ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

ACRL Microcard Series—Abstracts of Titles

The ACRL Microcard Series is published for ACRL by the University of Rochester Press under the editorship of Mrs. Margaret K. Toth. Titles are available directly from the Press. Recently published titles include:

Bone, Esther J. No. 163

The Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature: a study,iv, 1221. 28 cm. (Thesis: MLS, Kent State University, 1965.) Bibliography: I. 61-62. $1.50.

The purpose of this study is to measure the value of the Readers’ Guide and to record any changes that may have occurred during its first sixty years.

The criteria for determining the value of an index are taken from Constance Wincheh’s Guide to Reference Books, (Chicago: ALA, 1951) and are applied in an analysis of the first twenty-three volumes of the Readers’ Guide, using charts and tables as illustration. There is also a brief history of its publication.

The study is accompanied by a checklist of all periodicals ever indexed in Readers’ Guide.

Vinopal, M. Jeanne Donnan No. 164

The Bookmans Manual: a descriptive-historical study,vi, 1331. 28 cm. (Thesis: MA, Kent State University, 1964.) Bibliography: I. 131-133. $2.00.

This study demonstrates the continuing growth in the scope and usefulness of The Bookmans Manual.

A descriptive analysis of the nine revisions shows how subject categories and their subdivisions have been enlarged so that emphasis of use has gradually transferred from a bookseller’s general guide to literature in print; to a librarian’s book selection tool; to an educator’s reference tool; and finally to a reader’s advisor.

Three special studies: representative authors; the Shakespeare chapter; and the chapter on Bibles, illustrate through tables and charts this same growth.

A brief history, presented through reviewers’ comments, traces its acceptance and use.

DeStephen, Anthony E. No. 165

The Library of the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation; operations and procedures,viii, 107Z. 28 cm. (Thesis: MA, Kent State University, 1964.) Bibliography: I. 104-107. $1.50.

The purpose of this thesis is to define the operations and procedures of a special library, more specifically, one that provides service to a company in which government contracts are its main business concern. General library operations are discussed with the primary emphasis on the procuring, storing, and disseminating of classified documents.

By checking of corporate records and interviewing of company personnel, the writer has acquired information pertaining to the development of the company library. The history, physical facilities, and capabilities of the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation are briefly outlined.

The library holdings are revealed through an inspection of the library accession records and the various technical files. Ready reference sources and periodical titles held by the Goodyear Aerospace library are listed. There is also a list of books and government publications on standing order.

Library acquisition procedures are detailed which show methods used to reduce purshasing costs. Since a great many of the technical documents are acquired from the Defense Documentation Center and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a thorough examination of these services has been undertaken. A detailed description of the books and periodical section and the technical files section, including the specific functions of each, are given. The general library procedures and policies have also been presented.

The writer concludes that the benefits from a well organized library are numerous. While the Goodyear Aerospace library is a highly developed organization, there is a constant reexamination of policies and procedures in order continually to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the library, enabling it to become a more useful unit of the entire corporate structure.

Hoyer, Mina No. 166

The History of Automation in the University of Missouri Library, 1947-1963.v, 75Z. 29 cm. (Thesis: MA in LS, Indiana University, 1965.) Bibliography: I. 73-74. Vita. $1.00. This thesis traces the history and development of automation at the University of Missouri library, Columbia, where methods based on automatic procedures have been in use since 1948 to facilitate numerous library operations by adapting a library systems approach. The university library is viewed as a large business operation involving long range planning for automation to include the following areas: catalog statistics, subscription records, cardatype operations, ordering and accounting, circulation records, catalog production, shift of professional work load, computation of costs, cost studies for Flexowriter production of catalog cards, and projections for the future.

Lawler, Marion (Mrs. George B. McClellan) No. 167

“An investigation of Catholic and non–Cath– olic reviews of 1958 bestseller fiction to determine whether or not the bestseller lists provide an adequate selection criterion for a Catholic women’s college.” viii, 251. 29 cm. ([Research paper]: Marywood College, Scranton, Pa., 1959.) Bibliography: I. 24-25. $1.00.

Through this study, an effort was made to determine whether or not bestseller lists could be used by the librarian of a Catholic women’s college as a guide to the selection of fiction titles for the student’s use and enjoyment.

The forty-one titles of which reviews were read showed no common ground as to subject matter or literary quality. The findings bore out that the books themselves rather than their popularity with the public are the basis of the reviewer’s favorable or unfavorable accounts. To make a wise choice, the librarian must know what the Catholic review sources have to say about the soundness of the moral values of the books and what the non-Catholic sources have to say about the literary quality.

Coleman, Dorothy V. No. 168

“A study of two Catholic book review publications as compared with the New York Times Book Review for coverage and currency.” [3] 52Z. 29 cm. (Thesis: MA, Marywood College, Scranton, Pa., 1955.) Bibliography: [51]-52. $1.00.

Sacks, Patricia Ann (Mrs. Kenneth L.) No. 169

Cataloging cost study in five small public libraries,vii, 84Z. 28 cm. (Thesis. MS in LS, Drexel Institute of Technology, 1965.) Bibliography: I. 83-84. $1.50.

This study measured, compared, and analyzed the material and staff costs of various methods of cataloging in five small independent public libraries serving populations of under ten thousand. The five libraries were selected for their well organized cataloging procedures, acceptable cataloging products, and conformity to the guidelines established in the Interim Standards for Small Public Libraries. The objective was to determine under what conditions a cataloging method was most economical and efficient. Original cataloging, and the use of Wilson and LC printed cards were the methods analyzed in cataloging both fiction and nonfiction. The conclusion emphasized the consideration of the needs and goals of the small public library in recommending cataloging methods and procedures.

Isabella, Santina Maria No. 170

Education for information center personnel in ALA accredited library schools of the U.S. and Canada,iii, 100Z. 28 cm. (Thesis: MS in LS, Drexel Institute of Technology, 1964.) Bibliography: Z. 82-86. $1.50. ■■