Bibliographical Foundations of French Historical Studies. Ed. Lawrence J. McCrank. New York: Haworth Press, c1992. xi, 255 p. ill.; 23 cm. ISBN 1560241500 (alk. paper); LCCN: 91-25540. Has also been published as Primary Sources & Original Works, volume 1, numbers 1/2 1991 (ISSN 1042-8216; LCCN: 92-658642 sn897697). $29.95.
    This collection of essays is derived from a two-day program held in December 1989 within the annual conference of the American Historical Association. Organized by Lawrence McCrank for the Association of Bibliography of History, the program bore the same title as this special issue, though the published version is not a record of proceedings. Reflecting the success of the program, the collection merits attention both for its contents and its overall structure of presentations, which might be used as a template for similar studies of bibliography, libraries, and archives in other parts of Europe. As background, it would have been helpful if the publication could have included a schedule of the actual program, showing the value of the project first as a forum for discussion and later as a set of articles. But as it stands, it is well worth consultation.
    The collection's four parts are each valuable for different reasons. Part I, Bibliographic Methods and French Historical Studies, offers a snapshot view, an état présent for 1989 that is still a useful reference point. Susanne Roberts' article, for example, "Bibliographic Access to French Studies—A Revolution in Progress," sets a sound framework to survey and evaluate what is available, inviting readers to update each of the the three categories she covers: books, periodicals, and unpublished materials. A similarly valuable approach is found in Marc Olsen's description of ARTFL, especially the illustration of his study on the Société de 1789. Of special interest to European film studies, Robert Maniquis explores problems in filmography and historical representation in "The French Revolution and the Cinema," an essay that introduces a forthcoming publication. And in an analysis of Canadian imprints from 1889-1989, Pierre Boulle takes a new historiographical approach by studying the treatment of the French Revolution as an elaboration of Canadian society.
    Part II, French Archives and Libraries: Historical Perspectives, is less apt to be dated, and could, in part, be used in courses on research methods. This is especially true of Jon Rudd's account of his experiences searching pre-Revolutionary archives and Gregory Monahan's survey of the archives of Lyon. Nancy Bartlett contributes a valuable historical perspective on provenance and archival organization as illustrated in the concept le respect des fonds, and Bland Addison and Gary Kates describe two different approaches to publishing history and readership.
    Part III, Post-Revolution French Bibliographic Connections with the New World, deals with the diffusion of French culture in North America and in the West Indies. Three articles explore regional library or book trade history, while a fourth, by Carl Brasseaux, presents both historical and practical information on archival resources in the Lower Louisiana territory.
    The collection concludes with Part IV, The French Revolution of Archives and Libraries: From Royal to National and from Private to Public Institution, centered on the program's major address, Emmanual Le Roy Ladurie's talk on plans for the Bibliothèque de France. Unfortunately, Le Roy Ladurie could submit only part of his talk for publication, so the commentators' contributions in some cases refer to issues not contained in the present volume. In any case, Le Roy Ladurie's short article is now dated by a number of modifications in the library's plan, changes that also affect some of the observations made by commentators. But this section retains value as a record of Le Roy Ladurie's vision of the library. It is a tribute as well to the thoughtful concerns of commentators, among them Carol Armbruster on the role of technology as part of a larger context of government support for the BdF and regional libraries, Nancy Bartlett on related cooperative efforts with archival collections, and Pierre Boulle on the French government's tendency to neglect regional and departmental libraries.
—Mary Jane Parrine (CSt)*

Euro-Librarianship: Shared Resources, Shared Responsibilities. Ed. Assunta Pisani. New York: Haworth Press, c1992. 605 p.: ill.; 23 cm. Papers presented at the Second Western European Specialists International Conference which took place in Florence, Italy, April 1988. ISBN 1560242663; LCCN 91-038269. Has also been published as Collection Management, volume 15, numbers 1/2 & 3/4, 1992 (ISSN 0146-2679; LCCN: 78-640677), $49.95.
