College and Research Libraries


Recent PublicatioilS 

COLLEGE 
& RESEARCH 

LIBRARIES 

Barr, Keith, and Line, Maurice, eds. Essays on Information and Libraries, re-
viewed by Marion A. Milczewski 275 

Duckett, Kenneth W. Modern Manuscripts: A Practical Manual for Their Man-
agement, Care and Use, reviewed by Clyde C. Walton . 276 

Cowley, John, ed. Libraries in Higher Education: The User Approach to Service, 
reviewed by Kathleen M. Heim . 277 

Dunkin, Paul S. Bibliography: Tiger or Fat Cat? reviewed by C. Donald Cook 278 

Cook, Margaret G. The Ne;; Library Key, 3d ed., reviewed by Mary W. George 278 

Downs, Robert B., and Keller, Clara D. How to Do Library Research, 2d ed., 
reviewed by Mary W. George . 278 

Oluwasanmi, Edwina; McLean, Eva; and Zell, Hans. Publishing in Africa in the 
Seventies, reviewed by Hans E. Panofsky . 280 

Beeler, Richard J., ed. Evaluating Library Use Instruction, reviewed by Peter 
P. Olevnik . 280 

Foster, Donald L. Managing the Catalog Department, reviewed by Dorothy P. Ladd 281 

Other Publications of Interest to Academic Librarians . 282 

BOOK REVIEWS 

Barr, Keith, and Line, Maurice, eds. Essays 
on Information and Libraries. Festschrift 
for Donald Urquhart. Hamden, Conn.: 
Linnet Books, 1975. 211p. (LC 75-11651) 
(ISBN 0-208-01370-9) 
Donald Urquhart, for whom this fest-

schrift was prepared, comes through in 
strong outline, if not full portrait, in the 
several contributions by his colleagues, 
-principally, but not entirely British. It was 
fortunate that the editors had available, and 
chose as the first contributions, the doctoral 
honorary degree presentations from Heriot-
Watt University, the University of Salford, 
and from the University of Sheffield, this 
last where he earned a doctorate in metal-
lurgy in 1938. While most of his colleagues 
chose to write about his chief contributions 
which were the establishment, develop-
ment, successful operation, and enlarge-

ment of miSSion of the National Lending 
Library for Science and Technology, his 
many other contributions are not slighted. 
Coming through most clearly are his chal-
lenge to orthodox librarianship and the 
changes in outlook and subsequent work 
of the Library Association of which he not 
only became a member, but president for 
two years, and a moving spirit for the bet-
terment of the profession and of library 
services which he and the association 
espouse. 

American librarians, in spite of, or be-
cause of, the size and strength of our 
country, tend to believe that all, or at least 
most all, advancement in our fields of com-
petence occur here. The fact that they have 
not may disturb us momentarily. Donald 
Urquhart's contribution to the profession, 
however, may hopefully stimulate us to 
thought and to acceptance and emulation 
of his very direct attack on problems which 

I 275 



276 I College & Research Libraries • May 1976 

plague us now, as they plagued his country. 
In addition to a description of the solu-

tions to provision of scientific literature 
quickly to those who need it, the festschrift 
contains some chapters not directly related 
to his endeavors, but as tribute offerings in 
his honor. Particularly useful to this review-
er were those of Donald Urquhart's suc-
cessor, M. B. Line, on "Demystification in 
Librarianship and Information Science," 
and B. J. Enright's "Bibliochlothanasia: Li-
brary Hygiene and the Library." 

Since a festschrift is a very personal kind 
of work, a review of it may be excused for 
being personal also, if only because the re-
viewer had the opportunity in 1964 with 
other ARL Board members to meet with 
Dr. Urquhart, and to have a personally 
conducted tour of the young NLLST and 
an explanation of its origins, its workings, 
and a glance into the future. The only re-
gret remaining is that a continuing personal 
association could not have developed on 
that base. But Seattle is a transpolar flight 
from London and Boston Spa. A substitute 

~ in the form of reading, as they appeared, 
of most of Donald Urquhart's library and 
information journal articles, is only second 
best to continuous dialogue with him. 

One can only envy those individuals in 
the United Kingdom and his European col-
leagues who had the privilege of closer and 
more intimate professional association. 

Having once been ill served by the pub-
lication of a book in poor format, this re-
viewer can comment on the poor format of 
this festschrift in honor of Donald Urqu-
hart. The type face is so small that it takes 
some dedication to the task, or extreme in-
terest in Donald Urquhart, to read the fine 
print and to turn the stiff pages. Yet it was 
worth the effort to work through to the end 
because the subject is worth that effort.-
Marion A. Milczewski, Director of Li-
braries, University of Washington Libraries. 

Duckett, Kenneth W. Modem Manuscripts: 
A Practical Manual for Their Manage-
ment, Care and Use. Nashville, Tenn.: 
American Association for State and Local 
History, 1975. 375p. $16.00. (LC 75-
5717) (ISBN 0-910050-16-3) 

It is a pleasure to begin this review by 
saying that Ken Duckett has indeed written 

a very good book about manuscripts. As its 
title indicates, it is about modern manu-
scripts, and its "scope is limited to manu-
scripts of the seventeenth century to the 
present." The preface points out that the 
book is a manual "directed toward the 
novice curator" and that "it is intended to 
serve as a practical guide, not as an exposi-
tion of theory." The author is considerate 
in pointing out that his research terminated 
on January 1, 197 4, and that he was, there-
fore, unable to include information which 
appeared after that date. 

The book is organized so that after an in-
troduction by William T. Alderson, the ex-
ecutive secretary of the American Associa-
tion for State and Local History, and a 
preface by Duckett, the first chapter pre-
sents a "Survey of Manuscript Collecting." 
It is followed by chapters on administra-
tion; acquisitions: the mechanics and eth-
ics; physical care and conservation; estab-
lishing bibliographic control; information 
retrieval: automation, the computer, and 
microphotography; nonmanuscript material; 
use of collections; and public service. These 
nine chapters are followed by three ap-
pendixes, the first of which presents plans 
for a records center carton and for a flat-
storage manuscript box; the second is a ta-
ble of equivalents (cartons, Hollinger boxes 
and other containers, and their cubic-foot 
capacities; pages per box or per other con-
tainer; carton and contain~r weights; reduc-
tion ratios and reel/ cassette viewing 
times); and the third is a perpetual calen-
dar. These appendixes are followed by a 
"Directory," which is a guide to associa-
tions, publications, equipment, supplies, 
and service; by "Facsimilies-a list of items 
more commonly Jeproduced"; and then by 
the notes, which are quite excellent. Mter 
the notes comes a "Glossary of Selected 
Terms," then an extensive bibliography 
(twenty-five pages, with the items listed al-
phabetically by author). The volume con-
cludes with an index. 

The book is well written, accurate, and 
useful. Duckett's suggestion that it is "di-
rected toward the novice curator" is far too 
modest an appraisal. There is much here 
that will be of value to all curators, from 
the most experienced to the beginner, for 
while the beginner will get his · start here,