Lisman , C. David. Toward a Civil Society: Civic Literacy and Service Learning. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1 998. ISBN 0-89789-566-5. (hardcover). $55.00. ISBN 0-89789-567-3 (pbk). $1 9.95. Experiential learning in the form of academic internships and apprenticeships is familiar to most who have been educated in the West The material benefits to the individual who learns by doing in "the real world," before entering the job market, are many, and are time-honored . In our individualistic culture, institutions of higher learning recognize "work experience" as worthy of academic credit, and companies pay for educating promising employees whose increased productivity will increase profits. C. David Lisman, the author of Toward a Civil Society: Civic Literacy and Service Learning , presents a compelling assessment of why, while the value of this type of education and social experience for the individual is clear, it utterly fails to educate and engage young people in a democratic society and community life. The "civil society" is one in which people care about the welfare of their communities as much as their own, and are not subjugated by an overriding commercial, privatized ideology. Lisman believes it is our very freedom and individualism that has caused widespread disaffection and the breakdown of our current civic infrastructure. He states, "The dominant values of our society, re inforced by the n ature of work and commercialization , reinforce civic disengagement" (p . 6). Supporting his belief that many current western social problems are caused by our "excess of independence," he cites the pervasive Jack of voluntary commitment to anything other than one's self; society's commercial interests valued over "human" interests; and the overriding individualized ideology of Western culture as the target of a revolutionary transformation. Lisman, a professor of philosophy at the Community College of Aurora in Colorado, proposes "service rearning" as a means to transform our society. Service learning, currently in limited practice, uses the resources of higher education to encourage academical ly-based community service in the "third ," or voluntary, sector of the economy. Lisman states that "we are in the midst of a higher education service-learning reform movement. According to the National Campus Compact, there are 520 campus compact member colleges involving over 500,000 students in this initiative." The author promotes the support of service learning EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 as a way to create a society which is more civil, in both its meanings-one in which there is greater participation in community life, and in which people treat each other with civility and respect-therefore better meeting the needs of all citizens. Service experiences would be tied closely to the outcome of academic work, with teachers guiding reflection on the student's experience. Students may keep journals of their service work, for example, which would count as "work in progress" in a writing course. Students volunteering to work in a soup kitchen may discuss observations on poverty in a sociology course. The author argues persuasively that higher education must include learning by doing for others if we are to change the indifference now debilitating civic life. He calls for unifying educational resources to meet basic ethical and social demands for improving community life, citing studies, theories, and values of neo-Marxists as well as neoconservatives. Chapters cover such issues as: why a truly civil society is needed; concepts of "weak" and "strong" democracy; what service learning is; experiential learning; consumerist politics; and social justice. The principles and best practices of partnerships between communities and academia and education's social responsibilities are discussed in the final chapter. Toward a Civil Society: Civic Literacy and Service Learning is thoughtful and mostly well written, but quite carelessly edited. A number of typographical errors in both the text and in the index are jarring. It is nevertheless an excellent source of the political and philosophical basis of service learning. Lisman's vision provides the structure through whic� to inspire and engage young people, toward effective social transformation. Margaret E. Parks is Social Sciences Librarian, Hale Library, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA 66506- 1200. Phone: (785) 532-3980; Fax: (785) 532-7415: E-mail : maparks@ ksu.edu ' ---------------------------------------, B O O K R E V I E W S 21 Adamson, Lynda G. American Historical Fiction: An Annotated Guide to Novels for Adults and Young Adults. