College and Research Libraries


328 I College & Research Libraries • July 1975 

by now as one of the more successful re-
cruiting devices. Although the two chapters 
on selection and acquisition of materials are 
fuller and more specific than other sections, 
and constitute over 20 percent of the book, 
no emphasis is made of the desirability of 
having a written materials selection policy 
with respect to materials which may cause 
controversy. This is considered essential by 
many administrative librarians of all types 
of libraries. 

Lyle's relative isolation may account for 
his lack of significant coverage of some of 
the issues which have occupied the atten-
tion of academic librarians since edition 
three in 1961. For example, since 1961 
there has been an explosion in the growth 
and influence of community colleges to the 
point that in 197 4 it was reported that one-
half of those who enter college in the U.S. 
take this route initially. There have been 
great changes in methods of instruction and 
in information delivery systems such as self-
instruction packages; CLEP; CAl; dial ac-
cess; the use of videotape, television, films 
fed into classrooms from a central master 
control point which may be based in and 
a responsibility of the library; and the use of 
computers in libraries. Lyle does not con-
sider other recent developments, such as 
the mass of available instructional media 
materials; the problems of copyright and 
duplication; materials added to the collec-
tion by local production; the trend toward 
unionization of staffs; and the realization 
and acceptance of expanded library respon-
sibilities to the college community. 

This book will be useful to any college 
library administrator or college faculty 
member concerned about his library but is 
essential reading for the library school stu-
dent who hopes to be involved in college 
library administration.-Ambrose Easterly, 
Harper College Library, Palatine, Illinois. 

Fox, Peter. Reader Instruction Methods 
in Academic Libraries, 1973. (Cam-
bridge University Library Librarianship 
Series no. 1) Cambridge: The Universi-
ty Library, 1974. 70p. £1.00 (plus post-
ag~). 

This slim monograph is the result of a 
survey undertaken by the author in the 
summer of 1973 as partial requirement for 

an M.A. degree in librarianship at the Uni-
versity of Sheffield. The author bases his 
study on fifty-eight returned questionnaires 
sent to sixty-five British academic libraries. 
He also visited five academic libraries to 
supplement the information from the ques-
tionnaires. In the introduction the author 
explains the difference between library ori-
entation and bibliographic instruction, and 
throughout his work this difference is point-
ed out. 

The monograph itself is comprised of 
four parts and a lengthy bibliography. The 
first part provides an up-to-date overview 
of "reader instruction" in British academic 
libraries. It is pointed out that it is extreme-
ly difficult to measure the effect of "reader 
instruction" objectively. The need for li-
brary instruction has been repeatedly point-
ed out in various surveys of users. It is 
stated that British academic libraries still 
use the 1949 guidelines for "reader instruc-
tion" (they were produced by a working 
party of the University and Research Sec-
tion of the Library Association) though it 
is felt that these guidelines should be up-
dated. The author compares his survey with 
one undertaken in 1964-66 and demon-
strates thus that there has been an increase 
in library instruction, especially in the area 
of audiovisual typ~ of library instruction. 

The second part is concerned with print-
ed guides as used for "reader instruction." 
This is the largest section in the study be-
cause the author feels that the literature 
concentrates heavily on direct teaching 
methods and audiovisual aids to teach li-
brary use and that printed guides have 
been somewhat neglected. Tables which 
compare and summarize the survey demon-
strate that most libraries use some type of 
printed guide from the general handbook 
to the most specific and technical subject 
guide. Discussion of these various guides 
provides useful information for any librari-
an involved in the production of such 
items. Included in this chapter is also a 
brief discussion on the use of effective 
signs in the library to develop independent 
library use. 

The third section is concerned with vari-
ous types of library instruction for the be-
ginning undergraduate, the subject major 
and the graduate student. Included here is 
a discussion of audiovisual aids. 



The final chapter deals with the role of 
the "information officer" in British academ-
ic libraries. Should this type of librarian be 
an instructor or an information specialist? 

The entire study is filled with representa-
tive quotes from British and American li-
brary literature. This work should be re-
quired reading for any academic librarian 
interested and involved in library instruc-
tion of any kind.-Hannelore B. Rader, 
Orientation Librarian, Eastern Michigan 
University, Ypsilanti, Michigan. 

Daiute, Robert J ., and Gorman, Kenneth A. 
Library Operations Research. Dobbs 
Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana, 1974~ 368p. $25.00. 
(LC 73-20303) (ISBN 0-913338-01-X) 

Library Operations Research should not 
be the title of this work by a professor of 
management and a professor of quantitative 
methods, It would be more appropriate to 
title it In-Library Book Usage: A Case 
Study. The book details the application of 
a rather sophisticated computer-based sta-
tistical sampling method to the in-library 
book usage at Rider College. Those familiar 
with the development of the operations re-
search (OR) approach will recognize that the 
techniques used by Daiute and Gorman are 
but a fragment of the methodology of the 
operations research school of thought ( Op-
erations ·Research Society, PERT, linear 
programming, simulation techniques, heu-
ristic problem-solving). To equate a com-
puter-based sampling study to operations 
research is unfair to both librarians and op-
erations research advocates. 

Operations research people can be in-
credibly naive concerning the purpose of 
academic libraries (see p.100, "there is low 
utilization of the library for the purpose of 
reading books inside the library") . In their 
insensitivity to the people aspects ( quali-
fied, individual-oriented reference and re-
source personnel; readily accessible materi-
als; immediate seating space to browse, to 
sit, to read, to listen, to study, to view; 
copying service; and easy access and easy 
use) of academic library service, one can, 
nevertheless, argue that these OR technolo-
gists have taken a more macro, longer view 
of in-library book usage than their more hu-
manistic brethren. What Daiute and Cor-

Recent Publications I 329 

man tell us is that better methodology does 
need to be accepted in the long run, be-
cause deeper, largely competitive forces in 
the economy press them upon individual 
libraries. 

The authors state on page 257, "quantita-
tive standards serve to supplement the 
judgment of professional librarians. Statis-
tics cannot (repeat cannot) be used inde-
pendent of the competent librarian's judg-
ment." This same thinking should have 
been considered when the study was under-
taken. That is, a competent librarian would 
have been a welcomed addition to the 
team. Perhaps a people-oriented service 
point of ·view would have eliminated the 
'1ibrary is synonymous with reading syn-
drome" from which the authors must be 
suffering. There is some evidence (see 
p. 93) that the authors may have tried: "In 
one episode, for example, a subordinate ad-
ministrator would not permit several chairs 
to be put in place of a reading carrel in the 
library .... Only after the president inter-
vened were chairs installed." You are right, 
Bob and Ken, librarians even have to con-
vince other librarians that libraries are more 
than books and carrels. 

The authors present a much welcomed 
"Summary of the Book" at the beginning. 
It was here, though, that a good editor was 
needed. Instead of taking the reader by the 
hand and leading him through the material, 
a long and rambling summary resulted. In 
addition, the summary fails to indicate the 
audience for which the book was intended. 
If the book were intended for the library 
director, then it fails to provide easy-to-use 
guidelines. If the book were for the library 
researcher, it gives more detail than one 
really wants, e.g., on page 92 the attributes 
of Alpha Phi Omega are described. If the 
study were for those who want to know 
who the typical man or typical woman stu-
dent is, the results reflect only Rider Col-
lege and should not be applied to all aca-
demic libraries. 

Few libr~rians have ever questioned the 
value that statistical methodology offers li-
brary decision makers in selecting among 
alternative solutions to personnel utiliza-
tion, personnel costs, book costs, and over-
due book operations. However, the book of-
fers little more than how the methodology