College and Research Libraries


A particularly interesting aspect of the 
work is the description of the relatively in-
dependent library schools that have 
emerged in the United Kingdom. This 
model, probably thanks to the 1923 
Williamson study, is not found in America; 
but there are some aspects of the independ-
ent school that merit attention and maybe 
even envy. 

Of the other contributors, only Redfern 
espouses a truly contemporary approach to 
an analysis of the philosophy of teaching 
librarianship. Earlier, however, New has 
warned the reader that he disagrees with 
Redfern, preferring to improve upon the 
basic lecture techniques of the past rather 
than move into new, less controllable meth-
odologies. 

Taken as a whole, the book can be 
characterized as easy reading, undergirded 
by good common sense and the wisdom that 
comes with reflection on experience. There 
is no support in it, however, for student-
controlled learning or faculty participation 
in the administration of library education. 
The point of view is mainly a conservative 
one which American students would proba-
bly consign to the category of "old boyism." 
Still, it is good to read such opinions, if only 
to force oneself to think through the reasons 
for disagreeing with them. -Doralyn ]. 
Hickey, North Texas State University, 
Denton. 

Katz, William A. Introduction to Reference 
Work. 3d ed. Volume I: Basic Informa-
tion Sources. Volume II: Reference 
Services and Reference Processes. 
McGraw-Hill Series in Library Educa-
tion. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978. 2v. 
V.I, $13.95. V.II, $12.95. LC 77-12539. 
ISBN 0-07-033331-9 (V.I); 0-07-033332-7 
(V. II). 
Many authors are understandably reluc-

tant to tamper with a successful book by 
making major revisions in ne~ editions. 
William Katz is not. The first edition of his 
two-volume Introduction to Reference 
Work, published in 1969, quickly became a 
standard text. The second edition featured 
massive revisions. Indeed, even the purpose 
of the second edition differed. From a con-
cern with the "principles, practices, and 
methods of efficient reference service," as 

Recent Publications I 509 

stated in the first edition, the intent of the 
second was broadened: "an overview ... of 
the possibilities which the mastery of the 
essentials makes possible." 

While the intent of this latest edition re-
mains the same as that of its predecessor, 
the content has o'nce again undergone con-
siderable revision. The nature and extent of 
the revisions are of interest because these 
revisions allow us to watch the evolution of 
Katz' ideas about the fundamental questions 
facing reference librarians. Katz' changes in 
perception are also illuminated by the 
sources he cites and by the "Suggested 
Readings" that follow each chapter. Many 
of these are as current as midyear 1977. 
Added emphasis on computer-assisted ref-
erence work and a greater concern with 
evaluation and measurement of reference 
services are representative ex~mples of what 
Katz sees as evolving issues of fundamental 
concern. 

The third edition of Introduction to Ref-
erence Work is organized in the same way 
as its predecessors. Volume I, Basic Infor-
mation Sources, is a guide, arranged by 
form, i.e., bibliographies, indexes, etc. 
Here, currency is of great importance and 
Katz has included titles (Filby's American 
and British Genealogy and Heraldry, 2d 
ed., for example) received for review in RQ 
in only the last twelve months. The evalua-
tive comments on reference tools are suc-
cinct, informative, and laudably readable. 
Even the most skilled and knowledgeable 
reference librarians will be reminded of im-
portant features of standard tools by reading 
Katz. As in the second edition, prices of ti-
tles discussed are included to facilitate com-
parison and evaluation. 

Volume II, Reference Services and Refer-
ence Processes, will likely succeed the sec-
ond edition of the same work as the 
standard text for introductory reference 
courses. At a minimum, the consideration of 
the reference interview and the search 
process ought to be required reading. The 
balance struck between theory and practice 
here is just right. While acknowledging the 
importance of kinesics, or body language, in 
the interaction between patron and librar-
ian, he none too gently cautions against the 
studies that daim "it is possible for the li-
brarian to interpret every gesture, twitch, 



510 I College & Research Libraries • November 1978 

and shrug with scientific precision" (p.64). 
Surely this phrase is exaggeration for effect, 
but just as surely some readers will be 
angered by Katz' forthright opinions. 