    I have always found the WESS programs at the Annual Conference of ALA to be the most rewarding. They almost always address some practical need at the juncture of librarianship and subject specialization, a need that is rarely addressed in the education and training for either field. For this reason, I particularly regret having missed the WESS Conference in Flo-rence in April 1988, the first complete conference to have been organized by WESS.
    Euro-Librarianship presents the long-awaited proceedings of that Florence Conference. The proceedings appeared first as two issues of the journal Collection Management (volume 15, 1992), and are now available as a book. While it is convenient to have it all together under separate cover, it will probably be more useful in its periodical format, since the journal has been indexed, and readers will be able to locate articles of interest to them.
    Like most conference proceedings, the articles are of varying interest and quality, but they are, in general, a rich compendium of information about European studies, especially in relation to librarianship. While it is not the kind of book to read from cover to cover, it would be helpful to any librarian dealing regularly with European studies to dip into the volume, read some of the articles, and familiarize herself with others for future reference.
    Some of the articles which I found to be the most informative and useful for librarians were: Fernando Guedes, “Publishing in Spain and Portugal”; Jean Touzot, “Local History in France and Regional Publishing Houses”; Maria Otero-Boisvert, “The Publishing Industry in the Basque Country: An Introduction”; Richard Ring, “Women's Memories, Women's Memoirs of the Great War”; Thomas Izbicki, “Microfilm Collections of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States”; Terry Allison, “Toward a Shared Enterprise: Western European and U.S. Preservation Programs”; and Knut Dorn, “What Price Library Materials? Recent Pricing Policies of Journal Publishers: Potential Complications for Libraries and Agencies”. Many other articles could be mentioned here. I hope Ring will soon publish his bibliography of personal narratives of World War I, and make this information available to a wider audience.
    Only a few of the articles suffer from the time lapse between delivery and publication. One example is the address by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie on the future of the Bibliothèque Nationale. It is unfortunate that this article could not have been updated, as was Simone Blanc's article on the Marguerite Durand Library. Fred Lynden's discussion of “Problems in Documenting International Prices” is still informative, although he has published much on the topic since the Conference.
    No review, even in the house organ, would be complete without its quibbles, and I have some. The program of the Conference is reproduced in the back of the volume, and one can easily see that not all the papers are published in the book. Michael Stoller's “Large Manuscript Collections in Microform: A Dubious Library Investment?” was published in the interim in Microform Review (vol. 18, 1989), and elicited much debate in following issues. I can see several reasons for not reproducing the article here, but it would have been helpful to indicate where it had been published, especially as Michael Smethurst's refers to it in his closing remarks. Two other articles had also been published elsewhere, but are reprinted here nevertheless, and they are welcome. It would be good to know if some of the other articles not included were published, or will be published. I also wonder why most of the articles (yet not all) in French or Italian carry English titles. This might be very misleading for a prospective reader finding the citation in an index.
    Overall, this is a worthwhile volume that will be helpful to Western European Studies librarians for many years to come. It certainly makes me not want to miss the next WESS Conference.
—William S. Monroe

Guide to Libraries in Western Europe: National, International and Government libraries. Ed. Peter Dale. London: British Library, 1991. 122 p.; 30 cm. ISBN 0712307850; LCCN: GB91-33238. £30.
    A negative review is inevitable when the title of a book promises more than it delivers and the book's price falls just short of extortion—for a paperback, at that. Intended as a companion to Guide to Libraries and Information Units in Government Departments and Other Organisations, which covers only the United Kingdom, Dale's guide purports to list similar institutions that perform a national role in Western Europe. 532 libraries are listed in four sections—countries, national libraries, national library associations, and British Council libraries. The clarity of this work is muddled from beginning to end, starting with the title. In four places—title page, spine, front and back covers—the title reads "Guide to Libraries In Western Europe." Only the British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data relates the true title: Guide to Governmental Libraries in Western Europe (emphasis added). The user of this guide expects greater care from the editor and publisher.
