Haas, 'REVIEWS SECTION', LIBRES v4n04 (December 31, 1994) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/libres/libres-v4n04-haas-reviews LIBRES: Library and Information Science Research Electronic Journal ISSN 1058-6768 December 31, 1994 Volume 4 Issue 4 Quarterly LIBRE4N4 REVIEWS _____________________________________________________________ ****************************************************************************** REVIEWS SECTION Please send your items for review to Leslie M. Haas, Editor of the News and Reviews Section of LIBRES. LHAAS@KENTVM.KENT.EDU ****************************************************************************** Reviews in this issue: _Reference Interviews, Questions and Materials_. reviewed by Karen Rupp-Serrano _Realizing the Information Future: The Internet and Beyond_. reviewed by Martin Kalfatovic _A Survey of Emerging Occupational Opportunities for Librarians and Information Professionals_ reviewed by Lucy Heckman _Middleplots 4: A Book Talk Guide for Use with Readers Ages 8-12_ vreviewed by Mary Du Mont _Libraries and Copyright: a Guide to Copyright Law in the 1990s_ reviewed by Susan B. Barnard _Directory of Business and Financial Information Services_ reviewed by Kelly Heidemann ****************************************************************************** Slavens, Thomas P. _Reference Interviews, Questions and Materials_. Third edition. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-2718-2 This third edition of _Reference Interviews, Questions and Materials_ is the second update of author Slavens' original work, _Information Interviews and Questions_ (1978). It has been almost ten years since the second edition was published; a number of things have changed in libraries since that time, and Slavens makes an effort to reflect those changes. As with the previous editions, the current work is arranged in ten chapters, with each chapter being devoted to a different type of reference work: encyclopedias, yearbooks, dictionaries, and the like. Each chapter provides very brief "sample" reference interviews, reference questions, and a listing of reference materials which may be used to answer the reference questions. The third edition offers the same reference interviews as the second edition and eliminates over 150 questions from the second edition. It also offers some 400 new reference questions and uses 234 new reference materials, over half of which are included in the chapter devoted to bibliography. A number of the new reference materials Slavens has included in the third edition of his work reflect the growth in publications concerned with women and minorities. Titles such as The Encyclopedia of Asian History, The Statistical Handbook on Women in America, and Contemporary Black Biography are welcome additions to this work. Still more of the reference materials are either electronic in format or provide access to the array of technologies available today. For example, the chapter devoted to bibliography includes established resources such as Dialog and newer resources such as Internet (Internet Accessible Library Catalogs and Databases), software (The Software Catalog), video (Best Videos for Children and Young Adults) and cd-rom (CD-ROM Market Place). While the third edition excels in its inclusion of new reference materials, it still suffers from some of the shortcomings of previous editions. Geographic materials are lacking and there is no index to reference materials which would help the user determine where some works have been classified (for example, The South American Handbook is not included in the handbook chapter, but rather the yearbook chapter). The organization by type of materials rather than subject matter can be awkward, and references to the USSR can still be found in this 1994 work. An explanation of some of the Internet resources, which is lacking, would also be useful. Students and instructors using this volume may not be familiar with Supernet or the Knowbot Information Service and may want some information on how to access these resources. If directions are not provided, at least a citation to an article or book explaining how to access them would be in order. The reference interviews and questions also continue to be a shortcoming in the third edition. The emphasis of the reference questions, as with previous editions, is on the discrete answer. As most reference librarians would attest, relatively few reference questions call for the production of a fact; most, even when initially couched as a question requiring a simple fact answer, upon probing are found to involve a deeper, more complex question. And the reference interviews, which have not changed since the second edition, fail to reflect this. The interviews, which are very brief, usually offer no more than a couple of clarifying questions from the librarian. Thus, a student reading the reference interviews could gain the impression that patrons always know what they want and that a librarian only has to ask a question or two to ascertain a patron's information need. Again, most reference librarians would attest that this is not how a majority of reference transactions occur. Despite its shortcomings, Slavens efforts to incorporate reference materials devoted to new technologies and under represented populations recommend this third edition of _Reference Interviews, Questions and Materials_ for purchase. It would be a useful tool for teaching reference or library skills classes, or for training staff, and its updated listing of reference materials could even be used to aid in selection. Karen Rupp-Serrano Reference Librarian University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA ****************************************************************************** National Research Council, et. al. _Realizing the Information Future: The Internet and Beyond_. