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Library automation in North America: A reassessment of the impact of new technologies on networking
Book Reviews
335
Stephen Walker describes the Okapi online catalog research projects which have been on-going since 1982 in the Polytechnic of Central London. This research has been aimed at the design of online catalog systems that are quick and easy for the user without sacrificing effectiveness of the search. Since 1986 these experiments have been focused principally on subject searching, offering such features as semi-automatic spelling correction and automatic cross-referencing. William H. Mischo and Amy F. Moore describe the demonstration project at selected sites at the University of Illinois which enables library catalog users to perform subject searches on RS databases as a component of the online catalog. Untrained users can access the databases for periodical literature and link the search results with local holdings information. The interface software employs several techniques to facilitate subject searching by untrained users. Roland Hjerppe presents a report on the HYPERCATalog that has been under development at the Library and Information Science Research Laboratory at Linkoping University, Sweden since 1984. This paper focuses on hypertext and the application of hypertext techniques to OPACs. Based on his experience as a developer and evaluator of MELVYL at the University of California, Clifford A. Lynch discusses the cohection and analysis of performance and usage data from online catalogs. He points out problems, such as the vast amount of data generated to be analyzed and the expense involved in collecting and analyzing it. He also discusses the benefits to system designers charged with improving the performance of an online catalog that can result from the analysis of such data. Micheline Hancock-Beaulieu concentrates on the development of the online catalog as an interactive retrieval tool for the library user. She stresses that the library catalog is first and foremost a searching aid for information seekers in the wider context of the total library. The first section of the paper is an excellent review of traditional library catalog user studies, many of which she feels are deficient in their methodological approach. Hancock-Beaulieu finds fault with the interpretation of the resuhs of the studies which she feels may mislead the reader in terms of the extent of subject searching, user needs, and user searching behavior. She feels strongly that the evaluation of catalog performance should take into account the entire information system and its three components of the user, the catalog, and the document. Nathalie N. Mitev focuses on the importance of user-computer retrieval dialogue in online catalogs, reviewing the contributions to the field from human-computer interaction research, The application of artificial intelligence techniques and expert systems to online catalogs are also discussed. The book accomplishes Hildreth’s purpose of providing the practicing librarian an update on recent research on online catalogs. For someone with a working knowledge of the present generation of online catalogs, it is a useful coilection for keeping abreast of recent research and possible directions of future developments and improvements to online catalogs.
School of Library and Information Tampa, FL
Science
VI~KI L. GREGORY
Library Automation in North America: A Reassessment of the Impact of New Technologies on Networking. C. R. HILDRETH. K. G. Saur, Munich (1987). vi + 196 pp. $35.00. ISBN 3-598-10735-8. This report turned book is divided into three sections plus a Bibliography and Appendix. Although the title proper of the work is misleading-tempting the reader to expect much more than is actually delivered-the subtitle is quite an accurate description of the contents. The section titles give a further idea of the focus. These are: Part I -Overview of Library Automation and Computer-Based Networking in North America; Part II-Library Networks and Bibliographic Utilities: Major Organizations, Systems and Participants; and Part 111-Automated Systems and Services in Libraries (a perhaps somewhat more ambitious heading than is warranted by the actual content). Library AMto~?arion in North America has both strengths and weaknesses. It gives a good historical overview of networking in North America. This includes not only a discussion of the utilities: OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), RLG (Research Library Group), WLN (Western Library Network), and Utlas (formerly University of Toronto Library Automation System), but also the regional and state networks and the national programs supported by the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada. A person searching for such information could do far worse than to turn to this volume. The bibliography, although understandably dated (the latest entry is mid1987), is extensive, containing 189 entries, and useful for locating most of the “classic” writings in the field of networking. The Appendix provides both a copy of the questionnaire sent in fall 1986 to the four utilities and a compilation of the responses received from them. On the negative aide, although two years may not seem like a great deal of time, many devel-
336
Book Reviews
opments have taken place in the arena of networking during this period. In fact, these years have been a time in which many networks have undertaken a rather significant examination of their purposes, priorities, and functions. In a number of cases the results do not coincide with the events that the author believed to be forthcoming. More current literature would have to be procured in order to fully appreciate the path that networking seems to be taking as a new decade dawns. Perhaps the most distressing attribute of this volume is its physical appearance. It has obviously been printed from camera-ready copy that, although prepared on a computer, is simply a more error free-and right justified-version of the typewritten texts of the past. To foster even greater eyestrain, however, each page has been reduced to approximately half of its original size. It is really like reading a 196 page, semi-miniaturized term paper. It makes reading very tedious, and one has to be persistent to stay at it for very long. The poor visual quality, the soft binding, and the relatively small physical size make the $35.00 price tag seem rather steep. Still, this volume undoubtedly has its place in a number of collections, particularly those associated with schools of library and information science, those used by patrons concerned with computer applications in information environments, and perhaps those just interested in the history of technology, especially as it relates to the world of libraries, networks, and information handling.
