College and Research Libraries Recent Publications BOOK REVIEWS COllEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES Lyle, Guy R. The Administration of the College Library, reviewed by Ambrose Easterly 0 327 Fox, Peter. Reader Instruction Methods in Academic Libraries, reviewed by Hannelore Rader 328 Daiute, Robert J ., and Gorman, Kenneth A. Library Operations Research, reviewed by Robert E. Kemper 0 0 0 0 0 • • • • • • • • 329 Harris, Michael H. A Guide to Research in American Library History, reviewed by Kenneth G. Peterson . . . . . . . 0 • 0 • • • 0 • • 0 0 0 • • • 330 Morehead, Joe. Introduction to United States Public Documents, reviewed by Alan Edward Schorr . . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 331 Vesenyi, Paul E. An Introduction to Periodical Bibliography, reviewed by Judith Cannan 0 332 Fenichel, Carol, ed. Changing Patterns in Information Retrieval, reviewed by Charles P. Bourne . 0 0 0 0 0 • 0 0 • 0 • • • • • • • 0 • 0 333 Pflug, Warner W., comp. and ed. A Guide to the Archives of Labor History and Urban Af- fairs, Wayne State University, reviewed by Richard Strassberg 0 • 0 0 334 Holroyd, Gileon, ed. Studies in Library Management, reviewed by J. Wayne Baker 335 Other Publications of Interest to Academic Librarians 336 Abstracts 340 Lyle, Guy R. The Administration of the College Library. 4th ed. New York: Wil- son, 1974. 320p. $9.00, paper. (LC 74- 18427) (ISBN 0-8242-0552-9) This fourth edition of a library science classic, written by a librarian with not only extensive academic library administrative experience but also considerable experience in library education, continues the fine tra- dition of the previous editions which have been read by generations of library school students, as well as practicing librarians, since they first appeared in 1944. Lyle is ar- . ticulate, readable, and eminently qualified to be its author. The work itself is a combination of a synthesis of relevant literature and research, examples drawn from specific libraries, ob- servations based on experience and visits to libraries, and the philosophy of the au- thor. In edition four, although Lyle con- tinues to thank others for constructive criti- cism, the co-authors of previous editions are not credited. He carefully distinguishes be- tween college and university library admin- istration and for the latter refers the reader to the books by Wilson and Tauber, and Rogers and Weber. Lyle's emphasis how- ever, as. is his experience, is on administra- tion of the library in the private four-year college, to the neglect of the public college, and especially the public community col- lege. Revision, in this edition, was accom- plished by rewriting and rearranging from earlier editions, by omission, and by ex- panding and updating data, statistics, infor- mation, and terminology. Foofl.l:otes come at the end of the chapters which remain the same in number and arrangement as in edi- tion three. The bibliography, a most valu- able feature for the reader, has been re- worked and expanded with recent citations. Although Lyle still quotes and cites Brans- comb, Bixler, Kuhlman, Shores, and others of a prior era, he also cites more recent writers: Knapp, Jordan, Oboler, Axford, and others. Not all the answers to problems in aca- demic librarianship are covered here. Lyle's philosophy keeps him from strongly endors- ing faculty status for librarians or participa- tory management by staff in academic li- braries. He also seems less than fully enthu- siastic about the use of student library as- sistants, a practice which is surely accepted I 327 328 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.