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1994. 310p.; $24.95; 00-309- 05044-8. What the Internet is now and where it (or its successor) *should* be in the near future is the topic of this provocative and convincing report. Though written by not one, but four committees (the NRENAISSANCE Committee, the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, the Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications and the National Research Council), _Realizing the Information Future_ presents a coherent vision of the nation's networked future. The report's core is its call for an Open Data Network (ODN) for the basic structure of tomorrow's integrated national network. The ODN (in the view of the authors of this report as well as many others) will become a "common carrier" that is at the same time chaotic and ordered. An ODN will allow for innovations from across the spectrum of developers from today's Internet pioneers (who have created the tools and resources--gopher, World Wide Web, etc.-- Internet users rely upon) to large commercial entities that will provide value added services for their constituencies. The vision of an ODN will not be easily or quickly achieved for an array of reasons that the report clearly lays out. The benefits of an ODN and the networking Tower of Babel that could ensue without it are presented convincingly. The report focuses on four additional issues facing internetworking in the long and short term future: research, education and libraries; principles and practice; financial issues; and governmental roles. Each of these topics receives special attention with an in-depth analysis of the issues concerning them. Of especial interest to librarians is the first listed above. Here, however, libraries are mentioned only briefly and usually in context of the public library. If libraries are neglected here in the specific, the overall recommendations and goals are in line with those of the library profession. _Realizing the Information Future_ is an excellent overview of where the Internet is today and where it should go. Though at times overly technical, it is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the future of networking. Martin Kalfatovic Information Access Coordinator Smithsonian Institute Libraries, Washington D.C., USA Internet: libem071@sivm.si.edu ****************************************************************************** Horton, Forest Woody, Jr. Extending the Librarian's Domain: A Survey of Emerging Occupational Opportunities for Librarians and Information Professionals. SLA Occasional Papers Series, No. 4. Washington, D.C.: Special Libraries Association, 1994. 64 pp. Finding a job in the field of library and information science has become more complex due to the expansion of information. Organizations need more and better information "delivered faster, cheaper, and in a greater variety of formats.": (p. 10) Furthermore, information is needed at all levels from individual to international. Librarians, therefore, need to look beyond opportunities in traditional library settings to ever expanding careers as information professionals. These jobs can cover a wide spectrum of industries including: hospitals and health care organizations, services businesses, and academic and educational institutions. A guide for library and information science students and professionals which explores these opportunities is Forest Woody Horton Jr's EXTENDING THE LIBRARIAN'S DOMAIN: A SURVEY OF EMERGING OCCUPATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIBRARIANS AND INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS. The author states:"...our focus and bias here shall be on the great mass of salaried white collar positions that one finds in nearly all medium-sized, and in large and very large organizations, whether in the public or private sector. I believe the emerging career opportunities of this--the largest class of information age workers (far exceeding traditional library jobs in conventional library settings in total numbers)--has been substantially over-looked by writers in the literature covering librarianship career development." Especially helpful is Horton's analysis of want ads which appear in non- library related publications such as _FEDERAL JOBS DIGEST_ and _NATIONAL BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT WEEKLY_. The author emphasizes that the librarian shouldnot be discouraged from applying despite the fact that the words, "librarian" should still consider applying even if the salaries listed exceed those of traditional salaries of public, academic, and special libraries. Horton discusses the need for information professionals within the various fields. For example, in the section, "Hospitals and Health Institutions," Horton describes types of jobs that could be performed by librarians and information professionals; these jobs include head of medical records and database administrator. The author encourages librarians and information professionals to consider temporary tasks and projects including grants management