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Review sources
collection management resources
Review Sources Virginia Seiser Portland State University
This column focuses on review sources that are serial in nature. Sources o f reviews of both print and nonprint media are included, as are indexes to review sources. Comments and suggestions concerning titles for review should be directed to Virginia Seiser, Assistant Education Librarian, Portland State University Library, P.O. Box 1151, Portland, ' Oregon 97297. Individuals interested in contributing to this column are also invited to write.
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
1. 2. 3. 4.
Booklist Reference Services Review RQ Government Publications Review
SCIENCE FICTION - H I S TO RY AND CRITICISM
7. Extrapolation 8. Science Fiction and Fantasy B o o k Reviews 9. Science Fiction Studies 10. Starship
MICROCOMPUTERS
5. Kilobaud Microcomputing 6. Creative Computing
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
Booklist. 1 9 0 5 - . American Library Association, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Editor: Paul Brawley. Indexed: Bk.Rev.lnd.; Curr.Bk.Rev_Cit.; Lib.Lit. ISSN 00006-7385. [1. Bibliography - Period. 2. Books Prices.] Booklist's purpose, according to this journal's editorial page "is to provide a current guide to materials worthy o f consideration for purchase by small and medium-sized public libraries, school media centers, and community college libraries . . . . A review in Booklist constitutes a recommendation for library purchase." Government publications are reviewed in each issue of Booklist, furnishing librarians with a readily scannable list o f the latest materials. Columns, edited by LeRoy C. Schwarzkopf, Government Documents Librarian of the University of Maryland, consist o f an annotated listing of thirty-five sources.
CHECKLIST
N e w Magazine Review News on Tests Women "s Studies Review
Each item reviewed contains complete bibliographical information, a brief survey o f its contents, and notes whether it contains a bibliography and/or index. Since the source is reviewed in Booklist, readers may assume that the title is recommended. Booklist, as far as government materials are concerned, is more of a checklist than a review source. Materials are arranged alphabetically by title -- no subject breakdown is attempted. Unfortunately, government publications are not included in Booklist's annual index; librarians must scan the columns themselves to make their choices. Despite the brevity o f the reviews, Booklist's government documents column is highly recommended to librarians who wish to gain access to the wide range of government materials. School, public, and academic librarians will all find this column to be an important bibliographic tool. Lucy Heckman
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2. Reference Services Review. 1973- . Q. Pierian Press, 5000 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Editor: Cecily Johns. Indexed: Bk.Rev.lnd.; CALL; Curr.Bk.Rev. Cir.; Lib.Lit. ISSN 0090-7234. [1. Reference books -Bibliography - Periodicals.] A relatively recent addition to the world of library journals, RSR specializes in reviewing materials which are designed for reference collections. Government documents, which are among the most significant sources for a library collection, are reviewed in RSR. The first three issues of RSR featured the column, "Recent Reference Books," by Frances Neel Cheney. Included in this column was a review section on guides to the use of government publications, rather than critiques of the documents themselves. Examples of some of the titles reviewed are: Subject Guide to Government Reference Books, by Sally Wynkoop; Guide to Popular Gov-
ernment Publications: For Libraries and Home Reference, by Linda Pohle; and the Monthly Catalog o f US. Government Publications: An Introduction to Its Use, by John Gordon Burke and Carol Dugan Wilson. Beginning with the v.1, no. 4, October/December 1973 issue, Jimmie Hoover's column, "Government Reference Publications," became a part of RSR. Hoover described the goals of this column as follows: "The materials included in this column were selected on the basis of an item by item review of all government publications reviewed at a major depository library. Emphasis is placed on tools of a reference format, although much else that the Federal government publishes is otherwise of high reference value. Publications not in a reference format in the strictest sense are included when their potential value dictates; brief entries for 'how to' items and informative pamphlets are also given if deemed potentially useful, particularly for school and public libraries and wherever the identification of vertical file materials is the responsibility of the public service librarian." Brief reviews compiled by Hoover are grouped under headings which include: Bibliography, Diplomacy and Foreign Lands, Education and Employment, Films, Government, Politics and Law, Health and Welfare, and History and Sociology. Each review contains complete bibliographical information, a concise description of the work's contents, potential audience, and a recommendation or lack of one. Librarians perusing this column may conveniently and readily locate materials for their collections. "Government Serials and Services," a column edited by Dr. Frederic O'Hara was added to RSR with v.2, no. 1, January/March 1974. Each of O'Hara's columns are devoted to a specific theme or to a government agency. Past issues have featured, for instance, reviews of publications issued from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The typical format of "Government Serials and Services" is a description of the history and goals of the agency followed by an annotated listing of its publications. Reviews of these materials are clear and concise, presenting readers with an informative appraisal of the source's contents. Two RSR Special Features furnished further aids to librarians building a collection of government publications. The April/June 1974 and October/December 1976 issues included Bibliographies of U.S. Government Bibliographies published in 1973 and 1975 respectively. These features contained an annotated listing of bibliographies of bibliographic materials in Agriculture, Business, Education, Environmental Sciences, Medicine and Health, and Sociology. Hopefully, RSR will continue to publish this feature in future issues.
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Unfortunately, with v.5, no. 1, January/March 1977, a change in RSR's format eliminated the regular columns on government publications. Each issue is now divided into "State of the Art Surveys" which encompass various subject fields including Political Science, Music, Theology, and History. However, an occasional feature on government publications will appear such as "State of the Art Survey of Documents Reference Sources" (v.5, no. 4, October/December 1977). Additionally, government documents related to different subject fields will be reviewed in the appropriate "State of the Art" column. All materials reviewed by RSR are indexed by author and title; librarians wishing to find critiques on specific government publications may scan this index. Librarians who wish to locate government documents for their collections will want to consult RSR. It is hoped that a Government Documents column will appear in at least one issue per year. Although RSR is a useful source, librarians may prefer RQ and Booklist, which both have sections on government publications appearing in every issue. Lucy Heckman 3. RQ (Reference Quarterly). 1960-- . Q. American Library Association, Reference and Adult Services Division, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Editor: Helen Josephine. Indexed: Bibl.lnd.; Bk.Rev.lnd.; CIJE; lnform.Sci.Abstr.; Lib.Lit.; Lib.Sci.Abstr.; Curr.Bk.Rev.Cit. ISSN 0 0 3 0 7072. [ 1. Library science -- Period.] Government publications, whether in pamphlet, book, or journal form, encompass a wide range of subject fields from current political events to the latest medical trends. Librarians who wish to build a collection on a specific topic, and would like to order government materials, need a review source that arranges these documents by subject. RQ is the best journal for this purpose because its column, "Government Publications," presents, in bibliographic essay format, a listing of government materials covering a specific topic. Beginning with RQ, v.7, no. 3, Spring 1968, a column on government documents became a permanent feature. From 1968 to 1976, Joe Morehead's column, "U.S. Government Documents: A Mazeway Miscellany" furnished reviews of government documents in an informal and humorous tone. Collection development librarians wishing to find out more about the CIS/Index, for example, may read Morehead's "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superindex" (v.10, no. 2, Winter 1970). Morehead's reviews provided complete bibliographic information (including Superintendent of Document number), pinpointed the potential audience, and indicated the quality of the source. Morehead's columns were usually not devoted to a specific theme; readers could locate reviews on materials covering a wide range of topics. Columns covering special topics were begun in 1977 when Jo Bell Whitlatch became the new column editor. This column, now renamed "Government Publications," furnishes librarians with essays related to a particular theme. For example, past issues have included columns with such titles as: "Asian Americans in Federal and State Government Publications," "Human Rights," "The Federal Government as Art Publisher: A Selected Bibliography," "Drug Abuse," "Health Effects of Environmental Pollutants: The Federal Government Research Report," and "Federal Documents on Aging: A Selection." Librarians wishing to build a collection on a particular subject field may scan a column on that .topic and select the appropriate documents. Unfortunately, the materials reviewed are not indexed
by title and/or author. It is disappointing that readers may only locate these reviews in RQ's annual index through the headings "Government Pubhcations" or "Whitlatch, Jo Bell." Readers must read or scan each column to locate the appropriate documents. A listing of government publications reviewed would enhance the reference value of this column. RQ's government documents column is essential to librarians who wish to select these materials for their collections. Professors and teachers of high school and college students wishing to locate government materials for their classes are also encouraged to consult this column. Lucy I-Ieckman
