Taming The Paper Tiger

For some reason the opening skits to LVN programs seem to keep getting longer without getting better. Taming the Paper Tiger opens with an interminably long sequence involving a harried woman on the phone who is constantly interrupted by her husband and kids for information which requires her to rifle aimlessly through stacks of paper. The program finally begins with ...another skit. This time we're in the library, where Ruth Anne Robinson (a fictitious librarian) is struggling with clutter, and her supervisor needs some information she can't find. Eventually, Barbara Hemphill, the "paper-management expert" appears and explains to viewers that they have three options when it comes to dealing with paper: toss it, take action on it, or file it (shoot! I just gave away the whole tape!). While Hemphill does offer a few specific suggestions, the information is so readily available in any number of books already owned by the library that it seems like a pretty steep purchase at $130. Not recommended. (Available from: ALA Video/LVN, 320 York Road, Towson, MD 212045179;1-800-441-TAPE.)