College and Research Libraries 292 I College & Research Libraries • May 1979 tities of hard copy via any of these systems remains impractical for all but the best- funded libraries. The March 1976 Library Technology Re- ports contained an analysis by Angie LeClercq of ¥2-inch reel and %-inch video- cassette recorders. Since that issue a third format, ¥2-inch videocassette, has propelled its way into the American marketplace. LeClercq supplements her earlier analysis of video equipment by outlining the positive and negative features of this new video for- mat. Direct comparisons are made to %-inch videocassette recorder/players, which have become the standard for most institutions. LeClercq's analysis makes the new 1/2-inch format most attractive. (Three different systems are compared; however , none is compatible with another.) The ¥2-inch videocassette basic recorder/ player , accessories, and raw tape are sig- nificantly less expensive then %-inch cas- sette brands. Also , longer recording time can be achieved. The equipment itself is smaller and more easily portable than %-inch equipment. The biggest advantage the V2 -inch videocassette format has over %-inch competitors is its wide range of Available readily available, prerecorded programming. Mass production of ¥2-inch-cassette pro- gramming, geared to the home video mar- ket, makes these products affordable for li- brary acquisition. LeClercq does identify enough disadvantages so that librarians will not want to discard their %-inch equipment. Any extensive commitment to ¥2-inch videocassette systems should wait for fur- ther design refinements and standardiza- tion.-Thomas L. Bonn , State Unit>ersity of New York , College at Cortland . As Much to Learn as to Teach: Essays in Honor of Lester Asheim. Edited by Joel M. Lee and Beth A. Hamilton. Hamden , Conn.: Linnet Books , 1979. 273p. $12.50. LC 78-11313. ISBN 0-208-01751-4. The title of this volume, which honors a distinguished librarian and scholar, was taken from a piece he wrote about the ALA International Relations Office that was pub- lished in the Library Journal fifteen years ago. "As Much to Learn as to Teach" is in- dicative of Les Asheim's own personal phi- losophy and is .so evident in his teaching and his re lationships with his fellowmen and women. fOr the firSt The Bibliography of Agriculture tl·me eVer• Retrospective Cumulation on Microfiche, •1970-1978 with annual updates. THE ORYX PRESS introduces a retrospective cumulation of all citations created and issued by The National Agriculture Library since 1970. This cumulation is produced from the July 1978 corrected retrospective CAIN file. All the Main Entry citations for 1970-1978 are cumulated into a single integrated file. A completely new Subject Index cumulation, based on the newly revised 1978 AGRICULTURAL TERMS vocabulary, covers all8 years. An 8-year retrospective Author Index is included as well. Annual update service on microfiche is available. An Annual Update Service on microfiche, beginning with Volume 43 (1979 edition), is available to those subscribing to the complete retrospective cumulation. Order today through your subscription agent or from THE ORYX PRESS. $1350 (Retro 1970-1978), $150 per year for the annual updates. c 0 o QRYX PRESS 3930EastCamelbackRoad 0 ¢ • ~Q Phoenix, Arizona 85018 • (602) 956-6233 Q • ';), Visit THE ORYX PRESS at ALA in Dallas, Booth #885 The fact that this festschrift was conceived and published during Asheim's active career shows the respect held for him by his col- leagues and former students. This reviewer is not only a former student but also one who went through registration with him at GLS almost thirty-three years ago. To sum up the contents of this book one can do no better than to quote from its jacket: "The essays collected span a range of areas in which Lester Asheim has been in- fluential: library education, intellectual freedom, the humanities , academic librar- ies, public libraries, and international librar- ianship. " The first of the fourteen essays is entitled "Lester E. Asheim-An Appreciation, " writ- ten, appropriately, by Grace T. Stevenson, who gave Les his first library job when he was a high school student in Seattle. More than three decades later, he was to work very closely with her when both were at ALA Headquarters. In a few short pages, Grace Stevenson presents a fitting tribute to the subject, whose career is so distin- guished. Ruth French Carnovsky, a devoted col- league and admirer of Les Asheim, writes informally and interestingly about his life and work. It is obvious to the reader that parental traits set the stage for a great fu- ture, one in which devotion to duty , intelli- gence, and appreciation for others is re- markably evident. The honors that have come to him reflect his success and make him "one of the most respected figures in librarianship, not only in this country but -around the world. " Library issues in the seventies are well stated by Ed Holley, a library school dean who successfully recruited Les Asheim to a distinguished named professorship at the University of North Carolina. Asheim, so states Holley, "is fully appreciative of the importance of these issues, for whose solu- tion the library profession now awaits crea- tive leadership." Dave Berninghausen comments on a sub- ject of great importance to Les Asheim in his contribution entitled "Asheim' s Liberal Approach to Intellectual Freedom ." Citing his "Not Censorship but Selection" as one of the most widely read and influential statements on the librarian's responsibility Recent Publications I 293 to preserve intellectual freedom, Berning- hausen states that Asheim' s discussion of the subject is as pertinent today as when it was written, during the McCarthy period, more than a quarter of a century earlier. Other essays in this volume dedicated to a colleague whose professional life and work touched on the subjects being discussed in- clude: Haynes McMullen, "American Li- brarians and the Pursuit of Happiness"; Alice Ihrig, "Librarians and the Political Process"; Cyril Houle, "Seven Adult Educa- tional Roles of the Public Library"; Rod Swartz, "The Library Change Agent: A State Library Role for the Future"; Kath- leen Heim, "Professional Education: Some Comparisons"; Irving Lieberman, "Library Education-Changing Goals"; Robert Downs, "Changing Trends in Academic Li- braries"; Boyd Rayward, "The Literature of International and Comparative Librar- ianship"; and Joel Lee, "Asheim Confronts the Catalog: A University of Chicago Fan- tasy." There is also an extensive bibliogra- phy, classified by subject, compiled by Eric Halvorson that clearly reveals the scope of Les Asheim's career. As noted in the book, "this festschrift is representative of the quality of scholarship, the clarity of thinking, and the honesty of purpose which characterize Lester Asheim' s career. This encomium to his continuing distinguished service is not only a tribute to the · scholar, Lester Asheim, but it is also a contribution to scholarship." This handsomely designed and printed volume, although containing some of the usual typographical errors, should be re- quired reading for all librarians and particu- larly those just entering the profession. The substance contained therein not only epitomizes a talented and humble individual but also characterizes much that is impor- tant in librarianship.-Dale M. Bentz, Uni- versity of Iowa, Iowa City. Austin, Derek, and Verdier, Veronica. String Indexing. PRECIS: Introduction and Indexing. London, Ont.: School of Library and Information Science, Univer- sity of Western Ontario, 1977. lv. $5. Craven, Timothy C. String Indexing. NEPHIS: Introduction and Indexing. London, Ont.: School of Library and In-