College and Research Libraries
184 College & Research Libraries
through Adler, Hutchins, and Whitehead
to Mill, Newman, Bacon, Aristotle, and
Plato. While the times may appear unpro-
pitious for new ventures, the obligation of
educators, Professor Bowen correctly re-
minds us, is not to "supinely accept the
present situation as permanent but . . .
[to] continually present new long-range
possibilities to the public and their lead-
ers."
This book is about what higher educa-
tion could potentially become and about
what it could potentially contribute to
American society. As such, it is a welcome
contrast to much of the current literature
of academic planning, and recommended
reading for all who have a serious concern
for the future of the university.-Thomas J.
Galvin, School of Library and Information Sci-
ence, University of Pittsburgh.
[Editor's note: This book recently re-
ceived the Frederick W. Ness Book Award
for the outstanding publication of the year
on a subject dealing with the liberal arts,
from the Association of American Col-
leges.]
.
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March 1983
I ~
Goodrum, Charles A. and Dalrymple,
Helen W. The Library of Congress. 2d ed.
Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1982.
318p. $25 cloth, $10.95 paper. LC 82-
8457. ISBN 0-86531-303-2 cloth; 0-86531-
497-7 paper.
The first edition of this work was written
solely by Goodrum and published as part
of the Praeger Library of U.S. Govern-
ment Departments and Agencies series. A
number of changes at the Library of Con-
gress, including the sizable reorganization
effected in 1977 under the direction of Li-
brarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin,
obliged Goodrum and coauthor Helen W.
Dalrymple to issue a revised and updated
version of the 1974 work. The result is a
pleasing and useful account of the Library
of Congress, the world's "largest center
for information storage" (Introduction).
In an unobtrusive and easy writing
style, the authors structure their narrative
in four parts. Part one traces the history of
LC from its beginnings to the present, in-
cluding a chapter on its current compo-
nents. We are told of its major units ("six
great empires") within which "eighty-
five independent operations" function;
an organizational chart provides guidance
through the maze. Part two describes the
internal processes: acquisitions, control,
and research services. Here the authors
wax eloquent about the treasures to be
found in the manuscript, geography, and
map collections, as well as other divisions
and collections. There are informative dis-
cussions on the importance of gifts, the
copyright deposit procedures, the awe-
some responsibilities of the Congressional
Research Service, the famous "K classifi-
cation" of the law library, services to the
blind and physically handicapped, and
the several ''glamour'' collections and ac-
tivities, such as music, poetry, and the
John F. Kennedy Center for Performing
Arts Library.
Part three addresses the problems and
tensions that arise from LC' s efforts to
serve three demanding clients: the Con-
gress, the library profession, and the
scholarly research world . The authors
wryly observe that these groups "barely
tolerate each other at best, and at worst,
they resent each other bitterly.'' Dis-
LIBRARIANS AND .INFORMATION
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186 College & Research Libraries
cussed in detail is the vexatious, perennial
dispute inherent in an organism that at-
tempts to be on one hand a library for Con-
gress, and, on the other, a library for ev-
eryone. Although this section of the book
is of great interest, one questions with
raised eyebrows the assertion that "for
years, librarians have been urging that the
Library of Congress be put into the De-
partment of Education,'' an entity that has
only been in existence since 1980 (90 Stat.
668). Part three also notes LC' s initial re-
luctance to accept the computer (followed
by its subsequent embrace), the difficul-
ties of locating materials at the Library,
and Boorstin' s impact upon the institution
he directs. The last part is a brief comment
on the future of LC as it begins to harness
the technological wonders of videodiscs
and digital storage in the service of en-
hanced control and access.
Throughout the narrative run basic phil-
osophical issues. Does LC really help Con-
gress govern? Is the Library doing a
proper job of preserving the nation's his-
Heritage on
Microfilnt
Rare and out-of-print titles
and documents on 35mm
silver halide microfilm.
• French Books before 1601
• Scandinavian Culture
• 18th Century English
Literature
• Victorian Fiction
• Literature of Folklore
• Hispanic Culture
Send for catalog and title
information today.
~~~~[M
~COV\P~Y
70 Coolidge Hill Road
Watertown, MA 02172
(617) 926-5557
March 1983
tory? Are the manifold information needs
of users really being met? While the con-
. elusion is affirmative, it is tempered with
the caveat that future managers of this
vast enterprise must be ever alert to the
processes and technologies by which its
disparate clientele will be served wisely
and well.
This informative monograph contains a
six-page bibliography. No index was
available for evaluation, presumably be-
cause the above review is based on a ''not
for sale" advance copy made from uncor-
rected proofs. With the assumed inclusion
of an index, the book when published will
be a valuable addition to our professional
literature and may well enjoy a wider
audience.-Joe Morehead, School of Library!
Information Science, State University of New
York at Albany.
Neustadt, Richard M. The Birth of Elec-
tronic Publishing: Legal and Economic Is-
sues in Telephone, Cable and Over-the-Air
Teletext and Videotext. White Plains,
N.Y.: Knowledge Industry, 1982. 143p.
$32.95. LC 82-6614. ISBN 0-86729-030-7.
Ever since "the paperless society" be-
came buzzwords in our language, there
have been many discussions debating the
pros and cons of electronic publishing.
The discussions this reviewer has heard
have typically been subjective and some-
times emotional. The issues raised have
related to the emergence of a new mass
medium, described eloquently by the au-
thor:
Until recently, mass distribution of information
has been dominated by publishing and broad-
casting. Now, technology is marrying these
media to spawn a new one: electronic publish-
ing . Print-type information-text and
graphics-is being distributed over electronic
channels : television, radio, cable TV and tele-
phone wires .
Electronic publishing . . . has no place in the
law at present. No statute or regulation men-
tions it, and the first court decision on this me-
dium was issued in the fall of 1981 . In the next
few years, policy-makers must answer a string
of questions to fill this vacuum. How will the
First Amendment apply-will electronic pub-
lishers have the full freedom of newspapers or
will they be covered by content regulations, as
are broadcasters? Will would-be electronic pub-