College and Research Libraries


tices and Trends" by Carolyn A. Kirkendall 
should be read first because it sets the tone 
for the entire issue. This article, better than 
any other, provides us with an idea of the 
progress of library instruction as it has 
evolved over the past decade. Of particular 
note is the expansion of interest in comput-
er-assisted instruction at a time when both 
mini- and ·microcomputers are becoming 
popular. To a well-written, objective article, 
Kirkendall adds a strong personal note that 
we must continue the cooperative search for 
better library use instruction than has char-
acterized the field to date. 

Sharon Rogers, in her article entitled· 
"Research Strategies: Bibliographic Instruc-
tion for Undergraduates," focuses on a ma-
jor problem in library instruction. The cen-
tral theme is that succ'ess in teaching re-
search strategies hinges on the question of 
"what is to be taught." She provides a con-
vincing argument for the primacy of the 
question by examining two specific aspects 
of her theme. They are whether to continue 
to teach sources or process, and whether to 
use library or discipline-related models. 
Rogers also addresses the issues of the 
proper time to teach, methodologies, and 
who should do the teaching. Since the arti-
cle is concerned with the conceptual basis 
for teaching research strategies, it can pro-
vide a basis for both planning and evalua-
tion. 

The article entitled "The Computer as an 
Instructional Device: New Directions for Li-
brary User Education," by Gail Herndon 
Lawrence, presents a number of challenges 
that have the potential to totally rearrange 
library use instruction. The essence of her 
argument is that in the decentralized in-
formation environment of the future, library 
use instructors will act as creative middle-
men who will assist in the formulation of 
data bases and provide feedback from users. 
At the same time, these librarians will assist 
users as information consultants in all 
aspects of data-base usage. This is a com-
pact synopsis of a complex article. It should 
be read carefully so that librarians can begin 
to address the many challenges presented. 

Richard Hume Werking in "Evaluating 
Bibliographic Education: A Review and 
Critique" provides a well-balanced analysis 
of a persisting problem. He goes through 

Recent Publications I 161 

the entire range of evaluation questions: the 
why, where, and how, tests, surveys, quan-
titative measures, and proof that instruction 
is worthwhile. Each is kept in· proper . per-
spective, and Werking concludes that no 
clear national consensus will emerge. "Illu-
minative Evaluation," a relatively new tech-
nique, is discussed briefly as it is employed 
by European librarians. This article makes a 
good case for the necessity of evaluation and 
at the same tjme provides a good overview 
of the subject. 

The four articles mentioned above are rec-
ommended for all who have an interest in 
library use instruction. Whether or not in-
struction librarians will find the balance of 
the issue useful will depend on their knowl-
edge and experience in the field.-Thomas 
Surprenant, University of Rhode Island, 
Kingston. 

Reform and Renewal in Higher Education: 
Implications for Library lnstructio~. Pa-
pers presented at the Ninth Annual Con-
ference on Library Orientation for 
Academic Libraries, held at Eastern 
Michigan University, May 3-4, 1979. 
Carolyn A. Kirkendall, ed. Ann Arbor: 
Pierian Pr., 1980. 138p. $10. LC 80-
81485. ISBN 0-87650-124-2. 
While this conference was intended to ex-

plore the effects of the current back-to-
basics movement on the field of library in-
struction, this is not reflected in the papers 
presented. There is no analysis of the move-
ment or its philosophy of education, and no 
discussion of the relationship between the 
current trends in educational reform and 
their attitude toward library use and in-
struction. The major point seems to be that 
this interest in educational reform gives 
new hope but no assurances that library in-
struction may find a basis for inclusion in 
the general or liberal education curriculum. 
Despite this mismatch of title and content, 
the volume presents some useful, and in at 
least one instance, important insights. 

