College and Research Libraries Recent Publications COllEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES Stevens, Norman D., ed. Essays for Ralph Shaw, reviewed by Dale M. Bentz . 515 Wijasuriya, D. E. K.; Lim, Huck Tee; and Nadarajah, Radha. The Barefoot Librarian, re- viewed by Henry Scholberg 516 Shores, Louis. Quiet World: A Librarian's Crusade for Destiny, reviewed by Helen M. Brown 517 Lancaster, F. Wilfrid, ed. Application of Minicomputers to Library and Related Problems, reviewed by Fay Zipkowitz 517 Panofsky, Hans E. A Bibliography of Africana, reviewed by Peter Duignan . 519 Foskett, D. J. Classification and Indexing in the Social Sciences, 2d ed., reviewed by Scott Bnmtjen . 520 Advances in Librarianship, Volume 5, reviewed by Richard O'Keeffe . 521 Reynolds, Michael M., and Daniel, Evelyn H., ed~. Reader in Library and Information Services, reviewed by Michael B. Binder 523 Balnaves, John, and Biskup, Peter. Australian Libraries, 2d ed., reviewed by Judith Cannan 524 Other Publications of Interest to Academic Librarians . 525 BOOK REVIEWS Stevens, Norman D., ed. Essays for Ralph Shaw. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1975. 212p. $8.00. (LC 75-6664) (ISBN 0- 8108-0815-3) This little volume pays tribute to a dis- tinguished librarian, truly a giant in the profession, but Ralph Shaw was more than a librarian. He was also a relentless teacher, an exacting inventor, a warm yet fierce per- sonality vividly portrayed in the opening essay by Lowell Martin in "Shaw the Per- son," part I of this book. To honor his mentor, Norman Stevens has skillfully assembled essays from out- standing contributors who studied with Shaw, and in most cases, completed doc- toral dissertations under his direction. The volume is divided into four parts: part I, "Shaw the Person"; part II, "Projects and Experiments"; part III, "Scientific Manage- ment and Statistics"; and part IV, "Theory and Philosophies." In addition, Stevens has written a fitting introduction as well as the final essay and an afterword on "The Aphorisms of Ralph Shaw." Those of us who knew Ralph well and worked with him on professional assignments appreciate being reminded of the "flavor" of the man th:r;ough his pithy statements. There is also a section on the contributors, each of whom has distingiushed himself during the last ten to fifteen years since receiving the doc- torate. Each essay contributes information on Shaw or the effect he had on librarianship, either directly or by inference through the kind of research instilled in the contributors by their former professor. This is particu- larly true in the second and concluding essay in part I by Theodore C. Hines, "Shaw and the Machine." Hines points out that Shaw was a "gad- get" man and inventor especially remem- bered for his rapid selector, the first com- plex piece of equipment designed for searching recorded information; his photo- clerk, a miniature photostat machine adapt- ed to clerical functions; and his system of transaction charging, a method of record- ing loan information by photography. Shaw's ideas made possible the Bibliogra- 1 515 516 I College & Research Librar·ies • November 1975 phy of Agriculture as we know it today and the Shaw-Shoemaker bibliographies which filled the gap in the U.S. national bibliog- raphy. Part II includes essays on "Adverse Drug Reaction Information in the Literature," by Robert F.· Clarke; "Libraries and Innova- tions," by Richard M. Dougherty; "Scholars in Residence," by Ira W. Harris; "The Real World of Continuing Education for Library Personnel," by Peter Hiatt; and "ESEA Ti- tle II Contributions to State Department of Education Leadership of School Media Programs," by Milbrey L. Jones. These five contributions are literally for Ralph Shaw, and they exemplify the kind of scholar- researcher he admired and demanded. To say that Ralph Shaw was intensely interested in scientific management and statistics would be an understatement. He was a library administrator who managed scientifically and a library school dean who insisted that his students study statistics. The essays in part III under these headings are: "Compound Growth in Libraries," by Fred Heinritz; "Turnover Rate: Basic Li- brary Statistics and Some Applicatioqs," by Theodore S. Huang; "Quali-Quanti as Out- put Performance Criteria," by Choong H. Kim; and "Inventory," by Henry Voos. The concluding essays in part IV are in- dicative of Ralph Shaw's own theories and philosophies. He would have taken pride in these former students who learn'ed their lessons well and who have articulated so many of his own ideas, or who, because of his tutelage, have communicated their own theories or projections so effectively. The contributions in this section are: Susan Artandi's "Theories of Information," Leon- ard Grundt' s "Cooperation Unlimited," Doralyn J. Hickey's "Public and Technical Library Services: A Revised Relationship," and Norman Stevens' "Beyond the Prom- ises of Automation." This is a thought-provoking book and one which Ralph Shaw would have liked and appreciated. It is a worthwhile contri- bution to library literature. The volume, judged in its entirety, i's the kind of re- search Shaw envisaged for his students.- Dale M. Bentz, University Librarian, U ni- versity of Iowa, Iowa City. Wijasuriya, D. E. K.; Lim, Huck Tee; and N adarajah, Radha. The Barefoot Librari- an: Library Developments in Southeast Asia with Special Reference to Malaysia. Hamden, Conn.: Linnet Books & Clive Bingley, 1975. 120p. $8.00. (LC 7 4- 30140) (ISBN 0-208-01366-0) This little book with the eloquent title plows a field that has probably not been plowed before; or, if it has, probably not as well. It is concise (about 100 pages of text) with a nine-page bibliography and an index. In the introduction the authors are apolo- getic: "The barefoot librarian," they write, "is perhaps the first book about Southeast Asian libraries by the Southeast Asians themselves." One suspects this may be the first book on Southeast Asian libraries, pe- riod. Beginning with chapter one, we have a general review of "the Southeast Asian en- vironment," followed in the next chapter with a country-by-country assessment of li- brary developments. (Excusably missing from the country list is North Vietnam.) Then follow three chapters on libraries in Malaysia. The concluding chapters deal with library education, professional associa- tions, and library cooperation. Whatever the sins of this work, they are more sins of omission than of commission. Missing are serious discussions of the influ- ence (if any) of the American Public Law 480 program on publishing and biblio- graphic control and the mechanics of the library operation -in public, university, and special libraries. As one who is familiar with almirahs and the somewhat antiquated notions of library service in some parts of South Asia, this reviewer would like to have read something about these aspects of library activity i'n Southeast Asia. We would have welcomed a composite picture of a typical barefoot li- brarian-together with his low wages, meager budget, and day-to-day problems of book preservation, circulation, bureauc- racy, cataloging, and acquisitions. Despite an index which could be more adequate (considering that the three au- thors are librarians), the authors are to be congratulated on a book full of solid data, meaningful and informative tables and sta- tistics, and a substantial bibliography.--- H enry Scholberg, Librarian, Ames · Library