Interlibrary Loan Practices Handbook by Virginia BoucherReview by: Robert B. WingerThe Library Quarterly, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Jul., 1985), pp. 352-353Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4307877 .

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352 THE LIBRARY QUARTERLY

and illustrations, and a bibliography and index add to the book's usefulness. A certain redundancy of basic findings runs throughout much of the book, which, however, will serve to permit some chapters to be used independently.

The publication of this study could not be more timely, as its findings and recommendations with regard to online subject catalogs are important at this early evolutionary stage in their design. Regardless of whether or not it in- fluences-or reinforces-decisions of designers of OPACS, its historical per- spective, observations on methodology, and basis for future research recom- mend it to all library collections.

Charles W. Simpson, University of Illinois at Chicago

Interlibraty Loan Practices Handbook. By VIRGINIA BOUCHER. Chicago: American Library Association, 1984. Pp. xii+ 195. $20.00. ISBN 0-8389-3298-3.

Several excellent sources on interlibrary lending and borrowing (ILL) were written in the period from the middle 1960s through the middle 1970s, as the library profession took an active interest in the topic. The past ten years, on the other hand, have seen fewer publications that deal with the subject. This may indicate that interest in interlibrary loan has waned, but more recent develop- ments-such as the Copyright Law of 1976, an increasing reliance on networks, and more recent interlibrary loan codes-have changed the nature of this service. It is heartening to see an up-to-date work that can serve lending and borrowing institutions by offering practical suggestions on how to handle inter- library loan's many aspects.

Boucher writes that the purpose of her handbook is to continue where Sarah K. Thompson's Interlibrary Loan Procedures Manual (Chicago: American Library Association, 1970) ended. The work may be used, she adds, as a guide by people without extensive or recent interlibrary lending experience to commence, ex- pand, and improve interlibrary loan service.

In order to fulfill this purpose, the book is divided into three sections and includes extensive appendices. The first 3 chapters, which deal, respectively, with borrowing, lending, and copyright considerations, constitute the part that should be most thoroughly studied by all engaged in providing interlibrary loan services. The next 3 chapters-on dissertations and masters' theses, interlibrary cooperation (networking), and international interlibrary loan, are more special- ized and can be consulted when the need arises.

Each chapter begins with an outline of its contents, which allows the book to serve as an easy-to-use reference tool. The information included in each section is complete, including lists of the physical materials needed for conducting effective interlibrary loan service and separate sets of suggestions for borrowing and lending which are dependent on the physical nature of the materials to be loaned. This not only enables the reader to take the same step-by-step approach to ILL that the handbook does but also to consult the work with a specific problem in mind. Each chapter has a bibliography of relevant sources that may be of interest. Of these bibliographies, the most notable is that listing copyright materials.

The final chapter-on management of interlibrary loan-is directed primar- ily to people staffing large interlibrary loan departments, but will be valuable for those running any interlibrary loan service or service-oriented department

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REVIEWS 353

within a larger organization. Boucher encourages the tormulation of a mission statement, goals, objectives, and organizational structure. She emphasizes (1) consideration of the ILL department's clientele, (2) funding, (3) physical capabilities and limitations, (4) solving "squeaky wheel" problems, and (5) staffing. Overall, this section constitutes a logical and well-planned approach to ILL organization and management.

The work includes several examples of forms. The most recent ILL codes and policies are found in the appendices, as well as a reprint of a "Bibliography of Verification Sources (with Abbreviations)," compiled by Ruth Freitag and origi- nally published in The National Union Catalog: Reference and Related Services ([Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1973], pp. 12-20).

With this work, information about the most important aspects of interlibrary loan is easily accessible to those providing this vital service. It will be of greatest help to the large academic research-oriented library, an emphasis that is entirely understandable given the author's background as Interlibrary Loan Librarian at the University of Colorado. Furthermore, this is the type of library most actively involved in interlibrary lending and borrowing.

The book will, however, also be useful in other institutions. While it is not as specific as may be desired by those working in more specialized libraries, the sections with value for all librarians are easy to extract due to the well-planned format and logical composition.

Robert B. Winger, Barrett, Smith, Schapiro, Simon and Armstrong (New York)

Automation for Archivists and Records Managers: Planning and Implementation Strate- gies. By RICHARD M. KESNER. Chicago: American Library Association, 1984. Pp. xii+222. $27.50 (paper). ISBN 0-8389-0406-8.

There is an unfortunate tendency for books on "automation" to be glowing descriptions of wonderful systems developed by technically sophisticated indi- viduals with access to small fortunes in hardware, software, and experienced programmers. Those who find such guides to "automation" more demoralizing than instructive will be delighted to discover that the author of this book is quite in touch with the (sometimes grim) realities of information management opera- tions in the real world.

Because he understands what life is like in the trenches, Kesner has provided a combination survival manual and battle plan to assist archivists and records managers in taking on the role of "information system activists" within their respective organizations. His concrete suggestions are intended to help his readers expand their functions, while they are easing into computer-related activities with minimal investments in time and money.

Kesner thinks archivists and records managers should at least be aware of the developing EDP technologies, which can increase both physical and intellectual control over modern records. He foresees that information users will become increasingly sophisticated and that it will be the development of automated systems that will make possible the type of expanded services they will expect.

Another reason to become familiar with the new EDP technologies, Kesner warns, is that there is a growing shift in information storage from printed to machine-readable formats. This means that the traditional custodians of records must learn to handle these new formats or see an increasing proportion of

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