because it will tell hint in which libraries the various census volumes are to be fi)und. For the non-American this volume still represents a largely compt-eltensive list oC the national census volumes which owe their origins to censuses conducted between 1945 and 197 7. Two additional points are also clear. Firstly, that as far a5 cettsus coverage goes major advances have been made particularly in Africa and par.rs of’ Latin America a& Asia during the last three decades, but generally the, most cotttpreltensivc coverage and the most detail is to be tound filr the industrialized countries of the West. Secondly, that the United Nations still has a very difficult task on its hands to persuade national statistical agencies to conf’orm to at leasr a basic pattern ofcensus taking, including timing.

In conclusion MS Gayer has provided a most valuable Bibliography which should find a place in all university libraries, even if those libraries cannot hope 10 stock even a small fraction of the census volumes thermelves.

Robert Woocis Dcparmt~m~ of‘ Gcograph~ Iltii\w-sirv of’Sl~cflield

A. R. Bettcttfeld and E. J. Kazlauskas (Editors). Comml~nicafi?~g infimnation: proceedzngs of the 43rd ASIS Annual meeting, 1980, volume 17 Attahcitn, California October 5-10, 1980. New York: Knowledge Industr) Publications, 1980. ISBN 0 914 236 73 3. El 1.50

The ASIS annual meeting is undoubtedly one of’ the tna.jor gatherings in the inf’orttlation science calendar and can be considered to have both prestige and authority. It gives the impression from its proceedings of’ bcittg businesslike and intellrc~rually stimulating. But how do these signs stand when looked at fi-otn the point of‘vimv of‘s specialist grouping in the inf~~rtnation (and library) xvorld--that of’ the social sciences information specialist, and the social scietttisL interested in infi)rtnation probletns and their solution? III trying to answer this question it is \vortltwltile looking first of all at the role of’ conferences. The conf’erence as a scientific gathering provides a place where new knowledge and ideas are pt-esettted to the peer group (although not all new knowledge is first presen”d a~ a conf&enc-c, and conf&-ences do have many other functions). The role of‘ airing grou~ld sl~ould be a source of‘stitnulus, and the conference a place for pruning as 1~~11 as sharpening up ideas. There can be much talk of’ new blood and cross- fi~rtilization. These are useful vardsticks with which to review the current state of the at.1 in itifi~rniatiott science f&m a social scientific perspective.

Reading the collection of’ papers presented to this ASIS meeting leads tltc twiewet- to ;tsk first of‘ all about interest for, and relevance to, social scicttcc information problems. This ivill prompt the social sciences specialist to rctnembct that his endea\wurs should be, at least for the time being, set in the tnaittstrcant context of’itifimiiation science as it has developed fi.otii the study of’scicntific and tcchttical ittfi~rtttation. At the satttc’ time the social science specialist can try and diswt-ti ~vlictlier his specialist cotitributions are having any impact 011 the tray in \\flticlt infi~rtnatiott problems in science and technology at-e appraised. Finally, papery which deal specifically M.ith social science inf~)rtnation issues can be sought atitl tlicir c-otirt-ibutioti assessed.

Trying to produce a tiieatiitigfii1 review of’ 140 papers grouped around 45 tlic7tic~s is scarcely possible, and hardly worthrvhilc, since the revicwws’ cotntnettts

might f’orm thcnlsclves into a mini-textbook; moreover it is certain that the range of’ papers covers fields beyond the critical competence of one reviewer. The context provided by the meeting theme of ‘Communicating information’ is stated in the preface.

‘The interdependence of’ information and communication is increasingly evident in all components of society, including business and industry, governmental agencies, libraries and the home. As information scientists, \~e facilitate the communication of information through, for

cxa~nple, the development of data base management systems, automated offices, public information systems into the home, orl-line library systems, a11d through the de\,elopment and application of’ such commun’icarion rechnologics as micro-cornputeI-s and cable television. . . We chose to highlight in particular four areas of this theme: organisational communi- catiotl: electronic messaging; innovative dissemination, and communication technologies.’