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1 999. ISBN 1 -57356-066-9. $49.50. The popularity of historical fiction has grown significantly over the years. As more and more readers are attracted by other time periods and other places, the demand for bibliographic guides to the genre has increased . A.T. Dickinson recognized the need as early as 1958, when he published the first edition of American Historical Fiction. According to the preface, the purpose of the 1958 guide was to provide librarians, teachers, students, and general readers with a "list of classified bibliographies" that identified novels dealing with specific phases of history. The "list" has, of course, endured and expanded. Six updates have appeared in forty years. The latest version is Lynda G. Adamson's 1999 title, An Annotated Guide to Novels for Adults and Young Adults. Although the essential elements of Dickinson's work remain intact, Adamson's guide is a much-improved update to the five previous editions. She has added many titles, but has also retained the classic titles and included sequels and prequels. The result is an impressive list of over 3,300 title.s of fiction set in the United States from prehistoric times to the late twentieth century. The updated structure of the book is very useful . The author has improved the "Main Entry Section", greatly expanded the "Indexes" section, and added some important "Appendixes". The main entri"es are organized by historical time periods. These are: North America before 1600; the North American European Settlers; the American Colonies; the American Revolution; the Early United States; Early Westward Expansion; S lavery, Abolitionists and Women's Rights; the Civil War; Reconstruction and Development of the West; Progressive Era, World War I, and the Great Depression; World War II; the Mid-20lh Century; and the Late 20lh Century. These divisions are not terribly meaningful in a strict historical sense. For example, there have been several phases of the women's rights movement. But the scheme is workable, given the time periods of the title included. Adamson's anangement of the entries themselves also works well . Each includes the book's title, name of publisher, and a brief synopsis of the plot. Most informative are the genre labels attached. This is an important feature, as the plot synopses tend to be quite brief. The c lassifications "Adventure Story," "Romance," "Western Fiction," "Family Saga," "Mystery," and "Biographical Fiction" provide additional descriptive clues as to each title's content. The five indexes and two appendixes are the most meaningful enhancements to American Historical Fiction. Adamson includes an Author Index, a Title Index, a Genre Index, a Geographic Index, and a Subject Index. Appendix I lists American Historical Fiction titles granted major book awards, while Appendix II notes the "Books Su itable for Young Adult Readers." I found the Geographic Index to be especially helpful in my personal search for a specific novel. I was interested in a book I had heard about that is set in Kansas, but I only knew one word from the title, "Lydie". Also, I did not remember the author's name or precisely what the plot entailed. However, when I turned to the Geographic Index and looked up "Kansas", I quickly identified the novel I wanted which was The A ll-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley. One feature notably missing from American Historical Fiction is analysis. As in her volume World Historical Fiction, Adamson categorizes the books but does not assess them. Analyzing over 3,000 titles would of course be a daunting project. Yet even a short, evaluative label added to each entry would have been preferable to nothing at all. As it is, discerning the literary works from the mass produced paperbacks is difficult. A more complete tool would have incorporated some kind of evaluation. Recommended for public and high school libraries. Tam Hoskisson is Social Science Reference Librarian at Utah State University Libraries, Logan, UT, USA 84322-3000. Phone: (435) 797-2677 ; E-mail: tamhos@cc.usu.edu EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 2s B O O K R E V I E W S Piotrowski, Judith, ed. Expressive Arts in the Primary School. Special Needs in Ordinary Schools Ser. London: Cassel l , 1 996. ISBN 0-304-3341 8-9 (hardcover). $70.00. ISBN 0�304-3341 9-7 (pbk). $25.95. This title discusses expressive arts in relation to students with special needs. Each chapter is devoted to six forms of expressive arts in the primary school curriculum: visual arts, creative writing, drama, music, oral expression, and dance. With such a broad spectrum of arts, and only a chapter each, this title does not cover any topic in depth; rather it provides a good introduction which should spark new ideas and insights in the minds of teachers. A quick search of Books in Print turned up no other titles specifically addressing the arts in the context of special education, indicating that this book fills a niche. Arts education is seen by many educators as peripheral to the central core of the curriculum, namely Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. This book makes the case that arts education is an important part of the education of any child, but particularly for the child with special needs who often has difficulty achieving in the areas of the three R's. Not only is arts education important in and of itself, it can also be a means to achievement in other curricular areas. Numerous case studies illustrate this philosophy. ., Although no edition statement is included in the publication information, the editorial forward refers to this title as a revised edition of a 1988 publication entitled Encouraging Expression: Arts in the Prima1y Curriculum by Tessa M. Roberts. The present edition shows substantial revision, with new authors for all chapters except one, and a new editor. Libraries that found the first edition useful will certainly want this revised edition . Libraries should note that this is a British publication. Its frequent references to the National Curriculum and other documents of the British educational system will be of little interest to a North American audience, making this book somewhat less useful to North American educators than to their British counterparts. Nonetheless, the philosophy and practical examples delineated here cross national boundaries. Recommended for collections in arts education, special education, and the British educational system. Christina Cicchetti is Curricul um/Reference Librarian at La Sierra University Library, 4700 Pierce St., Riverside, CA, USA 92515-8247. Phone: (909) 785-2552; Fax: (909) 785-2445; E-mail : ccicchet@lasierra.edu Peltzman, Barbara Ruth. Pioneers of Early Childhood Education: A Bio-bibliographical Guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1 998. 