4. Government Publications Review: An International Journal. Fall, 1973--. Q. $121.00. Pergamon Press, Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, NY 10523. Editor: Bernard M. Fry. Indexed: Lit.Lit.; SSCI. ISSN 0093-16 IX. [ 1. Government publications -- Periodicals. 2. Cataloging of government publications -- Periodicals. 3. Libraries, Governmental, administrative, etc. -- Periodicals.] A discussion of serial review sources for government documents must include the Government Publications Review. According to the statement of purpose printed in each issue, the journal covers: • . the field of documents distributions, library handling and use of documents at all levels of government: federal, state and municipal, UN and international agencies and all countries. In keeping with the international scope, the editorial staff includes library educators, administrators, and documents librarians from Canada, England, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Nicar~/gua. However, the majority of the staff is from the United States, as is the Editor-in-Chief, who is Dean of the University of Indiana Graduate Library School. The Government Publications Review has included reviews of government publications and of reference works relating to these pubhcations since its first issue. Starting with volume 3, number 4 (Winter, 1976) these reviews have been grouped together in a section titled Selection Guide to High Interest Government Publications. The Selection Guide has appeared in all succeeding issues, with the exception of volume 6, number 2 (1979), a special issue devoted to the proceedings of a workshop on documentation of intergovernmental organizations. The Review, which appears quarterly, has gradually increased in length over the years, now averaging 125 pages per issue. The first half of each issue consists of articles, often scholarly, on topics of interest to documents librarians and of several regular columns. The second half is given over to the Selection Guide, which will be the focus of this review. The Selection Guide begins with a contents page, printed on blue paper. The color stands out, guiding the reader to the beginning of the section. The Selection Guide consists of a number of separate columns, each with its own editor or co-editors. Some of these columns appear irregularly; others, in almost every issue. Some of the columns, such as Book Reviews, predate the Selection Guide; others have started up in recent volumes. Some regular columns have appeared as part of the Selection Guide in some issues, but in the preceding section of the journal in others. Not only has the Selection Guide gone through a number of changes, but the format and contents of individual columns have also undergone change. The comments here will refer to the latest issueexamined,
volume 6, number 3 (1979), unless otherwise noted. The Selection Guide to High Interest Government Publications in the latest issue of Government Publications Review consists of seven columns. The first six review government publications; the seventh covers documents reference sources from commercial publishers. Of the six documents columns, the first two cover U.S. documents, federal and state. The next three are devoted to Great Britain, Canada, and Australia, respectively. The last column covers international organizations. The columns vary considerably in length. The longest covers almost 140 documents; the shortest, 14. The documents listed are numbered consecutively, from the beginning of the first column to the end of the last. Bibliographic description, price, order information and an annotation are provided for each item. Documents listed include pamphlets, reports, monographs and some serials• Their subject matter reflects the great diversity of governmental concerns• Annotations are brief and descriptive, rather than evaluative. Since this section is identified as a Selection Guide to High Interest Government Publications, one presumes that all are recommended. Most annotations are unsigned but, with one exception, column editors are listed at the head of each column, with their addresses and job titles. Most are documents or special librarians. A description of each column follows.
U.S. Government (Depository Items) The depository documents column has been one of the most regular features of the Selection Guide. Librarians Joyce Koch and Beverly Railsback have been producing this feature since the second issue of the Selective Guide. Jeanne E. Boyle joined them as of volume 6. In keeping with the voluminous output of the Government Printing Office, this is the longest of the review columns. Items, arranged by Superintendent of Documents number, are broadly representative of the administrative branch's many departments and agencies. Most are 1977 and 1978 publications.
State Documents David Pafish's column on U.S. state publications has appeared in almost every issue of the Selection Guide. Some annotations are tagged with the names of contributors other than the editor. Approximately 30 documents are reviewed, representative of every region of the country. Arrangement is by state. Most are available free of charge. Topics range from solar heated hen houses to international investment opportunities.
Great Britain The column of British documents is attributed to Her Majesty's Stationery Office rather than to an individual editor. Nineteen items are listed with abbreviated bibliographic information and very short annotations. Dates of pubhcation are not given. All items are available from HMSO. Many are research papers or summary and review documents on topics of international concern, such as prison welfare and food contamination. Most are scholarly in tone. Reviews of British documents have appeared under varied authorship, at infrequent intervals, since the second issue of the Government Publications Review.
Canada Coverage of Canadian documents has also been someSERIALS REVIEW
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what irregular. The most recent editor is Virginia Gillham, a library administrator at the University of Guelph. The twenty-one items listed include both federal and some provincial documents. Most seem well chosen for their international interest. Several are tourist guides that would be of particular interest in public libraries. Language of publication is clearly indicated. All are 1977 or 1978 publications. Some are available free of charge.
Australia Howard Coxon, a librarian at the University of Adelaide, began contributing a column of Australian documents with volume 5, number 1 (1978). It has generally appeared in every other issue. The most recent column listed 18 publications. Some are on specifically national concerns, such as the role of the Australian Government Printing Service. Others are on such general topics as children and television, and the whaling industry. The documents reviewed do not seem to be listed in any particular order. All are 1978 publications.
represented, but India is not far behind. In the six times the column has appeared, it has included reviews of 125 government publications from 43 different countries, ranging from Abu Zaby to Zaire. Most regions of the world have received at least token representation, with the exception of the Soviet Union and the Republic of China. "The countries for which there are separate columns (Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and the United States) are excluded from coverage here. The column is arranged by country. Titles and bibliographic information are sometimes in the native language and sometimes in English. The language of the document itself is not always specified. Subject matter is varied b u t special emphasis seems to be given to census reports and demographic data. Dates of publication span the most recent three years. The co-editors, Gloria Westfall and Gall Nichols, are both U.S. based foreign documents librarians. Names and affiliation of additional contributors are occasionally cited. The column ends with a list of distributors' addresses.
Audiovisuals United Nations and Other International Organizations Two documents librarians from American universities edit the column on international groups, the shortest of the sections within the Selection Guide. The latest column is primarily devoted to U.N. and UNESCO documents. Several publications from the Council of Europe and the Commission of the European Communities are also included. Earlier columns also reflect this heavy emphasis on the U.N. and Europe, though other world organizations, and multi-national groups from other parts of the world, are sometimes included. The latest column listed 1977 and 1978 publications, arranged alphabetically by title. Many are reference works: directories, thesauri, publication lists, and compilations of international instruments. A list of publishers and distributors of the documents reviewed appears at the end of the column. Several additional documents review columns have appeared in earlier issues at varying degrees of frequency, and presumably will continue to appear at intervals, though they aren't represented in the latest issue. These too are worthy of mention. They include the following:
Technical Reports and Other Non-GPO Publications This column, covering U.S. technical reports first appeared in volume 4, number 4 (1977). The editor, documents librarian Fred Schmidt, has made it a fairly regular feature. It complements the Depository Items column. The National Technical Information Service is the most frequently cited source. Non-depository publications of the Library of Congress are also well represented. Most titles chosen for review are quite specialized. Publication dates span the previous three years. Arrangement is alphabetical by title.
Western Europe and Other Countries Aside from the coverage of United Nations and UNESCO publications, this is the only column that gives much attention to the nations outside of Europe and the English-speaking world. In keeping with the emphasis in the title, French and German documents are the best
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The column titled Audiovisuals has appeared in the Selection Guide on three occasions. It is edited by staff members from the National Audiovisual Center, the agency that serves as the central clearing house for U.S. government produced audiovisual materials. Each column is an annotated selective listing of the Center's materials on a particular subject. The latest, on alcohol and drug abuse, included films, filmstrips, videotapes, slide sets, audiocassettes, and multimedia kits, produced from 1965-1976. The majority of the items on the list were at least five years old at the time the column appeared, so it is of little use in evaluating new materials. The introduction to the column suggests that it will be of value to program planners, but the lack of information about audience level for some items limits its usefulness. Where audience is indicated, the materials range from junior high school classroom discussion aids to training films for professionals in counseling and law enforcement.
Municipal Government Over the years, Joyce Maden of the Chicago Municipal Reference Library, has compiled several columns on publications of U.S. city governments. The columns have been short and the geographic representation spotty. Arrangement is by city. Subject matter of most of the documents included focuses on the local area, though they would be of wider interest to researchers seeking comparative cases or model examples. The column appears too infrequently to be a selection tool for new materials.