These themes have plenty of’ social content: they represent developments of‘ infi~rmation and communication practices which involve working social scientists and social sciences knowledge, and an understanding of their likely impact on

society suggests a need to set them against social and sociological models. The papers look at some of the perennial problems of‘ information and commun- cation (on-line library reference services, organisational communication, evaluat- ing library and information services, library resource sharing, and user studies), at the implications of’ new technolog) (intra-organisational electronic mail, infor- matic c-ornrnullicatiorl, and multi-way, video, data-base combinations, computer graphics, and mini- and micro-computer applications), at practical and n~anagcrial issues (economics and/of information, staff dcvelopmenr in commun- ication), as well as some theoretical issues (information retrieval research, classification of’ questions and indexing, special computer architectures, and the f6undations of’ inf&mation science). The time perspective of the papers deals mainly with the immediate past and the boiling problems of’the present, inherent in what we already know about the impacts and potential of tomorrow’s technologies and sys&~ls.

A surprising number of papers deal Lvith areas which can be broadly classed within social science information. Paisley, in an invited theme paper on

innovative dissemination, discusses the role of‘ERIC services in terms of‘extension and outreach to the schools system; in his words ERIC has been much rnisundel-stood, although it proGides a pioneering example of a large field- oriented rather than discipline-oriented data base. Providing health care inf’ormation is one of’ the themes with four papers devoted to it. Health care deti\,ery and the medical context in which it partly operates is one area of’ social science inf’ormation which could receive greater attention in the UK fi-om social science inf&mation specialists. In spite of’ the interest of’ BLR&DD in funding a number of’ pro.jects on medical information and general practitioners, the relations between community and public information systems and health care deIi\rer-)- (particularly of the prevrntative kind) is still neglected. For instance, in the areas of’road safety, safety in the home, alcohol and tobacco use and drug addiction there is a large information transfer need, in which investment could prove cost-effective if it leads to better use of resources in medicine and health services, shorter patient stays in hospital, and reductions in loadings on general practice. Extension of interest into this area would match the already considerable

342 Book reuzews

effort made to improve information services in the social well&rc agencies. Two papers consider the repackaging of information, especiallv for practitioner needs; this is a well worn, but not worn out, theme for the social science information specialist. Papers on data-base combination discuss a Linear Business Literature Index, and the Women’s Educational Equity Communications Network. Anothct theme from the meeting is the information needs of less developed areas. One paper discusses appropriate information technology, and this could hardly be appropriate if it was not grounded in an understanding of the social and cultural milieu. Social science information has grappled with Third World and develop- ment themes for some time, as a glance at papers appearing in Intrmutiond Social Science Journal over the years shows. This area has hardly been satisfactorily explored, and where library and information research has been carried out, it is not very well disseminated (the various presentations to IFLA meetings are a case in point). There is a lot to be done here both in the developed countries (who export their problems to the third world) and by the developing countries, who need genuinely useful aid.

In the theme section on clearinghouses there is a cost and usage study of‘ERIC, an exploratory study of Human Services Information Clearinghouses, and some perspectives on the development of information services on alcohol. There are six papers on the theme of communicating information productively and much that applies f-or science and technology is generally applicable to the social sciences, so far as channel efficiency as distinct from channel design is concerned. Several sections and papers cover the more traditional problems of library management, although with the modern problems of automated data-bases and catalogues and resource sharing in mind. It must not be forgotten that healthy library development is important for information transfer and communication, and will probably be so even when electronic communication makes heavy inroads into hardcopy and document based systems. Rees-Potter offers a paper on biblio- metric analysis to identify areas of social science research in Canada. There are three papers in the theme section on user characteristics and studies, and the point should not be lost that user study is essentially a social science no matter who its subjects are. The ASIS special interest groups provide themes for a variety of papers. Papers on environmental information and energy information always strike this reviewer as being within the area of social science information. After all both themes are society’s problems, and the social problems created lie in the political process and in social and cultural attitudes. The bureaucrats and technologists will take the wrong decisions if they are not informed about these processes. ASIS special interest groups have a high orientation towards technology and automated systems. If the papers given are in any way representative of current thinking and activities, then it is right to ask whether enough attention is being given to automated systems in the social sciences and problems associated with their use. Although there are a growing number- of computer based systems relevant to the social sciences, it is fair to say that they are not part of the social scientist’s informational bread and butter. This may be less true for North America, but valid for Britain and for much of Europe and elsewhere. What is worrying is that in the light of North American experiences we are still not in a position to know whether the services are best constructed in the image of the science and technology based services or whether novel ‘socially’ oriented systems are required (and can be developed). For example studies of’ the

