ing opportunities for collections like Native American approaches to dealing with current information tech- and Chicano studies have increased in recent years, and the author sees this to be “an ideal time for moving a

library’s video and film collections in solid new direc- tions.” With this chapter, the volume changes direction

and focus to one of the more basic issues, that of col- lection selection and management.

Events that occurred in 1995 studies using Prompt-

Cat are presented in the final two chapters of the vol- ume. The experience of the University of New Mexico

General Library is shared in the paper “PromptCat: An

Early Assessment,” by Claire-Lise Benaud and Sever Bordeianu. PromptCat is designed to minimize han-

dling in processing new materials by local library staff,

saving search charges and labor costs by supplying cat- aloging information. The University of New Mexico

General Library implemented PromptCat to enable its experienced catalogers to concentrate on original and

complex cataloging, rare book cataloging, and retro- spective conversion. PromptCat is viewed as an inno-

vative product that connects resources, technology, and data already in place in an academic library.

The final paper, by Barbara Albee and Robin Rohrkaste Crumrin, is entitled “Evaluating Approval

Plan Processing: Is PromptCat an Option‘?” It deals with the efforts at Indiana University-Purdue Univer- sity Indianapolis University Library to expand its

approval plan and to ensure processing of new materi- als in a timely manner without an increased number of staff. IUPUI found itself in the enviable situation of

having significant additional funding to develop and enrich the library collection when it moved into a new

library building. Discussions include vendor evalua-

tion and selection, as well as comparative information on approval plan vendors and profiling. After careful

setup of an approval plan and tracking materials received, IUPUI library staff have determined that the

current copy catalogers can meet the goals for rapid handling of books received. They have determined that PrompCat service may be considered again in the

future, but for the present there will be no savings in

time since records submitted by PromptCat will still need to be reviewed and edited.

This volume would be a valuable addition to any academic library collection. It is refreshing to read case studies and survey reports from libraries that do not belong to the ARL group of libraries. These stud- ies have merit of their own, with practitioners of library collection development and resource manage- ment in somewhat smaller institutions sharing their

nology concerns.

Shaffer is head of the Serials Department at Carlson Library, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.

Librarian S Companion:

A Handbook of Thousands of

Facts and Figures on Libraries/

Librarians, BookuNewspapers,

Publishers/Booksellers

Suellen Cox

Librarian h Companion: A Handbook of Thousands of Facts and Figures on Libraries/Librarians, Books/ Newspapers, Publishers/Booksellers, by Vladimir F. Wertsman. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1996. 225 p. $65.00. ISBN O-3 13-29975-7. LC 96-5802.

Unfortunately, The Librarian’s Companion: A Handbook of Thousands of Facts and Figures on Libraries/Librarians, Books/Newspapers, Publishers/ Booksellers does not live up to its title. This second edi- tion, although revised, updated and somewhat enlarged, is still neither an able companion, nor a par- ticularly useful handbook. To be truly so, relevant facts, statistics, and certainly more current and practi- cal information are needed.

As with the first edition, the book is organized into two parts, “The Librarian’s World Digest” and “The Librarian’s Special Interests.” The first part is com- prised of one extensive section entitled “Library and Publishing Information by Country.” Included are entries for 194 countries, as opposed to 190 in the first edition, covering countries from all continents. Each entry gives country name, general background, library network, publishing output and distribution, noted libraries, and librarians’ organizations. While the author is to be applauded for his efforts in supplying a great deal of statistical data, much of the information is taken from such sources as the 1982 World Guide to Libraries, and the 1976 ALA World Encyclopedia of Librrzty & Infornzation Scietzce, and is therefore dated. More current statistics dealing with population and GNP, as well as publishing output (number of daily and nondaily newspapers and other periodicals) are avail- able in various sources including the Europa World Yearbook. In terms of countries, four new entries appear in this edition: Bhutan, Estonia, Lithuania, and

Ukraine. It is surprising, however, that there is an entry for Czechoslovakia rather than the Czech Republic and

the Slovak Republic. Many entries (110 of the 194) include information about the librarians’ organizations

within the country. However, only the names and addresses of the organizations are listed. The Bowker

Armual also supplies this information, but in addition,

provides telephone numbers, as well as fax numbers and the names of contact persons (president and/or sec-

retary), if available.