1 60 p. ISBN 0-3 1 3-3041 4-1 . $65.00. Barbara Ruth Peltzman, Associate Professor of Education at Notre Dame College, St. John's University, has provided a useful resource for information about early childhood educators, from its roots in the 17th century work of Johann Amos Comenius through our current era. Peltzman has included information on multicultural educators such as Lucy Craft Laney, Mary Church Terrell, and the National Association of Colored Women rectifying what she sees as deficiency in previous works on the subject. While Perlzman presents a biographical essay on each scholar she studies, these are usually very short, basically vitae of the person's career. Her strength is in the bibliographical sections. Each educator's "Primary Sources", presented in chronological order, is given a tersely written synopsis of the author's thesis and its impact on early chi ldhood education . "Secondary sources are l i sted alphabetically according to author and include obituaries, articles, dissertations, and books" (preface). These include a descriptive abstract and cover evaluations contemporary to the educator's life and work, to analyses from our contemporaries The book is arranged in alphabetical order and an appendix gives a chronological list. "Pre-modern pioneers" i ncluded are EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 Johann Amos Comenius, John Locke, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, Johann Henrich Pestalozzi, Robert Owen, and Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel. Thirty "modern pioneers" include a wide range of practitioners and educators. Examples are: William Torrey Harris ( 1835-1908) and Susan E. Blow ( 1843-19 16), both pioneers in the educat ion of the urban poor; Granvi l le Stan ley Hal l ( 1844-1 924) whose contributions include encouraging children to use large muscles rather than over-using small muscles in their early activities; Arnold Lucius Gesell ( 1880- 196 1) who pioneered the use of one way mirrors and cinematography to study child development; and Wil liam Heard Kilpatrick ( 187 1- 1965) considered the most influential force in teacher training of the twentieth century. Debbie Bogenschutz is Coordinator of Information Services at the Johnnie Mae Berry Library (http://dogbert.cinstate.cc.oh,us/ library), Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, 3520 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, USA 45223. Phone: (513) 569- 16 11 ; Fax: (5 13) 559-0040; E-mail: bogenschutzd@cinstate.cc.oh.us B O O K R E V I E W S 29 Smith, Cecil M, ed. Literacy for the Twenty-First Century: Research, Policy, Pra c tices, a n d the National A dult Literacy Survey. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1 998. 224p. ISBN 0-275-95786-1 . (alk. paper). $59.95. In 1992, the U.S. Department of education conducted a National Literacy Survey (NALS) that profiled the literacy abilities of the nation ' a adults on 3 scales : prose, document, and quantitative literacy. From across the country a random sampling was taken of over 26,000 adults, age 16 and over. One of the findings that emerged was that about one-half of American adults performed at the two lowest levels of literacy proficiency. What are the reasons for this dismal statistic? The contributors of this compilation edited by Cecil M. Smith attempt to shed some light on the complexities and status of adult literacy in the United States in the 1990s. The book is divided into 3 sections. Part I opens with an introduction and background on the NALS followed by three chapters that deal with issues in adult literacy. The first issue examined is the correlation between literacy skills and social, educational, and economic variables as well as the distribution of literacy skills among adult Americans. This part also surveys current adult education and literacy policy, describing LI-Je role of the NALS herein. In order to provide more cost-effective services and improvement in literacy education, greater nationwide coordination is needed. Outlined are current steps designed to achieve such coordination of services. The final chapter of this section concentrates on the methodologies used in the NASL assessments of -adult l iteracy and offers suggestions for more effective assessment techniques for future surveys. The core of Part II explores the results of secondary analyses of the NALS and addresses a variety of contexts of adult literacy. These include topics such as how school and the workplace in particular promote adult literacy skills. Consensus is that literacy skills are more fully developed. Studies on the relationships of various kinds of literacy practice (e.g. reading different kinds of print materials) and on racial and ethnic group differences in literacy practices are