    Unfortunately, inconsistencies continue page after page. Why is the (incorrectly named) Prussian State Library not listed by its German name as well? There are too many lapses to describe in detail here, but see, for example, items 493 vs. 494, 287 vs. 288, 475 vs. 478, 474 vs. 481, 502 and 503 vs. 506 vs. 511 and 512. Consistency is absolutely crucial in a work such as this, since variants correctly indexed are easy to locate; variants inconsistently indexed are difficult to find; and items not indexed are impossible to trace. The three indices (name of organization, by country; name of organization, alphabetized; subject) are fine, but the editor does not apply corresponding rigor to the items themselves.
    Despite Dale's admission to the "somewhat confused situation" in eastern Germany at the time of compilation (p. 23), listing the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek and the Deutsche Bücherei should have been musts; they are excluded. Instead, should we be placated to learn (only) the address, phone number, and volume count (10,000) of the San Marinese Biblioteca di Stato? Too much space is given to the (British) Ministry of Defence and the British Library in relation to kindred institutions in other countries. Listing British Council libraries is simply out of place; but if they must be included, then other like institutions from Western Europe should have been treated as well, e.g. Goethe-Institut branches.
    The section on national library associations bears much unintended irony: after puzzling through it for longer than one may care to, it is frequently best to contact the respective library associations in order to receive more complete answers to questions regarding specific libraries in (or not in) this guide. Existing works covering libraries of specific countries are superior, such as Jahrbuch der Deutschen Bibliotheken and Martha L. Brogan's Research Guide to Libraries and Archives in the Low Countries [reviewed in our previous issue]. Some information in this edition of Guide to [Governmental] Libraries in Western Europe is useful, but too much information is disorganized and irrelevant.
—Michael P. Olson (CLU)*

In the Spirit of 1992: Access to Western European Libraries and Literature. Eds. Mary M. Huston & Maureen Pastine. New York: Haworth Press, c1992. 129 p.; 23 cm. ISBN 1560242760 (acid-free paper); LCCN: 92-8730. Has also been published as the Reference Librarian, number 35, 1992 (ISSN: 0276-3877; LCCN: 84-641813 sf824078). $40 (individuals), $95 (institutions), per volume (two numbers).
    One of the editors, Huston (Texas Woman’s University) gives the following reasons for this special number of The Reference Librarian: the closer social and political ties within Western Europe have “stimulated the emergence of unprecedented cooperation among professionals both within and across national borders” (1). Such cooperation has naturally been the result of electronic technology with its linked machine-readable databases which can be “electronically mined” from anywhere in the world. This volume’s goal, then, is to describe and appraise the Western European information network, its resources, plans, policies, agencies, and so on, for the North American information specialist, whose knowledge of and expertise in this area is spotty at best.
    A. Dierickx, Director-General for Research, European Parliament, gives a contextual overview of the information environment, as well as dealing with policy formulation by the European Community (EC). The driving force behind EC information policies is “the fear of Europe being totally dominated by Japanese and U.S. competition in the information market” (7). Given the existence of different languages, copyright laws and government practices, the formulation of such policies is a vastly complex one but the author does a masterful job at elucidating the major programs that have resulted from information policies such as FAST (Forecasting and Assessment in Science and Technology) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). He also discusses several programs, either in place or proposed, of specific interest to the librarian: the “European Library” would create “a kind of automated central catalogue of references relevant to Europe” (18-19), covering various disciplines and areas, such as EC aid to the “Lomeÿ” developing countries; EUROLIB, aims to establish a union catalog of material on European integration, as well as a document delivery system; LIBER, the association of European research libraries, founded in 1971, plays the same role as RLG and ARL. Besides these programs there have been two ambitious drafts in 1987 and 1989 for a “Plan of Action for Libraries in the EC.” The latter is an “information-technology oriented programme” relying on state-of-the-art technology, adopting common bibliographical standards and stressing library cooperation, so as “to secure a firm position for European libraries in the information society and, consequently, to offer users optimum information services as a prerequisite for economic, social and cultural progress” (21).
