B O O K REV I EWS Multimedia and Megachange: New Roles for Educational Computing. Edited by Michael W. Reed, John K. Burton, and Min Liu. NY: Haworth Press, 1 994. Description This work was also published as Computers in the Schools vol. lO, no. 1/2 and 3/4, 1994. It consists of individual journal articles, grouped under four major areas: "Theoretical/ Conceptual"; "Research"; "Applied"; and "Design." The bulk of the articles fall under the headings "Research" and "Applied." In the Introduction, D. LaMont Johnson asserts that "multimedia has the most promise for bringing about megachange in education." Because of its non-linear nature, multimedia has "the potential to change the way we think about the whole process of teaching and learning" and to help us incorporate "innovations such as active learning, critical thinking, and discovery learping." After some definitions of terms, history, and caveats in tlie two articles in the ''Theoretical/Conceptual" section, the "Research" section commences. Here are papers on comparisons between authoring languages and between paper and computer tools; hypermedia in teacher education; use of hypermedia as a collaborative writing tool; computer-based simulations; linking by novices in a hypermedia system; use of hypermedia in language teaching; teaching methods based on hypermedia compared with paper-based methods; and on learning by designing hypermedia documents. The "Applied" section includes articles on enhancement of educational curricula through multimedia; a brief warning that multimedia can be a powerful instructional tool, but may present problems which educators need to be prepared to solve; the use of templates; hypermedia-assisted instruction (HAl) applied to second-language learning; use of hypermedia in teacher training and in special education; and questions of visible vs. "invisible" links. The final section, "Design," consists of two articles dealing with the research base for hypermedia and with the design of hypermedia-based instruction (HBI) as it relates to the cognitive style of students. Comments Although multimedia as an idea was first proposed by Vannevar Bush in 1 945, its applications are relatively new. The best definition of "multimedia" in this work is a paraphrase from Educ•tion Ubr•riea • Vol 1 9, No. 1 Duchastel, used in an article by one of the editors, Min Liu. You are viewing the evening news on television about Chinese imperial dynasties. A news item about a recent archaeological finding in Kiangsu province bas aroused your curiosity. You interrupt the newscast momentarily to get further information. By touching the words "Chinese" and "dynasties" on the TV screen, you are led to an overview given in the form of a graphical representation of the hypermedia information bank. You begin to explore information related to this news item. Since the information items in this hypermedia bank are related to each other, a touch on the screen will branch you to various topics in which you are interested. Some information presented is textual, some graphical, some video, and other in map forms. Your exploration continues until your curiosity is satisfied. Then you resume watching the evening news at the point where you left off, which is now a video­ recording. Liu 's descriptions of the educational research underlying hypermedia-assisted instruction (particularly that involving semantic networking) provides an excellent b asis for understanding the rationale behind the use of multimedia as an adjunct to the curriculum. In addition, the review by Wayne A. Nelson contributes to our understanding of the parallels between hypermedia and theories of knowledge representation in human memory, while reminding educators of the need to base hypermedia development on research in cognitive science. For comprehensive collections on computer use in education, the work makes a real contribution. It should be remembered, however, that the book is a collection of journal articles related only by general topic and is not an integrated presentation of the subject. The papers are related only in that they all involve some aspect of education and hypermedia; they do not necessarily lead to any particular conclusion or build a particular case. JoAn Segal is a consultant for Vintage Ventures in Boulder, Colorado, U .S .A. 27 - I .... Dennis Child. Psychology and the Teacher. London: Cassell, 1 993. ISBN 0-304-32649-6 (paperback) Obviously the very fact that Dennis Child's Psychology and · the Teacher is in its 5th edition is proof enough that the book should be a required text for students of education. The value of his book is made clear within the preface to the first edition where Child states that the aim of the book is to introduce teachers to elementary ideas in psychology which have some relevance for their worlc with young people. Furthermore, he also points out in the preface to this same edition that several new areas of interest have been added to the text including new findings in brain localization, stressfulness in teaching, and computer assisted instruction. These are still valuable areas of interest in the 5th edition. Each chapter of Psychology and the Teacher includes a lengthy discussion of an appropriate topic such as "Psychology and Education" or "Human Intelligence," followed by a chapter summary, questions for discussion, "notes and references" and "further reading." The questions, in particular, make this a