ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

New Publications

George M. Eberhart

George M. Eberhart is associate editor ofAmerican Libraries

The Internet,edited by Brian Cooper, et al. (128 pages, October 1996), is one of the easiest and most practical guides to getting connected available today. Unlike other handbooks that get caught up with Unix commands and overwhelm the Net newbie with 20 pages of TCP/IP protocol history, the text is spare and the graphics are splendid. The only catch is that this book is specifically for Windows 95 users. Here are some of the user-friendly contents: using Windows 95 to configure your modem; questions you should ask a new service provider; time-saving e-mail tips; handling cookies; choosing the right search tool; configuring an IRC client; exploring virtual worlds. An excellent book for beginners as well as for those who haven’t quite been keeping up with it all. $16.95. DK Publishing, 95 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. ISBN 0-7894-1288-8.

The Bernard Becker Collection in Ophthalmology: An Annotated Catalog,compiled by Lilla Wechsler, Christopher Hoolihan, and Mark F. Weimer (180 pages, 3d ed., July 1996), describes the holdings of this collection at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis. One hundred additional items have been cataloged since the second edition was published in 1983. New to this edition are 18 color illustrations depicting opthalmological history. $45.00. Washington University, Bernard Becker Medical Library, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Box 8132, St. Louis, MO 63110. ISBN 0-912260-13-0.

Developing and Managing Video Collections,by Sally Mason-Robinson (133 pages, September 1996), is a practical manual for librarians faced with expanding their video holdings. The author covers evaluation, selection, policies, cataloging, display, and future technologies,. Appendices contain Booklist criteria for evaluating nonprint materials, a model video evaluation form, applicable interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights, and prominent video festivals and awards. $39.95. Neal-Schuman Publishers, 100 Varick St., New York, NY 10013. ISBN 1-55570-230-9.

An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles,by Arthur V. Evans and Charles L. Bellamy (208 pages, December 1996), is a bug-lover’s bible. The title is taken from an alleged remark by the British scientist J. B. S. Haldane who, when asked what could be inferred about the work of the Creator from a study of His works, replied, “an inordinate fondness for beetles” (Ringo was His favorite).

Approximately 350,000 species of beetles have been described since 1758, an average of slightly more than four per day. Not all of them are cataloged here, but readers will get a close and colorful look at the Coleoptera in this well-illustrated volume. Chapters cover beetle anatomy and habitat, fossils, behavior, interactions with humans, collecting, and conservation. $40.00. Henry Holt and Co., 115 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011. ISBN 0-8050-3751-9.

Catalogers will welcome LC’s Classification Plus on CD-ROM. A full-text, Windows-based application, it contains the latest LC classification schedules and the complete Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). Hypertext links between LCSH and the schedules are especially helpful. Users can view headings in an expandable hierarchical display and construct complex queries using boolean, keyword, phrase, wildcard, and proximity searching. The infobase itself can be modified by creating shadow files that allow notes, highlighting, bookmarks, and additional links without altering the original data. The program can be used either on a single-user workstation or on a LAN server. Classificationÿ20Plus is available as an annual subscription with quarterly issues for $410 in North America for a single user, and $16 per additional user. A demonstration version is available from the Catalog Distribution Service Web site at http://www.loc.gov/cds. For more information, contact Customer Service, CDS, P.O. Box 75720, Washington, DC 20013. ■