College and Research Libraries


BOOK REVIEWS 
Lipsman, Claire K. The Disadvantaged and 

Library Effectiveness. American Library 
Assn., 1972. 208p. 
Claire Lipsman has given public librari-

ans a valuable study in an area of librarian-
ship filled with rhetoric and little data. 
Using a combination case study and survey 
approach, Dr. Lipsman analyzed fifteen 
cities with library programs serving the eco-
nomically disadvantaged. Five basic pro-
gram factors deemed critical to program ef-
fectiveness in serving the disadvantaged are 
"competency and effectiveness of staff; de-
gree of community involvement and under-
standing of community dynamics evidenced 
by project; degree of autonomy exercised 
by project director in decision making; 
quality of materials used; and effectiveness 
of publicity, or project visibility." Each of 
these areas is explored by case study and 
survey data. Three major policy recommen-
dations are made involving improvement 
of existing programs; utilization of systems 
approaches and data collection for program 
budgeting; and adoption of new roles. 

There was difficulty in determining who 
was a user or nonuser. Physical identifica-
tion with a library within a six-month peri-
od was the deciding factor. It was found 
that in areas with the economically disad-
vantaged the predominant clientele are 
grade school children using the library for 
school-related purposes and that sometimes 
fewer than 10 percent of the adults are 
identified with libraries. This data leads to 
one of the recommendations calling for 
more effective integration of libraries with 
schools. Public librarians will approach this 
with caution, having experienced several 
decades of unsatisfactory integration which, 
among other things, did little to reach the 
nonuser. 

It is interesting to note that Dr. Lipsman 
suggests "training for those holding leader-
ship potential in low income communities" 
and "meeting more sophisticated needs for 
technical assistance to community groups." 
She also notes that success may be easier 
if a program does not set out to serve just 

214 I 

Recent Publications 
the poor, but to provide services that at-
tract a broad spectrum of users. Indications 
are that substantial economic investment 
must be made to serve the disadvantaged; 
that unit costs may be high; that system 
planning and data gathering are necessary 
(also expensive); and that interagency 
planning and cooperation are essential. A 
question still remains unanswered: Can 
such action advocated by Dr. Lipsman 
reach a significant portion of the target 
group to gain and maintain the budget via-
bility necessary for success, or will the pub-
lic library still have to justify its existence 
upon significant use by its middle class 
public? Dr. Lipsman claims that . . . "un-
less libraries in ghetto areas can be per-
ceived as important, prestigious, and useful 
by more than this relatively tiny book-
oriented minority, it is doubtful that they 
can survive as institutions." 

This book is must reading for all librari-
ans wishing to work with the disadvan-
taged. Its message is articulate and clear. 
While some of the new directions are de-
batable, the analysis of successful and fail-
ing library programs with the disadvan-
taged should serve as a useful tool for the 
profession.-]oh.n F. Anderson, Library Di-
rector, Tucson J'ublic Library, Tucson, Ari-
zona. 

Neal, Kenneth William, et al. British Aca-
demic Libraries. Wilmslow, Cheshire, 
England: The Author, 1973. 193p. 
This is a bad book. Its fifteen chapters 

are a mishmash. Some read as though they 
originated in off-the-cuff lectures on admin-
istration, others appear to be problem sit-
uations invented to serve as student exer-
cises, and still others-the best-are pe-
destrian descriptions of libraries. Although 
at least ten different people are among the 
authors, some two-thirds of the contents are 
written by Neal, senior lecturer, Depart-
ment of Librarianship, Manchester Poly-
technic, who is also compiler and publisher 
of the volume. The libraries described serve 
institutions that, at least in name, are dif-
ferent from those in the United States, such 
as colleges of further education, colleges of