valuable text for college students. Also, of use for the college lecturer is Child's use of theory at the beginning of the chapter and ending with practical applications for teachers or for classroom activity. Each chapter is rich with information on the appropriate topic. Chapter one, for example discusses the study of psychology in general and includes several definitions such as "behaviorism," "cognitive perspectives," et.al. Several of the chapters start with theory and end with the aforementioned practical applications for teachers or for classroom activity. There are also suggestions for further reading. These can be extremely helpful for both lecturer and the student. It is obvious to the reader that this text is well researched, each chapter going into tremendous detail. Chapter five is an excellent examination of the theories of behaviorists (e.g. Pavlov) and cognitive psychologists (Wertheimer). Chapter seven, "Concept Formation and Cognitive Development," provides a useful discussion of conceptualization, as well as deductive and inductive reasoning. Useful graphs are included in every chapter. Despite the obvious expertise of the author, there are parts of the book that may not be as useful to American students. Chapter eight, for example, discusses the Bullock Report from the British Department of Education. This document may not be well known to many readers outside the UK. The book is also so detailed as to become difficult and even dull at times. Much of the text requires careful re-reading. Students new to psychology or, in fact, new to education studies, may find the text too taxing even though the preface considers these "elementary" concepts. Although the individual teacher for whom the preface states the book is written may also find the information a bit tedious to plow through, there is no doubt the book has value in the college classroom for upper level students and faculty. John D'Amicantonio is an Associate Librarian at California State University, Long Beach. The Black Student's Guide to College Success. Edited by Ruby D. Higgins, Clidie B. Cook, William J.Ekeler, R. Mclaran Sawyer and Keith W. Prichard. Westport, CT: Greenwod Press, 1 993. ISBN 0-31 3-28604-3. There are numerous books on the market in the United States, intended for people planning to apply to college, that contain descriptions of many, most, or even all of America's accredited four-year colleges. There are also many books on the market that advise readers how to be accepted by a good college and maximize their chances of succeeding in college after they enroll. Higgins, Cook, Ekeler, Sawyer, and Prichard's The Black Student's Guide to College Success is noteworthy in that it combines the features of both types of books. About half of it contains information meant to motivate readers to apply to college and to help them do well after they enroll. The other half is a directory containing brief descriptions of almost 1000 American colleges and universities. - 28 The book is divided into three parts. The first, "How to Succeed in College," consists of fourteen chapters on such topics as whether readers should attend an historically black college or an integrated one; how to finance a college education; selecting a college major; and proper study habits. Part II, "How I did it," contains 27 brief autobiographical statements by blacks who are college graduates. The essays vary widely in content and tone, but most of them stress the challenges the writer had to overcome to attend college and graduate. Part m includes, among other sections, a list of America's "most prestigious undergraduate institutions ;" a list of universities in Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean; a roster of black Greek letter organizations, and, finally, descriptions of colleges and universities in the United States. Education Ubreriea • Vol 19, No. 1 In addition to being one of the few books that contains both advice for the prospective student and a directory of colleges and universities, this book is distinctive in other ways as well. First, it is one of the very few college guides intended exclusively, or at least primarily, for black readers. Second, it is perhaps unique among American college guides in containing a roster of about 40 universities in Africa, plus another 1 1 in Central America and the· Caribbean. Third, it contains a very useful chapter - one of the best in the book - by Ron Brown, assistant football coach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, of advice for black athletes. Finally, no doubt because the book contains so much other material besides its description of individual colleges and universities, the information it provided on each one is quite limited; the entries average about 150 words long. Therefore, those who consult this book should also use a college guidebook that has longer, fuller descriptions of colleges. Four of the five co-editors work at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The fifth, Clidie B. Cook, is a high school administrator in Omaha, Nebraska. David S. Webster is Associate Professor of Educational Administration and Higher Education at Okla homa State University- Stil lwater, Oklahoma . Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors. 1 3th Edition. Edited by Houston, James E. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1 995. The latest edition of the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors maintains the same high standards that characterize previous editions. The format remains unchanged and changes in the content are minimal. 1\vo hundred new descriptors have been added and information concerning the ERIC system has been updated. The introduction, for example, gives information concerning ERIC resources on the Internet and a directory of ERIC Clearinghouses with descriptive entries has been added. The ERIC thesaurus has already established itself as a reliable and efficient tool for information indexing and retrieval and many readers will be familiar with its features. However, for those who are not, a brief description follows. The thesaurus is divided into three sections: Alphabetical Descriptor Display; Rotated Descriptor Display; and 1\vo Way Hierarchical Display. Each entry in the Alphabetical Display includes the date the term was entered into the thesaurus, relational descriptors, scope notes where applicable and other useful bits of information such as the number of postings in the RIE and CUE indexes. The Rotated and Hierarchical displays, although probably not used as frequently as the Alphabetical display, provide helpful entry points to the thesaurus. The Rotated Display which is effectively a keyword index to all terms in the alphabetical display enables the user to locate all descriptors containing a keyword regardless of its placement in a multiword descriptor. For instance, looking up the word 'behavior' in the Rotated display a searcher will find forty one entries with the term 'behavior' as the second or third term of the descriptor, e.g. 'teacher behavior' and 'socially deviant behavior ' . The Educ•tion Ubrariea • Vol 1 9, No. 1 Hierarchical display provides an overview of descriptors depicting "entire families of Descriptors related by class membership". In other words, by looking up a descriptor in the hierarchical display, one can get a complete overview of all of the related broader and narrower entries that are found in alphabetical section of the thesaurus. A thorough introduction accompanies the thesaurus. It contains useful information such as lists of new and obsolete descriptors and details on the ERIC indexing system. The latter provide invaluable guidelines for information retrieval. For example, knowing that educational level descriptors are not 'indexed up' so that a comprehensive search for 'Secondary Education' must include 'Junior High Schools', High Schools ' and ' High School Equivalency Programs ' enables searcher proficiency. The introductory pages also include category codes for document types and lists of descriptors that are used for publication types and target audiences all of which are essential for focusing a search in a large database. The section on thesaurus construction and format gives an excellent description of the Alphabetical, Rotated and Hierarchical displays mentioned above. Examples are abundant and clear. The inside front cover has been used to good advantage with tips on how to use the thesaurus for effective searching and the inside back cover likewise contains a flow chart of the Vocabulary Development program and an organizational diagram of the ERIC System Components. Jackie Dealy is the Education and TESL Librarian at Webster Library, Concordia University, Montrea l, Quebec, Canada . 29 - Internet Directory of Literacy and Adult Education Resources. ( 1 995). 2nd. ed. Compiled and edited by Thomas W. Eland. Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Literacy Resource Center, University of St. Thomas. 1 69p. Tom Eland, Coordinator of the Minnesota/South Dakota Regional Adult Literacy Resource Centre, has compiled this directory of approximately 134 Internet resources. Eland's putpose was to design an aid to locating resources of interest to the Literacy and Adult Education community. Focusing on four categories of resources: listservs, gopher sites, world wide web sites, and FTP/Telnet sites, the second edition of this directory also provides general information on navigating the Net for the novice user. The directory is divided into two main sections: the first section provides basic information on: how to get connected, descriptions of the main functions on the Net (e.g. e-mail, mailing lists, news), how to search the Net using various tools (e.g., Gopher, Mosiac, Netscape), and how to use the Net for professional development. Sample World Wide Web screens have been incorporated with the text which help to illustrate the various links that are discussed The second section provides an alphabetical listing of catalog Net sites that are of value to the adult educator. Information with each catalog entry includes: Addresses for ListServs, Gophers, WWW, and FTP/Telnet servers. In addition, the brief summary of each Net site gives: a description of what the user can expect from the resource catalogued, information on what can be found at the Net server, and instructions on how to log on. For example, under the Ask.ERIC entry, Gopher and HTTP addresses are given, along with information on how to access the sites and a summary of the information to be found Following the alphabetical listing, the subject index, which is organized by ERIC descriptors, enables one to search for and locate information by topic area. See and see also references have been included to aid the reader. This is certainly a recommended source for adult educators looking for electronic information and with