Book Reviews 235

doi:10.5860/crl.76.2.235

that uncovers a prominent professor’s infidelity). Berger has decades of experience, 
and his notes do much to bring what students may view as dry material into the real 
world; they are often amusing and always interesting. 

For all its humble claims, this work attempts to be the first definitive work on the 
subject of rare books and special collections librarianship, and it largely succeeds. The 
information within it can be found quickly, and those providing reference services at 
libraries supporting an MLIS program will benefit from the extensive listing of addi-
tional resources. The implication of this work could be the standardization of educa-
tion across the special collections librarianship field. Berger’s work provides a strong 
framework for teaching, and a thorough reading of it—if ever a student is compelled 
to read it from cover to cover—would indeed provide the knowledge base to make “…
anyone who works with rare books able to speak with authority, using the accepted 
vocabulary, and not perpetuate the errors that have been canonized over the centuries.” 
As an introduction and jumping-off point, this work fills a vacuum in the special col-
lections library canon; but, in a field that expands and evolves constantly, it remains 
to be seen how long a work like this can go without needing a revised edition. Rare 
Books and Special Collections will be a valuable resource for special collections librarians 
and students hoping to join their ranks.—Dana E. Hart, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Elsie A. Rogers Halliday Okobi. Library Services for Adults in the 21st Century. Santa 
Barbara: Libraries Unlimited, 2014. 242p. $60.00 (ISBN 978-1-59158-705-7).

Elsie A. Rogers Halliday Okobi presents a thorough introduction for how libraries can 
meet the needs of individuals over the age of eighteen in Library Services for Adults in 
the 21st Century. As a member of the teaching faculty at Southern Connecticut State 
University’s Department of Information and Library Science, Okobi has written an 
overview that not only does covers important basics, it also points readers toward 
other current resources for further study. Guest author Professor Mary E. Brown, 
also of Southern Connecticut State University, contributes an excellent chapter on 
assessment of services.

Okobi’s book is divided in four sections, beginning with three chapters on the need 
for library services to adults, and the history and development of these types of services 
and programming. Most of this historical summary reflects on public library services 
to adults since the beginning of the American Library Association, and the author 
neatly summarizes the ALA committees, divisions, and projects that have reflected on 
or contributed to this aspect of library work. While Okobi is correct to point out that 
other private libraries, especially prior to the establishment of the ALA, functioned 
mainly as social clubs for adults, it would have been interesting in this section to reflect 
on how organizations such as Mechanics’ Institutes’ libraries across the United States 
originated to fill a gap in adult education for the general public through libraries. Many 
of these institutions were later absorbed by public library systems, and their impact 
on the development of library services for adults should not be ignored.

Following this introductory section, the second major part of this volume looks at 
how to plan for and assess this type of library service. Okobi does an excellent job of 
highlighting the importance of community analysis and assessment, examining the 
history of community assessment in public libraries and contextualizing the develop-
ment of various assessment methods. While this book is not advertised as a “how to” 
manual for assessment, the thorough reflection on why, when, and how to conduct 
community assessment makes it an excellent point of reference. 

Following this, Professor Mary E. Brown’s chapter on assessment of existing adult 
services explains the need to develop objectives for library services and, following this, 
to assess services against these objectives. Brown provides excellent guidelines on how 



236 College & Research Libraries March 2015

to develop objectives and outlines why libraries should aim to set up programs that 
will meet a wide variety of objectives. This chapter also provides an introduction to a 
variety of evaluation tools.

The bulk of Okobi’s book focuses on the third section, which lays out types of ser-
vices for adults. Chapters focus on readers’ services, library services for the business 
community, lifelong learning, services to diverse populations, and special populations. 
Okobi includes tips for effective readers’ advisory, as well as an introduction to the 
long history of various types of business services in libraries. The chapter on lifelong 
learning examines the growing importance of ESL and literacy programs, services to 
immigrants, and citizenship services. The author stresses the fact that libraries should 
adapt to target an evolving adult population and looks at the importance of library 
support for “serious leisure” within today’s increasingly aging population. Discussion 
here of support for technology literacy is valuable but brief; it would be interesting to 
reflect on the growing role that libraries can play for online learning, such as serving 
MOOC learners.

Okobi’s chapter on services to diverse populations includes not only suggestions on 
how the library can serve a variety of racial and social groups, but also how the library 
can connect with these groups outside the library and collaborate with community 
organizations. This recommendation is valuable. The author highlights the importance 
of libraries to immigrant and LGBT populations and pulls in ideas of the library as 
placemaker, as participant in the public sphere, and as cultural heritage institution. 
The role of libraries in breaking down social exclusion is given token mention; this 
concept could have strengthened the chapter by playing a larger theme throughout. 
Frameworks and guidelines for serving diverse populations are mentioned for the 
reader to explore further, and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these 
frameworks would make an excellent addition.

