reviews.indd Book Reviews 577 databases—in 1962, a company called Photon found a way to hook its photo unit onto a mainframe and uploaded the Na- tional Library of Medicine’s Index Medicus. Phototypesetting sounded the death knell for the unionized press operators. In the last section, “Life Aft er Type,” Sonn discusses the development of the computer and its impact on the printed word. In explaining how computer net- works are modeled on the human brain, he makes a complex topic fascinating and easy to understand. He observes that computers have brought us full circle; religious leaders point out today, just as in Martin Luther’s time, that modern meth- ods of communication are ruining society. Also, computers and desktop printers have freed us to produce our own work like the cave painters, with no need to send it to a print shop. Just as in the inven- tion of the printing press, though, the real revolution that computers have wrought is in our thinking—Sonn observes that “once again, our place in the cosmos shifted when the way we retrieved and used information changed.” In outlining the history of printing, Sonn touches on a great variety of subjects, humanizing previously one-dimensional historical figures and events. While indi- vidual stories are interesting and the tone refreshingly lighthearted and at times hilarious, the sheer amount of detail is often overwhelming. The result is a book that can be a little tedious if read as a nar- rative, but it would be extremely useful as a research tool. Sonn provides extensive footnotes and a detailed and accurate index and bibliography.—Henriett a Thorn- ton-Verma, DeVry Institute of Technology Last One Out Turn Off the Lights: Is This the Future of American and Canadian Libraries? Eds. Susan E. Cleyle and Louise M. McGillis. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2005. 227p. alk. paper, $45 (ISBN 081085192X). LC 2004-20419. Despite the rather pessimistic tone of its title, the contributors to this collection of essays are, for the most part, true believers in the mission of libraries and the work of librarians. What they do insist upon is the need for libraries to transform (or perhaps continue to transform) themselves as the world and our users change. Two Cana- dian librarians edit the collection: Susan Cleyle is associate university librarian at Memorial University of Newfoundland; Louise M. McGillis serves at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, also in Newfoundland. But aside from the preface on the future of Libraries and Archives of Canada by former national librarian Roch Carrier, the questions and concerns raised by the book’s Canadian and U.S. contributors seem to differ very little. The real point here is not that Canadian librarians of- fer a diff erent point of view, but that we Americans need to listen and learn from our professional counterparts elsewhere in North America and the world. The pointed title of this volume is a gentle reminder that we Americans, who regard ourselves as world leaders in everything (even librari- anship!), perhaps need to walk along with others more and lead a litt le less. The introductory essay to the volume is entitled “Change the Lightbulb or Flip the Switch—Our Choice!” Cleyle and McGillis muse about why, when librarians claim to be so confident of our future, we keep writ- ing about and agonizing over our place in the information age. They note that the “come to us” ethic of service will no longer work; instead, we need a “get the service to you” model. Each essay in the book of- fers a different perspective on how to get services to users—all those nonusers and lapsed users who have fled to the Internet, and even our fellow professionals and paraprofessionals. Some are more practi- cal, “how-to” articles; others are thought- ful pieces on the roles of libraries and how we as librarians can move forward and yet also “preserve what is good.” The collection is divided into five parts, each focused on a diff erent theme or concern. The first part, “The Tug of War between Libraries and the Web: Who Will End Up in the Dirt?,” is the most practical, offering suggestions on how 578 College & Research Libraries libraries can manage to keep up with our technologically savvy users. Contributor Irene McDermott compares the Internet to microwave ovens: while microwaves warm food up very well, and they’re great for a meal at the end of a long day, no one thinks the microwave means the era of real cooking is at an end. The microwave’s appeal lies in its speed and convenience, and it satisfies most of us at least some of the time. McDermott’s essay reviews some technologies (cell phones, wireless) that aren’t quite new anymore, but her main thrust is that we need to meld new tech- nologies into our services if we are to re- main relevant. Similarly, Amanda Etches- Johnson’s contribution explores the uses of blogs to encourage communication with users. Stephen Good takes a more contrar- ian view in his essay “Library Prophets and Library Pornographers.” He cautions against judging all library services by their “information technology quotient.” The library pornographer “wants to seduce you with technological possibilities” and “has no regard for people.” Good reminds us about the “poor, stupid, old, crazy, illiterate, ugly, uneducated, lonely, des- perate, homeless” who visit our libraries. We might get so hypnotized by technol- ogy that we forget about the people we are meant to serve, and that books, quiet spaces, and story time are still things that libraries need to off er. Part 2 focuses on “library as place.” Two case studies provide examples of li- braries transforming their physical spaces into attractive and meaningful places. Ruth E. Kifer reviews the creation of the Johnson Center Library at George Mason University, including its physical setup, its services, and its record of success in the eight years since it opened. Kifer cautions, though, that the renovation of physical spaces is not sufficient; the real emphasis needs to be on “library as people.” In his essay tracing the history of Vancouver’s first Carnegie Library, Paul Whitney reminds us of the traditional notion of library as civic space. Vancouver’s