information systems and medical staff management information systems. These jobs may lead to their gaining experience and contacts to be considered for a permanent position. The author also stresses the need for job placement officers and faculty in schools of library and information science to look beyond traditional librarianship. Horton calls for training programs for such positions as information manager, information consultant, and software developer. Librarians need to re-evaluate their self-image to move from traditional settings to new opportunities. The author also provides a bibliography of sources for further reading and an appendix which summarizes information opportunities within the various fields. Horton has provided an excellent starting point for all those exploring career options. His book fills a need in the literature concerning careers in library and information science. This monograph is highly recommended to all library and information science collections. Professors teaching library and information science should also keep this book in mind when they are advising students on possible career options. Lucy Heckman Reference Librarian (Business-Economics) St. John's University, New York ****************************************************************************** Gillespie, John T. and Corinne J. Naden. Middleplots 4: A Book Talk Guide for Use with Readers Ages 8-12. New Providence, NJ: R. R. Bowker, 1994. ISBN 0-8352-3346-0; $42.00 This book is the fourth in the "Introducing Bookplots" series. The first three are "Introducing Books" (Bowker, 1970), "Introducing More Books" (Bowker, 1978), and "Introducing Bookplots 3" (Bowker, 1988), all meant for use with ages 8-12. Also available are companion books "Primaryplots" for readers ages 4-8, Juniorplots (12-16), and Seniorplots (15-18). These books are meant to be used by teachers and librarians as a guide to giving book talks, presentations on a book or a groups of books that are designed to make listeners want to read them. In general, book talks are used to promote a love of literature and reading by giving the group of would-be readers a short introduction to the plot and characters in the book, and trying to pass on the atmosphere of the book using artistic and dramatic techniques. The books outlined in "Middleplots 4" have all been recommended by at least one of several standard reviewing sources, among them "Kirkus Reviews," "School Library Journal, and "VOYA". "Middleplots" divides its 80 books by topic: Adventure and Mystery Stories, Humorous Stories, Fantasy and Science Fiction, School and Friendship Stories, Personal and Social Problems, Family Life, Other Lands and Times, and Interesting Lives (biographies). For each book, publisher and pricing information is given. A summary of the writer's style is given, along with brief information about other books he or she has written. Following that is a detailed plot summary for the book, a section outlining thematic material, a bibliography of similar books by various authors, a list of reviews of the book, and a list of sources of information about the author. Also included is a section containing "book talk material", that is, highlights of the book that children might enjoy hearing about, and page numbers of particularly interesting passages to read aloud. Also included at the end of "Middleplots" are author, title, and subject indexes, as well as cumulative author, title and subject indexes for the preceding three volumes in the series. Middleplots is a joy to read. The plot summaries are well-written, and interesting enough inspire interest in the stories on their own. Essential for school and public libraries, and academic libraries with collections in education, library science and/or children's literature, "Middleplots 4" contains a wealth of resources that will save book talkers valuable preparation time, and yet allow for unlimited individual creativity. Mary Du Mont Librarian Kent State University ****************************************************************************** Gasaway, Laura N. and Wiant, Sarah K. Libraries and Copyright: a Guide to Copyright Law in the 1990s. Washington,DC: Special Libraries Association, 1994. Copyright today is an apprehensive state. While specific applications of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 are still being tested and defined, the law has furnished -- for more than fifteen years -- a comprehensive and largely effective foundation for protecting authors, publishers and other creators while allowing reasonable fair use and reproduction of their works. However, despite the stability and authority the law has earned, copyright anxiety and speculation are afoot; librarians and publishers know this. The reasons for it sound like a mantra of contemporary library issues -- rapid technological developments, network explosion, heightened user demands, declining library resources, the evolving electronic library. Indeed, our very ability to continue providing information services to customers in appropriate formats and a timely manner, or moreover, to shape the library of the future, depends in one way or another on "the C word." A current court case involving photocopying fuelled anxiety when first decided in 1992, and again, when upheld on appeal in October 1994. In American Geophysical Union vs. Texaco, Inc. a federal appellate court ruled in favor of 83 publisher plaintiffs that a scientist at Texaco violated