464 Reviews

public interest groups, citizen groups, and organizations representing various political points of view, most of them tax-exempt organizations. Originally published in loose leaf format by the Foundation for Public Affairs (a nonprofit research and educational organization that serves as a national clearinghouse of information on corporate public affairs programs, public interest groups and business/government issues), Public Interest Profiles is now being published in hardbound format by Congressional Quarterly but is still compiled and edited by the Foundation for Public Affairs (FPA). The new format and distribution by a major publisher bring this tool to a wider audience.

Public Interest Profiles 1988-1989 provides key information on 250 leading public interest and public policy organizations selected by these criteria: "the extent of the group's influence on national policy; the number of requests received by FPA for background on the organization; the range and quantity of news coverage generated by the groups; and the representative nature of the group in its field of interest and activity." The profiles were compiled based on responses to a questionnaire, but the profiles have been enhanced by supplementary information. Profiles are grouped into 12 broad subject chapters, for example, "Business/Economic," "Civil/Constitutional Rights," and "Community/Grassroots." Groups are listed alphabetically within subject chapters. There is a name index (of individuals) and a group index, but a subject index is lacking. Profiles are at least two pages long and include the name and address of the group, the year it was founded, staff size, budget, director, scope, purpose, tax status, the method of operation, current concerns, recent publications, newsletter title, board of directors, funding sources, whether the groups has a political action committee, effectiveness and political orientation. "Purpose" statements generally are direct quotations from the groups and provide no additional interpretations of the functions. Both the "Effective- ness" and "Political Orientation" sections are the unique features of this directory, as they provide insights into how the groups are perceived by widely read sources. For example, recent New York Times and Washington Post stories are frequently quoted in excerpts, which are intended to summarize effectiveness in political activity or to profile the media view of the political orientation of the group.

Many small or new groups are not yet included, but the existing coverage, if not comprehensive, is representative, including, as it does, groups as diverse in size as the National Audubon Society with its staff of 260 and its $29.8 million budget, and Friends of the Earth with a staff of 17 and a budget of $350,000.

A forward by David Cohen of the Advocacy Institute and a lengthy introduction by John M. Holcomb, former director of the Foundation for Public Affairs, discuss theory and evaluation of the development of public interest groups. Holcomb reviews interest group formation theories and causes, as well as summarizing political tactics and strategies, research by public "think tanks," support for political candidates, coalitions, litigation, direct action, and other means of group operations.

Public interest groups have an increasing voice in politics and public policy and library users often need to know more about who these groups are and how effective they may be in advocating their chosen issues, in addition to learning how to join or contact these groups. Public Interest Profiles is a directory that most research libraries and many public libraries will want to purchase for reference collections. This volume fills some of the need for additional information on groups. The Public Interest Profiles can also be used in a limited way for acquisition of materials for pamphlet and other collections representing varying points of view on issues of public concern because the listing of newsletter names and brief sections on titles of recent publications provide a summary of publishing activity by these groups.

MARCIA MEISTER Documents Department

Shields Library University of California, Davis

Davis, CA 95616 USA

PC Globe 3.0 and PC USA. Tempe, AZ: PC Globe, Inc., 1989. Software program on 5 1/4" disks. $69.95 each, with annual upgrades available at minimum cost. (For more information contact Richard Burger, PC Globe, Inc., 4435 S. Rural Road, Building 5, Suite 3, Tempe, AZ 85282, (Tel.) 1-800-255-6866).

These programs constitute two separate but similar "'computerized atlases." They require IBM PC/ XT/AT/PS2 or compatibles with a minimum 512K RAM, floppy drive or hard disk, and DOS 2.0. The programs support Hercules monochrome, CGA, EGA, or VGA displays and (with the most recent update) 17 different monochrome and color printers. This review utilized a Dell System 310 cpu (hard drive), Zenith

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14-inch color monitor, and a Hewlett-Packard PaintJet Printer. A mouse was not employed, but is an option. PC Globe and PC USA are among the many computer mapping packages that are making their way into

libraries. Unlike Chadwyck-Healey's Supermap, an interactive program enabling the tabulation, manipulation and mapping of U.S. census and other data, these programs are fairly straightforward atlases, with few real advantages over their printed counterparts. This is not to say they are not good "a t lases"- - they are; but when the novelty of seeing maps pop up on a computer screen has worn off, what you have is a basic atlas.

Upon entering PC Globe 3.0, the user is presented with a world map and a choice of menus. These menus are clearly presented and quickly understood, a real plus for end-user workstations. One can easily switch from world maps and data to those for regions and individual countries.

In the "Wor ld" and "Region" menus, we are presented with simple functions such as locating particular countries or cities. In the "Country" menu, one is able to view a base map, or maps showing major cities, elevations, and "features" (physical and cultural landmarks). These maps are crude and extremely general, such as one might find in a child's first atlas.

It is in the "Database" menu, where the true worth of PC Globe is evident. For each of 177 countries graphs and tables are presented concerning population, age distribution, GNP, languages, ethnic groups, religion, health statistics, information on major cities, natural resources, agriculture and industry, imports/ exports, the country's government, and tidbits on the culture and tourism.

Comparisons can be made (and displayed on graphs or choropleth maps) concerning demographics (e.g., population or literacy rate), economy (e.g., GNP or tourist receipts), health statistics (e.g., life expectancy or population per pharmacist), and commodity production. With either graph or choropleth maps, these comparisons are clearly displayed and instantly understandable. The default colors are not particularly to this reviewer's liking, but it is a minor point on which to quibble.

A few bells and whistles can be found in the "Uti l i t ies" menu, including currency conversions, time zone information, and a very handy distance table.

PC USA is quite similar to PC Globe. Variations include the data for each state ("Database" menu), which features additional topics of education, crime statistics, average annual pay by industry, taxes, highway statistics, state history and state " t r iv ia ," tourist attractions, and climate information for selected cities.

State comparisons can be made concerning demographics, vital statistics, economy, government, education, crime, highway statistics, manufactured goods, minerals, energy products, and agriculture. As with PC Globe, these comparisons can be shown using graphs or maps.

The ability to download data onto ASCII or Lotus files or to the printer is a feature of both programs. Given the relatively inexpensive price of these programs, they offer an incredible value. The range of data

is impressive, but the lack of citations is a major drawback; what are the sources for this information? The maps and graphics in the "Database" menus are well designed. The programs, on the whole, are very fast.

It seems apparent that secondary school students are the main target audience for these programs. Indeed, this is just the ticket to get video-prone kids interested in geography.

In a library setting, the proper niche for these programs might just as well be the general reference department as the documents/map department. At the University of Minnesota's Borchert Map Library these programs are most frequently used for ready reference queries. When appropriate, good color copies can be produced in about one minute. PC Globe and PC USA is recommended for most college and large public libraries, though not necessarily for the documents department.

BRENT ALLISON John R. Borchert Map Library

University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455

USA

China Statistical Abstract 1988. New York: Praeger, 1989. xvii, 124p. ISBN: 0275932141. LC: 88-28571. $45.00. China Statistics Monthly. Chicago: University of Illinois at Chicago, monthly. Approx. 130p. ISSN: 0897-7724. $192.00 per year.

The China Statistical Abstract 1988 is an English language edition of the official China Statistical Abstract compiled by the State Statistical Bureau of the People's Republic of China (SSB). It offers basic and detailed information on China's economic and social development since 1978, key statistics for principal sectors of the national economy, and illustrates the major trends in this development. China Statistics Monthly is basically