370 I College & Research • july 1979 data that let ask questions about raphies. Davin son's comments on the prolif­ productivity and efficiency and give them eration of abstracting and current awareness the tools to begin to analyze prob­ services are interesting. Because so many lems and to present a realistic audit. For more articles are being published now than example, it was determined from the pro­ in the recent past, specialists are finding it gram that file maintenance cost for 1976-77 . increasingly difficult to read all the material was more than $149,000. This was 9 percent pertinent to their fields and, therefore, are of all staff costs and 10 percent of all staff forced to resort to abstracting and similar time, clearly an area for further study. services. The increases in the size, number, It is good to read that a start has been and price of these services, in turn, are made with a program covering labor and causing problems of control for librarians time costs of all library functions. This is and of production for the publishers. necessary, difficult, and costly work, but it The third part covers the 's and can and must be done. This competent, the user's contact with the actual periodical. practical account should be useful in show­ This is the weakest part of the book because ing the way.-Barbara R. Healy, University Davinson tries to cover too much in too lit­ of Rochester, Rochester, New York. tle space. Only the highlights of purchasing, recording, storing, and displaying peri­ Davinson, Donald. The Periodicals Collec­ odicals receive mention, and the reader is tion. Rev. and enl. ed. Boulder, Colo.: left needing more practical advice to put Westview Pr., 1978. 243p. $18.75. LC into immediate use or more theory for fu­ 78-17873. ISBN 0-89158-833-7. ture consideration. Perhaps the .biggest problem with this The 1978 edition of The Periodicals Col­ book is determining who will find it useful. lection is a revised and enlarged edition of a Practicing librarians who have worked with title w,ith a rather long and apparently periodicals for some time should know most evolving history. The 1960 edition, Peri­ of the material;- while library school stu­ odicals; A Manual of Practice for Librarians dents may find it difficult to follow without (London: Grafton), was more a practical reading many of the references. The begin­ manual with suggestions on titles to be pur­ ning librarian or the experienced librarian chased, staffing, and furniture. As time has just moving into the periodicals area proba­ gone by, the book seems to have become bly will be its best audience and should find more and more theoretical. Whether or not it to be a good introduction with many ref­ this edition is needed depends upon the erences to o,ther material for additional type of information being sought. It is not a study. how-to-do-it book; it does give the history The book is divided into three parts. The and purpose behind what is being done'. first section is a history and description of There are a selected subject and title index the types of periodicals. While mainly con­ and an author index.-Martha Willett, In­ cerned with the British viewpoint, it covers diana State University, Evansville. the subject thoroughly. Even the experi­ enced periodicals librarian undoubtedly will Jackson, Eugene B., and Jackson, Ruth L. find it informative. Although most of the Industrial Information Systems: A Manual examples listed are British publications, it for Higher Management and Their In­ should be relatively easy to transfer the in­ formation Officer/Librarian AIBociates. formation for use in American libraries. Publications in the Information Sciences. The second part covers bibliographic ac­ Stroudsburg, Pa.: Dowden, Hutchinson & cess to periodicals. Specific publications, Ross, Inc., 1978. 314p. + 1 fiche in e.g., Ulrich's International Periodicals Di­ pocket. $35. LC 78-15890. ISBN rectory, .Chemical Abstracts, Current Con­ 0-87933-328-6. (Distributed by Academic tents, Science Citation Index, Union List of Press.) Serials, are mentioned and their uses and The present volume is undoubtedly a val­ limitations described. Again the British slant uable addition to the series entitled Publica­ is noticeable, but the titles covered include tions in the Information Sciences. The pur­ the major U.S. and European bibliog- pose of this book is to outline the technical Important New Books for Academic Three outstanding new books •b • from The Oryx Press give LI rar1ans you valuable insights into approval plans and .

Practical Approval Plan Management is a basic guide to serviceable solutions for the day-to-day problems in both initiating and administering a successful approval plan. Valuable information on techniques on selection of vendors and how to complement a collection development program are also delineated. It's the newest, most unique reference manual available on the subject. By Jennifer Cargill and Brian Alley. ISBN 0-912700-52-1 , Clothbound, $12.95(t).

Approval Plans and Academic Libraries is the most complete study ever undertaken analyzing existing approval plans and the role they play in collection development. By Kathleen McCullough, Edwin D. Posey, and Doyle C. Pickett. A Neai-Schuman Professional Book. ISBN 0-912700-05-X, Clothbound, 154 pages, $11 .95.

Library Acquisition Policies and Procedures includes reprints and analytical consideration of 26 complete policies for print and nonprint materials, as well as acquisition information from 300 academic and public libraries. Edited by Elizabeth Futas. A Neai-Schuman Professional Book. ISBN 0-912700-02-5, Clothbound, 406 pages, $16.50.

3930EastCamelbackRoad ORYX PRESS Phoenix, Arizona 85018 • (602) 956-6233 372 I College & Research Libraries • July 1979 and administrative functions of an industrial the industrial library systems of the Fortune information service as well as to advise in­ 500 companies (Appendix B). Another formation officers, librarians, and manage­ interesting feature of this publication is a ment on various aspects of the acquisition, chapter by Robert A. Kennedy of the Bell analysis, processing, storage, retrieval, dis­ Telephone Laboratories Libraries and In­ semination, and use of new and significant formation Systems, Murray Hill, New Jer­ information. The introductory chapter, sey, in which he focuses on practices at the presenting an overview of the information premier industrial library in operation to­ explosion and its implications for manage­ day. ment, is lucid, comprehensive, and very In summary, this is an excellent book and carefully written. should be read by all persons engaged in The material in this monograph is sys­ the management of industrial libraries and tematically presented; the authors wri.te information centers and systems. It is highly clearly, and the text is liberally supplied recommended as a required textbook for with well-chosen examples and the latest courses in industrial librarianship, informa­ references. tion systems and services, and information Based on their extensive experience in storage and dissemination technology.-]at a both conventional and nonconventional in­ S. Ghosh, Ardmore, Pennsylvania. formation products, services, and systems, the authors offer very practical recommen­ Symposium on Retrieval of Medicinal dations on services, facilities, personnel, Chemical Information, Anaheim, Califor­ policies, and procedures for establishing and nia, 1978. Retrieval of Medicinal Chemi­ maintaining an industrial information service cal Information. W. Jeffrey Howe, Mar­ and center. garet M. Milne, and Ann F . Pennell, eds. Of special interest is the summary data on Based on a symposium cosponsored by

Has your library tried Midwest Library Service's University Press Approval Plan? It's comprehensive, automatic and very timely!

Our University Press Approval Plan encompasses 100 University Presses (including Cambridge, Oxford, and Toronto), which account for more than 99% of all University Press Publishing. We pride ourselves on quick ship­ ments-with NO delays.

For more information on this plan, call us on our Toll-Free WATS Line 1-800-325-8833 Missouri Customers Call Collect: 0-314-739-3100 Ask for Mr. Lesser

"19 Years of Service to College and University Libraries" Midwest Library Service 11443 St. Charles Rock Rd., Bridgeton, Mo. 63044