ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

PUBLICATIONS

by George M. Eberhart

• Botanical Exploration of the Trans-Mississippi West, by Susan Delano McKelvey (1,200 pages, October 1991), is a classic history of the botanical explorations of the west from 1790 to 1850, first published in 1955 by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. This monograph provides the cultural and historical setting for the development of natural history studies throughout the American West. McKelvey’s work is the definitive assessment of the life, labors, field work, and publications of many botanical explorers who charted the resources of wilderness lands west of the Mississippi River. Nine original maps by Erwin Raisz are included. Copies are available for $85.00 from Oregon State University Press, Waldo Hall 101, Corvallis, OR 97331-6407. ISBN 0-87071-513-5.

• The Columbia Granger’s World of Poetry on CD-ROM combines the indexing power of Granger’s Index to Poetry with the full text of the actual poems most often anthologized. Users can read the full texts of 8,500 classic poems, 3,000 quotations from a further 1,500 famous poems, and full anthology citations for another 80,000 poems. Only snippets of information (author, subject, title, first line, or selected words) are needed to locate a given poem. The disk costs $699.00 and is available from Columbia University Press, 562 W. 113th St., New York, NY 10025. ISBN 0-231-07672-X.

• Essential Guide to dBase IV in Libraries, by Karl Beiser (365 pages, November 1991), addresses the basics of using this popular database program in a library setting—something the software manual fails to do, if only because it cannot include all the step-by-step jobs that it is capable of doing in all conceivable situations. This book concentrates on demonstrating practical approaches to accomplishing a variety of tasks using dBase IV. Specific applications include library statistics, newspaper indexing, abstracts andbibliographies, serials management, and MARC records and catalog cards. Extensive examples and sample code are provided. Copies may be ordered for $40.00 from Meclder Corporation, 11 Ferry Lane West, Westport, CT 06880. ISBN 0-88736-530-2.

• Journalists of the United States, by Robert B. Downs and Jane B. Downs (391 pages, December 1991), gathers in an alphabetical format the hundreds of men and women who have shaped the news world in America from the late 17th century to the present. Brief biographies of such journalists as Connie Chung, Bill Curtis, Joel Chandler Harris, Bill Moyers, Diane Sawyer, John Peter Zenger, and 480 others are profiled in this concise compendium. A copy may be ordered for $41.95 postpaidfrom McF arland& Co., Box611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-89950-549-X.

• The Legal Researcher’s Desk Reference, 1992, compiled by Arlene L. Eis (406 pages, December 1991), gathers together names, addresses, and phone numbers of Congressional offices, federal judges, state officials, legal publishers, law schools, and legal periodicals. Of particular interest are charts of the state court structure for each state. Copies may be ordered for $50.00 per copy (plus $4.00 shipping) from Infosources Publishing, 140 Norma Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. ISBN 0-939486-21-0.

• The Summer 1991 issue of Library Trends covers the topic of “Software for Patron Use in Libraries.” Edited by Denise M. Beaubien, Alice Leíler Primack, and Colleen Seale, the articles discuss software selection, intellectual access, copyright, reference services, and public use. A case study of the policies and practices at Texas A&M University’s Sterling C. Evans Library is included. Single issues of Library Trends cost $18.50, and the subscription price is $60.00 (plus $5.00 for overseas subscribers). Order from the University of Illinois Press, Journals Department, 54 E. Gregory Drive, Champaign, IL 61820. ISSN 0024-2594.

• Momingstar Mutual Funds OnDisc is a CD-ROM software package that combines a database of more than 2,200 mutual funds with a menu- driven software program, allowing you to compare, evaluate, and track mutual funds and produce customized reports and graphics. Since mutual funds are currently one of the best investment deals in the early 1990s, you owe it to the students and faculty in your care to guide them into a secure future. This package allows you to search and sort for the funds that match your needs, compare one fund against another, evaluate performance against nine benchmark indexes, and export data into other software programs. The CD-ROM version of Morningstar contains 51 fields of information on each fund, ranging from alphas to complete portfolios. Also included are written analyses based on interviews with the fund manager and manager profiles. One- year subscriptions are available with annual ($295), quarterly ($495), or monthly ($795) updates; an additional Hitachi CD-ROM drive is $500 extra. This product was introduced in October 1991. For more information, contact Morningstar, 53 W. Jack- son Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604; (312) 427-1985.

