College and Research Libraries 302 College & Research Libraries but mention is made of other systems and bases, such as LEXIS and DOE, when ap- propriate. The editor, Ryan Hoover, acknowl- edges that some of the information may be out-of-date even as the book is published, but most of the search tips are general enough that this is not a drawback. Refer- ence to an up-to-date vendor or producer guide is stressed. One of the strengths of this book is the sense of the practitioner at work that comes through. The examples given and the problems encountered are quite obvi- ously real ones. Readers should not study just the chapters on areas they search most frequently because useful search techniques are scattered throughout the book, e.g., the biosciences section lists ways to increase precision and the social and behavioral sciences chapter has a ta- ble on when to use free-text searching. The major criticism of this work is that it does not cover all searchable subject areas, a fact not mentioned in the introduction. There is no chapter on the humanities, and even some of the sciences like phys- ics, geology, engineering, and computer science are neglected. With the exceptions of law, business, and economics, all the social sciences are lumped into one chap- ter, albeit an excellent one. Perhaps a sec- ond volume could address these lacks. The tables and sample searches pro- vided are excellent, but they are often pages away from the text referring to them. Although all search systems are mentioned, not every chapter takes into account all systems on which the data- bases are loaded in its discussion. One could question some individual author de- cisions, e.g. the Monthly Catalog is not dis- cussed in the chapter on government databases, and some internal inconsisten- cies exist, e.g., ABI/INFORM is variously listed as having journal coverage of 250, 450, and 500. All in all, the chapters are at a consis- tently high level. Hoover's introductory ''thoughts on search strategy'' may seem deceptively simple, but they have a wis- dom distilled from hard experience. It is this experience in searching that shines through and makes this work a useful pur- chase and a reasonable one considering July 1983 the cost of online training.-Carol M. To- bin, Princeton University Library. Cunha, George and Cunha, Dorothy. Li- brary and Archives Conservation: 1980s and Beyond. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1983. 2v. 645p. $39.50 set. LC 82-10806. ISBN 0-8108-1587-7. For two decades George Cunha has been zealously proclaiming to the library community the pressing need for immedi- ate action to cope with the burgeoning problem of deterioration of library materi- als. His first publication in 1967 was enti- tled Conservation of Library Materials. It was considered a ground-breaking ·compila- tion by some and was severely criticized for oversimplification, inaccuracy, and unprofessionalism by others. In 1971 a two-volume work of the same title was published by George and Dorothy Cunha and included in its second volume an ex- tensive bibliography of more than 4,000 references and citations. The present two- volume work entitled Library and Archives Conservation: 1980s and Beyond is both an updating and an extension of the earlier works. It must be looked upon as one more demonstration of the commitment of the Cunhas to raise the consciousness of the library profession to the continuing challenge of preserving library collections. In a more gentle and tranquil age (if ever there were one), librarians expended their energy on the technical aspects of acquisi- tions, classification, and circulation. Con- servation was not a concern to the profes- sion. But, in 1983 it is abundantly clear that the library world still needs a George Cunha to play the role of Jeremiah to a continually complaisant computer- bemused library community. This two- volume work demands the attention of all library managers to their conservation re- sponsibilities. It is an extension and revi- sion of the 1971 publication that, with a certain amount of literary license, can also be read as a partial autobiography of the Cunhas. Volume 1 includes nine chapters cover- ing a broad range of topics that are all rele- vant to a discussion of library conserva- tion but that are not always intellectually or stylistically related to each other. The primary focus of the work is directed to- ward professional conservation pro- grams, training, and practice, although Mr. Cunha continues to argue forcefully for nonprofessional "in-house" treat- ment. Approximately 65 percent of the first volume is text with the remainder di- vided among fourteen remarkably diverse appendixes ranging from a discussion of "Artificial vs. Natural Aging of Paper" (appendix H) to ''Testing for Magnesium Carbonate Concentration" (appendix L). The second volume contains 383 pages of serial-numbered bibliographic citations arranged in substantially the same com- plex and sometimes cumbersome fashion as was used in the 1971 edition. The earlier edition listed 4,882 entries, while the Recent Publications 303 present work begins at #5,000 and ends with #10,871. This present work of George and Dorothy Cunha reflects not only the prog- ress that has been made in the conserva- tion effort over the last decade, but also underlines the problems that remain. It is a verbal statement of the influence and the involvement of these authors in the con- servation movement. In almost every chapter the careful reader will find a per- sonal glimpse of two individuals whose enthusiasm and missionary spirit have made a lasting impression on the world of library conservation.-Frederick E. Bauer, Jr., American Antiquarian Society Library, Worcester, Massachusetts. ABSTRACTS The following abstracts are based on those prepared by the ERIC Clearinghouse of Infor- mation Resources, School of Education, Syra- cuse University. Documents with an ED number here may be ordered in either microfiche (MF) or paper copy (PC) from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service, P.O. Box 190, Arlington, VA 22210. Orders should include ED number, specify for- mat desired, and include payment for docu- ment and postage. Further information on ordering documents and on current postage charges may be obtained from a recent issue of Resources in Educa- tion. Twelve Essays on Australian Subject Bib- liography. Development of Resource Sharing Networks. Networks Study no.12. Ed. by D. H. Borchardt. National Library of Australia, Canberra. 1980. 128p. ED 221 203. MF-$0.83; PC-not available from EDRS. This collection of twelve essays on biblio- graphic services in Australia has been pub- lished as part of the National Library of Austra- lia's effort to encourage a voluntary national information system. An introduction and over- view of bibliography in Australia are followed by brief surveys of the major desiderata for Australian subject bibliography in literature (A. Lawson), children's books and materials (J.D. Adams), music (K. Horn), politics (J . Rydon), wildlife (M. C. Downes), legal writings (E. K. Braybrooke), economics (F . G. Davidson), edu- cation (J. Thawley), agriculture (H. M . Russell and G. Levick), geography (R. G. Freestone), and non-Australian history materials located in Australian libraries (R. J. Shultz and Janet F. Schultz). Each essay is contributed by a subject specialist and contains a review of current bib- liographic sources available and recommenda- tions for improvement in bibliographic infor- mation in that subject area. Among a wide range of suggestions are included the inaugura- tion or strengthening of national information clearinghouses, union lists of sources, or na- tional bibliographies; the updating of previ- ously existing subject bibliographies; the creation of new periodical indexes; the comput- erization of data; the full utilization of interna- tional bibliographical machinery for Australian material; and the improvement of book index- ing. References are provided for each subject essay. The ARL Library Index and Quantitative Relationships in the ARL. By Kendon Stubbs. Association of Research Li- braries, Washington, D.C. 1980. 62p. ED 220 101. MF-$0.83; PC-not avail- able from EDRS. In order to explain the derivation and implica- tions of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Library Index (a descriptive statistical in- dicator of research library quality that is based on an analysis of certain key library characteris-