B o o k Reviews Since its first issue, the Government Publications Review has included a book review section. It became one of the regular columns of the Selection Guide when that feature was introduced. It differs from the other review columns in that it includes books about documents, rather than documents themselves. Arne Richards, Documents Bibliographer at Kansas State University, has served as Book Review Editor since volume 5, number 2 (1978). The reviews are 3 0 0 - 7 5 0 words in length. Four to six reviews appear in each issue. Each is signed and the position and address of the contributor is given. Reviewers
are librarians and library educators from the United States. The thrust of the column is unclear. As might be expected, it reviews reference sources on documents, such as Bernan Associate's Checklist o f Congressional Hearings, and books about documents librarianship, such as the Introduction to United States Public Documents by Joe Morehead. However, it also includes reviews of booklength government publications, such as The Presidential Campaign 1976 from the Government Printing Office. Books about government and public administration are also included, as in the book review essay on local government management in volume 5, number 4, which included Management by Objectives and Results in the Public Sector b y George L. Morrisey. In addition to summarizing the book's contents, the reviews are evaluative. Most titles reviewed are recommended, though reviewers sometimes express serious reservations. Most reviews appear within a year of publication date, but some lag by several years. Serials and sets are also reviewed, usually several years after the first issue.
Indexes It is unfortunate that the Government Publications Review provides such limited indexing for its contents. Each issue includes a Category Index to the documents review columns in the Selection Guide. In it, item numbers for documents reviewed are listed under appropriate subject categories. The Category Index does not cumulate. There is no other indexing of documents reviewed. Format differs from column to column: in some, the documents are listed alphabetically by title; in others, they are arranged by issuing agency or geographic origin. One column has no discernible ordering system. This makes the task of locating a review of a particular document a very awkward one. Publications reviewed in the Book Reviews column are not indexed at all. The only other indexing provided by Government Publications Review is the yearly author index, which includes column editors and authors of articles, but does not include authors of publications reviewed or contributors of individual reviews.
Summary The Government Publications Review is one of the more expensive professional library journals. At $121.00 for four issues, it is out of reach of the libraries that could benefit most from the many free publications it lists. The type of documents surveyed makes the publication most useful to academic, research and Special libraries. However, there is something here for public and school librarians as well: audiovisual materials, tourist guides, how-to-do-it publications, reference compilations, and reports on topics of general interest, such as energy and environment. The Selection Guide is a collection of samplers of interesting items rather than an authoritative listing of the significant governmental publications. The lack of indexing limits the usefulness of the reviews. Reviews are not particularly timely. This is probably attributable, in part, to the frequent time lags in the document distribution system. While the subtitle indicates that it is "an international journal," the Government Publications Review is heavily weighted toward United States documents, and, secondarily, those from the English-speaking world. The
editorial staff is primarily from the United States as well, However, as limited as the coverage is, it fills a need for a selective, relatively current listing of foreign and international documents. Virginia Seiser MICROCOMPUTERS Microcomputers, and the journals about them, are new. The first commercial microcomputer appeared in 1975; most of the magazines on the subject started a year or so later. Despite their newness, these journals and the books they review deserve attention. Their use is not limited to the microcomputer specialist, for several reasons. First, microcomputers function in the same fashion as minicomputers, or,' to some extent, mainframe computers. This is especially true of applications and software. Therefore, microcomputer books frequently can be used, in part or whole, by anyone in the computer industry. Secondly, since many of the authors of these materials are hobbyists and not necessarily professional computer scientists, most microcomputer books are written less technically than other computer literature. In a time when computers of all sorts are affecting more and more people, introductory material such as this becomes increasingly important for library collections. Few computer journals, other than those devoted to microcomputers, review books on this subject. This may be because most microcomputer publishers, such as Dilthium Press, SSI Publishers, and Neutronics Inc., are not major publishers. There is only one general source, Quarterly Bibliography o f Computers and Data Processing, which includes reviews of microcomputer materials. Even it is quite selective. General bibliographic sources, such as Books in Print and Cumulative Book Index, do not list many microcomputer publications either. Eben Kent 5. Kilobaud Microcomputing. 1 9 7 7 - . M. $18.00. 100100 l Inc., Pine St., Peterborough, NH 03458. Editor: Wayne Green. [ 1. Microcomputers.] Kilobaud Microcomputing is one of several journals covering microcomputers. Its audience, according to the publisher's editorial profile in Standard Rate and Data, is "the computer hobbyist and the small businessman who want to learn the fundamentals of computers." The books reviewed by Kilobaud Microcomputing cover a range of topics of interest to this audience. Reviews appear monthly. English language monographs and occasional conference papers are reviewed; one will not find symposia, government publications, or loose-leaf services, all of which occasionally contain information about microcomputers. Beyond this, criteria for selection of material to be reviewed are quite loose. Kilobaud Microcomputing publishes approximately 50 reviews a year. Much of this material is not reviewed anywhere else. Reviews emphasize books on microcomputers, but at times cover books on calculators and larger computers. Subjects reviewed include hardware, especially technical information; software, especially languages such as Basic; games; and applications. Emphasis seems to be on self study materials, not textbooks per se. Most of the books reviewed are recommended for purchase. The reviews are written by a variety of reviewers, many of whom staff Kilobaud Microcomputing. Their credentials are not noted in the review or elsewhere in the magazine, yet all reviewers make knowledgeable assessments of the material. Reviews are thorough, indicating that the material reviewed has been read completely and understood. Frequently, reviewers cite earlier or similar
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sources. The content of reviews varies little. Each review includes title, author, publisher's address, date of publication (frequently missing), number of pages, and price. All reviews clearly identify potential user audience or level of difficulty. All reviews highlight the book's strengths and weaknesses. Reviews are lengthy, usually averaging 200 words. There is a significant time lag between the book's date of publication and its review in Kilobaud Microcomputing. For example, the first review of a 1979 publication appeared in the September, 1979 issue. 1978 publications make up the majority of the reviews through the November, 1979 issue. However, because many publishers are new or small in size, Kilobaud Microcomputing will likely be the first place one will find bibliographic information about these materials, n o t to mention reviews of them. Therefore, Kilobaud Microcomputing is a good source for reviews, primarily in the fields of microcomputers and calculators. Reviews tend to be long, thorough, and objective, but suffer from at least a nine m o n t h time lag. Materials reviewed favorably constitute a solid basis for a collection in these areas. Librarians who wish to have more than a superficial collection on computers would be advised to read Kilobaud Microcomputing. Eben Kent
books with a common theme. For example, in the June, 1979 issue, David Gray reviewed five books on the language FORTRAN. This approach allows the librarian to compare similar materials, but has the disadvantage that reviews tend to appear well after the books have been published. In general, most reviews in Creative Computing suffer from at least a six month lag. In conclusion, Creative Computing is an excellent source for book reviews for libraries with collections in any area of computing, as well as those with a strong microcomputer collection. Creative Computing reviews a broad range of computer material and contains colorful, detailed, and somewhat timely reviews. Eben Kent SCIENCE FICTION - HISTORY AND CRITICISM 7. Extrapolation. 1 9 5 9 - . Q. $10.00/individuals; $15.00/ institutions. Kent State University Press, Kent, OH 44242. Editor: Thomas D. Clareson. Indexed: Sci.Fic. Bk.Rev.lnd. [1. Science fiction - History and criticism -- Periodicals. 2. Science fiction -- Bibliography. ]
8. Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review. 1979-- . M. $12.00/individuals; $15.00/institutions. Borgo Press, Box 2845, San Bernadino, CA 92406. Editor: Neil Barron. [ 1. Science fiction - Book reviews.]
