488 The Review Section

labeled or marked during its physical processing. By now, most of the material covered in the chapter is second nature to video librarians, but this chapter has been written for the acquisitions worker, who may or may not know beans about copyright and moving images.

The sixth and fmal chapter of the book treats video librarians' collective nightmare - - cata- loging - - and is aptly titled "Problems in Cataloging Videocassettes" (as if there were any that were not). Most media records share the problem of expressing the dual nature of the item, requir- ing information about format and equipment necessary to utilize the material, as well as adequate detailing of its intellectual content and artistic treatment. On this, Scholtz speaks optimistically about the benefits of format integration and use of the subfield h in 730 and 740 fields (which I am repeatedly told is strictly forbidden by the cataloging gods). In addition to the great problem of let- ring the patron know that the item is not a book, and creating some consistent tag by which the library may sort and list records of video materials, the materials are often difficult to match in bibliographic utilities, averaging as many as five or six hits, which are generally incomplete or incorrect records, or minor variations in one field or another. This makes it difficult for the cata- loger to choose the record needing the least modification after import. The problem can be multi- plied accordingly for items in series or sets.

On this matter, Scholtz provides an excellent explanation of four types of common series release patterns for video and a test to determine what sort of title main entry each should be given, providing examples of OCLC records to illustrate. He repeatedly points out that many cat- aloging decisions should be based on how patrons will search for and eventually use video mate- rials, e.g., will they check out and view programs in dependent series order (volume 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.); or will they just view the one program of interest to them; or will they check out all three parts of a thre~-part set to view during one circulation period? This consideration, which will determine where and how many barcodes the item will have, can also be affected by the physical packaging of the item by its publisher, e.g., will it arrive in a plastic carrying case packaged with its accompanying materials, will it arrive in a cardboard box that will fall apart after several uses, or will it arrive as loose pieces? How much repackaging will the library perform7 This chicken-before-the-egg dilemma requires unusually close communication between the public service person and the cataloger. The chapter on cataloging is a big, meaty introduction to issues that should be considered by any library dealing with videocassettes. It begins a dialogue that undoubtedly will continue, as no library serious about cataloging media is satisfied with the way things are now.

This book is recommended for public and academic libraries and should fmd its best audience not among video librarians, but among frustrated and hard-working acquisitions personnel and cat- alogers who have wished for a way to make some sense out of chaos.

PII S0364-6408(96)00074-9 Gail Munde Head, Media and Teaching Resources

Joyner Library East Carolina University

Greenville, NC 27858 lnternet: gaimun @joyner. lib.ecu, edu

Management and Organization of the Acquisitions Department. Edited by Twyla Racz and Rosina Tammany. New York: Haworth Press, 1994. 131 pp. $29.95. ISBN 1-56024-583-2. (Also published as The Acquisitions Librarian, no. 12, 1994).

The Review Section 489

Workflow changes, cross-depa~mental staffing, and budget constraints are recurring themes in today's acquisitions and technical services literature. Acquisitions departments in public, special, and academic libraries are experiencing great changes in how information purchases are made, when these decisions are made, and who completes these tasks. Technology continues to impact the role of librarians and staff in acquisitions departments and will continue to have a great effect on what we can be expected to purchase in the future. These and other issues are discussed in the book Management and Organization of the Acquisitions Department edited by Twyla Racz and Rosina Tammany.

As with other Haworth publications this volume is a compilation of articles published previous- ly in the Haworth journal, The Acquisitions Librarian. The articles cover a broad spectrum of issues being discussed, implemented, and resolved in many acquisitions departments throughout the country. Topics covered include staffing, budgeting, copy cataloging, standing orders, and pur- chasing and collecting electronic materials. The editors have broad acquisitions and collection development experience at Eastern Michigan University library.

Marilyn William~on's article on the past, present, and future of acquisitions in research libraries sets the tone for this volume. She presents information from the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) community and discusses broad issues affecting acquisitions in the large academic libraries of today. Her emphasis on electronic access, copyright issues, and shrinking budgets are themes heard often in acquisitions. Julia Gammon and Carol Ficken's article on fiscal accountabil- ity provides practical information on accounting procedures used to balance the acquisitions bud- get. Many of today's acquisitions librarians have little accounting background or knowledge, but are expected to reconcile large sums of money between university accounting systems and inte- grated library systems. The practical information provided in their article could certainly help pre- pare staff for this important process. ~ i r ~ ~ followed by a brief, practical bibliography of sources to consult. Barbara Heath details information and staffing changes her department encountered when migrating from one online system to another. The stable staff and careful plan- ning her department utilized resulted in a successful migration~ Her practical tips are worthwhile for any who are considering this change. Judith Warm and Virgiuia Vesper both contributed articles on staffing upheavals in acquisitions. Each of these authors experienced drastic staff and budget reductions but were able to complete a positive resolution of their circumstances. Finding tempo- rary positions for staff, integrating new and additional tasks from other departments, and combat- ing staff morale were topics discussed in these two articles. At times, this reader felt voyeuristic when reading that such dire consequences could befall an acquisitions depa~nent. Although all of us hope this will not occur in our department; knowing others have experienced these situations and are still able to discuss the issues in a rational manner is encouraging.

