ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


March 1992 /2 0 5

PUBLICATIONS
by George M. Eberhart

•  B o t a n ic a l E x p lo r a tio n  o f  t h e  T r a n s -M is­
s is s ip p i W e s t, by Susan D elano McKelvey (1,200
pages, O ctober 1991), is a classic history of the
botanical explorations o f th e  w est from 1790 to
1850, first published in 1955 by th e  Arnold A rbore­
tum  of Harvard University. This m onograph pro ­
vides th e  cultural and historical setting for the
developm ent o f natural history studies throughout
the Am erican W est. McKelvey’s work is the defini­
tive assessm ent o f th e  life, labors, field work, and
publications of many botanical explorers who charted
the resources o f wilderness lands west o f the Missis­
sippi River. Nine original maps by Erwin Raisz are
included. Copies are available for $85.00 from
O regon State University Press, W aldo Hall 101,
Corvallis, O R 97331-6407. ISBN 0-87071-513-5.

•  T h e  C o lu m b ia  G r a n g e r ’s W o r ld  o f  P o ­
e t r y  on C D -R O M  com bines th e  indexing pow er of
G ranger’s Index to Poetry with the full text o f the
actual poem s m ost often anthologized. Users can
read  the full texts of 8,500 classic poems, 3,000
quotations from a fu rth er 1,500 famous poem s, and
full anthology citations for another 80,000 poems.
Only snippets of inform ation (author, subject, title,
first line, o r selected words) are n e eded to  locate a
given poem . T he disk costs $699.00 and is available
from C olum bia University Press, 562 W. 113th St.,
N ew  York, NY 10025. ISBN 0-231-07672-X.

•  E s s e n t ia l G u id e  t o  d B a s e  IV  in  L ib r a r ­
ie s , by Karl Beiser (365 pages, N ovem ber 1991),
addresses the basics o f using this popular database
program  in a library setting— som ething the soft­
ware m anual fails to  do, if only because it cannot
include all the step-by-step jobs that it is capable of
doing in all conceivable situations. This book con­
centrates on dem onstrating practical approaches to
accomplishing a variety o f tasks using dBase IV.
Specific applications include library statistics, news­
p a p er indexing, abstracts andbibliographies, serials
m anagem ent, and MARC records and catalog cards.
Extensive examples and sam ple code are provided.
Copies may be o rd e re d  for $40.00 from M eclder
C orporation, 11 F erry L ane W est, W estport, CT
06880. ISBN 0-88736-530-2.

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 

•  J o u r n a lis ts  o f  t h e  U n ite d  S ta te s , by Rob­
e rt B. Downs and Jane B. Downs (391 pages, 
D e ce m b er 1991), gathers in an alphabetical form at 
th e  hundreds o f m en and w om en who have shaped 
th e  news world in Am erica from the late 17th 
century to the present. B rief biographies o f such 
journalists as Connie Chung, Bill Curtis, Joel C han­
dler H arris, Bill Moyers, D iane Sawyer, John P eter 
Z enger, and 480 o thers are profiled in this concise 
com pendium . A copy may be o rdered for $41.95 
postpaidfrom  M cF arland&  Co., Box611, Jefferson, 
NC 28640. ISBN 0-89950-549-X.

•  T h e  L e g a l R e s e a r c h e r ’s D e s k  R e f e r ­
e n c e ,  1 9 9 2 , com piled by Arlene L. Eis (406 pages, 
D e ce m b er 1991), gathers to g eth e r nam es, ad­
dresses, and p h one num bers o f Congressional of­
fices, federal judges, state officials, legal publishers, 
law schools, and legal periodicals. O f particular 
interest are charts of the state court structure for 
each state. Copies may b e o rdered for $50.00 p e r 
copy (plus $4.00 shipping) from Infosources P u b ­
lishing, 140 N orm a Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. 
ISBN 0-939486-21-0.