6. Creative Computing. 1974- . M. $15.00. Creative Computing, P.O. Box 789-N, Morristown, NJ 07960. Editor: John Craig. Indexed: Comput. & Contr.Abstr.; Comput. Rev. [1. Electronic data processing -- Periodicals.] One of the oldest personal computing magazines, Creative Computing is also the most diverse. According to the publisher's editorial profile in Standard Rate and Data, Creative Computing is for those "who are interested in computer applications and software; from games, simulations, C.A.I. to household management and small business uses." Books reviewed in Creative Computing match these broad objectives. Topics of books reviewed include fiction; games; hardware; software, especially Basic, FORTRAN, and COBOL; business applications; and computer security. Most materials reviewed are about microcomputers, although there are a significant number covering larger systems. Approximately 100 reviews appear annually. All materials reviewed are in English and are monographs. Creative Computing draws from many non-government publishers and, as noted in the overview, most of these are small or newly established. The reviews are edited and, for the most part, written by David Gray. This results in consistent reviews. Bibliographic information provided includes title, author, publisher, pagination, hardback or paperback, price, and date. Reviews always identify the intended audience. This information frequently is quoted or paraphrased from the source itself. Reviews are thorough and usually more than 200 words in length. Reviews never just summarize the contents. Both positive and negative aspects of a book are presented. Reviewers note major manufacturers and models mentioned in books reviewed. This information is especially helpful in a field where few standards have yet been established. Frequently, reviewers note programs or significant illustrations contained in the book. Reviewers other than David Gray often present their background in the course of the review. Despite the consistency, the style, especially among reviews written by Mr. Gray, is chatty, personal, and highly readable. Not all books are recommended. Recently, some issues have contained reviews of several
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9. Science Fiction Studies. 1973- . 3/yr. $8.00/individuals; $12.00/institutions. SFS PublicatiOns, English Dept., Loyola Campus, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, Canada. Editors: Marc Angenot, Robert M. Philmus, Darko Suvin. Indexed: ScLFic.Bk.Rev.Ind_ [ 1. Science fiction - History and criticism - Periodicals. ] 10. Starship. 1963- . Q. $4.50/yr. Porter Communications, Box 4175, New York, NY 10017. Editor: Andrew Porter. Indexed: Sci.Fic.Bk.Rev.Ind. [1. Science fiction - History and criticism -- Periodicals.] Reviews of current science fiction (SF) books can be found in such magazines as Analog,~The Magazine o f Fantasy and Science Fiction, Galaxy, etc. Each of these journals exists primarily to promulgate current or classic science fiction; and each generally includes a conversational review column for current SF. In contrast to these journals which are readily available to libraries and the general public via newsstand and subscription, are the efforts in critical science fiction which have no mass distribution and are aimed primarily at librarians or SF fans. Examples of this type of publication are: Extrapolation, Science Fiction Studies, Starship, and Science
Fiction and Fantasy Book Review. Extrapolation and Science Fiction Studies are both generated by the academic science fiction community. Reviews in both journals concentrate mainly on-critical works rather than publications in fiction. In addition to critical articles by recognized authorities in the SF field, an important feature of Extrapolation is "The Year's Scholarship in Science Fiction and Fantasy." Each briefly annotated entry is keyed to one of the "Winchell's" of SF scholarship: Thomas D. Clareson's Science Fiction Criticism, An Annotated Checklist (1972). Sources of entries include all major SF reviewing sources, both professional and fan generated. In addition to books, dissertations and scholarly and instructional media are also included. In comparison to the 39 page "Year's Scholarship,"
the book review section itself is quite small, ranging from two to six pages per issue and including between five and eleven reviews. The review section is the responsibility of journal editor Thomas Clareson, and generally carries the sub-heading: "Brief Mention." Reviews generally vary in length (50 to 100 words). Subjects of reviews include works of SF criticism; general reference works with sections on the genre (such as Katz/Richards' Magazines for Libraries); and reviews of major fiction publishing series. Occasionally, essay length review articles are devoted to SF publications of major import, such as the Arno Press Reprint Series in Lost Race and Fantasy. More often, however, a short review is filed in "Brief Mention" with the reviewer's promise for a lengthy critique at a later date. These promises do not always materialize. Like Extrapolation, Science Fiction Studies is an academic journal which is devoted to SF criticism. It should be noted that Science Fiction Studies has recently undergone a change in place of publication and a change in editors. In addition to Darko Suvin, who was a previous editor, are Marc Angenot and Robert Philmus. Lengthy articles on the genre are followed by the "Books in Review" section. Both the articles and the reviews are quite intellectual in tone. Reviews are signed and are of variable length. Formats of reviews can be rather unusual, as is the case in Charles Elkins' review of the International Science Fiction Yearbook (SFS No. 17): it is 2% pages long and consists of an analysis of each of the 29 sections of the book! Two of the stated goals of the editorship of Science Fiction Studies are the analysis of the present state of the U.S. book market, and the opening of other cultures and literary traditions. While the journal is clearly making an attempt at the latter, the small number of reviews does not begin to deal with burgeoning state of science fiction publishing. Unlike the previously-mentioned journals, Starship (formerly ALGOL) is a semi-professional fanzine which is devoted to various aspects of science fiction criticism. Included are witty editorials by editor-publisher Andrew Porter; lengthy interviews with major writers; even polemical indictments of the book reviewing community! Dedicated SF buffs will like the "Random Factors" section, which includes letters and sometimes heated exchanges between major science fiction writers. Spicy fare indeed! A major portion of Starship is "Lupoff's Book Week," the reviewing section authored by Richard Lupoff. Lupoff's approximately 11 reviews per quarterly issue are lengthy, with works of fiction being treated before works of science fiction criticism. A rather unusual feature of one review section was Lupoff's page-long analysis of Quentin Reynolds' The Fiction Factory (published in 1955)! In the reviewer's opinion, Reynold's work on the publishing firm of Street and Smith had great bearing on the state of SF publishing 25 years later! A new addition to the SF criticism scene is Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review which was founded in 1979 b y editor Neil Barron and publisher R. Reginald. Reginald is widely recognized as a science fiction critic; Barron is, of course, the author of the landmark Anatomy o f Wonder. The ambitious goal of this new journal is to cover every SF item published in the United States: adult and juvenile fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction. With at least 700 reviews in 1979 and a projected 900 for 1980, the loose-leaf format journal seems well on the way to its goal. Coverage of the United Kingdom SF market is
facilitated by the use of an on-site agent to acquire books on the scene in Great Britain, as well as the use of British reviewers. Coverage of the British market is limited to items not already published in the United States. Books from France and Germany are also reviewed, although coverage of those countries is not nearly as comprehensive as is that for the United Kingdom. Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review is arranged by categories: original fiction, non-fiction, juvenile fiction. Sections for reprints, art and tapes are included when and as necessary. Within each category, arrangement of reviews is governed by the aesthetics of page composition. In addition to reviews, the journal also includes surveys of science fiction, articles on phenomena, and an introductory commentary by the editor on such topics as "SF Books for the Blind." The signed reviews are generally short and pithy (between 100 and 150 words), although essay length reviews appear for major works in the field. If a review appears biased, a counter-review is provided. Complete bibliographic data (including price, place of publication and ISBN) are included in each numbered entry. Each review also includes a recommendation for the type of readership; this should appeal to libraries. There is a core of approximately 100 reviewers who contribute to the journal at various times. Some of these individuals wrote for the now defunct Delap's SFReview; others are SF writers and critics, or are SF readers from other professions. Timeliness is a critical factor at Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review, which is published monthly. (The other journals mentioned above are published either three or four times per year.) There is a conscious effort on the part of the editor Nell Barton to review major reference works almost immediately in an effort to serve the critical and library communities. Fiction works are reviewed within two to three months of publication. It should be noted that the journal's self-index for 1979 is projected for January, 1980. All four of the journals discussed are valid for academic and research collections, especially if there is a strong interest in the genre. If a library can afford only one source of science fiction reviews, Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review is recommended for all types of libraries because of its timeliness, depth of coverage, readership recommendations, and projected self-index.
Binnie Syril Braunstein CHECKLIST New journals received, containing regular sections devoted to reviews of books and other media.
New Magazine Review. January, 1 9 7 9 - . M. $42.00. New Magazine Publishing Co., P.O. Box 3699, North Las Vegas, NV 89030. Editor: Joan Creighton. ISSN 0192-2319. [1. Periodicals - Periodicals. ] A slick, eight-page newsletter, reviewing 20 new magazines each month. Includes both general and special interest publications. Written for librarians. V. Seiser News on Tests. January, 1979-- . 10/yr. $10.00. Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08541. Editor: Barbara M. Wildemuth. [1. Educational tests and m e a s u r e m e n t s - U.S. -- Bibliography. 2. Ability -- Testing -- Bibliography. 3. Attitudes (Psychology) - T e s t i n g - Bibliography.] Replaces ETS's Test Collection Bulletin. "Test Reviews"
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section in each issue cites reviews published elsewhere, under the title o f the test being reviewed. Annual index o f test reviewers. V. Seiser Women's Studies Review. July, 1979- . M. $5.00. The Ohio State Universtiy Women's Studies Library, 240 Main Li--
brary, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall, Columbus, OH 43210. Editor: Martha Lawry. [1. Women - B i b l i o g r a p h y - - P e r i o d i c a l s . 2. Women's studies - Periodicals. ] Supercedes Women Are Human. Each 10 to 16 page newsletter is devoted to reviews of books by and about women, both fiction and nonfiction. V. Seiser
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SERIALS REVIEW
JANUARY/MARCH 1980
Review Sources Virginia Seiser Portland State University
This column focuses on review sources that are serial in nature. Sources o f reviews of both print and nonprint media are included, as are indexes to review sources. Comments and suggestions concerning titles for review should be directed to Virginia Seiser, Assistant Education Librarian, Portland State University Library, P.O. Box 1151, Portland, ' Oregon 97297. Individuals interested in contributing to this column are also invited to write.