explored. The data from the NALS analyses on gender differences in literacy skills and on the social factors that have a bearing on these differences are examined. The analyses indicate there is a diminishing literacy gap between males and females. This is followed by an examination of political participation and voting behaviour in the context of literacy habits. It appears that literacy practices hold little bearing on voting behaviour. An encouraging result in these analyses reports that community college students scored in the middle range of the NASL literacy distribution. Stephen Reder has contributed to, and individually authored several of the articles in this book. His chapter entitled "Literacy Selection and Literacy Development: Structural Equation Models of the Reciprocal Effects of Education and Literacy" presents a thorough examination of the close correlation between adult literacy and educational attainment. He discusses two processes that underlie this relationship: literacy selection and literacy development and presents structural equation models to show the reciprocal effects of education and literacy. Part II closes with an examination of the literacy performance of learning-disabled adults in the NALS. In Part III, the final section of the book, there are chapters centering on family literacy and the association between health care and adult l iteracy. Neither of these topics is based on data from the NALS, but they offer very important viewpoints. The structure of the literacy model, Project FLAME, a program designed to promote literacy proficiency of Hispanic parents and their children is described. An assessment of functional health literacy made in hospitals in two major U.S . cities showed that inadequate health literacy limits a large segment of the population from receiving high-quality health care and even proper diagnosis. Low literacy and the rising costs of health care and hospitalization are linked. Each chapter in this book concludes with a wealth of comprehensive reference l is t ings and informative notes accompany many of the contributions. A generous selection of figures and tables serve to further clarify and support the textual analyses presented in this book. There is an index and a list of contributors comprised of professors of education, curriculum and psychology and officials for literacy groups and centers in the u.s. This book is valuable for the detailed analyses presented and is an excellent resource on a crucial problem in the education system. No reassurance is given that the 2 1 5' century will see a EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 3o B O O K R E V I E W S significant improvement in adult l i teracy proficiency. The challenge will continue. What emerges from these provocative chapters is a rallying call "to really move on the problems of literacy with something more than token efforts" (foreword). Researchers, public education officials, administrators and all educators involved in the advancement of basic adult l iteracy will glean much information from the studies presented here. In both general and academic libraries, the book would be useful as a reference tool . Libraries in any learning establishment with distance programs and speci al l ibraries s uch as those incorporations and institutes that execute li teracy training programs for their employees would also find this book an excellent addition to their collections. Noreen Blake is a retired teacher and school programmer for the former Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal. "Literacy in Canada" was the topic of her final research project for the Graduate Programme in Library Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada. E-mail : blake@ netrover.com Creamer, El izabeth G. Assessing Faculty Publication Productivity: Issues of Equity. ASHE-ERIC H igher Education Report Volume 26, Number 2 . Washington, D C : The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and H u man Development, 1 99 8 . ISBN 1 -878380-82-6 ISSN 0884-0040. One of the most sobering references mentioned in this excellent report was an article published in the Journal of Higher Education in 1990 by J .M. Budd. Listed in this article are the names of the most frequently cited authors in the field of higher education. Despite the long history of women in education, it does not contain one woman. Not one. Dr. Creamer provides a clear synthesis of the research about the role of gender and its influence on publishing productivity across the disciplines. She extends John Creswell's 1985 ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report on faculty performance by summarizing the l iterature produced since its publication, providing a more detailed exploration of the factors associated with gend"'r, and where possible, minority differences. The author asks many important questions, but the most basic is : "Why are women missing from the ranks of the prolific?" Interesting findings, although not new, include the fact that prolific writers are generally senior scholars at doctoral institutions who have colleagues external to these institutions acting as their primary sources of recognition and reinforcement. They are often hindered by a bias toward traditional journal article production both developed and reflected in the "hard" sciences where journal articles are often short, with many co-authors, where acceptance rates are higher, and the number of