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Subject guide to U.S. government reference sources
Reviews
121
Subject Guide to U.S. Government ReferenceSources By Judith Schick Robinson Littleton, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1985,333 pages, $40.00 ISBN O-87287-496-6.LC 8.510120.
Joel Zucker is Government Documents Librarian, duPont-Ball Library, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida 32720.
Judith Robinson’s book is the first revision of Sally Wynkoop’s 1972 work, Subject Guide to Government Reference Books. The title change reflects the fact that Robinson has included non-print sources such as on-line databases. Her expressed intent is to offer selective rather than comprehensive coverage of government reference materials and to have the boak serve “as a handy one-volume guide to significant reference resources on specific subjects. . . included are seminal works;, unique historical works, comprehensive titles and sources for first resort.” The 1,324 individual entries are arranged according to a broad four-part division (General Reference Sources/ Social Sciences/ Science and Technology/ Humanities) and further subdivided under major subject headings, of which three are new to this volume: energy, architecture and museums. Annotations for the individual entries (over half of which appear for the fist time) include a summary of the information contained in the item and standard bibliographic descriptors such as Superintendent of Documents classification number and Government Printing Office stock number, Robinson’s treatment and coverage of online reference sources leaves much to be desired. Her entries for the ~o~~~~~ Cm&g and the Federal Reg&ter Index do not indicate that they are both available online through DIALOG. The entries for many federally-produced files such as MEDLINE leave one with the impression that access is only possible through the issuing agency; no mention is made of their availability through DIALOG, BRS, or other commercial vendors. This book is totally inadequate as a guide to government reference sources online; despite Robinson’s ambitious title change, she badly neglects the very important non-print component of government-generated information. As a guide to printed materials, the book is not much better. Many key titles, such as Agricultural Statistics, are included as entries but inexplicably omitted from the index. Although Robinson states that “prior knowledge of government documents is not required to use this book,” only a fairly knowledgeable searcher could locate sufficient information on a topic; relevant items on a particular subject are widely scattered, depending on their format, and the almost total lack of cross-references further diminishes the book’s usefulness to anyone unfamiliar with Federal information resources. This is a partially satisfactory reference source that could be easily improved in many ways. Even with its shortcomings, it can serve as a quick, compact guide for librarians
722
GOVERNMENT
INFOR~ATf~~
QUARTERLY
Val. 4/No. 111937
and others who have some experience with government pub~~tions, and its relatively modest purchase price probably makes it a worthwhile acquisition for most Federal depositories and academic reference cohections.
Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers By Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest R. May New York: The Free Press, 1386,327 pages, $19.95 ISBN ~2-92279~9~ LC 85-29159.
Reviewed by Peter Hernon
Peter Hernon is Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
The authors, both professors at Harvard ~nivers~ty~ share the insights that they have gained from teaching a course at the Kennedy School of Government, primarily for public officials and their aids, since the 1970s. This course focuses on the practical use of history for decision making and management. In I4 chapters, they identify the issues and concerns that they wouXd expect decision makers to address and resolve. Each chapter draws upon historical exampIes to illustrate their points. Typically, decision situations focus on what to do and treat the historical context sparingly; decision makers and their aids frequently fail to scrutinize historical analogies, presumptions, and propositions for their relevance to the present and the future. Appendix A summarizes the methods which the authors recommend that decision makers follow. For example, Neustadt and May encourage a definition of concerns, a separation of the known from the unclear and presumed, and a clarification of likenesses and differences. At the same time, presumptions, stereotypes about peopie and organizations, and historical analogies merit review and analysis. Appendices B and C discuss their course on the “Uses of History,” identify similar courses at other institutions, and provide a means by which instructors can obtain copies of their case studies. The authors presume that adherence to their procedures would have resulted in better decision making in a number of instances. They do not discuss the information-gathering behavior of government officials and the associated barriers and filters. They also do not link their discussion to the extensive literature on decision making. Although one can discover uses and misuses of government information in their examples, this reviewer would have preferred a separate chapter on the topic. At any rate, Neustadt and May provide a solid foundation from which info~at~on-~therin~ and info~ation-use behavior can he studied and linked to the methods addressed in the book.
