College and Research Libraries 422 I College & Research Libraries • September 1975 McCarthy, Cavan. Developing Libraries in Brazil; With a Chapter on Parag1UJy. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1975. 207p. $8.00. (LC 74-23681) (ISBN 0-8108- 0750-5) A sensitive academic librarian ( U niversi- ty of Leeds) spends thirteen months pro- fessionally employed and traveling through- out Brazil during 1971-72. The results are empirical vignettes of frustration, accom- plishment, irrationality, and excesses: any perceptive, articulate librarian with Latin American field experience can offer similar fare. McCarthy generally succeeds in de- scribing most types of libraries, the princi- pal problems confronting them, and high- lighting innovative aspects worthy of con- sideration by Western (i.e., North Ameri- can, British, and parts of Europe) librari- ans. Brazilian acceptance of Western library theory and practice emphasizes the dichoto- mous nature such models have in econom- ically disadvantaged countries. From the sophistication of Sao Paulo to the anach- ronisms of Maranhao, effective service of- ten cannot be realized due to the conflict between theoretical objectives and Brazilian reality. McCarthy identifies closed stacks and restrictive or nonexistent loan policies as fundamental problems nationally. After formal education is completed, the "library habit" ceases; hence, in most libraries pa- trons are the young, but McCarthy suggests Brazilians probably would not trust any age group to return borrowed materials! Library science education and the diffi- culties of employment are covered suffi- ciently for introductory survey purposes in comparative librarians'hip. Nearly all courses are taught by part-time, practicing librarians, usually graduates of the same in- stitute or university. Because most of the practicing librarians are women with lim- ited geographic and occupational mobility, local placement is common; the implica- tions of endogamy are obvious, as some North American academic libraries know. Professional positions often are part time and government controlled. Many librarians toil in totally unsuitable structures with architectural design inhibiting the normal library functions, maintain too many card catalogs, have little or no money for sub- scriptions or books, and do not benefit or engage in networking. In spite of adverse conditions, McCarthy identifies some outreach measures such as bookboxes serving various sites of large em- ployment in lieu of bookmobiles or branch libraries and bookbanks for economically disadvantaged students. The National Book Institute's ( INL) innovative publishing and library programs are worthy of considera- tion by the economically developed coun- tries. Hundreds of libraries owe their ex- istence to the INL core collection; INL of- fers technical training for paraprofessionals managing these collections. Guaranteed bloc purchase of approved titles is part of INL's coedition venture with other presses. The author credits many of Brazil's prob- lems to an unquestioning adherence to the U.S. model by the rightist military govern- ment ( 1964- ) . The importation of "foreign subculture" is deplored, but to ig- nore internationally acclaimed Brazilians as Heitor Vila-Lobos, Jorge Amado, Joao Gui- maraes Rosa, and Clarice Lispector is un- just. One must also exercise critical caution with McCarthy's racial observations. The chapter on Paraguay is descriptively similar to commentary on Brazil's north- east. The book as a whole is a useful contribu- tion about libraries, library service, and li- brarianship. For a comprehensive, analyt- ical survey of Brazilian libraries and educa- tion, however, one must consult William V. Jackson's two articles in the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science ( vol. 3, p.166-259). His extensive bibliographies include citations through 1969. Those inter- ested in research library collections will still find standard Robert Levine's Brazil: Field Research Guide in the Social Sciences (New York: Columbia University, Institute of Latin American Studies, 1966). While this reviewer was disappointed with the treatment of policy issues (e.g., budget, col- lection scope, state and federal govern- mental involvement) as well as the anec- dotal nature of the study, McCarthy offers much worthy of further thought and re- search.-Peter T. Johnson, !hero-American Bibliographer, University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. Drazniowsky, Roman, comp. Map Libraf'i- anship: Readings. Metuchen, N.J., Scare- crow, 1975. 547p. $20.00 (LC 7 4- 19244) (ISBN 0-8108-0739-4)