New to this edition, and occupying more 
than one-third of the second volume, is a 
lucid discussion of "Reference Service and 
the Computer." This section may be of 
greater value to reference librarians who 
have been working for some time than to 
students, because Katz consciously attempts 
to allay the fears of those who "believe 
automation will destroy the traditional 
library-not to mention eliminating their 
positions in the tradition" (p.123). 

Much that was valuable in the earlier edi-
tions has been shaken out to make room for 
new material. The most fruitful use of this 
first-rate work will be in conjunction with 
the first and second editions.-Thomas 
Gaughan, University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign. 

Kemp, Edward C. Manuscript Solicitation 
for Libraries, Special Collections, 
Museums, and Archives. Littleton, Colo.: 
Libraries Unlimited, 1978. 204p. $18.50 
U.S. and Canada; $21 elsewhere. LC 77-
29015. ISBN 0-87287-183-5. 
The title of this book is misleading, for 

what we really have here are suggestions on 
how to solicit special collections materials. 
Little in the literature to date has discussed 
in a systematic way the process of acquiring 
manuscripts for institutional collections. 
What has appeared has tended to be the 
personal accounts of private collectors or the 
amusing tales of Mr. X collecting on behalf 
of Mr. (or Institution) Y. Neither Kenneth 
Duckett's Modern Manuscripts (AASLH, 
1975) nor Robert Clark's Archive-Library 
Relations (Bowker, 1976) provides any ex-
tensive guidelines for solicitation. 

The present work falls somewhere be-
tween the systematic and the anecdotal 
treatment. The author "presents a practical 
approach to a collecting program without 
expenditure for acquisition," yet at the same 
time unashamedly celebrates the active pro-
gram he initiated, and presently fosters, at 
the University of Oregon library. His em-
phasis throughout is on collecting special 
materials (manuscripts, as well as books, 
oral history, photographs, etc.) for libraries, 

particularly university libraries. 
Slightly more than half of the book is 

text, devoted to practical suggestions for 
planning a collecting program, developing 
and maintaining donors, negotiating for ma-
terials, and transporting and receiving col-
lections. The author offers many solid ideas 
on collecting areas and on how to develop 
leads, or sources of donations . 

He _tells us how to initiate donor interest 
through correspondence, how to visit the 
potential donor, how to sort and pack the 
donor's gift, and how to maintain interest in 
the institution once the donation has been 
received. One chapter is devoted to han-
dling gifts of books from donors of manu-
scripts. Another sums up what the author 
feels are the personal and professional qual-
ities essential for a successful solicitor. 

The remainder of the book consists of 
appendixes-with samples of solicitation 
letters, deeds, collection inventories, and 
examples of the internal paperwork neces-
sary to re-create negotiations at a later date 
(field notes, name cards, reminder files, 
etc.)-a brief bibliography, and a subject 
index. 

Two case studies, based on the author's 
experience, serve as examples of the total 
approach to solicitation-from selection of 
the subject to the use of the collection. 

· Both studies, as well as numerous other 
examples, emphasize personal and family 
collections. Little attention is focused upon 
the solicitation of organizational records or 
on the special negotiating techniques essen-
tial in acquiring this type of collection. For-
tunately Virginia Stewart's article "A Primer 
on Manuscript Field Work" (The Midwest-
ern Archivist 1:3-20 (1976) ) thoroughly 
covers this important aspect. 

With the author's emphasis on solicitation 
for university libraries, this work will appeal 
most to that audience. Museum curators 
and archivists with imagination could apply 
some of the author's suggestions to their 
work. However, at the price of this volume, 
they would be wiser to wait for a more 
comprehensive treatise by specialists in 
their own fields.-Susan F. Sudduth, Pur-
due University, West Lafayette, Indiana. 

Library History Seminar, 5th, Philadelphia, 
Pa., 1976. Milestones to the Present: Pa-