College and Research Libraries search libraries. This study surpasses all others on two major points: it was done on a nation-wide scale, and it encompassed aU types of libraries except school libraries. It is the only comprehensive study of ILL in Canada. In the study, 352. libraries, known to be very active in ILL, supplied detailed infor- mation on the magnitude, staff costs, condi- tions, policies, and practices of their ILL service. A subgroup of 127 libraries sub- mitted nearly 11,000 individual reports on the nature of materials borrowed. The re- sults confirmed in specific manner what had been guessed at for many years, i.e., that the pattern of borrowing and lending fo- cuses on the central provinces, which are most populous in both residents and library resources, that the volume of traffic has been steadily increasing over the past sev- eral years, that a very considerable propor- tion of the items borrowed are "current," and that government, special, and college libraries rely very heavily on the resources of universities and the two national libraries. Other findings reported include the varia- tions in lending and borrowing by angle- phone and francophone libraries, the pro- portion of periodicals to monographs, the subject distribution across broad discipline categories, the means used by borrowing libraries to determine locations, and the factors affecting their choice of lending li- brary to be approached. Also examined was the cost of interli- brary loan services in a number of the li- braries, although not enough libraries sup- plied sufficient data to permit a thorough cost study. It was found that the labor costs averaged $3.25 per loan; the authors indi- cate that other costs would probably double this figure, in which case the Canadian costs compare very closely with those of re- cent major U.S. studies. In a concurrent study, the authors sur- veyed the literature of ILL. Because of its volume, they were selective, attempting to focus on key articles, while also trying to be interpretive, seeking to extract the prin- cipal themes in the development of ILL ac- tivity. Starting with the pioneer era and moving through the evolution of codes and the emergence of networks, the report pro- vides an interesting ILL history. The final Recent Publications I 573 two chapters deal extensively with contem- porary techniques and technology, and with recent surveys and developments, particu- larly in the areas of cost. The authors made only four recommen- dations. Three were addressed to the spon- soring body, the National Library of Can- ada, advocating federal reimbursement to net lenders, a stronger national periodicals resource, and the further development of national and regional union catalogs, co- ordinated by NLC. The fourth, addressed to the Canadian Library Association, con- cerns possible revision of its ILL code. Whether or not any of these recommenda- tions are implemented, these studies, taken together, constitute one of the most impor- tant and most systematic examinations of ILL ever made. These reports are necessary reading for all serious students of this im- portant aspect of library service.-Bruce Cossar, University Librarian, Trent Univer- sity, Peterborough, Ontario. Shores, Louis. Reference as the Promotion of Free Inquiry. Littleton, Colo.: Librar- ies Unlimited, Inc., 1976. 189p. $11.50. (LC 76-6150) (ISBN 0-87287-156-8) This is a collection of twenty-two articles and lectures by Dr. Shores which appeared between 1937 and 1974. The author of Ba- sic Reference Sources (BRS) has chosen a selection of his writings unified by a con- sistent theme that "liberal" reference librar- ianship (defined by J. I. Wyer in 1930 as "conservative, moderate, or liberal") is im- perative to free inquiry and that the "con- servative" or passive method (essentially, waiting for the question to be asked) we~k­ ens our full potential to share in the shap- ing of a free society. The reference librari- an, he says, must anticipate the question, prepare for it, and produce an environment that makes the question easier to ask. The articles, which are indexed and log- ically arranged in seven parts, serve as a professional autobiographical outline, for lack of a better term, highlighting Shores' contributions to reference theory and meth- od, reference book reviewing, and encyclo- pedics (his term). Teachers of reference will want to shelve this volume next to his basic text in their personal libraries, for it illustrates and expands upon some of the 574 I College & Research Libraries • November 1976 Automated Circulation Control Systems: An Overview of Com- mercially Vended Systems An extensive discussion by Barbara Evans Markuson of the characteristics of five circulation control systems, including CLSI, Checkpoint/Piessey, and Check-A-Book. In the July & September 1975 issues of LTR. $35. Microform Catalog Data Retrieval Systems A comparison of Information Design, Information Dynamics, and Library Processing Systems. In the May 1975 issue of LTR. $20~ Theft Detection Systems for Libraries A revealing and valuable 98-page survey of manufacturers and users. In the May 197 4 issue of LTR. $20. Library Technology Reports (LTR) is a unique bimonthly publication of the American Library Association that provides critical evaluations of products used in libraries, media centers, schools, and other educational institutions . Its purpose is twofold: to enable librarians and educators to make economical purchase decisions and to alert manufacturers of libr~ry needs and standards of performance expected. To order any of the above individual issues or for additional information on the complete subscription service, write to: LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY REPORTS American Library Association 50 East Huron Street Chicago, Illinois 60611 foundations of reference presented in BRS. Library science collections will benefit by this convenient assemblage of key articles. It is inevitable with a collection of this sort that there is some dated •and repetitious material. This is most obvious in the bibli- ographies and the title references in the text. However, every effort has been made to note conspicuously and consistently the original sources and dates as part of the au- thor's introduction to each article. In these prefatory remarks Shores "places" the ma- terial historically for the reader. The ma- terial is far from out-of-date for, as the au- thor advocates, the study of reference books should emphasize the books themselves, their time and place, their history as shown in their prefaces, as well as in the often-re- peated criteria for reference book evalua- tion, and the reader should seek historical perspective and understanding in using this collection. There are in the book several references to wars contemporary with the lectures, and one chapter, "Library Logistics in Ideolog- ical Warfare," reads much like a military training manual, reflecting not only the au- thor's philosophy but his background as well. That's all right too. The point is made that we as librarians do share a responsibil- ity to promote free inquiry, not just to ac- cept it passively, whether the war is World War II, Korea, or what Shores calls WW- 111-the continuing international contest for people's minds. Our part in this is to ensure people access to all the possibilities, the ideas, the answers within our ability to pro- vide them. In his pursuit of free inquiry the au- thor makes his case for the generic book, the library-college, and encyclopedias. Some may believe his articles on encyclo- pedics the best, pr at least the most unique· to Shores' career and his long concern for their concept, design, and development as the "backbone of reference work." Students of reference will find many of these articles useful and enlightening in their study of fundamental reference theory and they will also find a fair reflection of the personality behind much of it.-]ames F. Parks, ]r., Head Librarian, Millsaps Col- lege, Jackson, Mississippi.