journals is expanding. Dr. Creamer adeptly juxtaposes her findings, which are that women's published work is m ore l ikely to be personal, mainstream, cross-disciplinary, to avoid theory and to be in academic areas where journal publishing is not high. Also, she notes that minorities tend to write on race or ethnicity, topics which are difficult to publish in mainstream publications, have less access to collaborative relationships, and that are located in ethnic programs. Other important factors include findings that women are cited less than men, publish less, and are less likely to cite EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 themselves than men, and publish on topics outside of the mainstream. The author points out that the reason prolific academic writers are almost exclusively white and male is because the measures used to define productivity reflect the career paths, work assignments, interests, and access to resources that are much more characteristic of white men than women and most minorities. Dr. Creamer also recognizes a factor that is not often discussed openly. She states that being a prolific writer requires sustaining a lifestyle with work as its central organizing principle. "Prolific writers are generally not people who lead what others would consider a life with an equal balance between the private and public domains. What is left unsaid about the lifestyle is that it probably often sits squarely on the labors of someone else who makes this kind of round-the-clock preoccupation possible." What make ASHE-ERIC reports so important are their implications for "real life." This report provides solid and practical. recommendations for application. Ultimately, "diversifying the faculty requires diversifying the criteria used to judge their performance." Hopefully with this study and others such as Scholarship Reconsidered (Bayer 1990), academe will finally begin to expand its definition of what is rewarded as scholarship. This title is of interest to researchers in gender and minority studies, administrators who hire and make promotion decisions, and anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the faculty in various academic disciplines, in various collaborations on campus, and in the behavioral and attitudinal differences among faculty. Deanna Britton is Education Bibliographer and Head of the Social Sciences Department, The University of Georgia Libraries, Main Library, Athens, Georgia 30606. Phone: (706) 542-0680; E-mail: dbritton @ arches. uga.edu B 0 0 K R E V I E W S a1 Morris, Anne and Hi lary Dyer. Human Aspects of Library Automation. Aldershot, Hampshi re, England and Brookfield, VT: Gower, 1 998. 400 p. ISBN 0-566-07504-0. Unfamiliar with the original edition, this reviewer expected this book to discuss the physical requirements of computer workstations such as lighting, desk height, wrist support, optimal distance from eye to screen, etc. The authors provide all of that, using charts to present the data for men and women, and giving consideration to ethnic differences. They also go much further. They begin by addressing human data processing: how much the human mind can be expected to remember at the same time; how this memory can be optimized; and the .fact that the human mind often attaches more importance to what appears first, even when the critical part of the message is further down the page. The authors begin the chapter "Basic Considerations" with the assertion that "Library staff are one of the most expensive and complex components of a working l ibrary system, and it is therefore important that they are given an environment which maximizes their ability to work" (page 1 05). While emphasizing compliance with the British Health and Safety at Work Act, the information about the effects of lighting and screen design on eyestrain, the effects of work posture on shoulders, back, and arms, etc., are universal . They give thought to designing workstations for all aspects of library tasks. Sometimes their information is based on scientific study, at other times on plain old common sense-get the wires out from under people's feet ! Special consideration is given to work stations such as circulation desks where tasks are sometimes performed from either standing or sitting position. This new edition is not only updated, but also greatly expanded from the original 1990 volume. Much of the original arrangement and indeed large sections of original text have been retained from the previous edition. The greatest expansion is with a substantial chapter, "The Human-Computer Interface" replacing a scant fifteen pages on "The Software Interface" in the original. Much of the new material reflects changes that the World Wide Web has brought to library tasks. Issues of screen design for memory enhancement; the interaction of screen, keyboard and mouse; and choice of color and graphics in screen design are issues that were not present in earlier text-based computer programs. More than twenty pages of bibliographic citations are appended as well as selected web site addresses. Recommended for all libraries, particularly those installing new computers and/or selecting new furniture. Debbie Bogenschutz is Coordinator of Information Services at the Johnnie Mae Berry Library (http://dogbert.cinstate.cc.oh.us/ library), Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, 3520 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, USA 45223. Phone: (5 13) 569- 16 11; Fax: (5 13) 559-0040; E-mail: bogenschutzd@cinstate.cc.oh.us A FB Directory of Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in the United States and Canada. 