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Triv: Profundities, Banalities, and Trivialities in libraryland
Stat0 ot the Modem Intofmatton Protosslonal, 1992- 1993: An Intomatknal Vlew dtho Stat0 ottho lntorfnatlon Professional and the Information Profession In 19921993, camp. by the FID Special Interest Group on Roles, Careers and Development of the Modem Information Professlonal. The Hague: International FederatlonforlnformationandDocumentation, 1992.175p. $57 (paper) ISBN 9266 00-7013. (FID Occasional Paper no. 4.)
nlntendedtoprovidesnapshotsofthestateof the information profession around the world, this collection reveals diversity but also many shared concerns. While only some regions, for example, are implementing information technology in societies that rely mainly on oral communication, many want better and continuing education for information professionals, paraprofessionals, and users. Other common themes include the role of information in economicgrowth andhuman resources development, the movement of job opportunities to the private sector, and the importance of addressing users’ needs. Barbie Keiser’s sloppy introduction is followed by three most unequal sections. The first, The Modern lnfonnation Professional Around the Globe (162 pages), presents 13 reports from 5 regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and Africa. The reports differ in sty/e, length, structure, even language; most are in English, but one is in Spanish andone in French (each with an English synopsis). A few reports have abstracts andsome have bibliographies. Section 2 comprises a single four-page summary paper by Michael King (a former president of F/D) and section 3 (five pages) identifies the contributors. Some of these articles may be valuable to readers interested in individual countries, but in general the contents suffer from many inconsistencies and grammatical errors. The ND plans to publish similar reviews at two-year intervals; the 1994 review should be overseen by an energetic editor.Eds.
Librarianship Blb/Trlv: Protundltles, Banalltles, and Trlvlalltles tn Libraryland, by Frederick Duda. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1992. 119~. $17.95 (paper) ISBN O-89950-725-5. n In what epic film does Elizabeth Taylor say “Howdareyouandtherestofyourbarbarians set fire to my library?” Which 1988 World Series hero was said by his teammate to resemble a librarian? Where is the American Nudist Research Library? These are among the 100 four-part questions in a volume inspired by the author’s interest in the role and image of librarians. Answers appear in the back (an awkward arrangement), and appendices cite fiction, television, play, and film titles that contain references to librarians.
48
Recommendation-This “amusing and interesting, if slight, reference” can be enjoyed by librarians and shared, as necessary, with patrons and library trustees. Reviewer-Wilda W. Williams Library journal, Nov. 15, 1992, p. 64 Recommendation-This work is enthusiastically recommended to professionals who delight in seeing the ways in which others portray them. “It is yet another example of the high quality of the imagination that now abounds in librarianship and of McFarland’s continuing role in encouraging that imagination.” Reviewer-Norman Stevens Wilson Library Bulletin, Nov. 1992, p. 81,
108-09
Femlnlst Thought In American Ubrarlanship, by Chrlstlna D. Baum. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1992. 180~. $28.50 (paper) ISBN &8W5O-724-7. LC 92-53508. Perm. paper. Baum has clearly invested much effort into this study of “the impact of various kinds of feminism on the thought and political agenda of American library women.” She attempts to trace this impact via a content analysis of some 250 articles and books as well as ALA program presentations from 1965-85, all presenting women’s views on women’s issues in American librarianship. The book begins by outlining a “debate” between liberal or mainstream feminism versus radical feminism, and assessing the effect of feminism on librarianshipsincethe19thcentury.Thecontentanalysis of books and articles classifies each as “liberal” or “radical.” A later chapterdoes the same of the program presentations, but in between comes a citation analysis that explores references in the books and articles to feminist authors outside of librarianship. All of the sources studied here are listed in appendices, and there is a bibliograph . This work is carefully researched and wel r organized, but the analysis of feminist issues and perspectives is “often less than trenchant,” and some of the liberal-versus-radical classifications are curious. Although Baum is justified in calling for further investigation of the literature’s neglect of feminist issues, content analysis of this literature explains only a limited portion of feminism’s impact on the field. Recommendation-Although “the definitive bookon feminist thought in librarianship has yet to be written,” this unique and useful introduction makes a solid addition to the literature. Reviewer-Liz Willis /ournal ofAcademic Librarianship, Jan. 1993 p. 373 Recommendation-The detailed content analysis yields “a solid core of analytical data thatwill beuseful tosubsequent researchers.” Someofthe conclusions, however, “arepurely subjective, . . .open to considerable interpretation,” and ,likely to provoke much discussion-especially the recommendation that female librarians should establish more con-
