ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

New Publications

George M. Eberhart

Academic Freedom in American Higher Educa- tion: Rights, Responsibili- ties, and Limitations,by Robert K. Poch (92 pages, March 1994), presents the legal and social history of academic freedom, includ- ing the role of the 1940 AAUP/AAC Statement of Principles and Interpretive Comments on Academic Freedom and Tenure. Poch identifies four areas of cur- rent controversy and concern—artistic expression, political correctness, religious doctrine within church-related col- leges, and protection of research information sources—and recommends policies and pro- cedures to ensure the principles of academic freedom. A copy may be ordered for $18.00 from ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports, George Washington University, One Dupont Circle, N.W., Suite 630, Washington, DC 20036- 1183. ISBN 1-878380-25-9.

The Columbia University Scientific In- formation Study(March 1994), submitted to the Council on Library Resources in August 1993, is the report of a major survey of the information needs, preferences, and practices of biologists, electrical engi- neers, and physicists at Colum- bia. Their findings deal with document delivery, the costs of access and ownership, how electronic users differ from print users, and how users want the library to expand its resources. The study provides many relevant findings of in- terest to institutions with com- parable user groups. The cost including postage and han- dling is $25.00. Send prepaid orders to Jack McNees, Gift and Exchanges, 104 Butler Li- brary, New York, NY 10027.

The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville,by Anthony Slide (605 pages, March 1994), is the first comprehensive encyclopedia of the American insti- tution of vaudeville from its origins in the 1860s to its demise in the 1930s. The majority of the entries are biographical and include contemporary criticism, a sampling of routines, com- mentary by the performers, and an appraisal of the performer’s role in vaude- ville history. There are nu- merous subject essays as well, such as British music hall, minstrel shows, female impersonators, male impersonators, animal acts, the “Salome” dance craze, tap dancing, com- posers, and magicians. An essential volume for any entertainment collection. Copies are $75.00 from Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881. ISBN 0-313-280274.

The Evolution of Homo Erectus: Com- parative Anatomical Studies of an Extinct Human Species,by G. Philip Rightmire (260 pages, December 1993), provides thorough and accurate descriptions of the principal fossil specimens in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Not sim- ply a catalog of crania, the author spices the study with observations and speculation on the evolution of our own species. Many illustrations and tables accompany the technical data. A copy may be ordered for $24.95 from Cambridge University Press, 40 W. 20th St., New York, NY 10011-4211. ISBN 0-521- 44998-7.

Greatness in the White House: Rating the Presi- dents,by Robert K. Murray and Tim H. Blessing (169 pages, 2d ed., March 1994), reprints the original summary of a 1982 survey of historians on their assessments of all the presidents from Washington to Carter. New to this edition is a similar summary of the as- sessments of nearly 500 his- torians on the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Their judgment of Reagan as “below average” is based on his domestic and social policies, foreign policy, military affairs, and intangibles, and puts him in the same category as Zachary Taylor, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Calvin Coolidge, and Franklin Pierce, but above those rated by the historians as “failures”: Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Richard Nixon, Ulysses S. Grant, and Warren Harding. The book examines the factors that contribute to greatness in a president. Copies are $30.00 from Penn State Press, Barbara Building, 820 N. University Drive, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. ISBN 0-271-01089-4.

Comedian W. C. Fields in his vaudeville years. From The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville (Greenwood Press, 1994).

The Hutchinson Dictionary of World History(699 pages, 1994) manages to compress some 4,000 years of events, people, and civilizations into a browsable package that will probably answer some reference questions that similar books would choke on. Originally published by Helicon Books in Oxford in 1993, it makes a creditable effort at non-European and international coverage. One nice feature is the sprinkling of quotations throughout the 5,000 text entries: for example, the Basque politician Dolores Ibárruri comes vividly to life when she is identified as the source of the declaration, “It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.” Also included are more than 70 maps, 100 thematic chronologies, detailed histories of each country, and lists of political and religious leaders (including the Ten Gurus of Sikhism). Copies are available for $49-50 from ABC-CLIO, Inc., 130 Cremona Dr., P.O. Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911. ISBN 0- 87436-765-4.

Refugee and Immigrant Resource Directory,by Alan Edward Schorr (255 pages, 3rd ed., January 1994), includes information on 2,270 local, regional, and national organizations, associations, agencies, foundations, research centers and libraries, government programs, human rights agencies, and direct social service providers that offer services to or provide information about refugees and immigrants. New to this edition is information on selected international offices. Appendices contain documents, a glossary, chronologies, and extensive tables and charts. Copies are available for $47.50 (plus $2.50 handling) from Denali Press, P.O. Box 021535, Juneau, AK 99802-1535- ISBN 0- 938737-28-7.