fair use by copying articles from scientific journals for his own files. The dissenting judge in the decision lamented that fair-use copying for many journals had effectively been stopped. Though the impact of this case - whatever its final outcome - will be felt primarily by corporate libraries, its potential effect is chilling. The authors of LIBRARIES AND COPYRIGHT, both law school librarians who have served as chairs of the Special Libraries Association's Copyright and Implementation Committee, have produced a thorough, essential account of the state of copyright protection and compliance at this point in history. The book purports to "provide sufficient background for a real understanding of the copyright issues that are settled," "to answer some of the frequently asked questions, and to provide guidance in those areas of library uses of copyrighted works that have not been resolved" (Preface, vii). The book opens with a set of scenarios and questions describing diverse but common copyright situations faced by librarians - school librarians, research librarians, special librarians and archivists. The germane elements of each question, along with answers, are fully explained in Appendix A. (The same method is used effectively in a later chapter to introduce issues pertaining to software, databases and copyright.) A thorough definition of "copyright" follows, along with a history of Anglo-American copyright law including its English origins in the Statute of Anne (1710), the Engraver's Act (1735), and a series of early U.S. laws dating from 1790 through 1909. This provides a clear context which shows (for anyone who might have thought other wise) that copyright law exists in an ongoing tradition of revision. Succeeding chapters contain the essence of the book - an overview of the current U.S. law, a discussion of its section 108 which governs library photocopying and other reproduction (significantly, the term "reproduction" not "photocopying" is used in the law), licensing agencies and collectives, special problems including educational photocopying and library reserves, and non- print formats such as audiovisual works, computers, software and databases. These are presented with exacting thoroughness and clarity. Definitions of terms and concepts are copious, and chapter endnotes are exhaustive, citing specific sections of the law and court cases. The entire presentation is geared to the needs and interests of librarians, with a slant toward special librarians. The opportunity to distinguish between "collective works" (periodicals) and "compilations" (reference works) is not missed. The critical provisions of "fair use" (section 107) and the factors comprising its "four-pronged test" are explained at length. According to the authors, the current law was designed "to rein" in liberal applications of the fair use doctrine; it proved its mettle in the renowned "Kinko's" case (Basic Books, Inc. vs. Kinko's Graphics Corp.) wherein Kinko's failed three of the four fair use test factors. The "Guidelines on Multiple Copying for Classroom Use" and their concepts of "brevity," "spontaneity," and "cumulative effect," which further define fair use for educational purposes, are fully discussed. The chapter treating section 108 of the law - library reproduction - is, necessarily, explicit and thorough. Also addressed are legal reproductions of unpublished, lost or damaged works, copying for users in fee-based services and interlibrary loan, and copying by users on unsupervised library copiers. Librarians are reminded of the importance of their responsibility to post copyright warnings both on photocopy request forms and at the point where requests are submitted. Further, readers are warned that since routine fax transactions yield two copies, one should be destroyed. Thus, if the "original" photocopy is sent to the requestor (by surface mail or any other means) after the fax, the understanding between sender and recipient should be that the faxed copy will be destroyed when the original is received. Concluding chapters address international copyright including provisions of the Berne Convention, which the U.S. joined in 1989, the Universal Copyright Convention, and intellectual property rights under the European Union. A separate chapter treats Canadian and British copyright. Appendices contain the texts of guidelines for educational use of music, off-air recording, library reserves and interlibrary loan, and other useful features. Detracting minimally from the book's quality are signs of poor proofreading. In too many instances, a word or phrase is omitted or repeated, a letter is omitted (as in "Unite States"), or a word is misspelled (as in "calender" and "impace"). The substantial attention given to issues and circumstances relevant to special libraries, including those in for-profit environments, comes as no surprise considering the book's publisher and authors' backgrounds. This broadens other librarians' understanding of the law and the contexts in which it applies. Many mature librarians today remember the landmark overhauling of U.S. copyright law in the mid-1970's - the first since 1909 - and the debate, speculation and sense of importance which surrounded it. Whether or not another revision of the law will be necessary in this century is the subject of much speculation. Many believe that the purposeful generalities of the current law's language enable it to adapt to evolving technological