•  T he Sum m er 1991 issue o f L ib r a r y  T r e n d s  
covers the topic o f “Software for Patron Use in 
Libraries.” E dited by D enise M. Beaubien, Alice 
L eíler Primack, and C olleen Seale, th e  articles 
discuss software selection, intellectual access, copy­
right, reference services, and public use. A case 
study of th e  policies and practices at Texas A&M 
University’s Sterling C. Evans L ibrary is included. 
Single issues of Library Trends cost $18.50, and the 
subscription price is $60.00 (plus $5.00 for overseas 
subscribers). O rd e r from the University o f Illinois 
Press, Journals D epartm ent, 54 E . Gregory Drive, 
Champaign, IL  61820. ISSN 0024-2594.

•  M o m in g s t a r  M u tu a l F u n d s  O n D is c  is a 
C D -R O M  software package that combines a data­
base o f m ore than 2,200 m utual funds with a m enu- 
driven software program , allowing you to compare, 
evaluate, and track m utual funds and produce cus­
tom ized reports and graphics. Since m utual funds 
are currently one o f the best investm ent deals in the 
early 1990s, you owe it to the students and faculty



206 /C & R L  News

in your care to guide them  into a secure future. This 
package allows you to search and sort for the funds 
that m atch your needs, com pare one fund against 
another, evaluate perform ance against nine bench­
m ark indexes, and export data into o ther software 
programs. T he CD-RO M  version of Morningstar 
contains 51 fields o f information on each fund, 
ranging from alphas to com plete portfolios. Also 
included are w ritten analyses based on interviews 
with the fund m anager and m anager profiles. One- 
year subscriptions are available with annual ($295), 
quarterly ($495), or m onthly ($795) updates; an 
additional H itachi CD -RO M  drive is $500 extra. 
This product was introduced in O ctober 1991. For 
m ore information, contact Morningstar, 53 W. Jack- 
son Blvd., Chicago, IL  60604; (312) 427-1985.

•  M y th o lo g ic a l a n d  C la s s ic a l W o r ld  A rt 
I n d e x , by M ercedes Rochelle (279 pages, D ecem ­
b e r 1991), aids th e  tedious process o f locating 
paintings, sculptures, frescoes, m anuscript illumi­
nations, sketches, woodcuts, and engravings ex­
ecu ted  betw een 1200 B ,C. and 1900 A .D . Arranged 
by subject, this directory lists historical persons, 
gods and goddesses, and events alphabetically as 
prim ary subject headings. Artwork is listed chrono­
logically by date o f creation, starting with contem ­
poraneous art and continuing through the Rom an­
tic movement. N eed apicture of Cincinnatus, F  abius 
Maximus Quintus, or Nyx (goddess of the night)? 
Check o ut this classical reference book. Copies may 
be o rdered for $45.00 from M cFarland & Co., Box 
611, Jefferson, N C 28640. ISBN 0-89950-566-X.

•  T he O h io  N e w s p a p e r  C a ta lo g  (1991 ed., 
microfiche) records Ohio newspapers held by the 
Ohio Historical Society both on original newsprint 
and on 35mm service copy microfilm .T h e  previous 
microfiche edition, published in 1,989, recorded 
only microfilm holdings. The catalog is p rin te d  on 
five microfiche sheets. Newspapers are listed al­
phabetically by city of publication and by title within 
each city. Individual rolls and volumes of a given 
title are arranged chronologically. R epresented in 
the society’s collection are 2,704 newspapers p u b ­
lished in 489 Ohio cities and villages. Copies are 
available for $20.00 prepaid (plus $1.15 sales tax for 
Ohio residents). To order a copy, contact Stephen 
Gutgesell, Ohio Historical Society, 1982 Velma 
Ave., Columbus, O H  43211.