• Mythological and Classical World Art Index, by Mercedes Rochelle (279 pages, December 1991), aids the tedious process of locating paintings, sculptures, frescoes, manuscript illuminations, sketches, woodcuts, and engravings executed between 1200 B ,C. and 1900 A.D. Arranged by subject, this directory lists historical persons, gods and goddesses, and events alphabetically as primary subject headings. Artwork is listed chronologically by date of creation, starting with contemporaneous art and continuing through the Romantic movement. Need apicture of Cincinnatus, F abius Maximus Quintus, or Nyx (goddess of the night)? Check out this classical reference book. Copies may be ordered for $45.00 from McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-89950-566-X.

• The Ohio Newspaper Catalog (1991 ed., microfiche) records Ohio newspapers held by the Ohio Historical Society both on original newsprint and on 35mm service copy microfilm .The previous microfiche edition, published in 1,989, recorded only microfilm holdings. The catalog is printed on five microfiche sheets. Newspapers are listed alphabetically by city of publication and by title within each city. Individual rolls and volumes of a given title are arranged chronologically. Represented in the society’s collection are 2,704 newspapers published in 489 Ohio cities and villages. Copies are available for $20.00 prepaid (plus $1.15 sales tax for Ohio residents). To order a copy, contact Stephen Gutgesell, Ohio Historical Society, 1982 Velma Ave., Columbus, OH 43211.

• The Reference Library User: Problems and Solutions, edited by Bill Katz (151 pages, July 1991), focuses on the particular needs of various populations using reference collections. Fay Zipkowitz examines the information needs of deinstitutionalized users and outlines methods of providing service and a rationale for community outreach. Other chapters cover reference service to older adults, the learning disabled, the blind, and the physically handicapped. Mary Boulanger surveys the diverse publics served at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, andPatricia A. Cannon looks at the reasons why some faculty, students, and staff do not use the university library. The cost is $24.95. Order from Haworth Press, 10 Alice St., Binghamton, NY 13904-1580. ISBN 1-56024-022-9.

• The Rights of Indians and Tribes; The Basic ACLU Guide to Indian and Tribal Rights, by Stephen L. Pevar (335 pages, 2nd ed., December 1991), provides in-depth coverage of issues such as tribal government, state and federal power over Indian affairs, civil and criminal jurisdiction in Indian country, taxation, hunting and fishing rights, and the civil rights of Indians. Central to the understanding of the relationship between the U. S. government and the Indian tribes is the doctrine of “trust responsibility,” which spells out the American government’s obligation to fulfill its treaty agreements. Copies may be ordered for $7.95 from Southern Illinois University Press, P.O. Box 3697, Carbondale, IL 62901. ISBN 0-8093-1768-0.

• Rome in the Fourth Century A.D.; An Annotated Bibliography with Historical Overview, by Alden Rollins (324 pages, November 1991), describes more than 1,400 historical sources covering works on the Roman Empire from A.D. 284 to 395. Topics covered include politics and government, military matters, literature and education, monetary matters, science, art, foreign affairs, religion, and philosophy. Once considered a degenerate erain which the fate ofthe Roman Empire was sealed, the fourth century has gained significance as an underappreciated and pivotal point in history. Entries are primarily 20th-century books and articles, but some earlier works are also included. Copies are available for $48.50 fiom McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-89950-624-0.

• Staff Development: A Practical Guide, Anne Grodzins Lipow and Deborah A. Carver, consulting editors (104 pages, 2d ed., October 1991), offers both theoretical and practical advice on planning, preparing, or expanding a staff development program. Of particular interest are chapters on “How People Learn,” by Susan Jurow; “Designing and Conducting a Needs Assessment," by Charles E. Kratz; “How to Prepare for a Specific Program,” by Anne Lipow; and “How to Make Training Stick,” by Deborah Carver. Copies are available for $25.00 from ALA Publishing, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. ALA Order Code 3402-1-0010. ISBN 0-8389-3402-1.

• Who’s Who in Asian and Australasian Politics, edited by Yolanda Dolling (475 pages, 1991), provides the names of leading politicians, government and parliamentary figures, trade union leaders, and other political personalities in the region. A unique index to all government posts is included. Copies are available for $175.00 from K.G. Saur.P.O. Box 31, New Providence, NJ 07974- 9903. ISBN 0-86291-593-7.