    The Dierickx article is the most extensive and wide-ranging of the collection and includes also a valuable annotated bibliography on access to EC information. The rest of the contributions focus on more limited topics. Philip Bryant, University of Bath, discusses bibliographic access in the United Kingdom, concentrating on the three most important factors: the national bibliographic service; bibliographic standards and the book trade; and networking. His discussion of JANET (Joint Academic Network) and CURL (Consortium of University Research Libraries) are highly informative. JANET, with access to some 60 OPACs in 1991, offers almost unlimited research capabilities while CURL is a resource sharing program that utilizes JANET.
    The article on “Access to Information in the Nordic Countries” by Antti Soirii of the Finnish Research Libraries, should be of interest to every Scandinavian specialist, especially the plan for a “Union Nordic Library.” The last article is a joint contribution by three librarians at Wisconsin-Madison, Erwin K. Welsch, Eleanor Rodini and Victoria Hill, on “Access to European Online Databases.” It describes work they have conducted with European online services, especially the FRANCIS database, the EC databases and the German national bibliography, “to determine the applicability of these titles to the needs of scholars in the humanities and social sciences concerned with Western Europe” (96). It is a valuable and practical document which every subject specialist in the field would do well to consult. Indeed, the same can be said for the whole collection.
—Frank Di Trolio (FU)

Library Automation and Networking: New Tools for a New Identity. Eds. Herman Liebaers & Marc Walckiers. München/London, NY, Paris: K. G. Saur, 1991. ISBN 3-598-10935-0 $60.00.
    This is the proceedings from the European Conference, May 9-11, 1990, Brussels. The editors are respectively the president and secretary of the European Foundation for Library Cooperation. There are forty-two papers, about three quarters in English and the rest in French (with an English abstract), most less than 10 pages long.
    The papers arranged as given in sessions, as follows: The CEC [Commission of the European Communities] Plan of Action for libraries and preparatory activities; New technologies and data collecting for preservation; Networks (networking between publishers, distributors and libraries, WANs—Wide Area Networks, LANs—Local Area Networks, and OSI—Open Systems Interconnections); Data & Access (Sources, formats & standards, Subject access & multilinguism, OPACs and CD-ROMs, CD-ROMs and online databases); Automation (Cooperative library systems, New tools and methods); Librarianship (Management of library services, A changing profession in a changing Europe); Transnational interlending; “Making Change” (Videoconference between European, American and Japanese librarians on new technologies and libraries).
    Among possible future projects mentioned: a European Register of Microfilm Masters, a European school of library science, and the use of standardized search languages or protocols (Denmark has already ratified the Common Command Language).
    Individual papers give overviews and general descriptions of libraries or the state of automation, or specific project descriptions, dealing with with one country, two or more, or of Europe in general. A sample of paper topics include: “CEC Plan of Action for the libraries: project planning and implementation,” “Preservation activities of the regional centre of ‘PAC’ of the ‘IFLA’ at Leipzig,” “Multilingual bibliographic access via subject in Europe,” “Study of interlending and document supply in Europe,” and “Developments in information technology and the education for librarianship.”
    The book is what one of my colleagues calls a “typewriter book.”  The text appears to have been typewritten, with no variation in font or size of type. There are several typos [Sic! —Ed.]. With the variety of topics there is surely something for everyone; however, it is not something that is easy reading from start to finish but is easier to take in small batches, say one session at a time.
—Julie Still (PCW)*

Revue, A Survey of Studies on French Culture and Society. Published twice a year. New York: Institute of French Studies, Graduate School of Arts & Science, New York University. No. 1: Religions in French Society (Spring 1991) Editor: Eric Fassin. ISSN 1058-127; LCCN: 92-643423-S. Institutional subscription (1991): $25
    Revue is an ambitious journal. “Longer reviews and review articles, grouping together a few books or articles; but also review essays, examining a whole field of research,” brought together in a thematic dossier, all of this written by specialists in the field. This is indeed ambitious. The editorial committee’s guiding principle, that “reviewing is a fundamental aspect of scientific work, and (...) we plan to take this function seriously,” is not only refreshing but also invokes the high standard by which the journal wants to be judged. The product, the first issue of Revue, passes this test with flying colors, and is, in my not unbiased, opinion, a very welcome addition and even an uncharacteristically exciting exemplar of a type of journal not known to engender much enthusiasm.