Six of the articles report on library in-
struction developments at their authors' in-
stitutions. While some attempt to tie those 
to the back-to-basics movement (authors 
from Harvard, Northern Virginia Commu-
nity College), others (from Lake Forest Col-
lege, Tusculum College, Christopher New-



162 I College & Research Librades • March 1981 

port College) are less self-consciously re-
lated to educational reform . All are useful 
descriptions of specific program develop-
ments which reflect a sophisticated course-
related/course-integrated approach to li-
brary instruction. The articles reflect how 
the library can both respond to educational 
change and be a catalyst for change. This 
volume , like the previous proceedings, in-
cludes the EMU library director's introduc-
tion to the conference, Carolyn Kirkendall's 
state-of-LOEX (Library Orientation and In-
struction Exchange-the clearinghouse for 
information on the conference subject ), 
Hannelore B. Rader ' s annual annotated 
bibliography of the library orientation and 
instruction literature, as well as A. P. Mar-
shall's always stirring "sermon" on librarians 
as educators . 

Buried among these familiar aspects is 
Richard Dougherty ' s paper " Getting a 
Larger Slice of the Budget Pie for Library 
Instruction ." This analysis of the real world 
of competition for a piece of the library's 
budget is on target. Every instruction li-
brarian should read the article and take its 
points to heart . 

Library and academic administrators can 
read this volume and sense the variety and 
high level of development that has occurred 
in the field. Library instruction is no longer 
the special program of a few institutions , 
and this volume reflects that . Practicing in-
struction librarians should scan the contents 
for those choice suggestions and specific 
ideas that will help them improve their pro-
grams. They will not be disappoint-
ed.-Thomas G. Kirk , Berea College , Be-
rea , Kentucky. 

Ristow, Walter W. The Emergence of Maps 
in Libraries. Hamden , Conn: Shoe 
String, 1980. 358p. $27.50. LC 80-12924. 
ISBN 0-208-01841-7. 
Walter Ristow, retired chief of the 

Geography and Map Division in the Library 
of Congress , has been a prolific and valu-
able contributor to the literature in the field 
of maps over the past forty years. Though 

,_., most of his published works are in the areas 
,.,hf cartobibliography and the history of car-

tography , he has also written numerous 
papers on various aspects of map librarian-
ship. It is from the latter area that the 

selections for this book are drawn. Essen~ 
tially a collection of reset reprints of articles 
written by Ristow from 1939 to 1979, The 
Emergence of Maps in Libraries provides 
fresh access to widely scattered, mostly out-
of-print material. The thirty-five essays have 
been arranged in seven parts, touching on 
most of the daily issues facing custodians of 
map collections and also giving a history of 
the development of this branch of special li-
brarianship. Well written and readable, 
these selections, while often a summary of 
the state of the art at the time they were 
written, provide the reader with biblio-
graphical references for further exploration 
of the topic. The variety of periodicals from 
which these essays were taken and the 
varied levels of approach testify to the mul-
tidisciplined audience for cartographic in-
formation. 

It is frequently illuminating to read arti-
cles on a particular subject published over 
the course of many years , and some sections 
of this volume are well served by this 
approach. " Part I: History and Develop-
ment of Map Librarianship," written at ten-
year intervals , for example, benefits from 
the immediacy of Ristow's assessments of 
the profession. The same is true in "Part 
IV: Reference and Bibliographical Services," 
where the selection of articles aptly demon-
strates the correlation between historical 
events and the demands made on a carto-
graphical collection and its keepers. 

Some sections, however, are not so well 
served. "Part Ill: Technical Services" con-
tains articles written from 1966 to 1979. The 
selections that discuss the Geography and 
Map Division ' s work and progress with 
machine-readable map cataloging were writ-
ten in 1966 and 1971. Much has happened 
in this area of librarianship in nine years. 
Though the introduction informs the reader 
of the time gap in this particular instance 
and of the potential for similar anomalies in 
other areas, it would seem that the 1980 
imprint places certain editorial responsibili-
ties on the publisher-in this case, a post-
script or a supplementary bibliography. 

The user of this volume , then , must al-
ways keep in mind the year in which each 
selection was written. Some works cited by 
Ristow as being in the process of publica-
tion were indeed published and are now