Research libraries, especially the larger ones, place standing orders for books published in series, so I suppose this volume is destined to be added, without further review, to many collections. Based on the other series titles listed in the book, the thrust of this series is to acquaint librarians with practical computing, such as fax, e-mail, and CD-ROM. This book contains little practical information. It is not a guide to computers, nor does it cast much light on librarianship. According to the introduction, however, much of the contents has appeared previously in a periodical issued by the series publisher.

The book is a pastiche of the authors’ personal experiences with library automation, hints for managing machines and people, and speculations about the future of books and librarianship. None of this discussion is original, but it is what one might reasonably expect in a book of this kind. Finally, the last two chapters are devoted to a discussion and annotated bibliography of cyberpunk fiction, a subgenre of science fiction in which the inhabitants of the not-too-distant future are dehumanized by technology run amuck. I do not object to this, although I think the authors should have included Kurt Vonnegut’s Player piano, but it is certainly a strange juxtaposition of subject matter. Further, occasional sentence fragments and incorrect vocabulary--“lineal” and “linear” are not synonyms--do not encourage a belief in the authors’ perspicacity. Considering the book’s brevity, high price, and marginal usefulness, I do not recommend it.