    Revue’s object is France, its culture and society, since the Revolution. It is precisely by this tighter scope that Revue distinguishes itself clearly from the more wide-ranging Préfaces, which ceased publication in 1990.
    The first half of this issue is taken up by a dossier of more than 90 pages on ‘Religions in French Society’ and focuses on (1) ‘Le Religieux’ with articles ranging from “paganisme au christianisme médiéval” and from “mythologies à la fin de la religion,” including a review article on Michel de Certeau; and (2) ‘Les Religions’ with articles covering recent publications on Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, and ‘la laïcité’ in France. The review essays are treasures for collection development librarians and constitute at the same time ideal overviews of recent research that should be in high demand among graduate students. The second part, another 100 pages, includes a mini-dossier on ‘L'Etat’, reviews of single books, and review articles on, among others, the ‘Annales Initiative’, the ‘Fin de Siècle’, and ‘The Extreme Right in France’.
    Revue has made it its policy to include in the endnotes citations and abstracts of appropriate recent Ph.D. dissertations from U.S. and Canadian universities (courtesy from UMI). A separate section with lengthy and critical assessments of newly founded journals (Genèses, La Règle du Jeu, and Revue française de droit constitutionnel), will be highly appreciated by selectors in these tough times for new serials. Furthermore, the main dossier includes an interview with Olivier Mongin, the director of the journal Esprit, highlighting an influential journal in the intellectual history of France. Both features on journals, we are promised, will return in each issue.
    I was extremely pleased with the tone as well as with the quality of the writing, both in English and French. Most of these reviews and essays are contributed by an impressive group of academics from both sides of the Atlantic including, among others, Marc Augé, Jacques Revel, Claude Langlois, Gilles Kepel, Tony Judt, and Jerrold Seigel, befitting the ambitious nature of this journal. I hope Revue will be a survivor (which it deserves). The journal, which had to overcome some initial difficulties, will publish its second issue in March/April 1993 and will continue with its regular schedule. The second issue will include a dossier on ‘Figures de l’individu’ and an interview with Pierre Nora, director of the journal Débat.
—Kurt De Belder (NNU)

Schreiber, Klaus. Bücher, Zeitschriften und andere Medien aus Italien: Nachschlagewerke für die Praxis in Bibliotheken und Buchhandel. Berlin: Deutsches Bibiliotheksinstitut, 1992. 221 p. (Dbi-Materialien, 115) ISBN 3-87068-915-3; LCCN 92-186147. 20 DM
    Those who read German and are interested in the acquisition of current Italian materials will do well to consult this useful book. The author, head of acquisitions at the Württemberg state library, intended to produce a handbook to help selectors outside of Italy acquire newly published Italian materials, and he has succeeded.
    Structurally the book is an annotated bibliography with a large appendix giving basic information on selected Italian scholarly publishers. Bibliographical tools for all subject disciplines are reviewed, including children's literature. Due attention is given to tools not in print form and tools helpful for acquiring nonprint materials. Entries are arranged by subject. The author has examined almost every title noted, and for periodical publications he notes the issue or issues on which his review is based. Every entry has at least a sentence or two of annotation, but often the commentary is much lengthier.
    To me, the value of this book lies in its comprehensiveness and the quality of its annotations. The author has reviewed a wide variety of materials, including several not available in the commercial book trade, such as exhibition catalogs and catalogs of government publications and bank sponsored publications. An extensive section reviews sources of addresses, not only for commercial publishers, but for government bodies, university research organizations, and religious bodies as well. Another large section is devoted to regional bibliographies. I suspect that even those experienced in Italian acquisitions will discover some new titles of potential use.