Following this, a separate chapter on special populations looks at library services for 
the poor, homeless, aging, and physically handicapped. Okobi provides an excellent 
overview of ADA requirements that all librarians should be familiar with. The separa-
tion of chapters on services to diverse populations and special populations was mildly 
confusing; a close reading of these chapters makes it appear that this distinction exists 
simply because separate organizations have created distinct standards and frameworks 
for serving these populations, and thus it has become easiest for the library community 
to speak of services for racial and social groups separately from those for economically 
and intellectually disadvantaged users. This is unfortunate, and no fault of the author’s. 
Okobi’s separation of chapters for these populations inadvertently highlights a gap 
in the library community’s approach to social inclusion for the populations it serves.

The fourth and final section of this book looks at competencies for librarians who 
work in adult services, tying these back to the themes of previous chapters. Professional 
development opportunities and resources for this field are also outlined.

While this book focuses from the outset on public libraries, wider application for all 
types of libraries, including academic libraries, can be found especially in the section 
on community assessment and evaluation of existing library services. Additionally, 
while the author focuses on services to adults in public libraries, it must be noted that 
academic librarians are also in the business of serving adults; some of Okobi’s reflec-
tions on the changing demographics of adult populations will prove useful to college 
and research librarians today.

As a textbook for library and information professionals, Library Services for Adults 
in the 21st Century is thorough and clearly organized. Okobi draws well on the exist-
ing literature, and library school students will be grateful that the author makes sure 
throughout to point the reader toward other relevant and authoritative resources. The 



Book Reviews 237

book includes excellent bibliographies and indices.—Jennifer Hoyer, Artstor, Interfer-
ence Archive.

Leslie E. Holt and Glen E. Holt. Success with Library Volunteers. Santa Barbara: Libraries 
Unlimited, 2014. 156p. Paper, $45.00 (ISBN 978-1-61069-048-5). 

If you have been waiting to find a comprehensive strategy before starting a volunteer 
program at your library, your wait is over. While volunteerism has not been a top 
priority in many academic libraries in the past, the current state of college budgets 
may make recruiting volunteers a more attractive prospect. Leslie and Glen Holt’s 
book, Success with Library Volunteers, offers an extensive look into the past, present, 
and future of volunteers in all types of libraries. The book is clear and concise with 
many practical examples. Each chapter is accentuated with comprehensive notes and 
contains a case study of a successful volunteer program in the King County Washing-
ton Library System.

The Holts begin with four chapters laying the foundation for a successful volunteer 
program. In chapter 1, “The Basics,” the authors discuss the changing face of the library 
volunteer as well as the necessity of setting a solid infrastructure. Chapter 2, “Hidden 
Volunteers,” and chapter 3, “Popular Types of Volunteers,” define the various types 
of library associates. First are those whom we do not generally call volunteers such 
as library founders and advocates. Interestingly, the Holts also identify volunteerism 
as a significant way to reach out and add to cultural diversity. Volunteers can lend 
experience and provide instruction, as well as providing assistance and direct special 
projects. Chapter 4, “Planning,” addresses constructive advice for management includ-
ing a list of practical questions (“Can you define a needed volunteer project in a clear 
and realistic way?”) and leadership advice.

The final five chapters of the Holts’ text will take your volunteer program forward 
and into the future. Chapter 5, “Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition,” discusses 
three very important stages in the volunteer program process. Recruiting and keeping 
the best volunteers are key to the success of your volunteer program. Tips on where 
to look for volunteer recruits are extensive. The text also contains information about 
applications, communication, and volunteer recognition. 

Chapter 6, “Evaluating Your Volunteer Program,” is one of the hot topics in higher 
education recently, and the Holts cover every aspect of evaluation as it pertains to a 
volunteer program. Assessing costs and benefits of any program is important, and the 
Holts thoroughly explore how to evaluate a volunteer program. Subjects in this chapter 
include training and supervision of volunteers, outcome planning and evaluation, mea-
suring impact, and reporting results and outcomes. The last section of chapter 6 takes 
up the matter of problem volunteers. They stress training and positive reinforcement. 

Chapter 7, “Volunteers That Require Special Attention,” addresses specific types of 
volunteer groups aimed mostly at public libraries: Friends of the Library, youth, and 
agency partnerships. Of particular interest is a brief section on working with volunteers 
with disabilities. Though aimed at public librarians, the information about working 
with volunteers from different populations is interesting for all librarians. 

The Holts continue to take us forward in their discussion of “Volunteer Manage-
ment Information Systems” in chapter 8 and, in chapter 9, “The Future of Library 
Volunteerism.” Although using an electronic information system to track volunteer 
service may seem excessive, library systems have benefitted from the ability to automate 
their program tracking. The authors include descriptions of some volunteer manage-
ment information systems along with a considerable list of suggested information 
categories. The final chapter begins with the statement that the text has been about 
three things: libraries, librarians, and volunteers. Chapter 9 anticipates the trends and 

doi:10.5860/crl.76.2.237