College and Research Libraries
that the readership is meant to include both
library science students and practicing li-
brarians.
Some 100 library school faculty and
"several reference librarians" were polled
for their comments in the preparation of the
second edition. As a result of these con-
sultations, one major revision has been the
elimination of the "trends" chapters of the
first edition. Also, the rather lengthy listing
of LC subject headings in the earlier edition
for each humanities area is now reduced to
one: philosophy. (Given that library science
students and librarians alike have easy ac-
cess to LC subject heading lists, it seems
superfluous to fill more than four pages of
text reproducing the many headings and
subheadings of even one subject.)
The introduction serves as an informative,
yet succinct, bibliographic essay. As in the
first edition, the "humanities" include:
philosophy, religion, visual arts,· performing
arts, and language and literature. Special
concerns and problems of the humanities
scholar are underscored, notably "the pecu-
liarly personal and individualistic nature of
humanistic research," which mandates that
the humanities scholar cannot delegate bib-
liographic searching to others.
Following a chapter on "General Refer-
ence and Selection Aids in the H umani-
ties," there are major sections treating each
of the areas covered. Each subject area is
then divi9ed into distinct chapters on ac-
cessing information (an introductory biblio-
graphic essay to the subject), and principal
information sources (annotated entries,
chosen for selection or reference value, in
each subject area).
The final chapter, "The Computer and
the Humanities," also revised, provides an
updated discussion of research trends and
electronic data bases in the humanities and
points to another perennial problem of the
humanities researcher: the "occasional in-
compatibility between scholarly needs and
available computer-based information
sources." The author-title and subject in-
dexes are complete, well organized, and
essential for ready reference purposes.
From the standpoint of the practicing
librarian, surely the 1,200 annotated entries
constitute the heart of the work. Many of
the entries of the first edition that have
Recent Publications I 485
been eclipsed or surpassed are subsumed
into the annotations of the newer entries.
The annotations tend to be chiefly descrip-
tive, with evaluative comments in many
cases lim ted to "a first choice," "vital,"
"useful, " "essential." The length of anno-
tated comment apparently bears little rela-
tionship to the judged value of an entry.
For example, The New Cambridge Bib-
liography of English Literature is deemed
"of fundamental importance," yet rates but
a short paragraph, while Cabeen's Critical
Bibliography of French Literature ("of
prime importance") rates almost an entire
page of annotation. One item that could
well have been included with the numerous
checklists of literary criticism is Kearney &
Fitzgerald, The Continental Novel: A
Checklist of Criticism in English, 1900-
1966.
This second edition of The Humanities is
especially welcome to reference librarians in
academic (and public) libraries as a selection
and reference aid. As a classroom text in
library science, the usefulness and applica-
tion seem less clear.-Charles E. Perry,
North Texas State University, Denton.
The Role of the Humanities in the Public
Library. Edited by Robert N. Broadus
with the assistance of Brian Nielsen. Pro-
ceedings of a conference sponsored by
the School of Library Science, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, March
5-7, 1978. Chicago: American Library
Assn., 1979. 213p. $20. LC 79-24117.
ISBN 0-8389-0297-9.
Although the purpose of this conference
was to "analyze the problems faced by the
public library as it seeks to promote the
humanities to the adult non student and
suggest creative ideas which public libraries
might use to this end" (p. v-vi), the dis-
coveries presented can be used readily by
academic libraries in their charge to bring
students to a humanistic approach in their
daily lives. There is value in searching
through the papers from this conference, if
only to check on one's collection-building
program.
We all can agree with Dan Lacy on the
need for serious books on popular topics for
the general public, "the thoughtful com-
munity at large." There are numerous ~ays
486 I College & Research Libraries • September 1980
in which this public can be served: (1)
Although some think of continuing educa-
tion as the proper field for public libraries,
many colleges and universities also present
continuing education courses. (2) Television
can spark interest in many cultural matters
and offers the public an opportunity to
study a variety of issues. (3) As high schools
develop programs in the humanities, such
efforts might spill over into the academic
arena. (4) Local history is frequently the
province of the public library, but many
academic libraries build such collections as
well for research purposes. (5) Surely
academic libraries can cooperate with public
libraries in continuing support of programs
in the humanities that treat the enduring
questions of human life.
The academic library can encourage the
humanistic attitude of its students by being
willing to buy such materials, even if they
are not popular-buying more for quality
than for demand. Sometimes public li-
braries cannot afford this so-called luxury
(p.8-10).
Academic librarians think of the library as
an information place for students, and right-
ly so; yet we cannot forget our obligation to
be a cultural center as well (p. 23). Further-
more, a greater cooperation between public
and academic libraries helps to unearth
those many human resources that can be
found in the geographical area (p.25).
Not only the presenters but also the dis-
cussants referred to the academic library
and its role in exposing students to the
humanities as part of the library's total role
in the academic setting. Thus the minds of
students can be enhanced for their entire
lives. In other words, a lessening of re-
quired courses to prepare one to earn a liv-
ing in a certain field allows the student to
aim for some humanistic goals also (e. g.,
p.66).
In addition , community colleges, univer-
sities, and four-year colleges, insofar as they
aim to fulfill their continuing education mis-
sion, should be careful not to get bogged
down in credit hours solely. Opportunities
should exist to advance oneself humanisti-
cally without taking courses for credit, and
the charge should be less, since record
keeping is minimal (p.94).
Some of the ideas developed by museum
director E. L. Chalmers might well be
studied by academic librarians and adapted
to their particular situation. Librarians are
interested in developing monetary re-
sources, to say nothing about involving the
community in the needs of libraries (p.139
ff.).
Many might wish to emphasize an idea
tried in some libraries already and currently
being tested by banks-the personal li-
brarian and the personal banker. The intro-
duction of the personal librarian, especially
for the heavy user of materials, may prove a
useful option (p.158).
Unlike the television station that can offer
only one thing at a time, the library can
offer all users something to suit their indi-
vidual needs or interests-the riches of
humanistic scholars (p.210).-Jovian P.
Lang, OFM, St. John's University, Jamaica,
New York.
College and University Archives: Selected
Readings. Chicago: Society of American
Archivists, 1979. 234p. $11; $8 for SAA
members. LC 79-19917. ISBN 0-931828-
16-3.
College and University Archives: Selected
Readings contains seventeen articles and six
appendixes selected primarily from the pub-
lished literature in the field by a subcom-
mittee of the Society of American Archivists
Committee on College and University Ar-
chives. These readings are intended to pro-
vide assistance to novices in an area of
archival administration now comprising the·
largest single employment category in the
profession. Though most useful to practi-
tioners, the readings also provide valuable
information to administrators concerned
with the costs and benefits of an archival
program.
Reading lists for any course in archival
theory and practice should include College
and University Archives. Many of the arti-
cles relate to more than one topic and can-
not be neatly categorized, but a student
might profitably approach this compilation
by reading first Ernst Posner's historical
essay, "The College and University Ar-
chives in the United States," and Ian E.
Wilson's parallel treatment, "Canadian
University Archives."
Overviews of how to set up and adminis-