25th ed. With accompanying CD-ROM, New York: American Foundation for the Bl ind, 1 997. 575p., ISBN 0-891 28-301 -3, ISSN 1 067-5833. CD-ROM with Print Ed ition. ISBN 0-891 28-300-5, CD-ROM ISBN 0-891 28-243-2. Governments of both the United States and Canada have become increasingly aware of the importance of acknowledging and aiding persons with disabilities. In 1990, President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, in 199 1, Prime Minister Brian M ulroney announced the National Strategy for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities. Thus, it is appropriate that the American Foundation for the Blind celebrates i ts 25th year of publishing the A FB Directory by adding an electronic format. This extremely comprehensive directory is the first edition to appear both in print and electronic format, enabling it to be used by all users, regardless of vision. It is important to note, however, that adaptive software equipment is necessary for the CD-ROM version of the directory to be used by non-sighted persons. The D i re c t o ry is c learly la id out and conta ins straightforward directions on its use. Part One has the United States/State Listings ; Part Two - Canada/Provincial Listings; Parts Three and Part Four list Federal Agencies, National Organizations, National Consumer and Professional Membership Organizations for the United States and Canada respectively. Part Five - United States and PartSix - Canada, list sources of Producers and Publishers of Braille and Other Alternate Media and Sources of Adapted Products and Devices. In addition, there are two separate i ndexes, a Subject Index and an Organizational Index. The user is given three ways to find a service or an organization: by alphabetical order, by service categor, or by geographical location. There are an overwhelming EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 32 B O O K R E V I E W S number of services available. Understandably, the major part of this work is devoted to the United States (434p.) organized by state. Canada's provincial listings take up a mere 39 pages; the US Organization Index is comprised of 25 pages while the Canadian Organization Index is 3 pages. Both the U.S. and Canadian Subject Indexes are broken down into the fo l l owing sec t ions : Educat iona l ; Inform at ion ; Rehabilitation; Low Vision and Aging Services; Federal Agencies; National Organizations; Membership Organizations; Producers of Media; and Sources of Products. This is an incredibly thorough resource. Every service listed provides a mission statement defining the level of vision impairment dealt with. In fact, the only omission appears to be a school that teaches blind students how to take photographs to help them to adapt to their environm nt as practiced at the J. Jezek Institute for the Blind in Prague, the Czech Republic. All in all, this publication is an essential addition for any institution dealing with impairment and is undoubtedly the most useful and important directory of its kind. Carol R. Mitchell is the Documentalist at the Simone de Beau voir Institute, Women's Studies Col lege, Concordia Universi ty, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3G I M8 Stage, Frances K., Mul ler, Patricia A., Kinzie, J i l l ian and Ada S immons. Creating Learning Centered Classrooms: Wbat Does Learning Theory Have to Say? ASHE-ERIC H igher Education Report, Volume 26, Number 4. Washington, DC: · The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and H uman Development, 1 998. ISBN 1 -878380-84-2. ISSN 0884-0040.$24 US. From the initial executive summary to an extensive section of references and indexes, this is a report which provokes the reader into thinking different ly about post secondary undergraduate education. Geared to shake up the college lecture hall environment it is well suited to open the questions which must be answered in an era of life long learning. We cannot spend our lives being lectured to, particularly by educators who may themselves be out of touch . This report presents education as a means of learning how to identify and solve problems with the teacher as a guide and mentor rather than a talking head. The theories discussed include: attribution, self-efficacy, social constructivism, and conscientization. Learning is refreshingly represented as a building process rather than as a cold process of memory and repetition. Learning styles, multiple intelligence, gender, and social issues are briefly presented. The main implication of all these ideas for the college classroom is the need to change operating modes and atmospheres. Means of doing this include the use of collaborative learning and peer teaching. The result of these.changes is the fostering of skills that lead to learning communities . The knowledge of how to accomplish this change lies in the combined discipl ines of psychology, philosophy, and sociology. Self-empowerment is an underlying theme here-in many cases a frightening proposition for both teachers and students, but one from which both will benefit from reaching for. Learning, as opposed to teaching, is the important, valuable activity. EDUCATION LI BRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 The theory to which the most space is given is that of