Checklist of library building design considerations

various professional journals, has rewritten her dissertation in a concise (163 page) narrative, which, in part, updates Evelyn Geller’s Forbidden Books in American Public Libraries, 18791939 (Greenwood Press, 1984). Although Robbins’ primary sources include materials in the American Library Association (ALA) Archives at the University of Illinois and the papers of David K. Berninghausen (chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee, 1948-195 1), she wisely minimizes discussion of personalities and the organization’s internal conflicts to focus on ALA’s reactions to external developments as they rose, and how they are reflected in the publications that ordinary librarians might read, in the years that begin with the adoption of the Library Bill of Rights and the creation of the Intellectual Freedom Committee (1939- 1940), and extended through the first appearance of the Freedom to Read statement (1953) and the Library Bill of Rights (1967) to the incorporation of the Freedom to Read Foundation in 1969. (These and many other fascinating library history documents appear in appendices.) This book’s great strength is its dispassionate and detailed account of the profession’s response to McCarthyism in the post-war period, which should be required reading for those born too late to appreciate what this era was all about. (Unfortunately, a few of Robbins’ terse references may leave them wondering who was Gathings, for example, and why was his committee created to investigate “immoral, offensive and other undesirable matter?“) Discussion of race issues and the censorship of books for sexual content, as well as the Right’s campaign against the alleged liberal bias of librarians, although rooted in earlier practices, is postponed (as indeed ALA long neglected addressing them) until the next-to-last chapter, and does not receive as comprehensive treatment. In her final chapter, Robbins suggests that the challenges of 1939- 1969 enabled the profession’s leaders (many of them, she points out, were not in positions of institutional authority), to socialize librarians to a view of themselves as defenders of democratic values whose professional obligation to represent all ideas on their shelves was sacrosanct. She writes: Librarians embraced both their new role as educators for democracy and their new interest in intellectual freedom for library users as ways of claiming a socially significant role and protecting their autonomy in book selection. In so doing, however, [they] often acted selflessly, even courageously and idealistically. (p. 152)

Censorship and the American Library constitutes an important chapter in our professional history, and, as such, should be acquired by all large public and academic libraries supporting studies library science and intellectual history.-Beverly Miller, Reference/Interlibrary Loan Librarian, Albertsons Library, Boise State University, 1910 University drive, Boise, ID 83725 cbmiller @ bsu.idbsu.edu>. Checklist of Library Building Design Considerations, by William W. Sannwald, 3rd. ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 1997. 169~. $30.00. ISBN O-8389-33466-8. The Checklist is designed as a practical guide for any individual or group planning or thinking about planning a library building project. The reader is lead through 1,500 questions, ranging from site selection to the dedication ceremony. The intent is to insure that no building element is overlooked. The questions are grouped into chapters covering: site selection; planning and architecture; exterior considerations; internal

organization; ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility; communications, electrical and miscellaneous equipment; interior design; shelving; building systems; safety and security; maintenance considerations; and ceremonies. Each question has a yes, no, or N/A (not applicable) category for check off with space to append comments. The font is clear and the book is easy to read. Good margins allow for notes beyond the comment lines provided. All of this makes this book an ideal general guide for librarians and others involved in planning or working on a building project. A bibliography is included to identify further information when more is needed. The author has performed a valuable service to the profession in creating this checklist. Considering the time it would take to recreate this, it is well worth the price. Libraries with strong collections in library science or considering any building project will want a copy. Any librarian with building project responsibilities will want to have a desk copy close by.-Allan W. Bosch, Acting Director, Monroe County Public Library System, 700 Fleming St., Key West, FL 33040. Electronic Resources: Selection and Bibliographic Control, edited by Ling-yuh W. Pattie and Bonnie Jean Cox. New York: Haworth, 1996. 252~. $39.95. ISBN l-56024-847-5. I chuckled as I unwrapped the package and read the title of the book, Electronic Resources: Selection and Bibliographic Control. How incongruous, I thought, for the format to be print, rather than electronic! It is, of course, indicative of where we are right now, with a foot in each world, one print, the other electronic. The first thing that I did when I picked up this book was to flip to the back and check out the index. If a book is poorly indexed, its value plummets. I was not disappointed in the index; it is a good one. And it is a good omen about the usefulness of this monograph. The editors provide good coverage on the selection and bibliographic control of electronic resources, which they aptly liken to “nailing Jell-O to a tree.” Chapters range from the practical, like Petty Johnson’s on developing a local decision-making matrix and writing guidelines for developing an electronic information resources policy statement, to the conceptual, like Diane Hillmann’s on the relationship between traditional library online public access catalogs (OPACs) and the World Wide Web. Chapters describe relatively new standards and tools, and assess their potential for the future. The international aspect is also covered. Giles Martin describes the control of electronic resources in Australia. Dennis Nicholson and Mary Steele discuss the United Kingdom’s CATRIONA Project, an OPAC-based approach to cataloging sources on the Internet. The subjects are diverse and each chapter can stand alone. This monograph follows the well-worn Haworth path of simultaneous publication. Electronic Resources was published as Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, volume 22, numbers 314 (1996). The monograph has added usefulness because of its thorough index. Some of the chapters have an “author note,” which describes the author’s background and provides insight as to why that individual is qualified to write on the subject. I like this feature and I wish that each chapter included an author note. In fact, I wish that every published compilation of readings had this feature. Right now, Electronic Resources stands alone as a monograph in the field. I recommend it for any reader who is searching for a thorough, well-rounded, and inclusive compendium on

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