College and Research Libraries


Recent Publications 575 

Letters 
To the Editor: 

I was most interested in the excellent study of microfilm technology by Susan Cady in the 
July issue of College & Research Libraries. She makes the point that (for scholarly research, 
publishing, and libraries) the revolution that was expected as a result of the introduction of 
microfilm did not come about, in part, because of the reluctance of scholars to accept wide­
spread use of the medium. Her emphasis here is primarily on reading materials on micro­
film. 

In a recent review of attempts to find alternatives to the scientific journal, 1 I emphasized 
the fact that scientists and other scholars have also been reluctant to publish in formats other 
,than the printed journal. For example, the Geological Society of America abandoned a 
synopsis-plus-microfiche publishing format for its Bulletin because: "Most authors didn't 
want to write for microfiche, and most readers didn't want to read articles in that format. 
As a result, the Bulletin rapidly decreased in size and deteriorated as resistant authors sent 
their articles elsewhere for publication.' ' 2 A similar reluctance has been found in experi­
ments with electronic journals. Susan Cady is right to state that: "The history of microfilm 
provides some cautionary guidance as to the way in which the profession should approach 
the era of electronic documentation.'' 

ANNE B. PITERNICK 
Professor, The University of British Columbia 

REFERENCES 

1. Anne B. Piternick,. "Attempts to Find Alternatives to the Scientific Journal: A Brief Re­
view," Journal of Academic Librarianship 15:260-66 (Nov. 1989). 

2. H. R. Gould, "GSA-A Legacy and a New Era," Geological Society ofAmerica Bulletin 93:2 
Oan. 1982).