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Library orthodoxies: A decade of change
Informorion Processing & Uanagemenl Printed in Great Britain.
Vol. 28. No. 4. pp. 529-546,
1992 Copyright
0
0306473/92 $5.00 + .CKl 1992 Pergamon Press Ltd.
BOOK REVIEWS Library Orthodoxies: A Decade of Change. B. CRONIN. Taylor Graham, (1991). iii + 248 pp., $46.00, ISBN O-947568-46-8.
London
and Los Angeles
“
I shall attempt to review the work of some of the better known trend-spotters and forecasters . _ .” (p. 18). This quotation from one of the papers can characterize this paperback volume of 19 reprinted papers previously published from 1981-1991. Three of the papers had a co-author (Laurence Bebbington, Ann Clarke, and Irene Martin). A rather self-conscious Introduction by Cronin describes the volume as “a personal retrospect on a turbulent decade” (p. l), admits to a “somewhat hectoring style” (p. 3), and notes his interest in assailing orthodoxies, insularity, and smugness. Yet it is a retrospect only in the sense of a painter’s retrospect: A presentation of work done in the past. It is not, and does not claim to be, a study of the 1980s from the perspective of 1991. Cronin writes well with an adventurous vocabulary (instantiate, punter, soidisant), a taste for new coinages (forewardcasting, corpocracy), and apenchant for the foreign word. Unexplained British terminology (rate-capping, CoFHE, council estates, Transbinary) is a defect for non-British readers. The papers contain allusions to the U.S.A. and other countries but the emphasis is on the British library scene: University libraries, public libraries, education for librarianship, marketing library services, information technology, and so on. The papers are critical rather than descriptive. They do not tell us very much about the British library scene. They were admonishings aimed at British librarians. The general theme is that librarians, library services, and schools of librarianship should adapt to change, should take more initiative, and should explore new niches and new opportunities in a changing world. Their emphasis should shift from “conservateur” to “animateur.” The papers are reprinted photographically which, while economical, has disadvantages: Misprints have not been corrected, some of the type has become too small for comfortable reading, and revision is impossible. Reprinting papers without revision, supplement, or a postscript is a missed opportunity for re-evaluation and revision of what was said and of what has happened since the paper was written. A 1983 paper on social skills for librarians holds up better than 1983 paper on expert systems, which seems particularly dated. No index has been provided. This food for thought is not composed of delectable desserts, nor of a solid main dishes, but of savory appetizers. Stimulating ideas are advanced, but details are presented only in a sketchy fashion and counterarguments are generally absent. One might have some reservations, for example, about the validity of comparing the work of reference librarians to the extermination of cockroaches and to airport baggage handling, but Cronin presents ideas to make a point and then moves on. Occasionally a disclaimer is made explicitly (e.g. “This is, of course, something of an over-simplification, but it does contain a significant grain of truth.“, p. 178). There is a concrete proposal, that universities should capture control of scholarly publishing, but the feasibility and wisdom of this proposal are not explored. As a result the papers are stimulating rather than satisfying. Cronin is an advocate of nichemanship. He has created a niche for himself as a spotter of trendspotters. The choice is between reading this collection of (mostly) good, but aging, U.K.-oriented papers or, instead, spending one’s time scanning the contemporary literature for articles that may not be so well written, but which would be more current. .
.
.
School of Library and Information University of California Berkeley, CA
Human Resource Management York and London
(1991).
MICHAEL BUCKLAND
Studies
in Libraries: Theory and Practice. R. RUBIN. Neal-Schuman, $39.95, ISBN 1-55570-087-X.
New
vii + 430 pp.,
According to the author’s own description, this book is written as “. . . a useful source of information and guidance on human resource management for library managers, administrators, other in529
Vol. 28. No. 4. pp. 529-546,
1992 Copyright
0
0306473/92 $5.00 + .CKl 1992 Pergamon Press Ltd.
BOOK REVIEWS Library Orthodoxies: A Decade of Change. B. CRONIN. Taylor Graham, (1991). iii + 248 pp., $46.00, ISBN O-947568-46-8.
London
and Los Angeles
“
I shall attempt to review the work of some of the better known trend-spotters and forecasters . _ .” (p. 18). This quotation from one of the papers can characterize this paperback volume of 19 reprinted papers previously published from 1981-1991. Three of the papers had a co-author (Laurence Bebbington, Ann Clarke, and Irene Martin). A rather self-conscious Introduction by Cronin describes the volume as “a personal retrospect on a turbulent decade” (p. l), admits to a “somewhat hectoring style” (p. 3), and notes his interest in assailing orthodoxies, insularity, and smugness. Yet it is a retrospect only in the sense of a painter’s retrospect: A presentation of work done in the past. It is not, and does not claim to be, a study of the 1980s from the perspective of 1991. Cronin writes well with an adventurous vocabulary (instantiate, punter, soidisant), a taste for new coinages (forewardcasting, corpocracy), and apenchant for the foreign word. Unexplained British terminology (rate-capping, CoFHE, council estates, Transbinary) is a defect for non-British readers. The papers contain allusions to the U.S.A. and other countries but the emphasis is on the British library scene: University libraries, public libraries, education for librarianship, marketing library services, information technology, and so on. The papers are critical rather than descriptive. They do not tell us very much about the British library scene. They were admonishings aimed at British librarians. The general theme is that librarians, library services, and schools of librarianship should adapt to change, should take more initiative, and should explore new niches and new opportunities in a changing world. Their emphasis should shift from “conservateur” to “animateur.” The papers are reprinted photographically which, while economical, has disadvantages: Misprints have not been corrected, some of the type has become too small for comfortable reading, and revision is impossible. Reprinting papers without revision, supplement, or a postscript is a missed opportunity for re-evaluation and revision of what was said and of what has happened since the paper was written. A 1983 paper on social skills for librarians holds up better than 1983 paper on expert systems, which seems particularly dated. No index has been provided. This food for thought is not composed of delectable desserts, nor of a solid main dishes, but of savory appetizers. Stimulating ideas are advanced, but details are presented only in a sketchy fashion and counterarguments are generally absent. One might have some reservations, for example, about the validity of comparing the work of reference librarians to the extermination of cockroaches and to airport baggage handling, but Cronin presents ideas to make a point and then moves on. Occasionally a disclaimer is made explicitly (e.g. “This is, of course, something of an over-simplification, but it does contain a significant grain of truth.“, p. 178). There is a concrete proposal, that universities should capture control of scholarly publishing, but the feasibility and wisdom of this proposal are not explored. As a result the papers are stimulating rather than satisfying. Cronin is an advocate of nichemanship. He has created a niche for himself as a spotter of trendspotters. The choice is between reading this collection of (mostly) good, but aging, U.K.-oriented papers or, instead, spending one’s time scanning the contemporary literature for articles that may not be so well written, but which would be more current. .
.
.
School of Library and Information University of California Berkeley, CA
Human Resource Management York and London
(1991).
MICHAEL BUCKLAND
Studies
in Libraries: Theory and Practice. R. RUBIN. Neal-Schuman, $39.95, ISBN 1-55570-087-X.
New
vii + 430 pp.,
According to the author’s own description, this book is written as “. . . a useful source of information and guidance on human resource management for library managers, administrators, other in529