- Email: [email protected]
Directory of foreign documents collections
466
Book reviews
ment policy, for example, which deserves more attention in American Indian Policy, is covered adequately in The Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the latter’s style has been improved by more rigorous editing. While American Indian Policy contains ample reference data, they tend to be presented in a graceless, mechanical prose that lacks careful rewriting and organization. Such phrases as “BIA’s JOM funds are coordinated with DOE funds” [SS], and “some federal agencies other than BIA may provide services or funds to these Indians, as Indians, on occasion, e.g., in North Carolina, for example, in the foregoing discussion” [p. 1261, remind readers that federal officials are not always the best friends of the English language. Other statements, although perhaps intended for young people, can be construed as patronizing. We learn not only that: “Indians . . . today . . . have axes and chain saws in place of stone cutting tools, pick-up trucks and cars instead of relying entirely on their feet and later on the horse and wagon. Now there are TVs, radios, and telephones in place of runners and smoke signals” [p. 91, but also that: “American Indians have contributed a great deal to this nation-a love of the outdoors, many of our foods such as potatoes and corn, a concern for the earth and all living things, the wisdom in Indian philosophy, and inspiring examples of individual and group self-sufficiency, independence and direct contributions to society” [p. 21. More sources, and more critical use of sources, would have been desirable. Important works, including the recent volumes of the updated Handbook of North American Zndians published by the Smithsonian Institution, receive no mention in the bibliography, and many materials consulted by Taylor are simply taken at face value. To account for state programs and Indian interest groups, for instance, the author relies heavily on official statements, from governors’ offices and from organizations’ publicists, that have apparently not been verified for accuracy. His strongest suit is thus the federal programs and policies with which he seems especially familiar, Such unevenness appears to be characteristic of the entire work. JOHN M. FINDLAY Department of History The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 USA
Directory of Foreign Documents Collectjons. Compiled by Carol Turner for ALA/Government ments Roundtable. New York: UNIPUB, 1985. 146 p, $20. (reviewed from galleys)
Docu-
At last! A decade after documents librarians agreed on the need for this directory, it has arrived. This eagerly awaited reference work is a unique guide to collections of official documents of 201 foreign governments, located in 148 libraries across the United States and Canada, You no longer need to rely on your memory, or require the advice of more experienced colleagues to locate foreign documents in other libraries. It will be welcomed by librarians working in documents, reference, and collection development, as well as by individual researchers. For interlibrary loan librarians, the Directory of Foreign Documenls Collections will be a valuable complement to the Directory of Government Document Co!sections and Librarians published by the Congressional Information Service, Inc. (CIS). Whereas the CIS Directory provides indexes by geographic region and by subject, the UNIPUB directory provides indexing by individual country, enabling you to locate the official documents of even the smallest countries and dependencies. The directory is a compilation of information gathered by a 1979 questionnaire which was distributed to 200 libraries in the U.S. and Canada. The directory has several sections, including a list of libraries by state and institution, a list of libraries arranged alphabetically by NUC code, an index of library collections in order by country, and finally, an index to the library descriptions, arranged by state and Canadian province. Each library description includes information about access, fees, interlibrary loan, circulation, and scope of collection. Some libraries listed in this directory have provided a comprehensive overview of their foreign documents collections. From other libraries’ descriptions, you can gain only a vague impression of their collections. A few libraries have not provided any scope notes at all. For librarians who enjoy visiting other libraries, this directory ailows armchair travel to some of the most outstanding research collections in North America. Keep in mind, though, that some great libraries have not taken the time and effort to provide you with complete scope notes on their collections. Let me point out here, too, that since the information was gathered in 1979, some data will be incorrect, especially those concerning library staff.
467
Book reviews
Mistakes are to be expected in any directory. The user should not be put off by those found in this volume. What may be disconcerting, however, is that the format of the book requires the user to refer to several indexes in the directory to obtain the desired information. Let us hope a future edition will provide more convenient access. Another wish I have for the next edition is that more libraries will participate and provide more detailed data on their holdings. One feature that should appeal to interlibrary loan and collection development librarians is the index of library descriptions arranged by state. This section allows a quick review of a state’s resources of foreign government documents, and may prompt increased cooperative activity between neighboring institutions. Overall, the research community will find this to be a valuable addition to the arsenal of reference works required to locate the ever-elusive, all-important foreign document. Hats off to Carol Turner for undertaking this massive effort to demystify the official documents of foreign governments. PATRICIA A. LANGELIER International Documents Librarian Davis Library University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 27514 USA
Federal Public Policy. Edited by Theodore W. Taylor. Mt. Airy, MD: Lomond Publications, 327 pp. $27.50; ISBN O-912-33847-4. $13.50 (Microfiche ed.); ISBN o-912-33848-2.
1984.