conscientization. Paulo Freire, a Brazi lian educator, first presented this in his Pedagogy ofthe Oppressed in 1970. This concept was designed init ia l l y for l i teracy trammg in non -industrialized countries. In this report, Friere's notions of a democratic dialogue in the classroom, a curriculum suited to the learner's reality, participatory teaching formats, and student­ centered learning are recognized as valid methodologies for today's college environment in highly industrialized regions. It is much more than a teaching method: it is a learning tool that the users can apply as often as they need. The jury is still out on how these new pedagogical ideas will work in practice and what their long-term effects will be. More classroom-based research is needed. Nonetheless attention needs to be directed to improving teaching and students' learning in post secondary institutions. Educators need to continue, in some cases to start, learning new theories and methods of instruction. Lifelong learning applies to all . Lifelong problem solving is simply realistic. While it is necessary to understand and feel good about oneself, it is equally necessary to have evaluative and learned skills. Will learning centered classrooms do this? Only time will tel l . Future reports from this group wi l l be anticipated with great interest. Franki Elliott is a consultant and trainer in information resea·rch, located in Hudson Heights, QC, Canada. Phone: (450) 458-2636. E-mai l : franki @hudson.net. B O O K R E V I E W S 33 S pitzer, Kath leen L . , M ic hael S. E isen berg, and Ca rrie A. Lowe. Information Literacy: Essential Skills for the Information A ge. Syracuse, NY: ERIC C learinghouse on Information and Technology, 1 998. 377 p. ISBN 0-937597-44-9. $18 .00 Information literacy-what more appropriate topic than this for the information age, spreading from the late nineties into the 2 1st century? This publication builds upon the work done by Christina S. Doyle in the volume entitled: Information Literacy in an Information Society: A Concept for the Information Age ( 1994 ). I t traces the history and development of the term and also in troduces the reader to the economic necessity of being information literate and its cultural ramifications. The three authors of this book are, by their background and education, eminently qualified to tackle this topic. Kathleen Spitzer is a l ibrary media specialist in a New York State high school, and is a graduate of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. Michael S. Eisenberg is a former Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology. He is currently director of the School of Library and Information Science of the University of Washington, in Seattle, Wash . and is also a special advisor to ERIC. The third author, Carrie A. Lowe, is project representative for the Gateway to Educational Materials, a special project of the Department of Education's National Library of Education and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, at Madison, WI and subsequently earned her MLS at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies. What positively emerges from this book is that information literacy has its greatest impact on the K-12 curriculum, which means that it will be of greatest i nterest to teachers, librarians and audio-visual specialists who are involved in this area of study. After introducing the history and background of information literacy, the authors proceed to the development of information l iteracy standards for students' learning. They mention three categories: information literacy, independent learning, and social responsibility. It was particularly pleasing to see the international aspects of this book, so often lacking in American publications. In chapter two, entitled "The Evolution of Concept," a special mention of Canadian school l ibraries is made. Moreover, the authors note that current support for information literacy comes most particularly from the following countries: Namibia, South Africa, Australia, Canada and Finland. Chapter seven, "K-12 Education: Information Literacy Efforts" which covers several literacy efforts in a variety of schools, also uses a Canadian school (in the province of Ontario) as one of its examples. The other schools where literacy efforts are described represent a good cross-section of the United States. The authors talk briefly about information literacy in higher education, and mention the creation of the Institute for Information Literacy by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) with the purpose of initiating, developing, and teaching information skills in higher education. This is important as many higher education institutions are currently developing curricula with information literacy competencies in mind. Information literacy research is covered in another chapter. The authors examine the body of research relating to information literacy in terms of three themes : l) the nature and scope of information literacy, 2) the value of information literacy, and 3) effective methods of information literacy skill instruction. One of the most valuable aspects of this book are the appendices at the end. They cover the following: 1) Information literacy standards for students' learning 2) SCANS - a three-part foundation 3) SCANS - definitions : the five competencies 4) A chronology of the development of information literacy 5) Correlation of information