College of Library and Information University of South Carolina Columbia, SC
Science
Desktop Publishing and Libraries. J. pp. $24.00. ISBN O-947568-34-4.
CARSON.
LOIS UPHAM
Taylor Graham,
London
and Los Angeles (1988). 81
Some book titles can be deceptive, and this volume could be described more accurately as, “a short research paper on the use of desktop publishing in the public libraries of Great Britain, with notes on its potential and its problems.” The author reports on a survey of 133 British library authorities. At present, four are using desktop publishing; two of them are highlighted. Various other topics are covered briefly, among them the basic equipment, software, and costs (U.K. prices) involved in desktop publishing, with a focus on Macintosh systems. Desktop applications in the business world, notably in newspaper and book publishing, are reviewed, as is the important role that desktop publishing can play in marketing the library. Where the author is most insightful is in describing the problems and issues that emerge from desktop publishing in practice: the need for adequate training; the organizational and management issues involved in the introduction of any new technology; and the fact that a desktop publishing system does not preclude the need for good writing, editing, and graphic design skills. Some of the sample outputs provide evidence of the problems. This small volume may pique librarians’ interest in desktop publishing and encourage them to seek more in-depth information. A short bibliography notes selected books and articles.
Information Manager Garrett Park, MD
The Fee or Free Decision: Legal, Economic, ies. P. GIACOMA. Neal-Schuman Publishers, $35.00. ISBN I-55570-030-6.
ALIX
C.
LEVU
Political, and Ethical Perspectives for Public LibrarInc., New York and London (1989). xiv f 200 pp.
Few issues have provoked the controversy within librarianship that the discussion of fees for user services has. Pete Giacoma, in Tl?e Fee or Free Decision, presents a solid approach to the fee issue from the premise that the public library is a complex institution nestled within the broader context of other public institutions. It is unavoidably tied to “the legal, economic, political and ethical environments in which the public sector functions” (p. xi). His discussion of these individual environments vividly impresses on us that the fee issue is not only a library issue but i5 also a public policy issue. As such, “librarians must determine if their thinking is defensible in the broader theater of public policy and, therefore, be prepared to make good library policy which is also defensible public policy” (p. 12). His arguments are supported by current references at the end of each chapter and an extensive bibliography at the end of the book. The bibliography contains citations to current and classical materials in each of the areas analyzed in the body of the work. The index is complete and usable. It contains both subject and proper name entries.
335
Stephen Walker describes the Okapi online catalog research projects which have been on-going since 1982 in the Polytechnic of Central London. This research has been aimed at the design of online catalog systems that are quick and easy for the user without sacrificing effectiveness of the search. Since 1986 these experiments have been focused principally on subject searching, offering such features as semi-automatic spelling correction and automatic cross-referencing. William H. Mischo and Amy F. Moore describe the demonstration project at selected sites at the University of Illinois which enables library catalog users to perform subject searches on RS databases as a component of the online catalog. Untrained users can access the databases for periodical literature and link the search results with local holdings information. The interface software employs several techniques to facilitate subject searching by untrained users. Roland Hjerppe presents a report on the HYPERCATalog that has been under development at the Library and Information Science Research Laboratory at Linkoping University, Sweden since 1984. This paper focuses on hypertext and the application of hypertext techniques to OPACs. Based on his experience as a developer and evaluator of MELVYL at the University of California, Clifford A. Lynch discusses the cohection and analysis of performance and usage data from online catalogs. He points out problems, such as the vast amount of data generated to be analyzed and the expense involved in collecting and analyzing it. He also discusses the benefits to system designers charged with improving the performance of an online catalog that can result from the analysis of such data. Micheline Hancock-Beaulieu concentrates on the development of the online catalog as an interactive retrieval tool for the library user. She stresses that the library catalog is first and foremost a searching aid for information seekers in the wider context of the total library. The first section of the paper is an excellent review of traditional library catalog user studies, many of which she feels are deficient in their methodological approach. Hancock-Beaulieu finds fault with the interpretation of the resuhs of the studies which she feels may mislead the reader in terms of the extent of subject searching, user needs, and user searching behavior. She feels strongly that the evaluation of catalog performance should take into account the entire information system and its three components of the user, the catalog, and the document. Nathalie N. Mitev focuses on the importance of user-computer retrieval dialogue in online catalogs, reviewing the contributions to the field from human-computer interaction research, The application of artificial intelligence techniques and expert systems to online catalogs are also discussed. The book accomplishes Hildreth’s purpose of providing the practicing librarian an update on recent research on online catalogs. For someone with a working knowledge of the present generation of online catalogs, it is a useful coilection for keeping abreast of recent research and possible directions of future developments and improvements to online catalogs.
