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Fifty-five per cent of executives at large corporations are extremely concerned about digital startups becoming significant competitors in their market. If the best technology these startups use is available to everyone and larger companies have the budgets to buy more, how can startups cause such a lack of sleep for leaders? Could the reason be the people, as startups generally are run and staffed by Millennials?

The evidence for this comes via three separate research efforts and hundreds of hours of intense interviews with transformation leaders in commercial organizations such as USAA, Southwest Airlines, Citi, Hallmark, MIT and government agencies such as the GSA and the FCC. This research looked at how organizations were changing the way they think, organize, invest and act in pursuit of digital transformation success.

Sixteen per cent of larger organizations saw a real return on their digital transformation efforts. Successful digitally transforming organizations could cut OPEX three times more effectively than other organizations. Successful digitally transforming organizations (56 per cent of them) saw sales performance and customer satisfaction rise in unison. Forty-two per cent of these organizations revealed and solved new digital challenges that they had not recognized before; 87 per cent of these organizations saw enhanced growth in demand.

Technology is a huge part of digital transformation. IDC has predicted that in 2017, $1.7tn will be invested on digital transformation technology and processes alone. That is the size of the tenth largest economy in the world.

Describes the development of performance indicators in the bibliographic records section since 1988. The timeliness of the section’s output was perceived to be more relevant from the user’s point of view than the number of books catalogued, so two key indicators were monitored: the length of time which books spend on the cataloguing shelves and the size of the backlog. The statistics in graphical form to assist planning the section’s work. Time analysis was introduced more recently, both to provide a more meaningful context for the performance indicators and also to put a cost on the section’s activities in the light of current trends towards greater financial accountability and the development of service‐level agreements. Discusses some problems inherent in the use of performance indicators and suggests greater integration between sections.

At the commencement of this decade, leaving behind the “striking seventies”, we christened it the “anxious eighties”, for there was a profound disquiet and uncertainty among most of the population, a fear that things were going to get worse, but they could have hardly expected the catastrophic events of the year 1981. The criteria of quality of life are its richness, grace, elegance; by the promise it contains; inspiration and purpose, hope, determination (to survive, to make certain that the evildoer is not permitted to succeed), love of one's country — pro patria, of other days.

Current issues of Publishers' Weekly are reporting serious shortages of paper, binders board, cloth, and other essential book manufacturing materials. Let us assure you these shortages are very real and quite severe.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the RSR review column, “Recent Reference Books,” by Frances Neel Cheney. “Reference Books in Print” includes all additional books received prior to the inclusion deadline established for this issue. Appearance in this column does not preclude a later review in RSR. Publishers are urged to send a copy of all new reference books directly to RSR as soon as published, for immediate listing in “Reference Books in Print.” Reference books with imprints older than two years will not be included (with the exception of current reprints or older books newly acquired for distribution by another publisher). The column shall also occasionally include library science or other library related publications of other than a reference character.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

Michael Burgess, the Associate Librarian who serves as the Chief Cataloger at California State College, San Bernardino, came to the attention of the library community on 11 October 1983, when he entered record number 10,000,000 into the OCLC database. However, writing under the pseudonymn of R. Reginald, which he has used since 1968, he has edited two major reference books published by Gale Research, among dozens of other published books and articles. R. Reginald also owns the Borgo Press, which specializes in current affairs bibliographies and science fiction, and which operates out of Burgess' San Bernardino home.