College and Research Libraries 590 I College & Research Libraries • November 1981 lot. It also kept occurring to the reviewer that he might be in a foul mood or suffering 'from some inability to read and understand. Chapter 3 on "Public Librarians" might have been the detail that the authors were good at recording. And what fortune! They an- nounced their intention to concentrate on the Chicago Public Library as an early example (mid-1950s) and the New York Public Li- brary as an extended example and a contrast to the older Chicago unit. Since the reviewer had no first-hand experience with CPL, he took what was written as gospel. But then, the NYPL example, instead of showing the authors' adeptness at case s~udies, confirmed his worst fears of ineptitude. Sentences with no basis in fact leaped out from the page. Example: "At the end of 1974, the adminis- tration announced the closing of several branch libraries, and in only a few months over sixty professionals from the Research Li- braries were also terminated" (p.49). Briefly, the truth of the matter is that NYPL threat- ened to close several very busy branches and this "Statue of Liberty closing" bluff was called. Those branches ! were· not closed. "Over sixty professionals from the Research MCGREGOR "PERSONALIZED SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE" Every customer Is assigned an experienced "Home Office" rtpresentattve. You cormpond direct; any title needs, changes, cancellations or problems can be handled promptly by letter or phone. This makes your job easier and keeps you abreast of your subscription needs at all times. With over 45 years expe'*'ce. McGregor has built a reputation of prompt and courteous service on both domestic and International titles. We prtpay subscrip- tions ahead of time. Our customers, large and small, like the prompt attention we give them. We think you would tool Ask about McGregor's "Automatic Renewal" plan de- scribed in our new brochurt. Write today for your free copy. OUR 49th YEAR Mount Morris, llllnolsl1054 Libraries" were not terminated "in only a few months." In fact, they were never termi- nated. Such gross inaccuracies, in addition to too many typographical errors, a piddling two and one half page index, and the already cited murkiness of meaning are not worth twenty-five dollars even in these inflationary times. Here's one that all libraries can ignore.-Billy R. Wilkinson, University of Maryland Baltimore County. Bailey, Martha J. Supervisory and Middle Managers in Libraries. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1981. 218p. $12. LC 80-23049. ISBN 0-8108-1400-5. The title of this book may lead one to think that it is a guide to the latest techniques for library supervisors and middle managers. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a research-oriented monograph that re- views the literature on middle mangers in li- braries through the late seventies. It also in- cludes the results of questionnaires and interviews conducted by the author. Some of Bailey's research on academic library admin- istrators was done under a Council on Li- brary Resources Fellowship and the report on this work has already been available for some time. After some introductory material that in- cludes descriptions of the organization of aca- demic, public, and corporation libraries, Bailey has a short chapter on personnel man- agement that briefly reviews some of the areas of concern to library managers: job de- scriptions, evaluation, staff development, collective bargaining, etc. This is followed by a longer chapter which summarizes the re- sponsibilities of supervisory managers at all levels of the library organization, discusses librarians' attitudes toward supervision, and reviews the last thirty years of literature on the topic. Bailey then attempts to profile middle managers in general and follows this with three separate chapters (one each on middle managers in academic, public, and company libraries.) The chapter on public libraries is considerably shorter than those on academic and company libraries and few comparisons are drawn about the similarities or differences among middle managers in the three types of libraries. It is also unfortunate that the author does not compare library management with management in other areas. Although Bailey notes in her introduc- tion that library activities are often difficult to compare with others, she offers little justi- fication for this view: her work draws almost exclusively on library literature. The book's final chapter discusses the characteristics of "good" management and offers a few sugges- tions for those wishing to move into middle- management positions. In summarizing the information on middle managers in academic libraries, Bailey re- ports that there is little consensus on the var- ious levels of middle management. The aver- age manager has a master's degree from an ALA-accredited library/information school, and most have worked at least five years be- fore obtaining their first middle-managerial positions. There is also general agreement, both by middle managers and top adminis- trators, that library schools are doing a poor job in teaching management and administra- tion. For those working in academic li- braries, Bailey offers no surprises or new in- formation, although this study may offer scholarly confirmation of what might other- wise be only personal or institutional percep- tions. The book contains chapter summaries, and notes and bibliographies follow most chap- ters. Brief lists of "selected journals" and "se- lected references" are included as appen- dixes, and there is an index. It is evident that the author has devoted a good deal of time to her research and the result is a descriptive study which offers no startling conclusions and few suggestions for change. Those en- gaged in research on this topic may find that this book provides good background mate- rial, but this work is not likely to appeal to a wide audience.-Elizabeth M. Salzer, Stan- ford University Libraries, Stanford, Califor- nia. The Professional Development of the Librar- ian and Information Worker. Edited by Pa- tricia Layzell Ward. Aslib Reader Series, V.3. London: Aslib, 1980. 332p. £20.50 (£17.50 to Aslib members); paper £12.50 (£10.50 to Aslib members). ISBN 0-85142- 135-0; 0-85142-136-9 paper. Readers are librarianship's way of render- ing centripetal what would otherwise be a highly centrifugal literature. They are our Recent Publications I 591 black holes, our way of concentrating at a single point those journal articles, book chap- ters, and report excerpts which are scattered across the landscape of the discipline. In the Anglo-American community of librarians, the production of readers is an addiction. The utility of the genre goes, perhaps wrongly, without question. Thus, the reviewer of a reader is reduced to making two inquiries: how well is it organized and has the editor chosen wisely? With regard to The Profes- sional Development of the Librarian and In- formation Worker, the answers to these ques- tions are, respectively, very well indeed and fair to middling. The editor, Patricia Layzell Ward of the Centre for Library and Information Man- agement at Loughborough University, sees this book as a contribution to the professional (i.e., organic) development of individual li- brarians and information workers. It is to her everlasting credit that she regards profes- sional development as extending well beyond those technical aspects of librarianship (e. g., the application of computers and telecom- munications to library operations and man- agement) which are the current obsession of continuing education in the United States. Professional development, in her view, em- braces "the formation of a personal philoso- phy concerning the role· of information, books and knowledge, and their free trans- mission in society, and this may well involve the development of a personal set of ethics." This outlook is reflected in a set of readings which consistently emphasize the human, philosophical, and ethical dimensions of the library enterprise. The sections of the reader constitute a de- ductive progression from the general to the particular concerns of librarianship. They are (1) library and/or information science, (2) research, (3) philosophy and ethics, (4) the planning of services, and (5) management (including the human side and the technical aspects thereof). This organization renders the book open to either reading seriatim or to more random consultation. It is much easier, on the other hand, to quarrel with the choice of readings, some of which evoked a distinct sense of deja vu, others an unhappy pedestri- anism. At least six of the contributions were excellent, however, and merit further com- ment.