the low price tag of $10 the directory is a worthwhile reference source in any specialized collection. It is hoped that the online version provides frequent updates as additional sites come onto the scene. Printed copies of this directory may be purchased from : Minnesota/South Dakota Regional Literacy Resource Centre, U. of St. Thomas, Mail #5019, 2115 Summit Ave., St.Paul, MN 55105. All orders must be prepaid and cheques should be made out to: University of St. Thomas. Cost of the publication is $10. The online version of this directory maybe found at the World Wide Web site: http://www.cybernetics.net/users/sagrelto/elandhlhome.htm. As of the Fall, the version will be located at: http://novel.nifl.gov and http:/ llistserver.literacy.upeon.edu . For those who would like additional information or who are experiencing problems navigating the Internet, Tom Eland may be reached via e-mail at tweland@stthomas.edu . Anne Wade is Assistant Professor of Library Studies, and Manager of the Information Resource Centre, Centre for the Study of Classroom Processes, Education Dept., at Concordia U niversity, Montreal, Quebec, Canada . The Management of Library and Information Studies Education. Edited by Herman Totten. New York: The Haworth Press, 1 992. 220 p. ISBN 1 -56024-252-3. Although first published three years ago as an issue of Journal of Library Administration, this 1994 hardcover book still offers much that is relevant to administrators, teachers, and students in library and information studies education. Many of the contributors, including Jane Robbins, Charles Bunge, Rose Mary Magrill, Evelyn Daniel, and Margaret Chisholm are well­ respected leaders in this field. Here, they succinctly express their views about the challenges we face and the directions we should pursue. -30 Editor Herman Totten has arranged the book's eighteen chapters into seven management domains: standards, goals and objectives, curriculum, faculty, students, administration and finance, and evaluation. Although all chapters are well-written, some warrant an individual spotlight in 1995 because their topics are of continuing debate or the author 's observations are particularly astute. Education Librerie• • Vol 1 9, No. 1 Carroll 's chapter on undergraduate education in library and infonnation studies (referred to subsequently as US) investigates the historical background of bachelor's and master's degrees, adeptly making sense of the bafflement of levels and required program lengths created in various American and Canadian institutions. He acknowledges the increasing complexity and rigor of master's level courses, but urges us to consider "revitalization of undergraduate programs." According to Carroll, reintroducing these programs may strengthen preparation of students for graduate work, bolster the recruitment of superior students for US master's degrees at an earlier stage in their academic c areers , and allow those who c omplete the undergraduate degree to bold paraprofessional positions while studying for a master's degree. Matching US student career goals with the different degree paths available poses difficulties for advisors, so Lester's chapter pointing out the differences between master's, post-master's, and doctoral programs is a welcome inclusion. Supplementing the text are numerous far-ranging footnotes, a treasure trove of citations useful for further exploration by both faculty and students. The positioning of information science in a US curriculum bas long been a subject of dispute, and as Sineath explains in his chapter on this subject, disagreements begin even as faculty members try to define information science. The author provides the background for this debate, explains the different ways US schools have integrated or separately streamed information science courses, and summarizes the linkages be sees between these courses and library science courses. Sineath concludes that " . . . there is probably no future for single-purpose schools of library and information science that prepare people to work solely in traditional libraries no matter bow well integrated their curricula and programs might be" (p. 63). He notes that the first infonnation science course was offered at Case Western in 1955: judging from the controversy engendered by Indiana US dean Blaise Cronin's remarks at the 1995 ALISE conference about the desired predominance of information science in the curriculum, disagreement is still smouldering forty years later. A battery of conflicting roles and responsibilities generally faces new faculty members and this assault is especially complex for those teaching in professional schools within universities. In a chapter on management of faculty, Magrill lays out three "not always compatible" areas of faculty responsibility: "to the profession or discipline; to the college or university; and to the student." She notes that for tenure and promotion a faculty member is expected to excel equally in all three. Institutions now expect faculty will teach and advise students, conduct research, participate in professional organizations, keep up-to­ date by consulting in the field, and participate in the planning and governance activities of the university. Accommodating this workload bas resulted in "great tension" for faculty members, and Magrill urges that administrators place greater value on the individual strengths of staff and relax the rigidity of expectations required in