implications of the terminological softness and conceptual structure of the social sciences are still lacking to help answer these questions.

Book reuews 343

Can some of’the questions posed at the beginning of the paper now be tackled? The meeting provides much of interest and relevance to the social science infi)rmation specialist, although often indirectly and speculatively rather than directly. Whilst not intended to be a criticism of the nature of the contributions, they probably appear somewhat remote from the practical and everyday prot)lems lacing the providers of social science library and information services. Although this is a meeting of information scientists, there needs to be more signs 01‘ ~;IIICTL addressing questions of service management, service delivery, and the need\ of special disciplines and fields within some of the more traditional social scicnc-(2s. These yaps make it difficult for the average service providers (if there are such) to set the’ir endeavours in the mainstream context of information science. M~I~~TI-. the traditional skills and crafts of librarianship, bibliography and cloclln~crlt;ltic,n still play a large part in services, and have much to offer the pt-ovidcr. The position looks a little more hopeful when the question of social scic’ntitic insight is brought to bear on the information problems of science and tcc.hnology. Her-e the lead has to be carried by user studies in their social science contclxt. Finally, there are some papers which deal with tangible themes and issues 01 social scicIlcc> inf~>rmation; enerR, health, and environment are cases in point. Thcs social science information specialist must grasp the responsibility for scutlying and ac-ting within the cultural, social, and political framework.

Brcnvjing OWI- thcsc papers leads to thought on two implications. First, it is otn,ious ttlat technology has and continues to move ahead faster than the illli)rmation field can really cope, and this is especially so in the social sciences. hrcly tIa\,c IVC c-opcd M’ith the idea of computerized documentation than we have c~l(~c-~ronic- mail and \,ideo communication thrust at us, Second, the wide range of 1~1~~s 1)xsented go 1ittl.c further in indicating that they represent any kind of (.onncacti\.e and integrative approach to the study and management of information ;III~ c-onlrllurlication processes. From the papers the gross image of information \cichllcc. that p(lrsists is one of para-science at best. Usable theory and general $truclurc’s arc still proving to be elusive, but at least there are plenty of issues and I tlc~Illc~5 , and 110 lack of people willing to present their ideas, and, one hopes tldc~~tl them. 111 social science information there is the same challenge of c-larit\,ing the real is$ucs, and knowing this by applying the test of our critical satisl;~cric~Ils. Thcsc papers should be browsed by social science information jl)cGalists, mid lists of impressions, questions and problems noted. This meeting is tligh on stimulus \,aluc, even if low in optimism that the nature of information scicst1c.c al)plicd to an): particular discipline is becoming clearer.

Stephen Roberts Centre for Library and Information Management Loughborough University

H. C. LLIWS. F. F. Land, T. J. Lincoln and K. Supper (Editors). 7//f, r7~forn~/ion yt~777~ rnrironmrnt. North Holland 1980. ISBN 0 444 86036 3

I tl;t\r lo~md it difficult to introduce this review. I feel the book deserves the attention of‘ readers of this -journal. It contrasts vividly with the study reviewed in Vol. I No. 2 by Dr. G. W. Beattie. Both reflect an important awareness of the vital role of LISCI comInurlicatioII in the analysis of their needs but this collection 01 ~;I~KTS takes a macro-approach which examines not the detail of the