College and Research Libraries 82 I College & Research Libraries • January 1977 title states. It is an elementary text of the subject primarily for those without any background or experience in PPBS. The initial part of the book contains many good definitions of terms that relate specifically to PPBS and to budgeting in general. The sections that deal with "Problems and Is- sues Found in Governmental and Business Literature Relating to PPBS" and the one on the history of academic libraries add little, if anything, to the primary scope of the book. The book is actually divided into two parts. The first consists of the background materials already noted while the second consists of five case studies of ARL mem- bers chosen because "each had a member of the administrative staff to whom had been delegated the specific authority and responsibility for implementing PPBS." The case studies consist of summaries of inter- views held at each of these institutions. Each interview is noted separately with a brief summary of each case study. There are general conclusions drawn ba- sically from the case studies. In addition, there are appendixes including copies of the several questionnaires utilized in the study. A book on PPBS for academic libraries should have its place in the literature of the field. Unfortunately, this one begins with promise but ends up with little of real sig- nificance. Specifically, there are some problems with the book. On page one there is a mistake in fact (ARL libraries all have over a mil- lion volumes), and in several other places there seems a real naivete about the subject matter (e.g., "that because of the size of their parent organizations, these libraries are more visible to state legislatures or oth- er funding authorities" p.64). It would be difficult to prove this since many of the best known academic libraries are in relatively small institutions. The same is true for many other assumptions similar to this ex- ample. The unfortunate flaw in this book lies in the case studies. The approach taken was to interview several people at each of the five institutions and to summarize each in- terview. The information in the several interviews is not tied together except in a brief summary statement. Especially in the more detailed case studies, had the data been presented as a united whole rather than in four or five parts, it would have been more meaningful. As it is, there is often conflicting information as to what happened and how it happened, and no at- tempt has been made to indicate what ef- fect these different interpretations had on the effect of PPBS. One shortcoming which could have been avoided was the use of dated material. The study was written in 1972, and no pub- lished information after that time is includ- ed. For the case studies it would have been possible to update the information before its publication in 1976. This might have provided more complete information since some of the institutions should · have fully implemented PPBS by that time. Four-year- old data are not as significant as a one-to- two-year time lag. In the general conclusions, the author again passes up an opportunity to draw conclusions from the data presented. In- stead, the conclusions are really a summary. After reading the book, one does not really know if PPBS is a viable system for li- braries. Of the seven basic inquiries of the study there is no conclusion drawn about any: What effect does the formulation of goals and objectives have? What is the im- pact of PPBS upon organizational struc- ture? Had these questions and the others raised been answered, the study would have had more meaning. The main value of the book lies in its elementary description of PPBS and the new data presented in the case studies al- though each reader would have to reach his or her own conclusions. The book will have its place in library literature but perhaps not as close to the top as might have been desired.-Irene Braden Hoadley, Texas A&M University Libraries. A Plan for Cooperative Action. Final Re~ port, Long Range Planning Committee of the Library Council of Metropolitan Milwaukee. Coordinated and edited by Susan Keller. Milwaukee: Library Coun- cil of Metropolitan Milwaukee, 1976. 78p. The goal of the Library Council of Met- ropolitan Milwaukee, an organization made up of 106 libraries (public, academic, school, and special), is to establish an in- formation network for the four-county met- ropolitan Milwaukee area. After a year-long study involving about eighty-five librarians and numerous hours of committee work, the Long Range Planning Committee has published its final report. The whole report consists of three volumes, Volumes II and III containing supportive documents (avail- able on loan from the Council office). Con- tents of the main volume are: The Council in Retrospect, Trends Toward Cooperative Action, The Planning Report, Funding and Legislation, Planning Areas, Functions and Implementation, and Appendixes (a ques- tionnaire, an up-to-date Ill-item bibliog- raphy, a glossary of terms, organizational guidelines, the Constitution of the Council, etc.). The report is well arranged and docu- ments effectively the history of and increas- ing interest in library cooperation in the Milwaukee area and the sociological, politi- cal, and economic factors involved in such an undertaking. It analyzes areas common to all libraries~bibliographic data bases, acquisitions, serials, public services, inter- Recent Publications I 83 library loan networks and delivery systems, and continuing education. The most infor- mative part is the Planning Areas section, in which various objectives of the commit- tee are discussed in brief, and a number of recommendations for specific types of ac- tion are submitted. Furthermore, a time- table is offered in the appendix for planning, implementing, and evaluating co- operative weeding, a delivery system for loans, a handbook on data base services, and a clearinghouse, among other things. For those libraries interested in setting up an information network, the report pro- vides valuable information on the complex- ity of the venture, and for those now participating in cooperative systems it may offer suggestions for additional and more effective ways of sharing resources. The report is an attempt to document past and continuing attempts at cooperation and to map out the future of the area's sharing of resources. Hopefully, the Council will publish a progress report.-Ronda Glikin, Interlibrary Loan, Center of Educa- tional Resources, Eastern Michigan Univer- -sity, Ypsilanti. Statement of Ownership and Management College & Research Libraries is published 17 times a year, bimonthly as a technical journal with II monthly Ni!ws issues, combining July-August, by The American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, I L 60611. American Library Association, owner; Richard D. Johnson, editor. Second class postage paid at Fulton, Missouri. Printed in U.S.A. As a nonprofit organization authorized to mail at special rates (Section 132.122, Postal Service Manual), the purposes, function, and nonprofit status of this organization, and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes, have not changed during the preceding twelve months. Extent and Nature of Circulation ("Average" figures denote the number of copies printed each issue during the preceding twelve months; "Actual" figures denote number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date-the July 1976 issue.) Total number of copies printed: Average, 12,052; Actual, 12,054. Paid circulation: not applicable (i .e., no sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sales) . Mail subscriptions: Average, 9,795; Actual, 10,346. Total paid circulation: Average, 9,795; Actual, 10,346. Free distribution by mail, carrier, or other means, samples, complimentary, and other free copies: Average, I ,208; Actual, I, 166. Total distribution: Average, 10,003; Actual , 11,512. Copies not distributed: Office use, left-over, unaccounted, spoiled after printing: Average, 2,049; Actual, 542. Returns from news agents: not applicable. Total (sum previous three entries): Average, 12,052; Actual, 12,054. Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation ( PS form 3526, Apr. 1976) for 1976 filed w it h the United States Post Office Postmaster in Chicago, September 28, 1976.