College and Research Libraries well. Reproduction of the order blank is superfluous as there is one in each issue of the Monthly Catalog and the authors sup- ply no explanatory information. Chapter II is made up of three pages of text describing the indexing and features. These give very little help to the user. No mention is made of the fact that Monthly Catalog indexes are made up of key-words, subjects, issuing agencies and, since 1964, personal authors. Further, there is no men- tion of the two Decennial Cumulative In- dexes, 1941-1950 and 1951-1960, unless these were mistakenly referred to as .. de- cennial personal author indexes" by the au- thors. Omitted also is the fact that Monthly Catalog indexes list material under such headings as "atlases," "directories," and "ephemerides." The omissions noted are in- excusable as the information mentioned above is essential for effective and efficient use of the Monthly Catalog. Chapter III, two pages of text, mentions additional sources for government publica- tions: Government Reports Index, Bibliog- raphy of Agriculture, Index Medicus, Re- search in Education, and CIS Index, each with a short description of contents and use. Chapter IV describes in the same fash- ion sources for historical documents- Greely, Poore, Ames, the 1909 Checklist, and the Documents Catalog. Chapter V lists seven popular guides to the use of gov- ernment publications, namely, Andriot, Boyd & Rips, Leidy, O'Hara, Schmeckebier, Wisdom (Popular Names of U.S. Govern- ment Reports, 1966, which, incidently, was superseded in 1970 by a catalog with the same title by Bernier and David of the Li- brary of Congress, LC 6.2:G74/970), and Wynkoop. These five chapters take up 21 pages and contain the only useful information on using the Monthly Catalog. The rest of the book is appendices. The first is a reproduction of the List of Classes of U.S. Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries (31 pages) . Including this is akin to writing a pamphlet on how to use the card catalog and appending the LC class schedules. Ap- pendix II is a short explanation of the SUDOCS classification scheme; Appendix III is an agency index to the classes. These two, without the List af Classes, are suffi- Recent Publications I 135 cient for users of the Monthly Catalog. Appendices IV and V have to do with de- pository library laws and practices which may or may not help the user. Appendix VI is an incredible 34i page reproduction of the "List of Depository Libraries" as of Sep- tember 1971. Anyone having need for this guide is presumably using the Monthly Cat- alog, and could easily turn to the Septem- ber issue and get the latest list. My advice to the prospective buyer is "Wait till it comes out in paperback," hope- fully with the appendices omitted, and a bright, attractive cover saying "How to Use the Monthly Catalog." You could drill a hole in it, tie a string through the hole, and hang it next to the Monthly Catalog where it could really be used. ERIC has such a guide for twenty-five cents, AEC distributes their Guide to Nuclear Science Abstracts free.-]oyce Ball, University of Nevada, Reno. Becker, Joseph, and Pulsifer, Josephine S. Application of Computer Technology to Library Processes: A Syllabus. Metuch- en, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1973. 173 p. $5-.00. In 1970 James Kortendick and Elizabeth W. Stone reported on the results of a re- search project entitled "Post-Master's Edu- cation for Middle and Upper-Level Person- nel in Libraries and Information Centers." One of the educational needs they identi- fied through a sample survey of federal li- brarians was the need for a post-master's course in library automation. Using data elicited in the sample survey and a systems approach to curriculum development, Beck- er and Pulsifer have prepared an outline for such a post-master's course, which they pre- sent in this syllabus. The course is divided into eight units of study: a general introduction, computer technology, systems analysis, the MARC program, library clerical processes, refer- ence and SDI services, related technologies, and library networks. Each unit includes a discussion of behavioral objectives for the unit, an outline of the topics covered, a course syllabus, and a bibliography. A list of general sources of information and an additional bibliography comprise the re- mainder of the work. There is no index, but the introductory outline to each unit facili- 136 I College & Research Libraries • March 1974 tates locating specific information. No course syllabus is completely satisfac- tory except perhaps to the person who has designed it. There are, nonetheless, some surprising omissions from this volume. A post-master's course in library automa- tion, especially one designed for librarians with little knowledge of, or experience with, automation, should include an analy- sis of the economic and managerial impli- cations of automation; it should also discuss how such techniques as operations research can improve managerial decision making. This syllabus treats economics minimally, and omits operations research and manage- ment information systems entirely. Other subjects are covered unevenly. The description of the MARC program is excel- lent; a lucid text is complemented by a rel- atively comprehensive bibliography of pri- mary and secondary sources. The unit on related technologies, on the other hand, is disjointed. With a vocabulary that is not al- ways precise, the authors present informa- tion on micrographics, dial-access systems, and telecommunications. In some instances trade names are used in place of generic terms, e.g., Kalvar film for vesicular film, and Microcard for micro-opaque. CRT ter- minals are described as permitting "extru- sion of an electron beam through a matrix of alphanumeric and special characters which are precision etched on a metal disk [and] when the beam strikes the phosphor- coated CRT, a high resolution character lights up" (p. 116). The reader is never told that CRT means cathode ray tube, or that a CRT presents a visual display of in- formation in a manner analogous to a tele- vision set. Neither the bibliography with the unit nor the general bibliography in- cludes references to standard sources of in- formation on micrographics. The sections covering computer technolo- gy, systems analysis, and library clerical processes are indebted to Robert M. Hayes' and Joseph Becker's Handbook of Data Processing for Libraries (New York: Wiley, 1970). A comparison of the two publica- tions shows that the syllabus is a precis of the Handbook and, as such, exhibits many of its weaknesses. Much of the material in these sections (and in other parts of the syllabus as well) is no more recent than 1970 and the majority of the bibliographi- cal citations are either to the Handbook or to mid-1960 publications. While the genesis of this syllabus and the reputations of its authors are impressive, there is little to distinguish the volume's content, scope, or approach from other pub- lications treating the same subject. The de- mand for a post-master's course in library automation may exist, but this syllabus does not supply that course.-Howard Paster- nack, Library Technology Reports, Ameri- can Library Association, Chicago, Illinois. Coburn, Louis. Library Media Center Problems, Case Studies. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications Inc., 1973. $7.50. Most librarians, I suppose, realize the limitations of the theoretical instruction (however good) they got in library school. It quickly becomes apparent that we were not fully prepared by our classwork for what faced us in the field. One answer to this problem has been the work-study ap- ·proach, but routine experiences in a work situation, completely divorced from theory, seem to be the other extreme. The case study approach may prove to be the answer. It involves a simulated work experience in the classroom where condi- tions can be controlled and theory can be applied as well as practical solutions. The major weakness seems to be that the case studies used are determined by the biases of the people who select and write them. In this book, however, Mr. Coburn seems to evidence a good set of biases. His simulated situations go right down the list of a school librarian's nightmares, from cen- sorship hassles to personality conflicts with the principal. The usual table of contents is followed by a helpful list of brief synop- ses of the cases. The introduction is well documented, for the sake of the further- reading crowd. The physical format of each case is clear and concise, short, and to the point. The author standardizes the cases with a scene-setting paragraph, some char- acter development, a presentation of the problem, then a list of discussion questions. Undeniably, the number one strong point of the case studies is brevity. The stage is set for discussion without reams of redun- dant reading. There are, however, some weak points.