capabilities. Whether or not the law is revised or amended, continued judicial challenges seem inevitable. Although there has never been any copyright litigation involving library reserves, that area is a potential battleground, particularly where electronic scanning is employed. Representatives of authors, publishers and libraries, while attempting to address emerging conflicts cooperatively and with mutual respect, are drawing lines in the sand. Just this year, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) issued its "Position Paper on Electronic Scanning" which claims that scanning of copyrighted works without permission is "usually illegal." The Association of Research Libraries has responded to the AAP paper and also issued its own "Statement of Intellectual Property Principles," affirming the intellectual property rights and responsibilities of the research library community. The Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights, a subcommittee of the national Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF), has recommended in its draft report a set of alterations to the copyright law to apply to digital and online works. While arguing for widespread public availability of works on the National Information Infrastructure, this report makes a portentous distinction between "freely available" and "available free." This book is the most comprehensive and useful copyright guide for librarians to date. It demonstrates effectively that copy right is a balancing act between the rights of holders and of users, and that conditions, circumstances and contexts must be considered in the balance. It serves both as compendium and time piece, taking stock of where copyright law is today, how it got here, and where its challenges are, before the next era begins. Every librarian involved in reserves, interlibrary loan, document delivery, table of contents distribution, and any other service where copies are made for, or by library customers should be conversant in relevant sections of the law, and make an effort to stay informed of developments in those areas. This book provides an excellent means to do that, and is a good source to keep on hand for future reference and teaching. Susan B. Barnard Head, Periodical Information and Access Services Kent State University Libraries Kent, Ohio ****************************************************************************** Popovich, Charles J. and M. Rita Costello. Directory of Business and Financial Information Services. 9th ed. Washington, DC: Special Libraries Association, 1994. 488p. index. $75.00. ISBN 0-87111-420-8. This selective list of resources is the updated version of the 1984 Directory of Business and Financial Services, representing over 1200 business services and publications. The authors have extensive background in business related fields, and have surpassed the last update with this version. Charles J. Popovich has held many titles, including former chair of the Business and Finance Division of ALA, and is currently an associate professor and head of the Business Library at The Ohio State University. M. Rita Costello is the editor of the SLA Finance Division Bulletin and is presently the collection development/reference librarian at the Management Library, University of California at Los Angeles. In the directory, the annotated references are geared to "practical application for making a business decision" and are more extensive in summary than the previous publication. The entries are alphabetically arranged and include online, CD-ROM and traditional services. Information about the resources was obtained by contacting the organizations and through such sources as vendor publications, directories and trade publications. Each entry typically consists of the address, fax and phone number, format, frequency, price information and content notes. A wide variety of service and manufacturing industries are covered, although the scope leans towards a concentration in investment advisory services. Other areas represented include such topics as accounting, advertising, banking, computers, consumer goods, financial statistics, government information, housing, tax and insurance services, among others. It is of particular interest to note that there are three separate indexes for easy reference. The Publisher's Index includes name, address, phone number and fax with the title and corresponding entry number in the main s ection. The Master Title lists all titles, in addition to the main entry, for cross-references from online to print or vice-versa. Subject terms from H.W. Wilson's Business Periodicals Index were used to create the authority list for the Subject Index, and related entry numbers are included. A comparison of the earlier version and this edition reveals a heavier concentration of online and CD-ROM products or services in the 1994 edition, but not to the exclusion of print resources. Notations were made if a standard print resource was available in an electronic format. Current pricing information, although cautioned by the authors to be used as an estimate, is useful, and the detailed annotations provide superior reference material. Professional treatment, quality format, and affordable cost are all reasons this edition would be a valuable title for any business or academic library. Kelly Heidemann Corporate Librarian, Ernst and Young Cleveland Ohio ******************************************************************************