Carn- egie, built in 1902, was meant to serve the November 2006 city’s middle class and “aspiring poor.” Its classical design was meant to inspire, to symbolize the triumph of good over evil, and to remind visitors of the value of books and reading. As Vancouver ’s population and business center shifted, though, the library faced demolition in the late 1960s. An effort to save the build- ing was successful, and now the library serves as a different kind of civic space. Open 365 days a year, it offers not only reading material but classes, counseling from onsite social workers, a kitchen, and a safe haven from the streets. The dig- nity of the building itself, says Whitney, ensured its survival and safeguards the dignity of the people who visit it. Patricia Jobb’s essay on how to tackle funding cuts in school libraries suggests that partner- ing with public libraries and sharing job responsibilities may be the best solution. Public libraries, which already routinely serve schoolchildren, could serve as the home base for school librarians. In Part 3, authors Roy Tennant, John Teskey, and Melody Burton discuss the “consequences of pushing to the desk- top.” Tennant argues that we as librarians have not owned up to our responsibility for making information easily accessible and usable. During the creation of Ya- hoo and Google, librarians were just “bystanders.” Somewhat extravagantly, I think, Tennant claims that the Web has provided us with “the very means of our salvation”—the way to woo back lost users. We must better integrate technol- ogy into libraries, “complicate things on the back ends of our systems in order to simplify the front ends.” Teskey is a bit more optimistic: he suggests that libraries have done such a good job of embedding themselves into the work of readers and researchers that people don’t know whom to thank! Our error, he writes, is not to brand our services more. Burton’s article offers views about the future of libraries that range from the utopian to the dystopian. She presents some assumptions about what will work (or work better) in the future: linking tech- Book Reviews 579 nologies, federated searching, informa- tion commons, institutional repositories. The existence of a consumer mentality in society needs to drive library services; this is Ranganathan adapted to the 21st century, claims Burton. (Though she un- doubtedly means to be provocative, this reader is a bit troubled by the notion that “mass consumption,” as Burton puts it, should drive our values and services). Burton also explores some possible fu- tures for academic libraries, from one in which there is “free, unrestricted ac- cess to everything,” to “a ‘cut and paste’ world where information is recycled and is reproduced with diminishing luster.” While Burton closes with an emphasis on the need for libraries to change to meet users’ expanded expectations, she makes clear that we are perfectly positioned to help students manage new technologies. “Printing or e-mailing journal articles is not a substitute for reading and learning,” and librarians can be the instruments for facilitating that learning. Professional certification serves as the theme of Part 4. Ernie Ingles and Allison Sivak argue that long-term, formalized education through certification is the ap- propriate way to manage the need for con- tinuing professional development. Their article also reviews the results of the 8Rs Canadian Library Human Resource Study. Alison Nussbaumer offers a contrary view in her article: certification will not change the public’s perceptions of librar- ians, nor will it raise our salaries. Barbara Stripling’s article is a useful compilation of the issues surrounding certifi cation and, as one might expect from the chair of the certification task force for the American Library Association–Allied Professional Association, comes down on the pro-cer- tification side. The entire discussion of certification, as one of the authors points out, is symptomatic of librarians’ lack of confidence in their skills and their ability to shape the future of libraries. The final section of the volume deals with library associations and the role they can play in shaping the profession. Mary Ellen K. Davis and Helen H. Spalding put the American and Canadian Library Associations into the wider context of professional associations: how they came to be, how their memberships and missions change. This useful overview is somewhat marred by the authors’ rehearsal of the already tired description of generational differences and their possible effect on Statement of ownership, management, and circulation College & Research Libraries, ISSN 0010-0870, is published bimonthly by the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, 50 E. Hu- ron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795 (the owner). The editor is Willliam Gray Pott er, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, GA 30602-1641, and the managing editor is Dawn Mueller, ACRL, 50 East Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Annual subscription price, $70.00. Printed in U.S.A. with second-class postage paid at Chicago, Illinois. As a nonprofi t organization authorized to mail at special rates (DMM Section 424.12 only), the purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes have not changed during the preceding twelve months. Extent and nature of circulation (Average figures denote the average number of copies printed each issue during the preceding twelve months; actual figures denote actual number of copies of single issue published nearest filing date: September 2006 issue.) 15a. Total number of copies (Net press run): average 14,386; actual 14,625. 15b(1) Paid/Requested Outside County: average 13,701; actual 14,125. 15c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: average 13,932; actual 13,698. 15d(1). Free distribution by Mail Outside-County: average 22; actual 22. 15f. Total free dis- tribution: average 22; actual 22. 15g. Total Distribution: average 13,954; actual 13,720. 15h. Copies not Distributed: average 432; actual 415. 15i. Total: average 14,386; actual 14,135. 15j. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: average 99%; actual 99%.