Making and Managing Policy: Formulation, Analysis, Evaluation. Edited by G. Ronald Gilbert. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1984. 432 pp. $35.00; ISBN 0-8247-7168-O. LC 84-1867. Federal Public Policy is a compilation of papers written by ten senior executives in the federal civil service. Collectively they have served in eight federal executive departments, fourteen other governmental agencies and organizations, and various consulting firms and universities. Many hold Ph.D.s, have long publication records, and have given invited lectures at numerous schools of public and business administration. Simply put, the authors constitute an impressive group. The book covers a wide range of topics and agencies. The first chapter examines the role of the Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget) in the 1940s and 1950s in curtailing growth in benefits for veterans and their dependents. With about two-fifths of the population potentially eligible, it was essential that prudence be exercised in setting benefit levels. Chapter Two discusses the creation of the space program and how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s leadership had to integrate the diverse units within the agency, work closely with private enterprise, and operate world wide. The third chapter discusses how some programs get out of control. For instance, the number of federally supported on-the-job training participants increased from 24,600 in January, 1946 to 228,500 in July of the same year. Chapter Four deals with the coordination of various federal departments in using food aid as an instrument of foreign policy. Chapter Five is a general essay on policy making and administration. Chapter Six focuses on the career of the late William Ashby Jump who, as Director of Finance and Budget Officer, served eight Secretaries of Agriculture. Chapters Seven and Eight examine ocean policy and the Highway Trust Fund. Chapter Nine deals with the problem of helping government workers find new jobs when their current ones are being phased out. The last chapter provides capsule descriptions of several government agencies. The authors of the book are impressive and so is the spectrum of topics surveyed, but there are serious flaws to be noted. There is no coherent theme or theory that integrates the chapters. An introduction of only a few pages is provided, and instead of a concluding chapter, there is a short four-paragraph afterword. One is left not knowing what this book set out to accomplish and whether the objective was achieved. No rationale is provided for what subjects are covered. It seems largely to be a function of the career turns taken by the ten authors. A problem with this approach is that extremely important subjects are ignored. For instance, how can a book on federal policy not have a discussion of defense policy and programs for the elderly, particularly Social Security retirement benefits and Medicare? There is also considerable unevenness in the extent to which topics are examined. Some chapters seem excessively detailed, while others give short shrift to subjects. Two-page discussions of the Cooperative Extension Service and the Smithsonian Institution, for example, accomplish little. How well prepared the authors were in writing their chapters is not always apparent. In some places,
Book reviews
ment policy, for example, which deserves more attention in American Indian Policy, is covered adequately in The Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the latter’s style has been improved by more rigorous editing. While American Indian Policy contains ample reference data, they tend to be presented in a graceless, mechanical prose that lacks careful rewriting and organization. Such phrases as “BIA’s JOM funds are coordinated with DOE funds” [SS], and “some federal agencies other than BIA may provide services or funds to these Indians, as Indians, on occasion, e.g., in North Carolina, for example, in the foregoing discussion” [p. 1261, remind readers that federal officials are not always the best friends of the English language. Other statements, although perhaps intended for young people, can be construed as patronizing. We learn not only that: “Indians . . . today . . . have axes and chain saws in place of stone cutting tools, pick-up trucks and cars instead of relying entirely on their feet and later on the horse and wagon. Now there are TVs, radios, and telephones in place of runners and smoke signals” [p. 91, but also that: “American Indians have contributed a great deal to this nation-a love of the outdoors, many of our foods such as potatoes and corn, a concern for the earth and all living things, the wisdom in Indian philosophy, and inspiring examples of individual and group self-sufficiency, independence and direct contributions to society” [p. 21. More sources, and more critical use of sources, would have been desirable. Important works, including the recent volumes of the updated Handbook of North American Zndians published by the Smithsonian Institution, receive no mention in the bibliography, and many materials consulted by Taylor are simply taken at face value. To account for state programs and Indian interest groups, for instance, the author relies heavily on official statements, from governors’ offices and from organizations’ publicists, that have apparently not been verified for accuracy. His strongest suit is thus the federal programs and policies with which he seems especially familiar, Such unevenness appears to be characteristic of the entire work. JOHN M. FINDLAY Department of History The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 USA
Directory of Foreign Documents Collectjons. Compiled by Carol Turner for ALA/Government ments Roundtable. New York: UNIPUB, 1985. 146 p, $20. (reviewed from galleys)
Docu-
At last! A decade after documents librarians agreed on the need for this directory, it has arrived. This eagerly awaited reference work is a unique guide to collections of official documents of 201 foreign governments, located in 148 libraries across the United States and Canada, You no longer need to rely on your memory, or require the advice of more experienced colleagues to locate foreign documents in other libraries. It will be welcomed by librarians working in documents, reference, and collection development, as well as by individual researchers. For interlibrary loan librarians, the Directory of Foreign Documenls Collections will be a valuable complement to the Directory of Government Document Co!sections and Librarians published by the Congressional Information Service, Inc. (CIS). Whereas the CIS Directory provides indexes by geographic region and by subject, the UNIPUB directory provides indexing by individual country, enabling you to locate the official documents of even the smallest countries and dependencies. The directory is a compilation of information gathered by a 1979 questionnaire which was distributed to 200 libraries in the U.S. and Canada. The directory has several sections, including a list of libraries by state and institution, a list of libraries arranged alphabetically by NUC code, an index of library collections in order by country, and finally, an index to the library descriptions, arranged by state and Canadian province. Each library description includes information about access, fees, interlibrary loan, circulation, and scope of collection. Some libraries listed in this directory have provided a comprehensive overview of their foreign documents collections. From other libraries’ descriptions, you can gain only a vague impression of their collections. A few libraries have not provided any scope notes at all. For librarians who enjoy visiting other libraries, this directory ailows armchair travel to some of the most outstanding research collections in North America. Keep in mind, though, that some great libraries have not taken the time and effort to provide you with complete scope notes on their collections. Let me point out here, too, that since the information was gathered in 1979, some data will be incorrect, especially those concerning library staff.