the Journal of Academic Librarianship, March 1993
tact with the broader feminist movement. Reviewer-Norman Stevens Wilson Library Bulletin, Dec. 1992, p. 93, 118-19 *See also Jan. 1993 p. 392; Sep. 1992 p. 256
Library and Information Science Research New International DlctlonaryotAcronyms In Ubrary and lnfonnatlon Science and Related Fields, 2nd ed.. by Henryk Sawoniak and M. Wilt. Munich and N.Y.: Saur, 1992.497~. $250 ISBN 3-598- 10972-5. WThis work lists an astonishing 33,600 acronyms, up from 28,500 in the five-year-old first edition. There are acronyms in 35 languages (including Catalan, Hungarian, and Lettish) from not only library and information science but also archival management, printing, pub lishing, journalism, reprography, and computer science. Printed in bold capital letters, the acronyms are arranged alphabetically, letter by letter. Each acronym is followed by the full name in the original language, with English translations for languages not wide1 known. Other information indicated by wel-ly explained forms and symbols may include: earlier, subsequent, orothernames (andacr* nyms) of organizations, along with dates of establishment, change, and dissolution; and thecityandcountryin whichtheorganization is located. The book is easy to use and well produced, though the price is high. Recommendation-The editors have succeeded in producing a work useful to researchers and others who need to decode acronymns. This is a recommended purchase for the reference collections of large public and special libraries and most academic libraries. Reviewer-Gbza A. K&a Australian Library Review, Nov. 1992, p. 332-33
Qualltatlve Research In Informatlon Management, ed. by Jack D. Glazier and R.R. Powell. Englewood, CO: Llbrarles Unlimited, 1992. 238~. $35 ISBN O-87287-8066. LC 9 l-43579. This collection of 14 essays represents a first attempt at systematic discussion of an emerging set of research methods in library science. (“Information Management” in the title notwithstanding, this is a book by and for librarians.) Although not intended as a textbook, it doesintroducevariousqualitativetechniques applicable to research in library and information science, notably case studies, sense-making, focused group interviews, participant observation, and visualization by computer. The essays on these techniques are somewhat inconsistent, but offer helpful insights on the
nlntendedtoprovidesnapshotsofthestateof the information profession around the world, this collection reveals diversity but also many shared concerns. While only some regions, for example, are implementing information technology in societies that rely mainly on oral communication, many want better and continuing education for information professionals, paraprofessionals, and users. Other common themes include the role of information in economicgrowth andhuman resources development, the movement of job opportunities to the private sector, and the importance of addressing users’ needs. Barbie Keiser’s sloppy introduction is followed by three most unequal sections. The first, The Modern lnfonnation Professional Around the Globe (162 pages), presents 13 reports from 5 regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and Africa. The reports differ in sty/e, length, structure, even language; most are in English, but one is in Spanish andone in French (each with an English synopsis). A few reports have abstracts andsome have bibliographies. Section 2 comprises a single four-page summary paper by Michael King (a former president of F/D) and section 3 (five pages) identifies the contributors. Some of these articles may be valuable to readers interested in individual countries, but in general the contents suffer from many inconsistencies and grammatical errors. The ND plans to publish similar reviews at two-year intervals; the 1994 review should be overseen by an energetic editor.Eds.
Librarianship Blb/Trlv: Protundltles, Banalltles, and Trlvlalltles tn Libraryland, by Frederick Duda. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1992. 119~. $17.95 (paper) ISBN O-89950-725-5. n In what epic film does Elizabeth Taylor say “Howdareyouandtherestofyourbarbarians set fire to my library?” Which 1988 World Series hero was said by his teammate to resemble a librarian? Where is the American Nudist Research Library? These are among the 100 four-part questions in a volume inspired by the author’s interest in the role and image of librarians. Answers appear in the back (an awkward arrangement), and appendices cite fiction, television, play, and film titles that contain references to librarians.