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
1. 2. 3. 4.
Booklist Reference Services Review RQ Government Publications Review
SCIENCE FICTION - H I S TO RY AND CRITICISM
7. Extrapolation 8. Science Fiction and Fantasy B o o k Reviews 9. Science Fiction Studies 10. Starship
MICROCOMPUTERS
5. Kilobaud Microcomputing 6. Creative Computing
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
Booklist. 1 9 0 5 - . American Library Association, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Editor: Paul Brawley. Indexed: Bk.Rev.lnd.; Curr.Bk.Rev_Cit.; Lib.Lit. ISSN 00006-7385. [1. Bibliography - Period. 2. Books Prices.] Booklist's purpose, according to this journal's editorial page "is to provide a current guide to materials worthy o f consideration for purchase by small and medium-sized public libraries, school media centers, and community college libraries . . . . A review in Booklist constitutes a recommendation for library purchase." Government publications are reviewed in each issue of Booklist, furnishing librarians with a readily scannable list o f the latest materials. Columns, edited by LeRoy C. Schwarzkopf, Government Documents Librarian of the University of Maryland, consist o f an annotated listing of thirty-five sources.
CHECKLIST
N e w Magazine Review News on Tests Women "s Studies Review
Each item reviewed contains complete bibliographical information, a brief survey o f its contents, and notes whether it contains a bibliography and/or index. Since the source is reviewed in Booklist, readers may assume that the title is recommended. Booklist, as far as government materials are concerned, is more of a checklist than a review source. Materials are arranged alphabetically by title -- no subject breakdown is attempted. Unfortunately, government publications are not included in Booklist's annual index; librarians must scan the columns themselves to make their choices. Despite the brevity o f the reviews, Booklist's government documents column is highly recommended to librarians who wish to gain access to the wide range of government materials. School, public, and academic librarians will all find this column to be an important bibliographic tool. Lucy Heckman
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2. Reference Services Review. 1973- . Q. Pierian Press, 5000 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Editor: Cecily Johns. Indexed: Bk.Rev.lnd.; CALL; Curr.Bk.Rev. Cir.; Lib.Lit. ISSN 0090-7234. [1. Reference books -Bibliography - Periodicals.] A relatively recent addition to the world of library journals, RSR specializes in reviewing materials which are designed for reference collections. Government documents, which are among the most significant sources for a library collection, are reviewed in RSR. The first three issues of RSR featured the column, "Recent Reference Books," by Frances Neel Cheney. Included in this column was a review section on guides to the use of government publications, rather than critiques of the documents themselves. Examples of some of the titles reviewed are: Subject Guide to Government Reference Books, by Sally Wynkoop; Guide to Popular Gov-
ernment Publications: For Libraries and Home Reference, by Linda Pohle; and the Monthly Catalog o f US. Government Publications: An Introduction to Its Use, by John Gordon Burke and Carol Dugan Wilson. Beginning with the v.1, no. 4, October/December 1973 issue, Jimmie Hoover's column, "Government Reference Publications," became a part of RSR. Hoover described the goals of this column as follows: "The materials included in this column were selected on the basis of an item by item review of all government publications reviewed at a major depository library. Emphasis is placed on tools of a reference format, although much else that the Federal government publishes is otherwise of high reference value. Publications not in a reference format in the strictest sense are included when their potential value dictates; brief entries for 'how to' items and informative pamphlets are also given if deemed potentially useful, particularly for school and public libraries and wherever the identification of vertical file materials is the responsibility of the public service librarian." Brief reviews compiled by Hoover are grouped under headings which include: Bibliography, Diplomacy and Foreign Lands, Education and Employment, Films, Government, Politics and Law, Health and Welfare, and History and Sociology. Each review contains complete bibliographical information, a concise description of the work's contents, potential audience, and a recommendation or lack of one. Librarians perusing this column may conveniently and readily locate materials for their collections. "Government Serials and Services," a column edited by Dr. Frederic O'Hara was added to RSR with v.2, no. 1, January/March 1974. Each of O'Hara's columns are devoted to a specific theme or to a government agency. Past issues have featured, for instance, reviews of publications issued from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The typical format of "Government Serials and Services" is a description of the history and goals of the agency followed by an annotated listing of its publications. Reviews of these materials are clear and concise, presenting readers with an informative appraisal of the source's contents. Two RSR Special Features furnished further aids to librarians building a collection of government publications. The April/June 1974 and October/December 1976 issues included Bibliographies of U.S. Government Bibliographies published in 1973 and 1975 respectively. These features contained an annotated listing of bibliographies of bibliographic materials in Agriculture, Business, Education, Environmental Sciences, Medicine and Health, and Sociology. Hopefully, RSR will continue to publish this feature in future issues.
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Unfortunately, with v.5, no. 1, January/March 1977, a change in RSR's format eliminated the regular columns on government publications. Each issue is now divided into "State of the Art Surveys" which encompass various subject fields including Political Science, Music, Theology, and History. However, an occasional feature on government publications will appear such as "State of the Art Survey of Documents Reference Sources" (v.5, no. 4, October/December 1977). Additionally, government documents related to different subject fields will be reviewed in the appropriate "State of the Art" column. All materials reviewed by RSR are indexed by author and title; librarians wishing to find critiques on specific government publications may scan this index. Librarians who wish to locate government documents for their collections will want to consult RSR. It is hoped that a Government Documents column will appear in at least one issue per year. Although RSR is a useful source, librarians may prefer RQ and Booklist, which both have sections on government publications appearing in every issue. Lucy Heckman 3. RQ (Reference Quarterly). 1960-- . Q. American Library Association, Reference and Adult Services Division, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Editor: Helen Josephine. Indexed: Bibl.lnd.; Bk.Rev.lnd.; CIJE; lnform.Sci.Abstr.; Lib.Lit.; Lib.Sci.Abstr.; Curr.Bk.Rev.Cit. ISSN 0 0 3 0 7072. [ 1. Library science -- Period.] Government publications, whether in pamphlet, book, or journal form, encompass a wide range of subject fields from current political events to the latest medical trends. Librarians who wish to build a collection on a specific topic, and would like to order government materials, need a review source that arranges these documents by subject. RQ is the best journal for this purpose because its column, "Government Publications," presents, in bibliographic essay format, a listing of government materials covering a specific topic. Beginning with RQ, v.7, no. 3, Spring 1968, a column on government documents became a permanent feature. From 1968 to 1976, Joe Morehead's column, "U.S. Government Documents: A Mazeway Miscellany" furnished reviews of government documents in an informal and humorous tone. Collection development librarians wishing to find out more about the CIS/Index, for example, may read Morehead's "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superindex" (v.10, no. 2, Winter 1970). Morehead's reviews provided complete bibliographic information (including Superintendent of Document number), pinpointed the potential audience, and indicated the quality of the source. Morehead's columns were usually not devoted to a specific theme; readers could locate reviews on materials covering a wide range of topics. Columns covering special topics were begun in 1977 when Jo Bell Whitlatch became the new column editor. This column, now renamed "Government Publications," furnishes librarians with essays related to a particular theme. For example, past issues have included columns with such titles as: "Asian Americans in Federal and State Government Publications," "Human Rights," "The Federal Government as Art Publisher: A Selected Bibliography," "Drug Abuse," "Health Effects of Environmental Pollutants: The Federal Government Research Report," and "Federal Documents on Aging: A Selection." Librarians wishing to build a collection on a particular subject field may scan a column on that .topic and select the appropriate documents. Unfortunately, the materials reviewed are not indexed
by title and/or author. It is disappointing that readers may only locate these reviews in RQ's annual index through the headings "Government Pubhcations" or "Whitlatch, Jo Bell." Readers must read or scan each column to locate the appropriate documents. A listing of government publications reviewed would enhance the reference value of this column. RQ's government documents column is essential to librarians who wish to select these materials for their collections. Professors and teachers of high school and college students wishing to locate government materials for their classes are also encouraged to consult this column. Lucy I-Ieckman
