ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 450/C&RL News New Publications G e o rg e M. Eb erha rt B a ld n e ss: A Social H is­ tory, by Kerry Segrave (216 pages, March 1996), exam­ ines male pattern baldness (MPB), which is the cause o f 90% o f all baldness and the result o f heredity and hor­ mones. Segrave considers theories o f the causes o f MPB, cures o f hair loss pro­ posed by the medical estab­ lishment, various kinds o f quack remedies, and atti­ tudes toward “rugs, plugs, and drugs.” The ancient Ro­ mans spread chicken dung on their scalps, while w e moderns use minoxidil with varying results. An entertaining chapter describes how celebri­ ties and politicians handle baldness. A well- documented compendium o f fact, folklore, and follicles. $29.95. McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-7864-0193-1. Ethnic a n d V e r n a c u la r M u sic, 1 8 9 8 – 1960: A Resource and Guide to Recordings, by Paul Vernon (344 pages, December 1995), brings together information on early w orld music recordings or reissues and makes it ac­ cessible both by country and record company. A glossary o f genres, instruments, and other musical terms found on 78rρm ethnic record labels is very useful for collectors. An indis­ pensable tool for historical music collections. $75.00. Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, P.O. Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881. ISBN 0- 313-29553-0. A G u id e to the C a rl A lb ert Center Co n ­ gressional Archives, compiled by Judy Day, Danney Goble, Todd Kosmerick, and Janice Mathews (113 pages, October 1995), describes the holdings o f the Center (located at the Uni­ versity o f Oklahoma), endowed by Congress to preserve the history o f representative gov­ ernment. Its archives preserve the papers o f 51 members o f Congress, among them Carl Albert, Helen Gahagan Douglas, and Sidney Clarke. In addition, these materials document national and Oklahoma politics, election campaigns, and government policy affecting agriculture, Native Americans, the environment, and the economy. $5.00. Carl Albert Center Congressional Ar­ chives, University o f Oklahoma, 630 Parrington Oval, Room 101, Norman, OK 73019-0375. Speaking o f representa­ tive government, be sure to consider the four-volum e Encyclopedia of Democ­ r a c y (1950 pages, Novem ­ ber 1995) for your political science collection. In this multinational, postindustrial age, average citizens (and students) should be aware that freedom and dem oc­ racy are not natural entitle­ ments and must be con­ stantly monitored. This encyclopedia traces democracy from its origins in ancient Greece to its role in the struggles o f emerging repub­ lics. It features 417 original, signed articles by more than 200 international scholars, prepared under the direction o f editor Seymour Martin Lipset, and covers democratic movements in all countries, seminal philosophers o f democ­ racy, key concepts, challenges, and threats. $395.00. Congressional Quarterly Books, 1414 22nd St., N.W., Washington, DC 20037. ISBN 0-87187-675-2. H igh S t r a n g e n e s s : U F O s fro m 1 9 6 0 through 1979, by Jerome Clark (777 pages, March 1996), is the third and final volume in Clark’s UFO encyclopedia, covering a period in which reports from many credible observers began to be taken seriously by both the U.S. government and the scientific community. A longtime veteran o f ufological journalism, Clark has mastered the minutiae o f the subject suffi­ ciently to rescue the significant data from the twin quagmires o f blinkered skepticism and u n fettered sp ecu lation . Im p ortan t cases (Delphos, Kan., 1971; the Travis Walton ab­ duction, 1975; Socorro, N.M., 1964) are exam­ ined in rich detail, while such topics as close encounters o f the second kind, UFO crashes and retrievals, hoaxes, paranormal and occult theories, and Project Blue Book are treated objectively. Four entries were contributed by George Eberhαrt is editor and compiler o f T h e W h o l e L i b r a r y H a n d b o o k s f o r ALA Editions (1991, 1995). Check out the H a n d b o o k Web site at: http:// www.ala.org/alayou/publications/alaeditions/wlh/ wlh.html. http://www.ala.org/aiayou/publications/alaeditions/wlh/ July/August 1996/451 other writers, including Michael D. Swords on the “Extraterrestrial Hypothesis and Science,” and Thomas E. Bullard on UFO “Waves,” or notable increases in UFO reports in a given time and place. The book is extensively cross- referenced and features a 127-page cumulative bibliography for all three volumes. $95.00. Omnigraphics, Inc., Penobscot Bldg., Detroit, MI 48226. ISBN 1-55888-742-3. The Historical D ictionary of the M odern Olympic Movement, edited by John E. Findling and Kimberly D. Pelle (460 pages, February 1996), examines the historical and social context in which each o f the summer and winter games has taken place. The book’s chronologically arranged essays cover the games from the first Olympiad in 1896 to this summer’s centennial games in Atlanta, and fo­ cus on site selection, political questions, con­ troversies, collateral events, changes in pro­ gramming, and the political and economic consequences o f the games. Appendices pro­ vide biographies o f the members o f the Inter­ national Olympic Committee, a description o f the U.S. Olympic Committee, and an examina­ tion o f documentary films dealing with the Olympic games. $79.50. Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881-5007. ISBN 0-313-28477-6. The Internet A ccess C o o kb o o k, by Karen G. Schneider (316 pages, December 1995), lives up to its subtitle as “a librarian’s commonsense guide to low-cost connections.” This book is best suited for small libraries that are trying to achieve Net access with little previous experi­ ence, a minimal budget, and no one else to ask. I was impressed with its practicality and humor and the fact that the author is equally knowledgeable about both Macintosh and Win­ dows machines. Even if you have a university MIS department taking care o f all the details for you, you may suddenly find yourself at sea when you try to set up your home system. A librarian herself, Schneider writes the “Internet Librarian” column for A m e rica n Libraries. $24.95. Neal-Schuman Publishers, 100 Varick St., New York, N Y 10013. ISBN 1-55570-235-X. Issu e s in Collection M a n a g e m e n t: Li­ brarians, Booksellers, Publishers, edited by Murray S. Martin (193 pages, November 1995), focuses on problems shared by all three par­ ticipants in the acquisitions process. Most o f the 15 articles were first delivered as papers at the 1991 Charleston Conference on Issues in Book and Serial Acquisitions, but the issues are still relevant and unresolved. $73.25. JAI Press, 55 Old Post Road No. 2, P.O. Box 1678, Green­ wich, CT 06836-1678. ISBN 1-55938-608-6. John Kea ts, 1 7 9 5 -1 9 9 5 : W ith a C a ta­ logue of the Harvard Keats Collection, pref­ aced by Richard Wendorf (126 pages, October 1995), contains essays by noted Keats scholars Helen Vendler and W. H. Bond, as well as a complete catalog o f the Harvard Keats Collec­ tion, the largest collection o f Keats autograph material in the world. The catalog was origi­ nally prepared in the early 1970s by Bond (then Houghton librarian) and updated by Leslie Morris for the John Keats Bicentennial Confer­ ence at the Houghton Library in 1995. $15.00. Houghton Library Manuscript Department, Har­ vard University, Cambridge, MA 02138. The N atu ral Environm ent: Interdiscipli­ nary Views, edited by Kevin L. Hickey and Demetri Kantarelis (370 pages, November 1995), contains the proceedings o f the First Interna­ tional Disciplinary Conference on the Environ­ ment held in Boston, June 21-24, 1995, and 452/ C&RL News sponsored by the International Environmen­ tal Association (IEA). Topics covered include ecological agriculture, corporate environmen­ tal policy, environmental literature searching, and incorporating multidisciplinary environ­ mental topics into the curriculum. $30.00. IEA/ Kantaris-Hickey, Assumption College, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01615. Le Co rb u sier: The C reative S e a rc h , by Geoffrey H. Baker (320 pages, March 1996), examines the formative years o f one o f the 20th century’s greatest architects and trans­ lates his letters and sketch notes into English to document how he developed his creative approach. Highlights o f his study tours to Italy and Eastern Europe are detailed, along with the many pencil drawings and watercolors he made, to show how these early experi­ ences contributed to his design concepts. A richly illustrated volume that should prove in­ structive to students o f architecture and design. $64.95. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 115 Fifth Ave., N ew York, N Y 10003- ISBN 0-442-02128-3. The Uncertain Retirem ent: Securing Pen­ sion Promises in a World at Risk, by James H. Smalhout (366 pages, 1996), offers some history, statistics, and suggestions on how indi­ viduals and businesses might cope with the worsening crisis in private pension plan fail­ ures. Opening with a summary o f the risks to workers that led to the Employee Retirement (Plan cont. from page 444) I urge you all not to simply plug what you are already doing into the goals and Strategic Directions, using the plan as the justification for all current activities; rather, you should look at the four major goals and see if you can use­ fully refocus your unit’s activities toward these goals— and perhaps even discontinue less im­ portant current activities. In this way, all the units will be moving in concert, and helping to move ACRL’s overall agenda forward. The Board has made a commitment to treat the Strategic Plan as a living document, with minor changes and additions made each year, and a major overhaul considered every five years. W e will focus on the four major areas o f the plan in this year’s C&RL News. Meanwhile, I urge all o f you to exercise leadership in your individual areas o f ACRL activity, and to inte­ grate the Strategic Plan into your thinking. ■ Income Security Act o f 1974, and why they were not completely addressed by this legislation, Smalhout discusses the differences between a plan’s actuarial soundness and its financial sol­ vency. He also looks at how other countries have secured private pension promises from the risk o f underfunding and termination, and provides a roadmap for policymakers to fol­ lo w to regulate businesses reasonably. The author’s points are well argued and the data presented with maximum clarity, but this book is still not for reading at the beach— unless you have just been laid o ff and cheated out o f your golden retirement years. $32.50. Irwin, 1333 Burr Ridge Parkway, Burr Ridge, IL 60521-0085. ISBN 0-78630-799-4. W h a t Plant W h e re , by Roy Lancaster (256 pages, Novem ber 1995), offers the budding landscape designer choices o f perennials, climb­ ers, shrubs, conifers, and trees for nearly every garden situation. If you impulsively purchase a fiery rock rose from a nursery, this book will advise you to plant it in a rock garden, raised bed, or scree. If you want a climber for shady walls or fences, a conifer for heavy clay soil, or a tree with autumn-to-winter fruit, Lancaster will suggest one. Or if you live in an urban con­ crete-and-asphalt jungle and just want to see what clematis looks like or find out when nas­ turtiums bloom, check this out. More than 1,200 color photographs and drawings will give you planting ideas for every North American gar­ den, regardless o f soil, size, or exposure. $24.95. Dorling Kindersley, 95 Madison Ave., N ew York, N Y 10016. ISBN 0-7894-0151-7. ■