In search of inspiration and an overall look at the state of serials work today? Plenary Session III features Arnold Hirshon with “Jam Tomorrow, Jam Yesterday, but Never Jam Today: Some Modest Proposals for Ven- turing through the Looking-Glass of Scholarly Com- munication,” ably contrasting the orderly, stable library environment of the past with what he calls “the present imperfect.” In this highly interesting report, Hirshon points out that eroding support for higher education and the resultant effects upon library budgets call for new strategies in library organization, outcome measure- ment, and budgetary alignment.

Papers from the five project sessions offer an inter- esting mix of descriptions of ongoing electronic cata- loging, journal delivery, digital collection building, a highly readable set of definitions and explanations of metadata elements, and a glimpse of the OhioLink project participants’ efforts at collaborative journal provision and new ways of working together in a digital age.

Each of the six issues sessions focuses on a differ- ent aspect of electronic serials work. For catalogers there are several authoritative reports on the CON- SER interim guidelines, an amusingly written over- view of the University of Texas at Austin’s e-journal cataloging practices, and a report on what public ser- vices staff think of e-journal cataloging. Selectors, acquisitions specialists and managers will be inter- ested in key e-journal issues from the library and the publishing viewpoints, the economics of library con- sortia journal delivery, several slants on archiving e- journals, a discussion of applying the Poirier and Houser concept of business partnering for continuous improvement to the serials environment, and a con- cise and helpful guide to comprehending and negoti- ating electronic license agreements.

The workshops are described briefly, offering just enough of the flavor of each session to make me wish that I had heard the entire presentation with its subse- quent discussion. Thoughtfully included with one workshop report are some useful checklists and report forms for recording serial statistics. Graphics are sparingly distributed throughout this text. When pro- vided they are clear and illuminating. Only one graphic failed to reproduce well, perhaps because it was a screen print.

I highly recommend this book to all involved in the serials arena, from beginner to experienced practi- cioner. There is something here for everyone, with a nice mix of elaborations on the overall theme of exper- imentation and collaboration in serials work. Of partic-

ular value for consultation are the definitions and explanations of the newest technical terms and projects. Papers from the plenary, issues, and project sessions include useful bibliographies, often citing related Web addresses. The discussions of complex, vital issues, such as archiving and pricing electronic information, can be used as springboards to form strat- egies and recommendations locally. Above all else, here is a reliable guide, created by pioneers in informa- tion work, to the wilderness of unknowns and possibil- ities that is our serials world at the threshold of a new millennium.

Lewis is Serials Records and Exchange Librarian at the US Geological Survey Library, Reston, VA 20 192 <dilewis@usgs.gov>.

Serials Cataloging Handbook: An Illustrative Guide to the Use of

AACR2R and LC Rule Interpretations, by Carol Liheng

and Winnie S. Chan. 2nd Edition. [Chicago, Ill.]:

American Library Association, 1998. vii, 455 p. $75.00 pbk.;

ALA Members $67.50. ISBN o-8389-0732-6.

Charity Stokes

As with the first edition, the purpose of the second edi- tion of Serial Cataloging Handbook is to cover all aspects of current serials cataloging practice. Given the many changes in serial cataloging practice during the past decade, this is an almost impossible task, but Carol Liheng and Winnie S. Chan do a good job taking these changes into consideration. The most important changes are the revision of Anglo-American Catalogu- ing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2R) and the subsequent Library of Congress Rule Interpretations (LCRIs), both of which are well covered in this volume. The authors also do a fine job of explaining how the rules are applied in various situations. Other developments considered were enhancements to the United States MARC (USMARC) formats, the implementation of format integration in 1995 and 1996, and the need to provide access to various types of electronic resources.