467
Book reviews
Mistakes are to be expected in any directory. The user should not be put off by those found in this volume. What may be disconcerting, however, is that the format of the book requires the user to refer to several indexes in the directory to obtain the desired information. Let us hope a future edition will provide more convenient access. Another wish I have for the next edition is that more libraries will participate and provide more detailed data on their holdings. One feature that should appeal to interlibrary loan and collection development librarians is the index of library descriptions arranged by state. This section allows a quick review of a state’s resources of foreign government documents, and may prompt increased cooperative activity between neighboring institutions. Overall, the research community will find this to be a valuable addition to the arsenal of reference works required to locate the ever-elusive, all-important foreign document. Hats off to Carol Turner for undertaking this massive effort to demystify the official documents of foreign governments. PATRICIA A. LANGELIER International Documents Librarian Davis Library University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 27514 USA
Federal Public Policy. Edited by Theodore W. Taylor. Mt. Airy, MD: Lomond Publications, 327 pp. $27.50; ISBN O-912-33847-4. $13.50 (Microfiche ed.); ISBN o-912-33848-2.
1984.
Making and Managing Policy: Formulation, Analysis, Evaluation. Edited by G. Ronald Gilbert. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1984. 432 pp. $35.00; ISBN 0-8247-7168-O. LC 84-1867. Federal Public Policy is a compilation of papers written by ten senior executives in the federal civil service. Collectively they have served in eight federal executive departments, fourteen other governmental agencies and organizations, and various consulting firms and universities. Many hold Ph.D.s, have long publication records, and have given invited lectures at numerous schools of public and business administration. Simply put, the authors constitute an impressive group. The book covers a wide range of topics and agencies. The first chapter examines the role of the Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget) in the 1940s and 1950s in curtailing growth in benefits for veterans and their dependents. With about two-fifths of the population potentially eligible, it was essential that prudence be exercised in setting benefit levels. Chapter Two discusses the creation of the space program and how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s leadership had to integrate the diverse units within the agency, work closely with private enterprise, and operate world wide. The third chapter discusses how some programs get out of control. For instance, the number of federally supported on-the-job training participants increased from 24,600 in January, 1946 to 228,500 in July of the same year. Chapter Four deals with the coordination of various federal departments in using food aid as an instrument of foreign policy. Chapter Five is a general essay on policy making and administration. Chapter Six focuses on the career of the late William Ashby Jump who, as Director of Finance and Budget Officer, served eight Secretaries of Agriculture. Chapters Seven and Eight examine ocean policy and the Highway Trust Fund. Chapter Nine deals with the problem of helping government workers find new jobs when their current ones are being phased out. The last chapter provides capsule descriptions of several government agencies. The authors of the book are impressive and so is the spectrum of topics surveyed, but there are serious flaws to be noted. There is no coherent theme or theory that integrates the chapters. An introduction of only a few pages is provided, and instead of a concluding chapter, there is a short four-paragraph afterword. One is left not knowing what this book set out to accomplish and whether the objective was achieved. No rationale is provided for what subjects are covered. It seems largely to be a function of the career turns taken by the ten authors. A problem with this approach is that extremely important subjects are ignored. For instance, how can a book on federal policy not have a discussion of defense policy and programs for the elderly, particularly Social Security retirement benefits and Medicare? There is also considerable unevenness in the extent to which topics are examined. Some chapters seem excessively detailed, while others give short shrift to subjects. Two-page discussions of the Cooperative Extension Service and the Smithsonian Institution, for example, accomplish little. How well prepared the authors were in writing their chapters is not always apparent. In some places,