College and Research Libraries


tory course in library science, this book well 
fulfills its purpose. The various chapters 
cover: library history through the centuries; 
the place of the libr~ as a social and cul-
tural force and as a responsible communica-
tion network in society; the importance of 
reading and of "knowing men and books"; 
librarianship in a new role in the field of in-
formation science and the study of informa-
tion processing devices and techniques such 
as computers and network systems; the 
"structure, organization and record," of the 
library and information science profession; 
the educational and research requirements. 

Two chapters in the book were written 
by other people: chapter 4, ccDeus ex 
machina,, by La Vahn Overmyer, a faculty 
member of the Case ·Western Reserve Li-
brary School, and chapter 8., "Library and 
Information Services," by Margaret Ander-
_son of the University of Toronto Library 
School faculty. 

This book provides an interesting and 
readable introduction to the field of librari-
anship and information science. Jesse Shera 
is a literary man, .a scholar, and a human-
ist. He writes well, with sophistication, and 
with a sense of humor. He cites authorities, 
and he expresses his own personal opinion 
and personal philosophy about the field of 
librarianship. He speaks for a balance be-
tween technology and scholarship and testi-
fies to the breadth and depth and richness 
of the library profession. In the prologue 
of his book, Shera says, c'The aim of this 
book, then, is not to introduce, much less 
to formulate, a philosophy of librarianship, 
or even to present a 'state of the art' sum-
mary, but rather to provide some insight 
into what librarianship is and the opportu-
nities it offers to one who might choose it , 
as a career. 

·. In the opinion of this reviewer, Dr. Shera 
achieves his goal and much more. His book 
is interesting, readable, entertaining, and 
a contribution to librarianship.-Martha 
Boaz, Dean, School of Library Science, 
University of Southern California, Los ·An-
geles. 

Gates, Jean Key. Introduction to Librarian-
ship. 2d ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 
1976. 288p. $9.95. LC 75-42316. ISBN 

·' 0-07-022977-5. 
The first edition of this book proved to 

Recent Publications I 165 

be a valuable introduction and guide to the 
basic elements of librarianship. The second 
edition continues the good work and is wel-
comed as an important title in the McGraw-
Hill Series in Library Education. The book 
has three major divisions: Part One, The 
Story of Libraries; Part Two, Librarianship 
as a Profession; and Part Three, Kinds of 
Libraries and Library Service. The two ap-
pendixes include Guides for Professional 
Performance and a Bibliography. 

Jean Gates, in the prologue, states that 
the book is about 'libraries, librarians, and 
librarianship. It offers indications and sug-
gestions about what they have been, what 
they are now, what they should be, and 
what they may become." The author says 
that the book is "introductory" in nature 
and proposes to introduce the student to 
the history of libraries and librarianship, to 
provide a basis for the understanding of li-
brary objectives and services, and to instill 
an appreciation of librarianship . as a pro-
fession. Included also is information about 
the various kinds of libraries, the types of 
library services, information about impor-
tant library leaders, about professional or-
ganizations, about library education, and 
about current problems, issues, and trends. 

For those persons who wish to pursue 
given topics to greater lengths there are ex-
cellent footnotes and bibliographical cita-
tions. The material is presented directly and 
clearly, and the book is an excellent text for 
an introductory foundation course in library 
science. It can also serve as a supplement 
to many other courses in the curriculum 
and should be required reading of every li-
brary school student.-Martha Boaz, Dean, 
School of Library Science, University of 
Southern .California, Los Angeles. 

Rayward, W. Boyd. The Universe of Infor-
mation: The Work of Paul Otlet for Doc-
umentation and International Organisa-
tion. (FID 520) Moscow: Published for 
International Federation for Documenta-
tion (FID) by All-Union Institute for 
Scientific and Technical Information 
(VINITI), 1975. 389p. 40 Dutch guil-
ders. (Available from International Fed-
eration for Documentation, 7 Hofweg, 
The Hague, Netherlands.) 
This is perhaps · the most depressing book 

that I have ever read-or at least in a class