School of Library and Information Tampa, FL
Science
VI~KI L. GREGORY
Library Automation in North America: A Reassessment of the Impact of New Technologies on Networking. C. R. HILDRETH. K. G. Saur, Munich (1987). vi + 196 pp. $35.00. ISBN 3-598-10735-8. This report turned book is divided into three sections plus a Bibliography and Appendix. Although the title proper of the work is misleading-tempting the reader to expect much more than is actually delivered-the subtitle is quite an accurate description of the contents. The section titles give a further idea of the focus. These are: Part I -Overview of Library Automation and Computer-Based Networking in North America; Part II-Library Networks and Bibliographic Utilities: Major Organizations, Systems and Participants; and Part 111-Automated Systems and Services in Libraries (a perhaps somewhat more ambitious heading than is warranted by the actual content). Library AMto~?arion in North America has both strengths and weaknesses. It gives a good historical overview of networking in North America. This includes not only a discussion of the utilities: OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), RLG (Research Library Group), WLN (Western Library Network), and Utlas (formerly University of Toronto Library Automation System), but also the regional and state networks and the national programs supported by the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada. A person searching for such information could do far worse than to turn to this volume. The bibliography, although understandably dated (the latest entry is mid1987), is extensive, containing 189 entries, and useful for locating most of the “classic” writings in the field of networking. The Appendix provides both a copy of the questionnaire sent in fall 1986 to the four utilities and a compilation of the responses received from them. On the negative aide, although two years may not seem like a great deal of time, many devel-
336
Book Reviews
opments have taken place in the arena of networking during this period. In fact, these years have been a time in which many networks have undertaken a rather significant examination of their purposes, priorities, and functions. In a number of cases the results do not coincide with the events that the author believed to be forthcoming. More current literature would have to be procured in order to fully appreciate the path that networking seems to be taking as a new decade dawns. Perhaps the most distressing attribute of this volume is its physical appearance. It has obviously been printed from camera-ready copy that, although prepared on a computer, is simply a more error free-and right justified-version of the typewritten texts of the past. To foster even greater eyestrain, however, each page has been reduced to approximately half of its original size. It is really like reading a 196 page, semi-miniaturized term paper. It makes reading very tedious, and one has to be persistent to stay at it for very long. The poor visual quality, the soft binding, and the relatively small physical size make the $35.00 price tag seem rather steep. Still, this volume undoubtedly has its place in a number of collections, particularly those associated with schools of library and information science, those used by patrons concerned with computer applications in information environments, and perhaps those just interested in the history of technology, especially as it relates to the world of libraries, networks, and information handling.
College of Library and Information University of South Carolina Columbia, SC
Science
Desktop Publishing and Libraries. J. pp. $24.00. ISBN O-947568-34-4.
CARSON.
LOIS UPHAM
Taylor Graham,
London
and Los Angeles (1988). 81
Some book titles can be deceptive, and this volume could be described more accurately as, “a short research paper on the use of desktop publishing in the public libraries of Great Britain, with notes on its potential and its problems.” The author reports on a survey of 133 British library authorities. At present, four are using desktop publishing; two of them are highlighted. Various other topics are covered briefly, among them the basic equipment, software, and costs (U.K. prices) involved in desktop publishing, with a focus on Macintosh systems. Desktop applications in the business world, notably in newspaper and book publishing, are reviewed, as is the important role that desktop publishing can play in marketing the library. Where the author is most insightful is in describing the problems and issues that emerge from desktop publishing in practice: the need for adequate training; the organizational and management issues involved in the introduction of any new technology; and the fact that a desktop publishing system does not preclude the need for good writing, editing, and graphic design skills. Some of the sample outputs provide evidence of the problems. This small volume may pique librarians’ interest in desktop publishing and encourage them to seek more in-depth information. A short bibliography notes selected books and articles.
Information Manager Garrett Park, MD
The Fee or Free Decision: Legal, Economic, ies. P. GIACOMA. Neal-Schuman Publishers, $35.00. ISBN I-55570-030-6.
ALIX
C.
LEVU
Political, and Ethical Perspectives for Public LibrarInc., New York and London (1989). xiv f 200 pp.
Few issues have provoked the controversy within librarianship that the discussion of fees for user services has. Pete Giacoma, in Tl?e Fee or Free Decision, presents a solid approach to the fee issue from the premise that the public library is a complex institution nestled within the broader context of other public institutions. It is unavoidably tied to “the legal, economic, political and ethical environments in which the public sector functions” (p. xi). His discussion of these individual environments vividly impresses on us that the fee issue is not only a library issue but i5 also a public policy issue. As such, “librarians must determine if their thinking is defensible in the broader theater of public policy and, therefore, be prepared to make good library policy which is also defensible public policy” (p. 12). His arguments are supported by current references at the end of each chapter and an extensive bibliography at the end of the book. The bibliography contains citations to current and classical materials in each of the areas analyzed in the body of the work. The index is complete and usable. It contains both subject and proper name entries.