4. Government Publications Review: An International Journal. Fall, 1973--. Q. $121.00. Pergamon Press, Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, NY 10523. Editor: Bernard M. Fry. Indexed: Lit.Lit.; SSCI. ISSN 0093-16 IX. [ 1. Government publications -- Periodicals. 2. Cataloging of government publications -- Periodicals. 3. Libraries, Governmental, administrative, etc. -- Periodicals.] A discussion of serial review sources for government documents must include the Government Publications Review. According to the statement of purpose printed in each issue, the journal covers: • . the field of documents distributions, library handling and use of documents at all levels of government: federal, state and municipal, UN and international agencies and all countries. In keeping with the international scope, the editorial staff includes library educators, administrators, and documents librarians from Canada, England, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Nicar~/gua. However, the majority of the staff is from the United States, as is the Editor-in-Chief, who is Dean of the University of Indiana Graduate Library School. The Government Publications Review has included reviews of government publications and of reference works relating to these pubhcations since its first issue. Starting with volume 3, number 4 (Winter, 1976) these reviews have been grouped together in a section titled Selection Guide to High Interest Government Publications. The Selection Guide has appeared in all succeeding issues, with the exception of volume 6, number 2 (1979), a special issue devoted to the proceedings of a workshop on documentation of intergovernmental organizations. The Review, which appears quarterly, has gradually increased in length over the years, now averaging 125 pages per issue. The first half of each issue consists of articles, often scholarly, on topics of interest to documents librarians and of several regular columns. The second half is given over to the Selection Guide, which will be the focus of this review. The Selection Guide begins with a contents page, printed on blue paper. The color stands out, guiding the reader to the beginning of the section. The Selection Guide consists of a number of separate columns, each with its own editor or co-editors. Some of these columns appear irregularly; others, in almost every issue. Some of the columns, such as Book Reviews, predate the Selection Guide; others have started up in recent volumes. Some regular columns have appeared as part of the Selection Guide in some issues, but in the preceding section of the journal in others. Not only has the Selection Guide gone through a number of changes, but the format and contents of individual columns have also undergone change. The comments here will refer to the latest issueexamined,
volume 6, number 3 (1979), unless otherwise noted. The Selection Guide to High Interest Government Publications in the latest issue of Government Publications Review consists of seven columns. The first six review government publications; the seventh covers documents reference sources from commercial publishers. Of the six documents columns, the first two cover U.S. documents, federal and state. The next three are devoted to Great Britain, Canada, and Australia, respectively. The last column covers international organizations. The columns vary considerably in length. The longest covers almost 140 documents; the shortest, 14. The documents listed are numbered consecutively, from the beginning of the first column to the end of the last. Bibliographic description, price, order information and an annotation are provided for each item. Documents listed include pamphlets, reports, monographs and some serials• Their subject matter reflects the great diversity of governmental concerns• Annotations are brief and descriptive, rather than evaluative. Since this section is identified as a Selection Guide to High Interest Government Publications, one presumes that all are recommended. Most annotations are unsigned but, with one exception, column editors are listed at the head of each column, with their addresses and job titles. Most are documents or special librarians. A description of each column follows.
U.S. Government (Depository Items) The depository documents column has been one of the most regular features of the Selection Guide. Librarians Joyce Koch and Beverly Railsback have been producing this feature since the second issue of the Selective Guide. Jeanne E. Boyle joined them as of volume 6. In keeping with the voluminous output of the Government Printing Office, this is the longest of the review columns. Items, arranged by Superintendent of Documents number, are broadly representative of the administrative branch's many departments and agencies. Most are 1977 and 1978 publications.
State Documents David Pafish's column on U.S. state publications has appeared in almost every issue of the Selection Guide. Some annotations are tagged with the names of contributors other than the editor. Approximately 30 documents are reviewed, representative of every region of the country. Arrangement is by state. Most are available free of charge. Topics range from solar heated hen houses to international investment opportunities.
Great Britain The column of British documents is attributed to Her Majesty's Stationery Office rather than to an individual editor. Nineteen items are listed with abbreviated bibliographic information and very short annotations. Dates of pubhcation are not given. All items are available from HMSO. Many are research papers or summary and review documents on topics of international concern, such as prison welfare and food contamination. Most are scholarly in tone. Reviews of British documents have appeared under varied authorship, at infrequent intervals, since the second issue of the Government Publications Review.
Canada Coverage of Canadian documents has also been someSERIALS REVIEW
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what irregular. The most recent editor is Virginia Gillham, a library administrator at the University of Guelph. The twenty-one items listed include both federal and some provincial documents. Most seem well chosen for their international interest. Several are tourist guides that would be of particular interest in public libraries. Language of publication is clearly indicated. All are 1977 or 1978 publications. Some are available free of charge.
Australia Howard Coxon, a librarian at the University of Adelaide, began contributing a column of Australian documents with volume 5, number 1 (1978). It has generally appeared in every other issue. The most recent column listed 18 publications. Some are on specifically national concerns, such as the role of the Australian Government Printing Service. Others are on such general topics as children and television, and the whaling industry. The documents reviewed do not seem to be listed in any particular order. All are 1978 publications.
represented, but India is not far behind. In the six times the column has appeared, it has included reviews of 125 government publications from 43 different countries, ranging from Abu Zaby to Zaire. Most regions of the world have received at least token representation, with the exception of the Soviet Union and the Republic of China. "The countries for which there are separate columns (Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and the United States) are excluded from coverage here. The column is arranged by country. Titles and bibliographic information are sometimes in the native language and sometimes in English. The language of the document itself is not always specified. Subject matter is varied b u t special emphasis seems to be given to census reports and demographic data. Dates of publication span the most recent three years. The co-editors, Gloria Westfall and Gall Nichols, are both U.S. based foreign documents librarians. Names and affiliation of additional contributors are occasionally cited. The column ends with a list of distributors' addresses.
Audiovisuals United Nations and Other International Organizations Two documents librarians from American universities edit the column on international groups, the shortest of the sections within the Selection Guide. The latest column is primarily devoted to U.N. and UNESCO documents. Several publications from the Council of Europe and the Commission of the European Communities are also included. Earlier columns also reflect this heavy emphasis on the U.N. and Europe, though other world organizations, and multi-national groups from other parts of the world, are sometimes included. The latest column listed 1977 and 1978 publications, arranged alphabetically by title. Many are reference works: directories, thesauri, publication lists, and compilations of international instruments. A list of publishers and distributors of the documents reviewed appears at the end of the column. Several additional documents review columns have appeared in earlier issues at varying degrees of frequency, and presumably will continue to appear at intervals, though they aren't represented in the latest issue. These too are worthy of mention. They include the following:
Technical Reports and Other Non-GPO Publications This column, covering U.S. technical reports first appeared in volume 4, number 4 (1977). The editor, documents librarian Fred Schmidt, has made it a fairly regular feature. It complements the Depository Items column. The National Technical Information Service is the most frequently cited source. Non-depository publications of the Library of Congress are also well represented. Most titles chosen for review are quite specialized. Publication dates span the previous three years. Arrangement is alphabetical by title.
Western Europe and Other Countries Aside from the coverage of United Nations and UNESCO publications, this is the only column that gives much attention to the nations outside of Europe and the English-speaking world. In keeping with the emphasis in the title, French and German documents are the best
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The column titled Audiovisuals has appeared in the Selection Guide on three occasions. It is edited by staff members from the National Audiovisual Center, the agency that serves as the central clearing house for U.S. government produced audiovisual materials. Each column is an annotated selective listing of the Center's materials on a particular subject. The latest, on alcohol and drug abuse, included films, filmstrips, videotapes, slide sets, audiocassettes, and multimedia kits, produced from 1965-1976. The majority of the items on the list were at least five years old at the time the column appeared, so it is of little use in evaluating new materials. The introduction to the column suggests that it will be of value to program planners, but the lack of information about audience level for some items limits its usefulness. Where audience is indicated, the materials range from junior high school classroom discussion aids to training films for professionals in counseling and law enforcement.
Municipal Government Over the years, Joyce Maden of the Chicago Municipal Reference Library, has compiled several columns on publications of U.S. city governments. The columns have been short and the geographic representation spotty. Arrangement is by city. Subject matter of most of the documents included focuses on the local area, though they would be of wider interest to researchers seeking comparative cases or model examples. The column appears too infrequently to be a selection tool for new materials.