    The annotations are valuable because of their thoroughness and their critical quality. Other reviews of the title in question are sometimes cited, and statistics often underline the author's point. For example, a table shows the number of Casalini Libri selection slips received in 1989 and 1990, subdivided by the ten most general Dewey Decimal classifications, and with the average and total price for titles in each classification. Always he measures the worth of a title according to its usefulness in acquiring materials, and if the title is not useful, he does not hesitate to say so. Favorite targets of his criticisms are lack of series information and lack of clear criteria for inclusion in the selective bibliographical publications. Some of the notes introducing sections of the bibliography (e.g., literary columns in newspapers) contain valuable observations on the general nature of Italian publishing.
    More than one third of the book is descriptions and evaluations of the catalogs of 76 scholarly publishers. Those already experienced in Italian acquisitions will be well acquainted with these publishers and their catalogs, but I can see the value of this appendix to someone new to the field. It is unfortunate that there is no title index to aid those wanting to see the author's comments on a particular title. Even with these criticisms, I can readily recommend the book for large research libraries.
—George Crafts (ViU)

Welsch, Erwin K. Libraries and Archives in France: With 1991 Supplement. New York: Council for European Studies, 1991. xxiii, 147 p. $16.00
    This new edition of Erwin K Welsch's valuable and much used Libraries and Archives in France: A Handbook is a very welcome development and will be of great interest to libraries and the many scholars and students travelling to France on research trips. Eminently portable, and modestly priced at $16.00, the wealth of information it contains serves to introduce the user to libraries and archives in France in a wonderfully well-researched and reassuring way. While it is absolutely essential for those planning a first visit to French libraries and archives, the experienced researcher will also benefit from the useful and time-saving information provided.
    The last revised edition was published in 1979, and the shortcomings noted then—principally the all-inclusive impression conveyed by the title (though the introduction states that the guide is limited to the social sciences) and the lack of an index—have not been addressed in this 1991 revision. Basically, the text of the 1979 edition has not been changed or added to at all, though the 1991 Supplement does include a selective list of publications that updates, but does not supplant, the bibliography in the 1979 edition. The strength of this new edition obviously lies in the inclusion of this 1991 Supplement. As stated in the introduction to the Supplement, because of space considerations just a few of the many changes that are taking place in French archives can be considered. Not least among these changes are the new developments in access to contemporary archives. The principal changes are treated fully and information essential for using these collections is provided.
    In keeping with the level of information provided in the 1979 edition the new entries include the addresses, hours, holdings, procedures to be followed in obtaining a user's card, catalogs and the new automated formats for requesting archives, organizational publications and photocopying rules and costs. The principal change over the last decade is the new building where access services and reading rooms are now located for the Archives Nationales. Called the “Centre d'Accueil et de Recherche des Archives Nationales,” and referred to by its initials C.A.R.A.N. and colloquially as “Le Caran” and the adjacent building known as “Le Petit Caran.” The comprehensive description covering new procedures for obtaining materials also includes portions reprinted from Michael Fitzsimmon's excellent 1989 FHS article “New Directions for the Archives Nationales.”
    Access to materials dated after 1940, previously included as part of the AN's “Section Contemporaine,” is changing from the AN to “Le Centre des Archives Contemporaines a Fontainebleau,” and a useful entry with a bibliography on this Center and contemporary archival developments is included in this Supplement.
    Changes in libraries are not considered in the Supplement because of limited space and also because of the availability of the Bulletin d'Orientation published by Reid Hall, the Graduate Research Institute of Columbia University in Paris. There is a bibliography on libraries in France though, which updates, without supplanting that contained in the 1979 edition. The next major change, of course, is coming as a result of the completion of the new automated Bibliothèque de France which will replace the Bibliothèque Nationale. When completed this will dramatically alter patterns of access to and use of material.
    In the meantime, Erwin K. Welsch and the Council for European Studies have provided libraries and the scholarly community with a valuable resource, through several different editions, and certainly libraries with any interest in European Studies should add this 1991 edition to their collections.
—Sandra Fraser (NNU)*

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