Among the special interests to be found in Part II of the volume are four sections which appeared in the first edition: “Noted Librarians Past and Present,” “Who

Said What on Books, Libraries, and Librarians,” “Librarians’ Belle Lettres” and “Librarian’s Philately:

Books, Newspapers, and Libraries on Stamps, by Country.” New to this edition are two sections, one on

Latin expressions and one on job-finding sources. All sections have a short bibliography.

The section “Noted Librarians Past and Present,” contains 192 entries, which compares to 118 in the first

edition. The entry for each individual includes birth and death dates, a description of the person’s involve-

ment in librarianship and significant contributions. Also included is the author’s source of information.

“Who Said What on Books, Libraries, and Librari- ans” consists of 125 entries. Each provides the author’s name, birth and death dates, main areas of activity, fol-

lowed by a quotation and its source. The quotations are drawn from various historical periods from ancient

times to the present. Many of the quotations are Amer- ican or British in origin. My personal favorite, “A room

without books is like a body without a soul,” is by Cicero.

The “Librarian’s Belle Lettres” section includes ref- erences to novels and plays in which librarians, pub-

lishers, and booksellers are among the cast of

characters. References from both adult and juvenile lit- erature are included. This section has been enhanced by the addition of a list of references to poetry in which

librarians and libraries are mentioned. Most of the lit- erature noted is from the United States and Great Brit-

ain. The author’s name, birth and death dates, a short description of the character, and the source are pro- vided for each reference. What is noticeably lacking

here is a listing of films in which librarians, libraries, publishers and booksellers are featured. Who can for- get Katherine Hepburn as the spirited librarian in Desk

Set or the scenes of the Library of Congress which open All the President’s Men?

Stamp lovers may appreciate the information pro- vided in “Librarians Philately: Books, Newspapers, and Libraries on Stamps, by Country.” Presented here is an alphabetical list of 127 countries (eleven more than in the first edition). Provided under each country name is a description of the stamp, the date issued, and the source for the information. In addition to the stamps commemorating libraries, books, and newspapers, are stamps celebrating educational and cultural events per- taining to reading and libraries. For example, under the country heading for Barbados, the following descrip- tion for a 1970 stamp is given “Open book and a child reading, part of a set devoted to the 25’h anniversary of the International Year of Education and the United Nations.” Illustrations or photographs of the listed stamps, even if only in black and white, would no doubt be appreciated by readers.

The new section on Latin expressions includes 145 words and phrases relating to books, publishers, and libraries, many of which will be familiar to librarians and book lovers. Here entries appear to be compiled on a selective basis, but the criteria for selection is not given. As with previous sections, there is a short bibli- ography. Of a more practical nature is the section enti- tled “Librarian’s Job Finding Sources” which provides a check list for professionals seeking career informa- tion and employment opportunities. Among the fifty- six entries are names of state agencies, library organi- zations, and periodicals where library vacancies are announced. A listing of six Internet sites is also pro- vided, including such standards as the ALA College & Research Libraries at http://www.jefferson.lib.co.us71/ OO/jobline. Unfortunately, the most current source listed in the bibliography for this section is the 1993 Library Employment within the Law by Arlene Bielfield.

Another new feature of the second edition is the inclusion of a number of appendixes. This eclectic group includes important documents like the “Library Bill of Rights” and the “UNESCO Public Library Man- ifesto.” Of a more whimsical nature are the “Librarians Ten Golden Rules” and the “On-Line and Electronic Network ‘Smilie’ Parlance.” One wonders at this odd assortment of documents and the rationale behind selection. Some seem to be filler rather than informa- tion that librarians would find particularly vital and informative.

It is somewhat difficult to determine the usefulness of this volume. Some may not find adequate updating or substantial revision to warrant purchase for their library. Ultimately, more informative, practical, cur-

-TOOLSOFTHESERIALSTRADE- V0~.23,No.2 (SUMMER~~~~) 103

rent, and therefore valuable sources exist, notably, Eberhart’s The Whole Library Handbook, The Whole Library Handbook 2 and The Bowker Annual.

Cox is a Reference Librarian and Acting Bibliographic Instruction Coordinator at California State University, Fullerton, California.

104 SERIALSREVIEW - ‘TERESA MALINOWSKI