r y s o c ie ty . In th e in tr o d u c ­ h is w o rk . T h e c o lle c t io n o f e ss a y s th a t tio n t o th e b o o k , W agner p re se n ts a v a lu ­ fo llo w s in clu d e s d istin g u ish ed c r itic is m by ab le and m u ch -n e e d e d overview o f O a te s ’ P h ilip S te v ic k , E u s e b io R o d re g u e s , and c a re e r and o f th e c r itic a l re s p o n se to h e r Irv in S t o c k . D a n iel F u c h s o f f e r s an analy sis w ritin gs. In c lu d e d are orig in al essay s by o f h it h e r to u n k n o w n w ritin g s b y B e llo w . Irv in g M a llin , E lle n F r e e d m a n , E ile e n T . S ta n le y T r a c h te n b e r g , th e e d ito r , h as B e n d e r, P e te r S te v e n s, and G .F . W aller. w ritte n e x te n s iv e ly o n A m e ric a n L ite r a tu r e L in d a W agner, th e e d ito r , is th e a u th o r o f in su ch jo u r n a ls as th e Y a le , K e n y o n , and 1 7 b o o k s as w ell as s c o re s o f p o em s, G e o r g i a R e v i e w s , M o d e r n F i c t i o n S t u d ie s , sto r ie s , and a rtic le s . and C o m m e n t a r y . C R IT IC A L E S S A Y S ON A R T H U R M IL L E R Ja m e s J . M a rtin e a p p e a r in th is v o lu m e . A lso in c lu d e d is 0 - 8 1 6 1 - 8 2 5 8 - 2 $ 2 5 . 0 0 P r o fe s s o r M a r tin e ’s 1 9 7 9 in terv iew w ith As a p la y w rig h t, M ille r h as e n jo y e d b o th M ille r, p u b lish e d h e re f o r th e fir s t tim e. c r itic a l and p u b lic a c c la im . T h is c o lle c t io n D an iel W alde h as a lso c o n tr ib u te d an is th e m o s t s u b s ta n tia l c o lle c t io n o f c r i t i ­ orig in al e ss a y , and th e c o lle c t io n o ffe r s a cism ev er p u b lish e d o n M ille r’s life and u s e fu l b ib lio g r a p h ic guide. Ja m e s M a r tin e is w ritin gs. B r o o k s A tk in s o n , J o h n S im o n , A s s o c ia te P r o fe s s o r and H ead o f the W a lte r K e r r , and T h o m a s P o r te r are a m o n g G ra d u a te P rog ram in E n g lish a t S t. th e d istin g u ish ed c r itic s w ho se w ritin g s B o n a v e n tu re U n iv e rsity . FORTHCOMING I N SPRING 1980 C R IT IC A L E S S A Y S ON H A R R IE T C R IT IC A L E S S A Y S ON B E E C H E R STOW E M A R G A R E T F U L L E R e d ite d b y E liz a b e th A m m o n s e d ite d b y J o e l M y e rso n 0 - 8 1 6 1 - 8 2 6 0 - 4 0 - 8 1 6 1 - 8 2 8 3 - 3 C R IT IC A L E S S A Y S ON G E O R G E C R IT IC A L E S S A Y S ON W ASHINGTON C A B LE JON ATH A N ED W A R D S e d ite d by A rlin T u r n e r e d ite d b y W illiam J . S c h e ic k 0 - 8 1 6 1 - 8 2 5 6 - 6 0 - 8 1 6 1 - 8 3 0 4 - X Call to ll-fr e e 7 0 L in1 - 8 0 0 - 3 4 3 - 2 8 0 6 G .K co . l n H S t A r e e t L , B L o s t o & n , M C A O 0 . 2 1 1 1