B o o k Reviews Since its first issue, the Government Publications Review has included a book review section. It became one of the regular columns of the Selection Guide when that feature was introduced. It differs from the other review columns in that it includes books about documents, rather than documents themselves. Arne Richards, Documents Bibliographer at Kansas State University, has served as Book Review Editor since volume 5, number 2 (1978). The reviews are 3 0 0 - 7 5 0 words in length. Four to six reviews appear in each issue. Each is signed and the position and address of the contributor is given. Reviewers
are librarians and library educators from the United States. The thrust of the column is unclear. As might be expected, it reviews reference sources on documents, such as Bernan Associate's Checklist o f Congressional Hearings, and books about documents librarianship, such as the Introduction to United States Public Documents by Joe Morehead. However, it also includes reviews of booklength government publications, such as The Presidential Campaign 1976 from the Government Printing Office. Books about government and public administration are also included, as in the book review essay on local government management in volume 5, number 4, which included Management by Objectives and Results in the Public Sector b y George L. Morrisey. In addition to summarizing the book's contents, the reviews are evaluative. Most titles reviewed are recommended, though reviewers sometimes express serious reservations. Most reviews appear within a year of publication date, but some lag by several years. Serials and sets are also reviewed, usually several years after the first issue.
Indexes It is unfortunate that the Government Publications Review provides such limited indexing for its contents. Each issue includes a Category Index to the documents review columns in the Selection Guide. In it, item numbers for documents reviewed are listed under appropriate subject categories. The Category Index does not cumulate. There is no other indexing of documents reviewed. Format differs from column to column: in some, the documents are listed alphabetically by title; in others, they are arranged by issuing agency or geographic origin. One column has no discernible ordering system. This makes the task of locating a review of a particular document a very awkward one. Publications reviewed in the Book Reviews column are not indexed at all. The only other indexing provided by Government Publications Review is the yearly author index, which includes column editors and authors of articles, but does not include authors of publications reviewed or contributors of individual reviews.
Summary The Government Publications Review is one of the more expensive professional library journals. At $121.00 for four issues, it is out of reach of the libraries that could benefit most from the many free publications it lists. The type of documents surveyed makes the publication most useful to academic, research and Special libraries. However, there is something here for public and school librarians as well: audiovisual materials, tourist guides, how-to-do-it publications, reference compilations, and reports on topics of general interest, such as energy and environment. The Selection Guide is a collection of samplers of interesting items rather than an authoritative listing of the significant governmental publications. The lack of indexing limits the usefulness of the reviews. Reviews are not particularly timely. This is probably attributable, in part, to the frequent time lags in the document distribution system. While the subtitle indicates that it is "an international journal," the Government Publications Review is heavily weighted toward United States documents, and, secondarily, those from the English-speaking world. The
editorial staff is primarily from the United States as well, However, as limited as the coverage is, it fills a need for a selective, relatively current listing of foreign and international documents. Virginia Seiser MICROCOMPUTERS Microcomputers, and the journals about them, are new. The first commercial microcomputer appeared in 1975; most of the magazines on the subject started a year or so later. Despite their newness, these journals and the books they review deserve attention. Their use is not limited to the microcomputer specialist, for several reasons. First, microcomputers function in the same fashion as minicomputers, or,' to some extent, mainframe computers. This is especially true of applications and software. Therefore, microcomputer books frequently can be used, in part or whole, by anyone in the computer industry. Secondly, since many of the authors of these materials are hobbyists and not necessarily professional computer scientists, most microcomputer books are written less technically than other computer literature. In a time when computers of all sorts are affecting more and more people, introductory material such as this becomes increasingly important for library collections. Few computer journals, other than those devoted to microcomputers, review books on this subject. This may be because most microcomputer publishers, such as Dilthium Press, SSI Publishers, and Neutronics Inc., are not major publishers. There is only one general source, Quarterly Bibliography o f Computers and Data Processing, which includes reviews of microcomputer materials. Even it is quite selective. General bibliographic sources, such as Books in Print and Cumulative Book Index, do not list many microcomputer publications either. Eben Kent 5. Kilobaud Microcomputing. 1 9 7 7 - . M. $18.00. 100100 l Inc., Pine St., Peterborough, NH 03458. Editor: Wayne Green. [ 1. Microcomputers.] Kilobaud Microcomputing is one of several journals covering microcomputers. Its audience, according to the publisher's editorial profile in Standard Rate and Data, is "the computer hobbyist and the small businessman who want to learn the fundamentals of computers." The books reviewed by Kilobaud Microcomputing cover a range of topics of interest to this audience. Reviews appear monthly. English language monographs and occasional conference papers are reviewed; one will not find symposia, government publications, or loose-leaf services, all of which occasionally contain information about microcomputers. Beyond this, criteria for selection of material to be reviewed are quite loose. Kilobaud Microcomputing publishes approximately 50 reviews a year. Much of this material is not reviewed anywhere else. Reviews emphasize books on microcomputers, but at times cover books on calculators and larger computers. Subjects reviewed include hardware, especially technical information; software, especially languages such as Basic; games; and applications. Emphasis seems to be on self study materials, not textbooks per se. Most of the books reviewed are recommended for purchase. The reviews are written by a variety of reviewers, many of whom staff Kilobaud Microcomputing. Their credentials are not noted in the review or elsewhere in the magazine, yet all reviewers make knowledgeable assessments of the material. Reviews are thorough, indicating that the material reviewed has been read completely and understood. Frequently, reviewers cite earlier or similar
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sources. The content of reviews varies little. Each review includes title, author, publisher's address, date of publication (frequently missing), number of pages, and price. All reviews clearly identify potential user audience or level of difficulty. All reviews highlight the book's strengths and weaknesses. Reviews are lengthy, usually averaging 200 words. There is a significant time lag between the book's date of publication and its review in Kilobaud Microcomputing. For example, the first review of a 1979 publication appeared in the September, 1979 issue. 1978 publications make up the majority of the reviews through the November, 1979 issue. However, because many publishers are new or small in size, Kilobaud Microcomputing will likely be the first place one will find bibliographic information about these materials, n o t to mention reviews of them. Therefore, Kilobaud Microcomputing is a good source for reviews, primarily in the fields of microcomputers and calculators. Reviews tend to be long, thorough, and objective, but suffer from at least a nine m o n t h time lag. Materials reviewed favorably constitute a solid basis for a collection in these areas. Librarians who wish to have more than a superficial collection on computers would be advised to read Kilobaud Microcomputing. Eben Kent
books with a common theme. For example, in the June, 1979 issue, David Gray reviewed five books on the language FORTRAN. This approach allows the librarian to compare similar materials, but has the disadvantage that reviews tend to appear well after the books have been published. In general, most reviews in Creative Computing suffer from at least a six month lag. In conclusion, Creative Computing is an excellent source for book reviews for libraries with collections in any area of computing, as well as those with a strong microcomputer collection. Creative Computing reviews a broad range of computer material and contains colorful, detailed, and somewhat timely reviews. Eben Kent SCIENCE FICTION - HISTORY AND CRITICISM 7. Extrapolation. 1 9 5 9 - . Q. $10.00/individuals; $15.00/ institutions. Kent State University Press, Kent, OH 44242. Editor: Thomas D. Clareson. Indexed: Sci.Fic. Bk.Rev.lnd. [1. Science fiction - History and criticism -- Periodicals. 2. Science fiction -- Bibliography. ]
8. Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review. 1979-- . M. $12.00/individuals; $15.00/institutions. Borgo Press, Box 2845, San Bernadino, CA 92406. Editor: Neil Barron. [ 1. Science fiction - Book reviews.]
