Aspirations and mentoring in an academic environment: women faculty in library and information science,

Several of the systems are knowledge-based. A particularly interesting one is that described by Merzbacher and Ju. The system is called a Cooperative Query Answering system and its distinguishing feature is that by making use of abstraction hierarchies it can give approximate answers to queries. The paper itself describes an algorithm, used in the construction of abstraction hierarchies, to cluster semantically similar values of attributes. Of the papers describing systems, many lack statements of objectives; many lack the detail necessary for full understanding; few bother to consider the question of evaluation. As a result of such deficiencies a system may appear gimmicky. The word "may" is used as the problem may lie not with the systems but with the writing that describes them. A notable exception to the above generalization is the very articulate paper by Liddy, Paik, and Woelfel describing the use of subject codes from a machinereadable dictionary for automatically classifying documents. In at least half of the papers the classification discussed is computer generated, that is, it makes use of some kind of associative technique, called variously "automatic classification," "clustering," or simply "association." (The index, unfortunately, does not reflect this preponderance.) In at least three of the papers, the representation (or should one say "visualization"?) of structured data is by means of graphs. While there is some interest (two papers) in manipulating traditional systems, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification and the Library of Congress Subject Headings, for use in the online environment, in 1992 at ASIS, this interest is outside the main stream. The volume contains two excellent review papers, one a review of system development at NLM (Doszkocs & Sass); the other a review of developments in achieving compatibility of indexing languages (Zeng). It includes as well a paper that reflects on the relationships between theory and classification (Kwasnik); one that addresses the particular problem of how to deal with terms that are positioned in more than one hierarchy when replacing class numbers by verbal labels (Humphrey); and one that discusses, in an analytic manner, the use and meaning of slots in frame-based knowledge systems (Stephens & Chen). Papers that can synthesize, as review papers do, those that are reflective or analytic, and those that seek to solve problems are valuable in that they raise the level of generalization in a discipline and, thus, move it ahead. One final observation: In this volume, as in earlier volumes in the series, there is a certain tendency to give old concepts new names (e.g., visualization) and to use trendy terms (e.g., facets) to mean something idiosyncratic and quite different from their accepted meaning. While this may be upsetting to old hands in the field (Calvin Mooers could not bear to see how people mishandled his term "descriptor"!), probably the fast and loose playing with vocabulary in some way invigorates research. But glitzy verbiage is not enough and at times it actually signifies lack of substance ahead. Elaine Svenonius, Professor Emeri-

tus, Department of Library and Information Science, School of Education and Information Science, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024. Aspirations and Mentoring in An Academic Environment: Women Faculty in Library and Information Science, by Mary Niles Maack and Joanne Passet. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994. 216p. $49.95. ISBN 0-313-27836-9. ISSN 0084-9243. (Contributions in Librarianship and Information Science, No. 75).

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Readers have come to expect thoughtful work from library educators Maack and Passet, and in Aspirations and Mentoring in An Academic Environment, they have produced another hit. Here they depart from their favored methodology, history, and dwell in the present, taking a snapshot of the role of mentoring in the academic careers of female faculty in American library and information science (LIS) programs. Originating in a special interest group dedicated to gender issues at the 1989 annual conference of the Association for Library and Information Science Education, and assisted by grants from the University of California at Los Angeles and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the finished product makes an engrossing contribution to the genre of self-conscious introspection that is so peculiar to librarianship. Despite two decades of what the authors describe as "active feminism in the field," the percentage of women occupying full professorships in LIS declined from 32.8 in 1980 to 26 percent in 1990. The study is an attempt to answer a four-fold question: to examine mentoring in the lives of female library educators, to test mentoring models as presented in the management literature, to analyze types of mentoring that indicate success, and to recommend means for encouraging mentoring in the future. Maack and Passet provide a solid foundation for the cultural context of mentoring and its theoretical underpinnings. Their definitions and research questions are sound and reasonable. Their novel methodology, suggested by Renato Rosaldo's "new social analysis" (p. 9), blending the engaged and the analytic orientations into one view, appears to work. In the authors' words, the respondents' reflections "are ... like family albums that not only document significant occasions but also reflect how appearances and relationships change over time" (p. 9). Deftly Maack and Passet manage to interweave their review of the literature throughout the text, creating a satisfying and readable whole. Yet, for a monograph that will, in all likelihood, be cited for some time to come, its index, undoubtedly machinemade, is skimpy both in number of descriptors and number of page references. Given under "Doctorates in library and information science," for example, are only six pages. That is a minor quibble, along with the book's price tag of $49.95. Depicting themselves in their own words is a group of strong, intelligent academic women of relatively privileged, middle-class origins. Whereas mcntoring apparently succeeds at the doctoral and junior faculty levels, fewer mentors are available to shepherd women faculty to the rank of full professor. Reflecting a loneliness at the top society-wide, that is not a startling conclusion. Family and peer support are often a helpful substitute at every rung on the academic ladder. Surprisingly few incidents of negative mentoring were reported. Although some of the members of the oldest of the three age-group cohorts attribute their advancement to being in the right place in the right time, members of the youngest cohort demonstrate an awareness that moving up requires careful planning, singleminded determination, and various boosts along the way. Maack and Passet allow, however, that not every woman requires a mentor--several respondents refer to themselves as "self-motivated and independent" and "a loner" (p. 151)--and that mentoring and role-modeling vary in both type and intensity at different career decision points. This reviewer was disappointed to find that at book's end the authors failed to revisit one of the study's goals, to compare findings with other management models cited early on. To be sure, Maack and Passet thoroughly describe elements of the