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Both Carol Liheng and Winnie S. Chan are well qualified to write this update handbook. Carol Liheng wrote the first edition of the Serials Cataloging Hand- book published in 1989. She is also the author of Dic- tionary of Library Information Sciences: English- Chinese/Chinese-English. Currently, she is the head of the Cataloging Department at the Hong Kong Univer- sity of Science and Technology Library and associate professor emiratus of library administration at the Uni- versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Winnie S. Chan is the head of automated systems maintenance and the acting head of serials at the University of Illi- nois at Urbana-Champaign Library. Formerly, she was the serials cataloging coordinator for the Original Cat- aloging Unit of the University Library.

The layout of Serials Cataloging Handbook is very clear and logical. The handbook is divided into eigh- teen sections. The most frequent problems in catalog- ing are addressed first. Each section deals with one common cataloging problem and within each section a brief explanation is given of the general rules most per- tinent to the topic. The remainder of the section pro- vides a list of examples that deal with the routine cataloging problem discussed at the beginning of the section.

The hardest part of using the handbook is determin- ing in which section a particular example appears. The user must examine the contents page to determine the divisions of the handbook, turn to the appropriate sec- tion, and examine the list of examples to determine the most appropriate example pertaining to the problem at hand. Once found, examples are very easy to under- stand because of the layout. The problem under consid- eration appears first, followed by the rules consulted in AACR2R and/or LCRI. Next, a tagged data record based on an OCLC record is shown with arrows point- ing to the fields affected by the problem and/or solu- tion. The reproduction of the title page (or source of information) is followed by a fairly detailed discussion of the problem and the solution.

The handbook concludes with two appendices, a bibliography, and four indexes. Appendix A consists of the display of the USMARC fixed-field elements (007) and the physical description fixed-fields (008) as they appear in OCLC, RLIN, DRA, and INNOPAC. This listing will benefit catalogers who must deal with two or more of these databases or systems. Appendix B covers the descriptive areas and tracings on a 3” x 5” image of a bibliographic record, i.e., a cataloging card. Catalogers new to the field will appreciate this feature, since many recent library school graduates have little

experience with cataloging cards and many times find them extremely confusing. The bibliography is short, but it includes Internet related sources useful for cata- loging electronic resources.

The first of four indexes is topical, covering material contained in the discussion sections found at the end of each example. This index is difficult to use because many of the terms are not intuitive. The second index lists examples that pertain to AACR2R and LCRIs. This index is useful in locating examples of rules as they are currently practiced. The third index is very short and lists only a few examples that pertain to the discussions found in the CONSER Cataloging Manual and the CONSER Editing Guide. The indexes to the rules and the CONSER publications are cumbersome and difficult to use. However, the last index, Variable Data Fields (USMARC), is excellent, listing those examples dealing expressly with a given field.

The information presented in this handbook is extremely accurate and this reviewer did not detect any obvious errors. In the introduction, the authors maintain that all sections are the same as in the previ- ous edition, with the addition of the sections “Non- print Serials and Multiformat Accompanying Materials” and “Computer Files.” However, the first edition contained a short chapter on loose-leaf publi- cations, while this edition does not. In the current edi- tion, only one example concerning loose-leaf publications appears. Since loose-leaf publications are often treated as updated monographs, the omission is understandable but disappointing.

This handbook will be most useful to the beginning serials cataloger exploring the black and murky waters of serials cataloging or the cataloger of other formats who occasionally catalogs serials or electronic resources. Answers to questions that are most likely to perplex the veteran are not, for the most part, found in the handbook. The experienced serials cataloger is more likely to find answers and guidance in the CONSER Cat- aloging Manual or Notesfor Serials Cataloging, second edition, by Geer and Caraway. However, the veteran might find the handbook useful for locating the rules that need to be consulted for difficult situations.

With its dark blue binding and silver lettering, the hand- book is a ready reference book easily spotted on the cata- loger’s shelves. By design, it is a work to be consulted when faced with a particular problem, rather than a volume to be read straight through. Cataloging units may want to pur- chase this item for those who do original cataloging of seri- als along with other assignments or for those dealing with copy cataloging of difficult serial records.