121
Subject Guide to U.S. Government ReferenceSources By Judith Schick Robinson Littleton, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1985,333 pages, $40.00 ISBN O-87287-496-6.LC 8.510120.
Joel Zucker is Government Documents Librarian, duPont-Ball Library, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida 32720.
Judith Robinson’s book is the first revision of Sally Wynkoop’s 1972 work, Subject Guide to Government Reference Books. The title change reflects the fact that Robinson has included non-print sources such as on-line databases. Her expressed intent is to offer selective rather than comprehensive coverage of government reference materials and to have the boak serve “as a handy one-volume guide to significant reference resources on specific subjects. . . included are seminal works;, unique historical works, comprehensive titles and sources for first resort.” The 1,324 individual entries are arranged according to a broad four-part division (General Reference Sources/ Social Sciences/ Science and Technology/ Humanities) and further subdivided under major subject headings, of which three are new to this volume: energy, architecture and museums. Annotations for the individual entries (over half of which appear for the fist time) include a summary of the information contained in the item and standard bibliographic descriptors such as Superintendent of Documents classification number and Government Printing Office stock number, Robinson’s treatment and coverage of online reference sources leaves much to be desired. Her entries for the ~o~~~~~ Cm&g and the Federal Reg&ter Index do not indicate that they are both available online through DIALOG. The entries for many federally-produced files such as MEDLINE leave one with the impression that access is only possible through the issuing agency; no mention is made of their availability through DIALOG, BRS, or other commercial vendors. This book is totally inadequate as a guide to government reference sources online; despite Robinson’s ambitious title change, she badly neglects the very important non-print component of government-generated information. As a guide to printed materials, the book is not much better. Many key titles, such as Agricultural Statistics, are included as entries but inexplicably omitted from the index. Although Robinson states that “prior knowledge of government documents is not required to use this book,” only a fairly knowledgeable searcher could locate sufficient information on a topic; relevant items on a particular subject are widely scattered, depending on their format, and the almost total lack of cross-references further diminishes the book’s usefulness to anyone unfamiliar with Federal information resources. This is a partially satisfactory reference source that could be easily improved in many ways. Even with its shortcomings, it can serve as a quick, compact guide for librarians
722
GOVERNMENT
INFOR~ATf~~
QUARTERLY
Val. 4/No. 111937
and others who have some experience with government pub~~tions, and its relatively modest purchase price probably makes it a worthwhile acquisition for most Federal depositories and academic reference cohections.
Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers By Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest R. May New York: The Free Press, 1386,327 pages, $19.95 ISBN ~2-92279~9~ LC 85-29159.
Reviewed by Peter Hernon
Peter Hernon is Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
The authors, both professors at Harvard ~nivers~ty~ share the insights that they have gained from teaching a course at the Kennedy School of Government, primarily for public officials and their aids, since the 1970s. This course focuses on the practical use of history for decision making and management. In I4 chapters, they identify the issues and concerns that they wouXd expect decision makers to address and resolve. Each chapter draws upon historical exampIes to illustrate their points. Typically, decision situations focus on what to do and treat the historical context sparingly; decision makers and their aids frequently fail to scrutinize historical analogies, presumptions, and propositions for their relevance to the present and the future. Appendix A summarizes the methods which the authors recommend that decision makers follow. For example, Neustadt and May encourage a definition of concerns, a separation of the known from the unclear and presumed, and a clarification of likenesses and differences. At the same time, presumptions, stereotypes about peopie and organizations, and historical analogies merit review and analysis. Appendices B and C discuss their course on the “Uses of History,” identify similar courses at other institutions, and provide a means by which instructors can obtain copies of their case studies. The authors presume that adherence to their procedures would have resulted in better decision making in a number of instances. They do not discuss the information-gathering behavior of government officials and the associated barriers and filters. They also do not link their discussion to the extensive literature on decision making. Although one can discover uses and misuses of government information in their examples, this reviewer would have preferred a separate chapter on the topic. At any rate, Neustadt and May provide a solid foundation from which info~at~on-~therin~ and info~ation-use behavior can he studied and linked to the methods addressed in the book.