College and Research Libraries


164 I College & Research Libraries • March 1977 

of Library and Information Science, State 
University of New York at Albany. · 

Advances in Librarianship. Volume 6. Edit-
ed by Melvin J. Voigt and Michael H. 
Harris. New York: Academic Press, 1976. 
291p. $16.00. LC 79-88675. ISBN 0-12-
785006-6. 
Advances· in Librarianship is a major 

work in the field of librarianship, for col-
lected in one volume is a presentation of 
current trends, issues, and problems on 
topics that are not only timely, but of in-
valuable interest and concern to practition-
ers and scholars. The first five volumes of 
Advances were edited by that meticulous 
scholar, Melvin J. Voigt. In assembling the 
sixth volume, he has been joined by an 
erudite library educator, Michael H. Harris. 

This welcome new volume to the review 
literature is significant, for the major thrust 
of the work speaks to the vexing questions 
of accountability, productivity, and per-
formance. It is the goal of the editors that 
this emphasis ~'will prove of use to librari-
ans struggling with the problem of mean-
ingfully assessing the value of the library's 
services to the community." In this period 
of mandated budgetary cuts and fiscal 
crisis, which have made for financially 
strapped libraries, librarians who must fight 
for and justify every morsel of funding will 
find these observations and conclusions very 
beneficial, 

The four papers that illuminate the prob-
lems are ~'Performance Measures for School 
Librarians·; Complexities and Potential," by 
Evelyn H. Daniel, "Productivity Measure-
ment in Academic Libraries," by Thomas 
J. Waldhart and Thomas P. Marcum, "Rele-
vance: A Review of the Literature and a 
Framework for Thinking on the Notion in 
Information Science," by Tefko Saracevic, 
and "The Impact of Reading on Human 
Behavior: The Implications of Communica-
tions Research," by Roger Haney, Michael 
H. Harris, and Leonard Tipton. 

Apart from their intrinsic merit, if these 
four essays indicate anything, it is the im-
perative need for librarians to have the 
skills to make an interdisciplinary analysis 
of the performance of their libraries in 
meeting the needs of their user communi-
ties. 

The remaining two papers in this volume 

also represent important contributions to 
the field. Donald Davinson has done for li-
brary education in Europe what Lester 
Asheim did for library education in North 
America in volume 5 of this series. In paint-
ing a broad picture of library education on 
the European continent, Davinson exhibits 
an encyclop~dic familiarity with the litera-
hire of several disciplines and the trends in 
European library education. American li-
brary and information science educators as 
well as others will find this essay an im-
mensely -stimulating study that may very 
well serve as a good background paper for 
a seminar on comparative librarianship. 

Beverly Lynch, former Executive Secre-
tary of the Association of College and Re-
search Libraries, focuses on . a topic of con-
siderable interest · to the profession, "The 
Role of Middle Managers in Libraries." Her 
essay is a hard-headed, fruitful examination 
of the current role of that hybrid, "the 
middle manager," including elements in the 
library environment that make for coopera-
tive or competitive relationships. This com-
prehensive analysis of such a timely topic 
not only sheds much needed light on the 
subject, but the sources of material for the 
essay also · constitute one of its major 
strengths. 

Turning to the organization of the vol-
ume; the editors have followed the ap-
proach of previous volumes. Each essay is 
so structured that the reader is fortunate 
in that there is an outline of the major sub-
jects under consideration. In addition there 
are copious references, and each essay is 
well written and documented. The inclusion 
of the table of contents of previous volumes 
and the excellent author and subject 
indexes enhance the reference value of the 
volume. · 

Each succeeding year this tome clearly 
demonstrates its uniqueness as an indis-
pensable research tool.-E. ]. Josey, Chief, 
Bureau of Specialist Library Services, New 
York State Education Department. 

Shera, Jesse H. Introduction to Library Sci-
ence: Basic Elements of Library Science. 
Library Science Text Series. Littleton, 
Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1976. 
208p. $10.00. LC 76-21332. ISBN 
0-87287-173-8. 
Designed as a textbook for an introduc-