Donna Cohen's article on the role of the acquisition librarian in a college accreditation process was unique in its approach. Much of the information needed by an accrediting organization can he provided and evaluated from acquisitions data but few acquisitions librarians play an active role in their institution's accrediting processes.

Susan Neumeister and Judith Hopkins provide an in-depth discussion of workflow and staffing issues when copy cataloging functions are merged into the acquisitions department at SUNY- Buffalo. The workflow presented here will he of interest to large libraries considering reduction of staff and processing costs by combining these functions. David Marshall's article on student work- ers in the acquisition department gives credence to what many of us know: we could not run our departments as effectively and efficiently without the use of well-trained students. Motivation and effective management skills are essential components when employing student workers.

No book on acquisitions issues would be complete without a discussion of serials, periodicals, and continuations. Walter Hogan's article on automating standing order files includes matrices that

490 The Review Section

will assist even the veteran acquisitions manager looking at staffing and workflow consideraflons with these pesky floes.

The article by Marian Dworaczek and Victor Wiebe on acquiring and accessing electronic journals discusses issues yet to be solidified in the library community. Finding time to learn how to acquire and process this new medium is an important consideration for all acquisitions staff training. Cun'ently order processing of electronic journals can be cumbersome and difficult. As more of these journals become available, we will have better procedures for processing and sharing these with our col- leagues. This article has an extensive bibliography that readers will find useful. John Riddick's essay on the future of print and access-only serials provides some possible solutions regarding financing, storage, staffing, and servicing. This is a fitting wrap up to a discussion of today's acquisitions issues.

This volume of eleven different articles brings together topics and librarians from across the coun- try to discuss some basic challenges and changes facing our profession today. When one considers all of the topics that could be included in a book about managing acquisitions departments, one is struck by all the issues contained here: dire budgetary conslraints, establishing procedures for accessing the new electronic medium, playing an important role in the accreditation process, and being accountable to your institution. A future volume on this same topic might include gift processing and exchange agreements, processing government documents in acquisitions, and discussions incorporating interli- brary loan operations into the acquisitions workflow. Any and all of these topics are ripe for further discussions in today's acquisitions literature. Acquisitions managers are encountering these issues daily in their work and need to be aware of what others in the field are discovering and accomplishing.

PII S0364-6408(96)00075-0 Nancy Gibbs Acting Head, Acquisitions Department

North Carolina State University Libraries Box 7111

Raleigh, NC 27695-7111 Internet: nancy_gibbs@ncsu.edu

The Future of Resource Sharing. Edited by Shirley K. Baker and Mary E. Jackson. New York: Haworth Press, 1995. 210 pp. $34.95. ISBN 1-56024-773-8. (Also published as the Journal of Library Administration, vol. 21, nos. 1/2, 1995).

The Future of Resource Sharing differs from other books on the topic because of its scope and focus. In this monograph, resource sharing refers "primarily but not exclusively t o . . . interlibrary loan . . . . " i n the broad context of traditional ILL and document delivery and "serves as a reader on the current issues and future directions." Given this definition, resource sharing appears to have come of age and gained enough impetus to involve the research library community.

The essays cover a wide-range of topics, including the dilemma of a large institution such as Harvard in achieving effective resource sharing; staff u~ahfng issues once the new ILL/document delivery system has been implemented; an analysis of the impact of the new delivery paradigm on research libraries; document delivery from a vendor's perspective; and the role of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in the process. The emphasis clearly is on large research libraries; contribu- tors fi'equenOy are staff members of ARL institutions. Most essays contain end notes that effectively function as bibliographies. All reflect current imprint dates and, therefore, should prove useful for the reader who desires to delve more deeply into various aspects of the topic. Additionally, there is a help- ful index for the overall work. Contributors include several directors of ARL libraries such as Nancy