College and Research Libraries 90 I College & Research Libraries· January 1982 and intelligence controversy (Dobzhansky, Jensen, Kamin, Loehlin). The disjointedness in some coverage is ob- viously a function of the short-entry format, which, although useful for factual informa- tion, has its limitations for comprehensive study. In addition to relying on the extensive (67 ,000) textual cross-references, users will find the well-structured index essential in de- termining appropriate entries and in identi- fying the network of related entries for a topic. The index serves as a skeleton, the con- necting framework, upon which to hang the full body of a discipline. Numerous subhead- ings appear under major headings, including biographic entries. Map location entries exist for places not included in the text, with longi- tude and latitude coordinates provided. A few idiosyncrasies are bothersome: internal prepositions are disregarded in alphabetizing multi-word entries, and acronyms are inter- filed with other entries (e.g., CB after Ca- zenovia, N.Y.). Notations for bibliographies, illustrations, and maps are appended to main headings in the index-another useful fea- ture. AAE is a handsomely produced encyclope- Heritage on Microfiltn Rare and out-of-print titles and documents on 35mm silver halide microfilm. • French Books before 1601 • Scandinavian Culture • 18th Century English Literature • Victorian Fiction • Literature of Folklore • Hispanic Culture Send for catalog and title information today. ~~~~~ ~COV\Pft\JY 70 Coolidge Hill Road Watertown, MA 02172 (617) 926-5557 dia with outstanding use of graphic material. Illustrations and photographs (the majority in full color) are used liberally, yet judi- ciously, occupying about 33 percent of the available space. The use of cutaway models is particularly effective. The 1,110 maps were newly created by Rand McNally, R. R. Don- nelley, and others. All illustrations have been reproduced clearly, without any "bleed- through" of color or print. The sixty-pound nonglare-surfaced paper has a pH value of approximately7.0-7.5 (compared to approx- imately 5.0-5.5 for Americana) and, there- fore, AAE's neutrality should contribute to good wearability. A unique feature of AAE is the use of com- puter technology for all phases of production. The publisher expects to revise 20 percent an- nually. In addition, anAAE videotext system is currently being tested in Columbus, Ohio, via OCLC, Inc.'s "Channel2000" and an on- line, full-text searchable version of AAE will be accessible through the New York Times Information Service sometime in the first quarter of 1982. While some users may find the dictionary- like format disconcerting, AAE serves su- perbly as a quick reference tool. Academic American is rich in detail and is excitingly attractive, thus reaffirming that less can be more.- Wendy Pradt Lougee, Brown Uni- versity, Providence, Rhode Island. With the assistance of the Reference Department staff. Higham, Norman. The Library in the Univer- sity: Observations on a Service. Boulder, Colo.: WestviewPress, 1980. 205p. LC80- 51340. ISBN 0-86531-053-X. In the author's words, his purpose is "to examine some of the services we offer and the procedures we carry out. . . . The book is designed for reading and questioning, rather than for study and note taking." Every aspect of university library work is covered, with chapters devoted to the standard elements of finance selection, acquisition, cataloging, services, staffing, interlending, storage, li- brary buildings, and cooperation. The au- thor's experience is in British libraries, but the fundamentals he covers are universal. As thorough as he is, the author hews to a fundamental description of university library operations and a delineation of the issues and conflicts we face. In the main, the author's presentation is quite mundane and presented in the simplest analytical terms. He tells those of us who are reasonably well schooled in university librarianship what it is we already know. It is almost as if he were lecturing to faculty members, using the least sophisti- cated explanations of librarianship and uni- versity library problems in order to explain what we do and the dilemmas we face in adopting alternatives in our various opera- tions. There is little hint in the author's text of new futures for the university library, even though the author admits this is an exciting time for university libraries. In the chapter on computer applications, for example, the author rightly notes that it is improper to de- sign computer systems to reproduce the prac- tices that we previously turned out manually. But having opened the door for some poten- tially exciting analytical comments, he merely says that we should analyze our man- ual system and decide what it is we want done and then design a new system. The author shows considerable skill in cov- ering the main points of the operation of the university library. This is, however, his per- sonal statement: there are only eight foot- notes in the entire book, these appearing in the first few pages. There is no guidance as to how we can expand our understanding of the various areas of the university librarianship through further reading. In spite of the fact that the author claims this is not a textbook, it might best be used as an introductory reading for people without library-school training, who want to work in a library. At that, it will not tell them how to perform any tasks, but will merely offer a generalized explanation of the fundamentals and the philosophy of university library wor~ The author won't offend anyone with his conventional analysis, but also he won't stimulate much provocative discussion given his pedestrian presentation.- Russell Shank, University of California at Los Angeles. Queen, Daniel. "Headphones for Library and Educational Use." Library Technol- ogy Reports 16:561-612 (Nov.-Dec. 1980). Single issue $40. ISSN 0024-2586. Available from: American Library Associ- ation, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL60611. Although test reports for stereophonic Recent Publications I 91 headphones are frequently published in such places as High Fidelity and Stereo Review, reports for monaural sets are seldom written. For this reason, LTR's issue on monaural headphones most frequently used in libraries is especially welcome. The report was pre- pared by Daniel Queen , a noted audio con- sultant. Some nineteen different models were included in the test program including all monaural headphones listed in the 1978-79 National Audio Visual Association Direc- tory. (Most of these same models plus a few additional ones are included in the 1980-81 Directory with the exception of the Superex, which is not listed.) The tests focused primarily on sound re- production abilities and electrical character- istics. The comparative durability and reli- ability of the models was not tested. Although no attempt was made to rank the earphones, a scale was devised for rating sound quality. One can easily compare the sound ratings and the prices . Queen describes in some detail the proce- dures used in testing the headphones. For purposes of determining sound quality, he measured roughness (quality of hearing indi- vidual voices clearly), articulation (quality of hearing differences in words) , harshness (a measurement of auditory fatigue), and a composite sound rating that takes into ac- count all of the other sound qualities. The other data given in the reports regard safety factors that are critically important when se- lecting headphones. These safety factors in- clude measurements for impedance, sensitiv- ity, exposure level with 10-volt imprint, and series resistance. Queen carefully explains in the introductory material the method used and purpose for each of the safety tests. A review of this report will be vital for anyone intending to purchase monaural headphones. Sound quality data plus a re- view of the safety factors and one's own esti- mation of the model's durability and reliabil- ity will provide a good basis for selecting the desired headphones. A worthwhile companion article in this same issue of L TR provides test reports of portable microfiche readers done by the Na- tional Reprographic Centre for Documenta- tion.-David B. Walch, California Poly- technic State University, San Luis Obispo, California.