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Stokes is a Serials Cataloger at Love Library, Uni- versity of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 685880410 <CharityS @unelib.unl.edu>.

Research Misconduct: Issues, Implications, and Strategies,

Edited by Ellen Altman & Peter Hernon. Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1997.

(Contemporary Studies in Information Management,

Policy, and Services) 206~. $73.25 ISBN I-56750-340-3 (hardcover); $39.50 ISBN l-567.50-341 -I (pbk.).

Naomi K. Young

Plagiarism allegations are making headlines in newspa- pers around the country. Bibliographic instruction librarians struggle to teach students how to critically evaluate the flood of information available on the World Wide Web. QSTUDY-L participant Mark Har- ris created the fictitious Marie Francoise de Ricci in order to dispute the theoretical perspective of queer studies.’ In this environment, the ethical issues of research, especially as they are affected by electronic scholarship, are extremely relevant. Ellen Altman and Peter Hemon have taken this current concern and refined its focus to those issues that most directly affect librarianship. Because of the crucial role that the serial literature plays in the research chain, serials profession- als may find much to interest them in this book.

Research Misconduct defines misconduct as “pla- giarism, falsification and fabrication of research” (p. 3). Conflict of interest, although not part of the for- mal definition of misconduct, is also discussed. While the majority of incidents cited originated with the lab- oratory sciences, notable cases of plagiarism and forg- ery in the humanities and social sciences, from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to Alan Sokal’s tweak- ing of the editors of Social Text are also discussed.

The authors contend that research misconduct tends to follow pressures to publish and generate research funds. (It is interesting to consider, although not covered here, how faculty status for librarians may make it more tempting for librarians to take part in research miscon- duct.) Researchers generally believe that science is self-

correcting through peer reviewing, refereeing, and rep- lication. However, reviewers may be predisposed to accept research coming from a perspective matching their own. Innovative but accurate theories may be less acceptable to referees than falsified data conforming to their expectations. While maintaining that low estimates of misconduct may well be accurate, they argue the impact of even one instance may be considerable, citing well-known frauds such as Sir Cyril Burt.

In cases like Burt’s, research that has been withdrawn or disavowed by its sponsoring institutions or the jour- nals that published it may be cited for years before mis- conduct is detected. Shoddy or tainted research can then be perpetuated for “generations” of publication due to uncritical citation in later works. And some frauds have published dozens of papers before detection.

While some measures for noting correction and retrac- tion exist, their use is not yet universal in all disciplines or databases. Fortunately, computerized databases allow a notation or linked citation to the questioned articles, even if the correction or retraction occurs months or years later. This system, however useful, doesn’t help the researcher who gets citations from colleagues or from the bibliogra- phy at the end of a routed journal.

Altman argues persuasively that librarians should reconsider their traditional position as impartial provid- ers of information, taking a more aggressive approach to educating users about the quality of materials and being more evaluative in the selection process. “For librarians to ask, ‘How can we possibly know what writings are based on misconduct?’ is a feeble response for a profes- sion supposedly expert in finding information” (p. 117). She quotes an attorney who suggests that providing false or incomplete information may be considered profes- sional malpractice. By taking this stance, she draws dis- tinctions between matters of fact and unsettled matters or social questions, saying that librarians must be able to eliminate items that contain errors of fact, while a broad spectrum of views is necessary for less settled matters. Unfortunately, any thinking person can come up with a number of examples showing that one person’s estab- lished fact is another’s social question.

To place these discussions in a real-world context, Hemon and his colleagues conducted a pair of explor- atory studies to investigate how students, faculty, and university deans actually perceive the problems of mis- conduct and the solutions that may exist. In the first study, Hemon and Laura R. Walters surveyed groups of faculty and undergraduate students at Tufts University regarding their perceptions of the prevalence of research misconduct in their fields; their views of their own roles

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