Shorter NoticesThe Library Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Oct., 1979), pp. 495-498Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4307174 .

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SHORTER NOTICES'

Best Books for Children: Preschool through the Middle Grades. Edited by JOHN T. GILLESPIE and CHRISTINE B. GILBERT. New York: R. R. Bowker Co., 1978. Pp. x+541. $19.95. ISBN 0-8352-1104-5.

This annotated bibliography consists of 10,000 titles, mainly for grades K-6. An updated revision of the 1972 edition, it retains only a few hundred of the original titles. The titles are organized under broad interest areas and, for nonfiction, under curriculum-oriented subject headings. The broad area divi- sions include alphabet books, nursery rhymes, stories without words, picture books, books for beginning readers, fiction, poetry, fairy tales, religion, jokes, hobbies, sports, biography, science and technology, and other subjects. Within each major category, the titles are organized by more specific areas of interest. There are 3 indexes: title, author-illustrator, and biographical subjects.

Each entry gives author, title, grade level, indication of illustration, publisher, price, and a 1-sentence annotation. Often there is a reference to a sequel or another work of related interest. The annotations are too short to provide any critical guidance, but the work has usefulness as a guide to evaluating the strength of library collections, or as an aid in the preparation of bibliographies. Considering the large number of titles covered, and the well-organized manner in which they are presented, it is a valuable tool. (M.K.)

Classification: An Introductory Manual. By MARGARET M. HERDMAN. 3d ed. Revised by JEANNE OSBORN. Chicago: American Library Association, 1978. Pp. 44. (Paper.) ISBN 0-8389-0277-4.

This standard introduction has been revised so as to include an occasional mention of MARC tapes, a description of the Colon classification, more recent citations in the bibliography, and some other references to post-1947 events, but it is dated in tone. We are told that audiovisual aids should not be classified because such collections should not be made available for browsing (p. 1). Comaromi's recent history of the Dewey decimal classification is included in the

l. Authors of Shorter Notices in vol. 49 (1979) have been Abraham Bookstein, Julie M. Hurd, Marilyn Kaye, Jane E. Marshall, Stuart W. Miller, Gordon B. Neavill, Dennis Reynolds, Mollie Sandock, Adolf Sprudzs, Patricia K. Swanson, Lawrence S. Thompson, D. Kathryn Weintraub, and Howard W. Winger.

[Library Quarterly, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 495-498] @1979 by The University of Chicago.

495

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496 THE LIBRARY QUARTERLY

bibliography, but, within the text, the account of the Dewey decimal classification does not refer to Comaromi's findings (pp. 12-18). Similarly, Foskett's work on classification and indexing in the social sciences has been added to the bibliog- raphy, but the companion works by Langridge and Vickery on classification and indexing in the humanities and sciences are missing. The section summarizing "Principles and Rules for Classifying Books" is the most useful section of this pamphlet, but even here the information is not all current. We are told that, in Dewey, bibliographies may be classified either by form (in 016) or by subject with the standard subdivision, -016, while in the Library of Congress system bibliog- raphies are usually classified by torm in Z. There is no mention ot the tact that the Library of Congress also assigns numbers in the subject schedules for bib- liographies and includes these alternatives on the MARC tapes. This work may be useful for beginning students who plan to work in libraries that use the numbers on the printed cards, but it is too superficial for those who need to work with classification systems. (D. K.W.)

A Guide to the Official Publications of the European Communities. By JOHN JEFFRIES.

New York: Facts on File, 1978. Pp. xii+ 173. ISBN 0-87196-371-X.

This neatly produced little volume meets a a definite need, and its author, a British librarian, clearly is well qualified to write it. His presentations of the organs of the European Communities and their numerous categories of official publications are precise and accurate, showing the hand of an expert. Consulta- tions with appropriate officials of the agencies in Brussels and Luxembourg have also helped him considerably in his task. While not pretending to give a complete and comprehensive coverage of the maze of publications coming from the mills of the European Communities (not provided even by the various official catalogs), Jeffries has surveyed, collated, checked, and described the whole spectrum of essential publications emanating from the various organs of the European Communities. The result is a very useful, reliable working tool for all those who must handle this sector of the publication explosion. A list of depos- itary libraries and a well-structured, detailed index of subjects and titles further enhance the reference value of this handy guide. (A.S.)

Introducing More Books: A Guide for the Middle Grades. By DIANA L. SPIRT. New York: R. R. Bowker Co., 1978. Pp. xv+240. $13.95. ISBN 0-8352-0988-1.

Seventy-two titles are described in this book, with references to over 400 related materials. The work has a "developmental goal" orientation, and titles are divided into 9 major goal areas: "Getting Along in the Family," "Making Friends," "Developing Values," "Understanding Physical and Emotional Prob- lems," "Forming a View of the World," "Respecting Living Creatures," "Under- standing Social Problems," "Identifying Adult Roles," and "Appreciating Books." It is a rather haphazard method of organization; many titles could conceivably fall in I category as well as another. Discussions are essentially nonliterary, almost totally concerned with plot summaries and the didactic value of the work. Plots are often described in terms of potential "examples" of behavior for the reader, and themes are analyzed in regard to the values they teach. This type of work may have some appeal for practitioners of bib- liotherapy, and the plot descriptions can be helpful in preparing book talks; but,

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SHORTER NOTICES 497

as a guide to introducing books to children, more emphasis could have been placed on helping children develop skills of literary appreciation. The final section, "Appreciating Books," deals with this to some degree but falls short of offering any real tips on stimulating children to critically analyze and evaluate a book for themselves. (M.K.)