48
Recommendation-This “amusing and interesting, if slight, reference” can be enjoyed by librarians and shared, as necessary, with patrons and library trustees. Reviewer-Wilda W. Williams Library journal, Nov. 15, 1992, p. 64 Recommendation-This work is enthusiastically recommended to professionals who delight in seeing the ways in which others portray them. “It is yet another example of the high quality of the imagination that now abounds in librarianship and of McFarland’s continuing role in encouraging that imagination.” Reviewer-Norman Stevens Wilson Library Bulletin, Nov. 1992, p. 81,
108-09
Femlnlst Thought In American Ubrarlanship, by Chrlstlna D. Baum. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1992. 180~. $28.50 (paper) ISBN &8W5O-724-7. LC 92-53508. Perm. paper. Baum has clearly invested much effort into this study of “the impact of various kinds of feminism on the thought and political agenda of American library women.” She attempts to trace this impact via a content analysis of some 250 articles and books as well as ALA program presentations from 1965-85, all presenting women’s views on women’s issues in American librarianship. The book begins by outlining a “debate” between liberal or mainstream feminism versus radical feminism, and assessing the effect of feminism on librarianshipsincethe19thcentury.Thecontentanalysis of books and articles classifies each as “liberal” or “radical.” A later chapterdoes the same of the program presentations, but in between comes a citation analysis that explores references in the books and articles to feminist authors outside of librarianship. All of the sources studied here are listed in appendices, and there is a bibliograph . This work is carefully researched and wel r organized, but the analysis of feminist issues and perspectives is “often less than trenchant,” and some of the liberal-versus-radical classifications are curious. Although Baum is justified in calling for further investigation of the literature’s neglect of feminist issues, content analysis of this literature explains only a limited portion of feminism’s impact on the field. Recommendation-Although “the definitive bookon feminist thought in librarianship has yet to be written,” this unique and useful introduction makes a solid addition to the literature. Reviewer-Liz Willis /ournal ofAcademic Librarianship, Jan. 1993 p. 373 Recommendation-The detailed content analysis yields “a solid core of analytical data thatwill beuseful tosubsequent researchers.” Someofthe conclusions, however, “arepurely subjective, . . .open to considerable interpretation,” and ,likely to provoke much discussion-especially the recommendation that female librarians should establish more con-
the Journal of Academic Librarianship, March 1993
tact with the broader feminist movement. Reviewer-Norman Stevens Wilson Library Bulletin, Dec. 1992, p. 93, 118-19 *See also Jan. 1993 p. 392; Sep. 1992 p. 256
Library and Information Science Research New International DlctlonaryotAcronyms In Ubrary and lnfonnatlon Science and Related Fields, 2nd ed.. by Henryk Sawoniak and M. Wilt. Munich and N.Y.: Saur, 1992.497~. $250 ISBN 3-598- 10972-5. WThis work lists an astonishing 33,600 acronyms, up from 28,500 in the five-year-old first edition. There are acronyms in 35 languages (including Catalan, Hungarian, and Lettish) from not only library and information science but also archival management, printing, pub lishing, journalism, reprography, and computer science. Printed in bold capital letters, the acronyms are arranged alphabetically, letter by letter. Each acronym is followed by the full name in the original language, with English translations for languages not wide1 known. Other information indicated by wel-ly explained forms and symbols may include: earlier, subsequent, orothernames (andacr* nyms) of organizations, along with dates of establishment, change, and dissolution; and thecityandcountryin whichtheorganization is located. The book is easy to use and well produced, though the price is high. Recommendation-The editors have succeeded in producing a work useful to researchers and others who need to decode acronymns. This is a recommended purchase for the reference collections of large public and special libraries and most academic libraries. Reviewer-Gbza A. K&a Australian Library Review, Nov. 1992, p. 332-33
Qualltatlve Research In Informatlon Management, ed. by Jack D. Glazier and R.R. Powell. Englewood, CO: Llbrarles Unlimited, 1992. 238~. $35 ISBN O-87287-8066. LC 9 l-43579. This collection of 14 essays represents a first attempt at systematic discussion of an emerging set of research methods in library science. (“Information Management” in the title notwithstanding, this is a book by and for librarians.) Although not intended as a textbook, it doesintroducevariousqualitativetechniques applicable to research in library and information science, notably case studies, sense-making, focused group interviews, participant observation, and visualization by computer. The essays on these techniques are somewhat inconsistent, but offer helpful insights on the