College and Research Libraries 318 I College & Research Libraries • July 1973 Despite all these shortcomings the fact remains that Charles Berlin has performed well an important and much needed task. Jewish scholarship now has a valuable ref- erence tool. The world of learning is much indebted to Charles Berlin for it.-Sheldon R. Brunswick, Head, Near Eastern Office, University of California Library, Berkeley. Schutze, Gertrude. Information and Li- brary Science Source Book; a Supple- ment to Documentation Source Book. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1972. 492p. $12.50. The time lapse between preparation and publication is a drawback to this supple- ment, whose materials themselves reflect the same time gap. Both the author's pref- ace and the publisher's releases stipulate that the items summarized range from mid- 1964 through 1969, which of necessity re- stricts information in the items themselves to early in the year of 1969, allowing for preparation and publication. This informa- tion cannot be considered the most recent advances in the field. There is virtually no information on net- working. Due to the time lapse, there is no reference to FA UL, OCLC, NELINET, BALLOTS, CSLSI, or TIE. The user should note these limitations and search elsewhere for recent advances. A significant article on the Colorado Academic Libraries Book Processing Center, which was pub- lished in the Winter 1969 issue of Library Resources & Technical Services, well with- in the preparation period of this Supple- ment, is not included. References from both the author index and the subject index are sometimes diffi- cult to locate in the text. The author refer- ral may be to a name listed within an ab- stract. Indexing is not complete or entire- ly clear. SDI (Selective Dissemination of Information) systems are referenced in a group from pages 415-26, where they ap- pear in alphabetical author order under that heading, yet several articles on SDI are introduced in a separate section on Cur- rent Awareness. The distinction between Current Awareness and Selective Dissemi- nation of Information is blurred when an abstract states that a system "promotes cur- rent awareness-through SDI notifications" (p.410). Although emphasis is laid upon the in- clusion of the widespread use of computers in this supplement, the user is advised to consult additional sources with more de- tailed and precise subject entries and more comprehensive coverage of the material. In general, the clarity of the abstracts re- flects the care exercised in their prepara- tion. There is a generous amount of retro- spective information, particularly in the more stable fields of planning library facil- ities, noncomputer acquisition and catalog- ing techniques, and handling special types of materials. For those with limited access to the standard indexes and abstracts in the field of library and information sciences, this monograph could be of assistance.- Gloria Terwilliger, Director, Learning Re- sources, Northern Virginia Community Col- lege, Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. Christ, John M. Concepts and Subject Headings: Their Relation in Informa- tion Retrieval and Library Science. Metuchen, N .J.: Scarecrow Press, 1972. 174p. One of the aspects so often criticized in library and information science by the users and designers of organized systems of in- formation is the inefficiency of subject re- trieval. Most of the criticism stems from personal frustration and not from any eval- uative investigation. Mr. Christ acknowl- edges this state-of-the-art and has devel- oped an investigation into the structure of the subject heading provided in academic library card catalogs. The study examines the meaning and function of headings in the area of social science, the main purpose being to determine the congruence b etween terminology in the social sciences and sub- ject headings used by libraries. The three specific objectives are: ( 1) to determine if key social science terms are connotatively similar to subject headings, ( 2) to deter- mine if such similarity, or lack of it, facili- tates retrieval, and ( 3) to determine if the degree of similarity varies for different types of social science terms. There are several secondary issues inb·o- duced which of necessity may affect the data and conclusions of the study. These include the nature and use of the academic library card catalog, how and why re- .. J .,. ... searchers need to know literature searching techniques, and the importance of inter- disciplinary developments on the effective- ness of bibliographical activities. Chapter one compares 665 general social science terms with those found in the Library of Congress Subject Heading List; chapter two relates the subject heading and inter- disciplinary social science terms; chapter three compares subject headings and terms in sociology; chapter four compares subdi- visions in social science with subject head- ings; chapter five compares the term "val- ue"; and chapters six and seven deal with the degree to which subject headings refer to books basic to the study of the field. The author draws both general and spe- cific conclusions. He finds that there is a wide conceptual gulf between social sci- ence and library science (or rather how li- brary science looks at social science) and that it seems evident that such a gulf only complicates research and teaching in social science. The results indicate a need for a philosophical change within library science to perhaps a more contemporary approach. The subject heading approach of library science does not meet the needs of social science. The author has made a relatively simple exploratory step into a much needed area of research. He has designed a methodology which is relatively sound and within a nar- rowly defined area is valid. There might be some question as to the validity of com- paring two schemes which are philosophi- cally opposed to start with, one designed as an index to an encyclopedia, and the other designed as a broad subject access to a gen- eral collection of books. This may be some- what incidental to the problem however. More fundamental is the question that aside from proving that library terminology is dated, is there evidence of a need for a philosophical change in approach? What is demonstrated beautifully in this study is the proverbial iceberg. The reader is presented with a picture much larger than what is actually explored, a whole se- ries of variable factors, implications, and generalizations which occasionally eclipse the basic objectives. This is perhaps a stylis- tic problem but it does detract somewhat from the palatability of the study. It should not detract however from the uniqueness Recent Publications I 319 of approach, the attempt to establish valid measures where none existed before, and the identification of many much more com- plex problems and needs for further re- search. In this sense the study could prove to be a cornerstone.-Ann F. Painter, As- sociate Professor, Drexel University, 'Phila- delphia. Mount, Ellis, ed. Planning the Special Li- brary. SLA Monograph No.4. N.Y.: Spe- cial Libraries Association, 1972. 128p. Congratulations to editor Ellis Mount for producing this attractive and well-designed volume of readings which is something of a landmark reference work in library plan- ning. Compiled from a series of papers pre- sented at a seminar entitled "Blueprint for the '70s," sponsored by the New York Chapter of SLA on April 23, 1971, this guide is, by the way, a sequel to the vol- ume edited by Chester M. Lewis in 1963 entitled Special Libraries: How to Plan and Equip Them, which grew out of a library planning seminar sponsored by SLA in 1958. It is gratifying to see so many familiar names among the contributors to this man- ual. Anything Liz Gibson writes might well be accepted as gospel even without reading it! We feel the same way about Gordon Randall, Jeanette Rockwell (nee Sledge) , Jean Flegal, Jean Deuss, and our other SLA author-colleagues. These people know their business and their essays prove it. The papers cover all aspects of the plan- ning process, from initial concepts through layout, interior design, and selection of fur- niture and equipment. Procedures for mov- ing and remodeling libraries are also dis- cussed. Each article is concise, .factual, practical, well-defined, and illustrated, if appropriate. "Space Utilization in a Special Library: Making Do with What You Get," by Gordon Randall, offers some particular- ly helpful formulae for estimating the col- lection area. In addition to the essays, special men- tion should be made of the two excellent checklists and the bibliography of selected literature contained in the manual. The RockwelljFlegal "Checklist with Guide- lines for Library Planning" is a remarkably thorough ready-reference for the library ad-