On-Line Information Retrieval: An Introduction and Guide to the British Library's Short-Term Experimental Information Network Project. Vol. 2: Experimental Use of Medical Information Services. By P. L. HOLMES. R & D Report no. 5397. London: British Library, Research and Development Dept., 1978. Pp. viii+66. $10.00 (paper). ISBN 0-905984-10-2.

This British Library Research and Development Report describes research supported by the Office for Scientific and Technical Information which assessed the operational and economic aspects of on-line searching of medical data bases. Six institutions participated in the study, representing teaching hospitals, re- gional health authorities, and medical research laboratories. The on-line information-retrieval services studied were made available through a specially established center in each institution, and each was staffed with an assistant who served as a knowledgeable intermediary. The services were offered free of charge to the end users, who were asked to complete a questionnaire detailing their information needs. The data supplied by the users of the biomedical information services provided background information on the user group as well as details of their specific information needs. In addition, the intermediary at each center kept a log describing each search and subsearch. The printouts from the search sessions were retained for subsequent analyses. There was also a limited investigation of nonuse of the services by some potential users.

The find(ings of this study are summarized in numerous tables which are acconmpanied by concise commentary. For example, 1 table displays the users' interests and( reveals their diversity, identifying those whose primary activity was research as well as those involved in clinical work, administration, laboratory work, etc. Other data collected permitted an analysis of the role of the inter- mediarx with ilentification of the various activities supporting each stage of the search operation. 1'raining methods for ened users, volumne-of-use statistics, de- tails of on-line and( off-line retrievals, and user reactions to the service were also analyzed an(d relevant dala tabulated and summnarized. The report concludes with a chapter providling an overview of the study's findings. It contains a list of references to related reports and a glossary of terms employed in the text. The report woul(d be of interest to those involve(i in the provision of on-line informa- tion services to the biomedical community. (U.M.H.)

Paliographie der lateini5chen Papyri. By RiCHARD SEIDER. 3 vols. Band II, 1: rafeln, zweiter Teil: Literarische Papyri. 1. Halbbancl: lTexte klassischer Auto- ten. Stuttgart: Antoni Hiersenmainn, 1978. Pp. 174. 40 plates. DM 220. ISBN 3-3772-7211-6 (set); ISBN 3-7772-7820-3 (Bancd II, 1).

While this great work is somiiewhat behindl the sche(dule ainnouniced in the original prospectus, it will be completed, for the great publishing firm of Hierse- mann has no entry of nticht mehr erschienen in its catalog of scholarly sets. The first volume of Seider's Paliographie der griechischept Papyri (the 2 sets supplement each other) appeared in 1967 and conitained documentary papyri; the second

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498 THE LIBRARY QUARTERLY

(1970) literary papyri; and the third has not yet been published. Of the corre- sponding Latin set, the first volume appeared in 1972, and the second, originally scheduled in the prospectus for 1973-74, is now here. The delay may well have been due, at least in part, to the decision to divide this second volume into 2 parts. The second part will contain legal and Christian texts. According to the original prospectus, the third volume of both the Greek and the Latin texts will be the Texiband.

There are 68 papyri and manuscripts in the present volume, all reproduced in the section of plates. Why manuscripts? In the field of papyrology, the student of palaeography cannot afford to overlook any evidence pertinent to a study of the writing of the papyri, whether parchment manuscript, ostraka, or wooden or wax tablets, and the manuscripts illustrated here have been judiciously selected. Each entry contains a transcription of the text, a reference to editions and the literature, a description, the location, and the place where found originally. There is a list of the papyri by title of the papyrus (for example, "P. Mich. 430 a"), a list of original locations, a list of present locations, and an extensive bibliography. The 2 sets are cornerstones both for papyrology and palaeog- raphy. (L.S.T.)

Statistical Methods for Librarians. By RAY L. CARPENTER. Chicago: American Li- brary Association, 1978. Pp. xiv+ 119. $12.50. ISBN 0-8389-0256-1.

This book is intended to introduce librarians to the basic concepts of statistics. It includes a broad range of statistical techniques, especially those used in sociology. Its main contribution is its use of library examples to illustrate the techniques. It will probably have to be used in conjunction with another text, as its succinctness (the full text takes 94 pages!) can be confusing and sometimes nisleading. Although all the basic topics are mentioned, important aspects are necessarily missing. For example, the book correctly discusses the importance of randomized sampling and the variety of techniques available, but no information is given that will allow the reader to produce a measure of error for, say, a stratified sample, or to create confidence intervals. Also difficult for the student will be the poor typography, especially where new notation is introduced. Among the topics included that should be used sensitively in the library research are linear regression (unfortunately represented in the book with only a single independent variable) and nonparametric tests. (A.B.)

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