literacy skills with selected national subject matter standards 6) Dalbotten 's correlation of inquiry skills to national content standards 7) An explanation of rubrics and their application in standards education. There is also an extensive bibliography at the end of the publication, as well as an annotated ERIC bibliography, citing journal articles and documents, divided by elementary, secondary, and higher education. There is also a useful addendum on ERIC: how to access ERIC, how to order ERIC documents, and what is ERIC? In one word: a very satisfying book, taking the reader from the inception of information literacy through research, examples, and quotations to its logical conclusion-the dawn of the 2 1st century. Anne M. Galler is Acting Chair of the Education Department and Associate Professor of Library Studies, Education Department, Concordia Universi ty, Montreal , QC, Canada, H3G I M8 E-mail: amg@alcor.concordia.ca EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 34 B O O K R E V I E W S Leem ing , David A., ed. and Sader, Marion, project ed. Storytelling Encyclopedia: Historical, Cultural, and Multiethnic Approaches to Oral Traditions Around the World. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1 997. 543 p. ISBN: 1 -57356-025-1 . $69.95. The Storytelling Encyclopedia presents readers with four informative articles and over 700 entries related to storytelling, stories, al)d folklore. The entries are eclectic and selected from a diverse range of storytel l ing-related topics : stories, symbols, motifs, themes, characters, scholars, and storytellers. The breadth of information presented is · impressive and the book is a joy to browse. However, when evaluated as a reference tool , the Storytelling Encyclopedia is plagued with problems of consistency. The length of treatment given to each entry varies from half a column to several pages. Most entries are well written and provide a good introduction to the concept, term, or person at hand. For instance, the entry for Rumpe/stilzchen. is three columns in length and not only provides information about name-tab tales in general, but also provides the plots of the English, Irish, French, Russian, and Haitian versions of the tale. Such treatment is not always the rule and unevenness in treatment becomes apparent when one begins to read entries related to similar topics. To il lustrate, whereas Rumpelstilzchen receives three . columns of coverage, the entry for Cinderella is only one column in length. In addition, though the existence of over 700 Cinderella variants is emphasized, only the Grimm and Perrault versions are mentioned . Furthermore, to learn of Yeh -Shen , · the earl iest Cinderella variant known, one must discover it in the Chinese Storytelling entry. The topical coverage of the Encyclopedia is quite broad. There are entries for everything from the Maori cosmology to rock songs. There are, however, some surprising omissions. For example, there is no entry for Fai ries even though there are entries for Leprechauns, Pixies, Changelings, Nymphs, Mermaids, Brownies, House Sprites, Elves, Dwmfs, Gnomes, Goblins, Ogres, Giants, Trolls, and Demons. Another apparent omission is Walt Disney. Disney's adaptations have had a m ajor influence on the western public's understanding and knowledge of its own fairy tales, yet he is not given an entry, nor is he listed in the index. EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL. 23, No. 1 'I Selection decisions may explain the lack of a Disney entry in the Encyclopedia, but lack of an index listing is a problem because Disney was repeated ly ment ioned and referred to in the Encyclopedia (for examples see the entries : An imal, Arthur, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Fairy Tale, Helpful Animals, Merlin., Mermaids, and Stepmother-Wicked) . The missing listing for Disney, unfortunately, is not an anomaly. The l isting for St01ytelling is missing references to the multitude of storytelling types included in the Encyclopedia such as African American Storytelling, African St01ytelling, Ancient Greek St01ytelling, Asian Storytelling, Buddhist St01ytelling, and so forth. The absence of comprehensive indexing is a problem for a variety of reasons, not the least of which the fact that entries in the Encyclopedia are not consistently inverted. The entries for such things as wicked stepmothers and enchanted castles are inverted and listed as Stepmother-Wicked and Castles- Enchanted, but helpful animals and Ancient Greek storytelling are not inverted and have the entries : Helpfu l A n imals and Ancient Greek Storytelling. The surprise of A n imals and St01ytelling not being the main headings may have been re-mediated by a cross reference from the entries Animals and Storytelling, but there is no cross reference from A n imals and there is not even an entry for Storytelling. Despite i ts problems with consistency, the Storytelling Encyclopedia is fi l led with valuable information for those who would like to learn more about folklore, folk tales, and storytelling. Those who have the time to browse and read through this book will be rewarded. Recommended for the circulating collection, not for reference. Jeneen LaSee-Willemssen is Education Librarian/Electronic Resources Coordinator at Hale Library, 1200 MidCampus Drive, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506. Phone (785) 532-7416; Fax: (785) 532-6 144; E-mail : jeneenw@l ib.ksu.edu.