6. Creative Computing. 1974- . M. $15.00. Creative Computing, P.O. Box 789-N, Morristown, NJ 07960. Editor: John Craig. Indexed: Comput. & Contr.Abstr.; Comput. Rev. [1. Electronic data processing -- Periodicals.] One of the oldest personal computing magazines, Creative Computing is also the most diverse. According to the publisher's editorial profile in Standard Rate and Data, Creative Computing is for those "who are interested in computer applications and software; from games, simulations, C.A.I. to household management and small business uses." Books reviewed in Creative Computing match these broad objectives. Topics of books reviewed include fiction; games; hardware; software, especially Basic, FORTRAN, and COBOL; business applications; and computer security. Most materials reviewed are about microcomputers, although there are a significant number covering larger systems. Approximately 100 reviews appear annually. All materials reviewed are in English and are monographs. Creative Computing draws from many non-government publishers and, as noted in the overview, most of these are small or newly established. The reviews are edited and, for the most part, written by David Gray. This results in consistent reviews. Bibliographic information provided includes title, author, publisher, pagination, hardback or paperback, price, and date. Reviews always identify the intended audience. This information frequently is quoted or paraphrased from the source itself. Reviews are thorough and usually more than 200 words in length. Reviews never just summarize the contents. Both positive and negative aspects of a book are presented. Reviewers note major manufacturers and models mentioned in books reviewed. This information is especially helpful in a field where few standards have yet been established. Frequently, reviewers note programs or significant illustrations contained in the book. Reviewers other than David Gray often present their background in the course of the review. Despite the consistency, the style, especially among reviews written by Mr. Gray, is chatty, personal, and highly readable. Not all books are recommended. Recently, some issues have contained reviews of several
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9. Science Fiction Studies. 1973- . 3/yr. $8.00/individuals; $12.00/institutions. SFS PublicatiOns, English Dept., Loyola Campus, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, Canada. Editors: Marc Angenot, Robert M. Philmus, Darko Suvin. Indexed: ScLFic.Bk.Rev.Ind_ [ 1. Science fiction - History and criticism - Periodicals. ] 10. Starship. 1963- . Q. $4.50/yr. Porter Communications, Box 4175, New York, NY 10017. Editor: Andrew Porter. Indexed: Sci.Fic.Bk.Rev.Ind. [1. Science fiction - History and criticism -- Periodicals.] Reviews of current science fiction (SF) books can be found in such magazines as Analog,~The Magazine o f Fantasy and Science Fiction, Galaxy, etc. Each of these journals exists primarily to promulgate current or classic science fiction; and each generally includes a conversational review column for current SF. In contrast to these journals which are readily available to libraries and the general public via newsstand and subscription, are the efforts in critical science fiction which have no mass distribution and are aimed primarily at librarians or SF fans. Examples of this type of publication are: Extrapolation, Science Fiction Studies, Starship, and Science
Fiction and Fantasy Book Review. Extrapolation and Science Fiction Studies are both generated by the academic science fiction community. Reviews in both journals concentrate mainly on-critical works rather than publications in fiction. In addition to critical articles by recognized authorities in the SF field, an important feature of Extrapolation is "The Year's Scholarship in Science Fiction and Fantasy." Each briefly annotated entry is keyed to one of the "Winchell's" of SF scholarship: Thomas D. Clareson's Science Fiction Criticism, An Annotated Checklist (1972). Sources of entries include all major SF reviewing sources, both professional and fan generated. In addition to books, dissertations and scholarly and instructional media are also included. In comparison to the 39 page "Year's Scholarship,"
the book review section itself is quite small, ranging from two to six pages per issue and including between five and eleven reviews. The review section is the responsibility of journal editor Thomas Clareson, and generally carries the sub-heading: "Brief Mention." Reviews generally vary in length (50 to 100 words). Subjects of reviews include works of SF criticism; general reference works with sections on the genre (such as Katz/Richards' Magazines for Libraries); and reviews of major fiction publishing series. Occasionally, essay length review articles are devoted to SF publications of major import, such as the Arno Press Reprint Series in Lost Race and Fantasy. More often, however, a short review is filed in "Brief Mention" with the reviewer's promise for a lengthy critique at a later date. These promises do not always materialize. Like Extrapolation, Science Fiction Studies is an academic journal which is devoted to SF criticism. It should be noted that Science Fiction Studies has recently undergone a change in place of publication and a change in editors. In addition to Darko Suvin, who was a previous editor, are Marc Angenot and Robert Philmus. Lengthy articles on the genre are followed by the "Books in Review" section. Both the articles and the reviews are quite intellectual in tone. Reviews are signed and are of variable length. Formats of reviews can be rather unusual, as is the case in Charles Elkins' review of the International Science Fiction Yearbook (SFS No. 17): it is 2% pages long and consists of an analysis of each of the 29 sections of the book! Two of the stated goals of the editorship of Science Fiction Studies are the analysis of the present state of the U.S. book market, and the opening of other cultures and literary traditions. While the journal is clearly making an attempt at the latter, the small number of reviews does not begin to deal with burgeoning state of science fiction publishing. Unlike the previously-mentioned journals, Starship (formerly ALGOL) is a semi-professional fanzine which is devoted to various aspects of science fiction criticism. Included are witty editorials by editor-publisher Andrew Porter; lengthy interviews with major writers; even polemical indictments of the book reviewing community! Dedicated SF buffs will like the "Random Factors" section, which includes letters and sometimes heated exchanges between major science fiction writers. Spicy fare indeed! A major portion of Starship is "Lupoff's Book Week," the reviewing section authored by Richard Lupoff. Lupoff's approximately 11 reviews per quarterly issue are lengthy, with works of fiction being treated before works of science fiction criticism. A rather unusual feature of one review section was Lupoff's page-long analysis of Quentin Reynolds' The Fiction Factory (published in 1955)! In the reviewer's opinion, Reynold's work on the publishing firm of Street and Smith had great bearing on the state of SF publishing 25 years later! A new addition to the SF criticism scene is Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review which was founded in 1979 b y editor Neil Barron and publisher R. Reginald. Reginald is widely recognized as a science fiction critic; Barron is, of course, the author of the landmark Anatomy o f Wonder. The ambitious goal of this new journal is to cover every SF item published in the United States: adult and juvenile fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction. With at least 700 reviews in 1979 and a projected 900 for 1980, the loose-leaf format journal seems well on the way to its goal. Coverage of the United Kingdom SF market is
facilitated by the use of an on-site agent to acquire books on the scene in Great Britain, as well as the use of British reviewers. Coverage of the British market is limited to items not already published in the United States. Books from France and Germany are also reviewed, although coverage of those countries is not nearly as comprehensive as is that for the United Kingdom. Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review is arranged by categories: original fiction, non-fiction, juvenile fiction. Sections for reprints, art and tapes are included when and as necessary. Within each category, arrangement of reviews is governed by the aesthetics of page composition. In addition to reviews, the journal also includes surveys of science fiction, articles on phenomena, and an introductory commentary by the editor on such topics as "SF Books for the Blind." The signed reviews are generally short and pithy (between 100 and 150 words), although essay length reviews appear for major works in the field. If a review appears biased, a counter-review is provided. Complete bibliographic data (including price, place of publication and ISBN) are included in each numbered entry. Each review also includes a recommendation for the type of readership; this should appeal to libraries. There is a core of approximately 100 reviewers who contribute to the journal at various times. Some of these individuals wrote for the now defunct Delap's SFReview; others are SF writers and critics, or are SF readers from other professions. Timeliness is a critical factor at Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review, which is published monthly. (The other journals mentioned above are published either three or four times per year.) There is a conscious effort on the part of the editor Nell Barton to review major reference works almost immediately in an effort to serve the critical and library communities. Fiction works are reviewed within two to three months of publication. It should be noted that the journal's self-index for 1979 is projected for January, 1980. All four of the journals discussed are valid for academic and research collections, especially if there is a strong interest in the genre. If a library can afford only one source of science fiction reviews, Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review is recommended for all types of libraries because of its timeliness, depth of coverage, readership recommendations, and projected self-index.
Binnie Syril Braunstein CHECKLIST New journals received, containing regular sections devoted to reviews of books and other media.
New Magazine Review. January, 1 9 7 9 - . M. $42.00. New Magazine Publishing Co., P.O. Box 3699, North Las Vegas, NV 89030. Editor: Joan Creighton. ISSN 0192-2319. [1. Periodicals - Periodicals. ] A slick, eight-page newsletter, reviewing 20 new magazines each month. Includes both general and special interest publications. Written for librarians. V. Seiser News on Tests. January, 1979-- . 10/yr. $10.00. Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08541. Editor: Barbara M. Wildemuth. [1. Educational tests and m e a s u r e m e n t s - U.S. -- Bibliography. 2. Ability -- Testing -- Bibliography. 3. Attitudes (Psychology) - T e s t i n g - Bibliography.] Replaces ETS's Test Collection Bulletin. "Test Reviews"
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section in each issue cites reviews published elsewhere, under the title o f the test being reviewed. Annual index o f test reviewers. V. Seiser Women's Studies Review. July, 1979- . M. $5.00. The Ohio State Universtiy Women's Studies Library, 240 Main Li--
brary, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall, Columbus, OH 43210. Editor: Martha Lawry. [1. Women - B i b l i o g r a p h y - - P e r i o d i c a l s . 2. Women's studies - Periodicals. ] Supercedes Women Are Human. Each 10 to 16 page newsletter is devoted to reviews of books by and about women, both fiction and nonfiction. V. Seiser
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