College and Research Libraries


should be of interest, therefore, to prospec-
tive specialists and novices, rather than to 
experienced practitioners already involved 
in maintaining the delicate balance between 
custodianship and exploitation. If nothing 
else, Cave's Rare Book Librarianship re-
minds those beyond the pale that even to-
day, in the time of the "now" generation, 
some of us continue to regard our profes-
sional responsibilities as threefold in nature 
-to the past, to the future, as well as to 
the present.-]ohn F. Guido, Head of Rare 
Books, . Archives, and Special Collections, 
State University of New York at Bingham-
ton. 

Edwards, Ralph M. The Role of the Begin-
ning Librarian in University Libraries. 
ACRL Publications in Librarianship no. 
37. Chicago: American Library Assn., 
1975. 120p. $6.50 (LC 75-30693) 
(ISBN 0-8389-3167-7) 
"What do librarians do when they are 

doing well as librarians?" Out of this gen-
eral perspective the author conducted a 
study of beginning librarians in eight U ni-
versity of California libraries to learn about 
the nature of their work. Among other 
questions he asked them, "Which of the 
tasks you are asked to perform on your 
present job would you define as less than 
professional?" The survey was conducted 
in early 1970; the disserta~ion which grew 
out of it earned a Ph.D. in 1972; and the 
book was published in 1975. 

Four of the seven chapters report that 
survey; the other three are an attempt to 
place the study in a larger historical per-
spective. The canvassing results are inter-
esting though hardly surprising; the larger 
perspective is very surprising though not 
terribly interesting. 

The larger perspective is, in fact, noth-
ing else than a review of the literature con-
cerned with library professionalism. The 
weakness in this, of course, is that one faces 
the very real . possibility of capturing a 
somewhat limited view of the real library 
world. What would happen years from 
now, for instance, if someone attempted 
such a perspective on university library ad-
ministration largely based on all the articles 
on this subject by library science faculty? 

I have other criticisms of the work. For 
one, the author has on too many occasions 

Recent Publications I 477 

proffered conclusions which are wider than 
the premises established in the survey. 
What is true of beginners is not necessarily 
or even often true of seasoned veterans. 
Neither can one conclude that the com-
puter is not playing a significant role in the 
professional work at the University of Cali-
fornia libraries just because it is not signifi-
cantly part of the beginner's role (page 
66). 

For another, in dealing with a definition 
of professionalism, he spotlights the sociol-
ogist's criterion of a body of knowledge in 
any valid profession. The author asserts 
that the only valid body of · knowledge 
which would fulfill the definition of profes-
sional for librarians is that which a subject 
specialist would have. 

The book .has value in its limited area of 
concern, viz., the types of functions which 
beginning librarians are allowed to perform. 
It raises serious questions for those begin-
ners, their supervisors, and administrators, 
just as it does for library educators. The 
author suggests that the beginner's in-
augural period be clearly established as an 

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478 I College & Research Libraries • September 1976 

in-service training program and that all 
concerned be aware of it. 

The book has value in that one can ana-
lyze the methodology of an interview re-
search procedure. The questions used are 
in an appendix and the results are clearly 
offered to the reader in the text. Readers 
can allow themselves to think of other ques-
tions that might have been asked. And they 
can provide themselves the luxury of sec-
ond-guessing the conclusions. The review 
of the literature in chapters 1, 2, and 7 
highlights the problem of professionalism 
for librarians. But as a larger historical per-
spective it leaves much to be desired. 

We will continue to wait for the final an-
swer about such professionalism, what it 
means, how one achieves it, and the means 
of getting others to accept it. This book 
makes one small contribution toward that 
answer. Hopefully, it will .encourage others 
to continue the research so we will no long-
er have to ask, "What do librarians do 
when they are doing well as librarians?"-
Leslie W. Sheridan, Director of University 
Libraries, The University of Toledo. 

University of California 
Union list 

of Serials 
tol76 

0 Current serial titles from all 
nine U. C. campuses 

0 KWOC format on 48x microfiche 
0 244,000 titles accessed through 

82,000 key words 
D Price: $75. 

Brochure supplied upon request 

UCULS Editor, ULAP, University of California 
2150 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, California 94720 

Adamovich, Shirley Gray, ed. Reader in Li-
brary Technology. Reader Series in Li-
brary and Information Science. Engle-
wood, Colo.: Microcard Editions Books, 
1975. 236p. $18.95. (LC 75-8051) 
(ISBN 0-910972-52-4) 
This volume successfully continues a se-

ries aimed at presenting a comprehensive 
overview of contemporary library concerns. 
It is primarily about library technical as-
sistants-their history, rationale, education, 
and use-and their relationship to the H-
brary profession. To some their existence 
is a thorny problem, to others a cause to 
espouse and a way of life. These points of 
view are reflected in the fifty-one pieces in 
the book, which include articles and statis-
tical studies. They have been selected main-
ly from recent periodical literature written 
by authorities in this area, from library edu-
cators and librarians to the practitioners 
themselves and a student. 

The collection touches most of the as-
pects of subgraduate education in library 
techniques and the use of such trained non-
professionals in diverse library situations. 
It is hoped that those seeking this informa-
tion will not be deflected from their aim by 
the title. This is not a book about library 
technology. It is a book about nonprofes-
sionals in libraries who have had training 
in library techniques and their impact. 

This does seem an area beset with con-
cerns over terminology, probably because 
of the very disparity of its parts. In one of 
the articles, Lester Asheim answers a list 
of ten, "I don't like the term ---," by 
saying, "Suggestions for ideal terminology 
are always welcome" (p.60). A better title 
for this book would be "Reader on the Li-
brary Technical Assistant."-Barbara R. 
Healy, Management Library, University of 
Rochester, Rochester, New York. 

Evans, Frank B., comp. Modern Archives 
and Manuscripts: A Select Bibliography. 
Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 
1975. 209p. $11.00. (LC 75-23058) 
(Order from Society of American Archi-. 
vists, University of Illinois at Chicago 
Circle, P.O. Box 8198, Chicago, IL 
60680.) 
This volume is a revised and enlarged 

version of the author's earlier bibliography