NW River Park Dr., Box 1359, Parkville, MO 64152-3795 <PA_Ann@kcpl.lib.mo.us>.

Chinese Academic and Research Libraries: Acquisitions, Collections, and Organizations, by Priscilla C. Yu. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1996. $78.50. ISBN o-7623-0171-6. (Foundations in Library and Information Science, no. 36).

The purpose of the book, as the author explains, is “to exam- ine the current practices, theories, and functions of academic and research libraries in China” (p. xviii). The book investigates the development, problems, progress, and prospects of these libraries with a focus on acquisitions, collections, and organiza- tions. Yu bases the discussion on the libraries of Beijing Univer- sity, Fudan University, Nanjing University, the three top academic libraries in China, and the National Library of China, the largest research library of the country.

This is the first full-length book treatment of these topics, although there are a number of related articles, The author spent almost 10 years collecting data. It is to her credit that most of the data are first-hand and well analyzed with solid statistics. As Chinese librarianship is known for having a long tradition of preservation, the Appendix, “Preservation and Access in China: Possibilities for Cooperation, ” is a useful reference for those interested in this area.

The book is more descriptive than analytical, and more fac- tual than theoretical. It does not fully describes the rapid devel- opment of academic and research libraries in China since the early 1990s. For example, the spectacular speed with which Chinese libraries developed their information networking is not reflected here. Neither is enough emphasis given to access aspects of library resources. Despite these limitations, the book provides a good basis for further understanding Chinese librar- ies. The fast growing role of China in world affairs and global communications will also add to the value of this work.-Pop- ing Lin, Assistant Engineering & Science Librarian for Core Information Competencies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Room-10-500, Cam- bridge, MA 02139-4307 <plin@mit.edu>.

Collection Development: Past and Future, edited by Maureen Pastine. New York: Haworth, 1996. 234 p. $34.95. ISBN l-56024-825-4.

No library process is more thoroughly enmeshed in the cur- rent imbroglio of electronics, resource sharing, and outcomes assessment than collection development. It is difficult, these days, to even state with conviction just what constitutes a col- lection. Further complicating the issue are earnest reminders from assessment theorists that the size and quality of a collec- tion are not nearly so important as what is done with it. With this book’s title implying an awareness of our transitory state, its receipt engendered a hope in the reviewer that he was about to read a collection of essays that engaged some of our profes- sion’s juiciest controversies. With a few exceptions, one of them brilliant, he was disappointed.

Most of the book’s essays are either descriptions of how the authors’ libraries deal with such matters as selecting CD-ROMs and serving remote users and campuses (perfectly helpful and interesting, as far as they go), or customary reviews of the liter- ature. There are some bright passages in these contributions, such as Jan H. Kemp’s description of an enlightened budget review process at Texas Tech and Robert Skinner’s survey of

Internet-based resources (such lists are always enticing, but one fears they date quickly); they pale, however, alongside the book’s more spirited excursions into theory, speculation, and opinion.

In the latter category are Kathryn Hammell Carpenter’s lively treatment of emerging budgetary and format issues and Kristin Vogel’s studied argument for the routine consideration of electronic resources for collections. It is Curt Holleman’s provocative and sensible explication of the access/ownership dichotomy, however, which really distinguishes this collection. Encompassing considerations of publishing economics, cost-per-use, collection quality, and students’ information-seek- ing behavior, Holleman’s essay is an iconoclastic gem that may become a classic.

Moderately-priced, Collection Development: Past and Future may be a reasonable purchase for a practitioner or stu- dent seeking an eclectic overview of collection development issues supplemented by an extensive, helpfully-organized bibli- ography. Too much of the book is devoted to familiar recitations of standard concerns and techniques, however, to render it indispensable.-Paul Coleman, University Librarian, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX 79016 cpaul.cole- man@wtamu.edu>.

Collection Management for the 21st Century: A Handbook for Librarians, edited by G. E. Gorman and Ruth Miller. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. 354~. $75.00. ISBN O- 3 13-29953-6. (The Greenwood Library Management Library Series) (Permanent paper).

Predicting library collection management for the 21st cen- tury is a risky business since evolving technology influences library resources and practices so quickly. Wide disagreement on even the future of the printed word not withstanding, Gor- man and Miller have assembled an international cast of 18 prac- titioners and academicians to address their “personal view of what is likely to be important in coming years” (Introduction). Do these 15 essays, arranged under eight themes, provide a vision of collection management for the next century? Well, partly. Readers may first want to peruse the last chapter of the background: Miller’s excellent “Selected Review of the Litera- ture on Collection Development and Collection Management, 1990-1995.” This bibliographic essay suggests 165 major arti- cles covering access and ownership, acquisitions and budget- ing, the Internet, cooperation, electronic publishing, and so forth. The focus, like most of the other essays, is on academic research libraries.

In the initial theme, “The Future for Collection Manage- ment.” evolving methods of communications between subject disciplines and collection management functions are described by John M. Budd and Bart M. Harlow. They content that a pleth- ora of information means that identifying, selecting, retrieving, ranking, and organizing information through logical gateways will dominate collection management work to assure that appropriate formats are available for particular disciplines.

“Electronic Document Delivery and Resource Preservation” is seen as an overriding concern, both now and in the future. Graham Cornish examines several issues, such as necessary equipment, who shall supply, pay, and control; and he addresses several types of libraries. In dealing with electronic records, Ross Harvey notes their astounding growth rates and warns that the consequences of libraries not playing more active roles in consciousness-raising, cooperation, management, and organi-

86 The Journal of Academic Librarianship