•  T h e  R e f e r e n c e  L ib r a r y  U ser: P r o b le m s  
a n d  S o lu tio n s , edited by Bill Katz (151 pages, July 
1991), focuses on the particular needs o f various 
p o p u latio n s using re fe re n c e  collections. Fay 
Zipkowitz exam ines th e  inform ation needs of 
deinstitutionalized users and outlines m ethods of 
providing service and a rationale for comm unity 
outreach. O ther chapters cover reference service to 
older adults, the learning disabled, the blind, and 
the physically handicapped. Mary Boulanger sur­
veys the diverse publics served at the University of

Wisconsin-Milwaukee, andPatricia A. Cannon looks 
at the reasons why some faculty, students, and staff 
do not use the university library. T he cost is $24.95. 
O rder from Haworth Press, 10 Alice St., Binghamton, 
NY 13904-1580. ISBN 1-56024-022-9.

•  T h e  R ig h ts  o f  I n d ia n s  a n d  T r ib es; T h e  
B a s ic  A C L U  G u id e  t o  I n d ia n  a n d  T r ib a l R ig h ts , 
by Stephen L. Pevar (335 pages, 2nd ed., D ecem ­
b e r 1991), provides in-depth coverage o f issues 
such as tribal government, state and federal power 
over Indian affairs, civil and criminal jurisdiction in 
Indian country, taxation, hunting and fishing rights, 
and the civil rights of Indians. Central to the 
understanding of the relationship betw een the U. S. 
governm ent and the Indian tribes is the doctrine of 
“trust responsibility,” which spells out the Ameri­
can government’s obligation to fulfill its treaty agree­
ments. Copies may be ordered for $7.95 from 
Southern Illinois University Press, P.O. Box 3697, 
Carbondale, IL  62901. ISBN 0-8093-1768-0.

•  R o m e  in  t h e  F o u r th  C e n tu r y  A .D .; An 
A n n o ta te d  B ib lio g r a p h y  w ith  H is to r ic a l O v e r ­
v ie w , by Alden Rollins (324 pages, Novem ber 
1991), describes m ore than 1,400 historical sources 
covering works on the Roman E m pire from A.D. 
284 to 395. Topics covered include politics and 
government, military m atters, literature and educa­
tion, m onetary m atters, science, art, foreign affairs, 
religion, and philosophy. O nce considered a degen­
erate e rain  which the fate o fthe Roman E m pire was 
sealed, the fourth century has gained significance as 
an underappreciated and pivotal point in history. 
Entries are primarily 20th-century books and articles, 
but some earlier works are also included. Copies are 
available for $48.50 fiom McFarland & Co., Box 611, 
Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-89950-624-0.

•  S ta ff D e v e lo p m e n t:  A  P r a c tic a l G u id e , 
Anne Grodzins Lipow and D eborah A. Carver, 
consulting editors (104 pages, 2d ed., O ctober 
1991), offers both theoretical and practical advice 
on planning, preparing, o r expanding a staff devel­
opm ent program. O f particular interest are chap­
ters on “How  People Learn,” by Susan Jurow; 
“Designing and C onducting a Needs Assessment," 
by Charles E . Kratz; “How to Prepare for a Specific 
Program ,” by Anne Lipow; and “How  to Make 
Training Stick,” by D eborah Carver. Copies are 
available for $25.00 from ALA Publishing, 50 E. 
H uron St., Chicago, IL  60611. ALA O rder Code 
3402-1-0010. ISBN 0-8389-3402-1.

•  W h o ’s W h o  in  A sia n  a n d  A u str a la sia n  
P o lit ic s , edited by Yolanda Dolling (475 pages, 
1991), provides the names o f leading politicians, 
governm ent and parliam entary figures, trade union 
leaders, and oth er political personalities in the 
region. A unique index to all governm ent posts is 
included. Copies are available for $175.00 from 
K.G. Saur.P.O . Box 31, New Providence, NJ 07974- 
9903. ISBN 0-86291-593-7. ■  ■