mentoring process and convincingly demonstrate its importance to women in LIS, but missing is any sense of post-hoc comparison. Also quite bland are recommendations for ways "to foster [mentoring] in the future" (p. 9). Can anyone be truly opposed to it? Until the academic rewards system begins to recognize that mentoring the next generation often takes time away from other activities, however, and requires a selfless devotion to issues other than personal career advancement, it is likely that discussions of how to encourage mentoring in LIS education will continue for years to come. Highly recommended for LIS, higher education, and women's studies collections.--Marion Paris, Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, The University of Alabama, Box 870252, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0252.

The Big Book of Library Grant Money: Profiles of 1,471 Private and Corporate Foundations and Direct Corporate Givers Receptive to Library Grant Proposals, prepared by the Taft Group. Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 1994. 1207p. $126.00 (ALA Members), $140.00 (Nonmembers) pbk. ISBN 0-8389-0636-2. LC 94-1383. Recycled, acid-free paper. Limited financial resources for libraries has led all types of libraries to increased outside fundraising efforts. The Big Book of Library Grant Money, a great resource for sources of foundation and corporate giving, identifies 1,471 potential fundraising sources (including many of those that have funded libraries and many of those that have expressed a willingness to do so) for libraries. It provides more profiles than existing directories of funding sources for libraries. The profiles were compiled from the Taft Group's 9,000 private-sector givers. The directory excludes profiles related to "information" projects unless they are specifically related to libraries. Entries are arranged alphabetically by name of the corporation, foundation, or private corporation giver. Each entry includes sponsoring company information, a contact person (with title, address, and telephone number), financial data, contributions summary (i.e. typical recipients), grant types, operating locations, corporate and program officers, application information, and "other things to know," grants analysis, and recent grants approved. Entries range from well-known library funding agencies such as the Culpeper Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trust to lesser known corporations and foundations such as Air France or the Sara Lee Corporation/ Sara Lee Foundation. There are indexes on foundations and corporations by operating locations (by state and by country), by officers and directors, and grant recipients by state, along with a master index to corporations and foundations. The introductory chapter includes practical tips from the American Library Association's Development Office and an index of recent library projects funded by the givers. Recipient organizations' types are also listed in an introductory page along with a page and a half of abbreviations used throughout the directory. Although the directory does not include all possible funding sources, it is an excellent guide to use in conjunction with state or regional directories such as the Directory of Texas Foundations (San Antonio: Funding Information Center of Texas, Inc.). I recommend this directory for those in library administrative and university development offices with a growing interest in library fundraising efforts.--Maureen Pastine, University

Librarian, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 752750135. Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and Academic Discussion Lists, by Lisabeth A. King, Diane Kovacs, & The Directory Team, Kent State University Libraries; edited by Ann Okerson. Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, 1994. 575p. $54.00.1SSN 1057-1337. With the geometrically increasing volume of information available on the Internet, hardcopy directories which enable users to identify specialized resources can be invaluable. Such a directory, checked for accuracy, thoughtfully prepared, and regularly updated, is the Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and Discussion Lists, now in its fourth edition. It provides entries for 1,785 electronic discussion lists and 443 electronic journals and newsletters. Each entry contains a short description of the resource and how to subscribe or gain access to it. Serials entries include ISSN, cost, first issue, peer review, periodicity, back issues, and submissions. Discussion list entries include whether they are edited or archived, and the name and address of moderators. A combined index for the two sections includes keyword, title, and institutional affiliation. The section of electronic journals is intended to be comprehensive. Since upwards of 10,000 discussion lists may exist, that section is limited to lists of an academic nature. This includes discussion lists for mystery literature and Japanese animation, as well as for veterinary microbiology, indexing, and medieval music. This has become the standard reference work for this area. Electronic versions of the two main sections, as current as this edition, are available via gopher. E-mail and ftp versions of the discussion lists section are available, but this formatted, bound, and indexed hardcopy edition is superior. For occasional reference, a user with access to a gopher may prefer to go online and search through the texts. For constant reference and for general library users without easy and experienced access to a gopher, this hardcopy edition will be necessary. The growing demand for library collections to include electronic serials and a growing interest by library users in Internet resources make this directory especially important.--Elizabeth E Shaw, Simmons

College Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115. Doing Business on the Internet: How the Electronic Highway Is Transforming American Companies, by Mary J. Cronin. New York: VanNostrand Reinhold, 1994. 308p. $29.95. ISBN 0-442-01770-7. Cronin's nontechnical and thorough text helps managers determine how the Internet can benefit businesses. She draws her insights from the recent literature as well as from 65 interviews, conducted primarily via e-mail, with Intemet users within large, medium, and small American firms. The nine chapters and three appendices include the essential applications and operational issues surrounding the use of the Internet within business. At the onset, she frames the discussion within today's networked business environment, which is a well-substantiated and frequently-articulated perspective upon which the subsequent chapters hinge. Having convinced the reader of the neces-

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