professorial roles. Education Ubrariea • Vol 1 9, No. 1 The chapters by Chisholm and Daniel are perhaps the most interesting in the collection. Chisholm reveals the swamp of difficulties involved in maintaining a good administrative relationship between an LIS School and its parent institution (she makes allusions to alligators and piranhas). Placement of the School within the University's organizational structure is said to be a crucial but often ignored factor in the small US unit's struggle for survival, competing for budget dollars with faculty units which are much larger. With reference to the now­ defunct US School at Columbia, Chisholm also discusses the expertise required to balance a parent institution's requirement of scholarship and research with a school's commitment to professional education: when closing the School, the Columbia University Administration said it was "overbalanced toward professionalism ." To avoid being eaten by the alligators, Chisholm recommends continuous evaluation of a School's goals and services; then tailoring the School 's mission and activities to closely parallel those of the university. Daniel explores the challenges of faculty governance with an experienced eye and a humorous tone. Her quotes (e.g. "basically we [faculty] are all anarchists" and "leading a faculty is like herding cats") set the tone for detailed but clear explanations of the morass of committees and decision-making hierarchies which encumber university governance. Daniel gives advice on managing within existing boundaries and streamlining troublesome procedures. Overall, she is very supportive of faculty participation in governance, but she cautions that the "herding cats" method of decision-making may not be effective in times of rapid change and threats of imminent US School closures. Also included in this volume are three chapters on the background and current changes in ALA accreditation procedures to be implemented in 1995. Although useful to set a framework, this infonnation needs to be supplemented with more current news from ALA. This collection offers something of interest to everyone connected with US education - the undergraduate contemplating a master's degree, the doctoral student struggling with courses and career choices, the new faculty member aghast at conflicting responsibilities, the experienced but stressed US professor, and directors of US Schools. In most cases the brevity of the chapters dictates their purpose - to provide a basic but very enlightening profile of a topic. For further study of LIS education I would recommend Steig's Change and Challenge in Library and Information Science Education (1992), Paris ' Library School Closings: Four Case Studies (1988), and the two chapters on US education in For the Good of the Order: Essays in Honor of Edward G. Holley (1994). Dr. Ann Curry is an Assistant Professor for the School of Library, Archiva l, and Information Studies at The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. 31 - I __ j Fisher, Janet. An Index to Historical Fiction for Children and Young People. Aldershot, Hants, England: Scolar Press. Brookfield, Vt.: Ashgate Pub. Co, 1 994. ISBN 1 -85928-078-1 The Index to Historical Fiction is a reference tool designed for teachers, librarians, parents and lovers of historical fiction. The reviewer found numerous previously unknown titles in the book to add to her own reading list. Sadly, many of the titles are listed as "out of print." Ms. Fisher, in her introduction, expresses the hope that some of those which certainly ought not to be out of print are quickly brought back by the publishers. She also hopes that many of the books mentioned are already in library collections. The 461 titles listed in the index were selected from over 800 titles read by the author. She mentions the fact that she did not include time travel stories, as she felt that these were a genre in their own right. The index covers history until the end of World War II, each entry giving full bibliographic details with a brief summary of the plot and an evaluation of the work. The age for which the book would be suitable is also included. Most of the titles mention ages 9 to 12. Both a title and a subject index are included, referring back to the numbered bibliographic entry. The subject index is quite detailed and will be of great value to those wishing to enhance or support historical studies in their schools. - 32 Although the title sounds rather dry and dusty (the author had wanted to call it Illuminating the Past), the text does not read as such. The attractive, good sized print and ample white spaces make for pleasant reading. Enhancing the text are black and white illustrations, many from Rosemary Suttcliffe 's books (a list of illustrations is also included) as well as a handsome; coloured work by Charles Keeping on the front cover. Unfortunately, the illustrations do not appear anywhere near the entries, but that is the only fault one can find with the book's otherwise fine design. The introduction written by Janet Fisher covers the criteria for good historical fiction. Ms. Fisher's knowledge of the subject is underscored when she illustrates many of her points with personal examples. She implores her readers to keep the past alive by promoting the historical works of some of the very best children's writers. Linda Toivanen, Board Member of the Quebec Library Association. Education Ubreriea • Vol 1 9, No. 1