College and Research Libraries


148 I College & Research Libraries • March 1972 

building would be a goal worth pursu-
ing . . ." ( p.8), or why an accessions file 
was maintained to produce selective lists 
by department. (p.13) One wonders if we 
are still falling into the old trap of automat-
ing manual functions without first question-
ing their usefulness. Could it be that de-
signing systems is fun, while making them 
perform is just plain hard work? 

Poor editing of the papers also detracted 
from their effectiveness and often puzzled 
this reviewer. Why, for example, was there 
a reference on page 83 to page 17 when the 
page numbering had obviously been 
changed? Hand-lettering of the flow charts 
(p.51ff.) was sometimes difficult to read, 
and why the reader must be subjected to 
pictures of a map of Canada (p.118) or of 
a mini-reel of MARC tape (p.96) is beyond 
this author's comprehension. Flow charts, 
tables, diagrams, and even floor plans 
(p.94) are also forced upon the reader with 
little explanation.-Robert W. Burns, ]r., 
Librarian for Research and Development, 
Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 

Olson, Edwin E. Interlibrary Cooperation. 
Part of a Program of Research into the 
Identification of Manpower Require-
ments, the Educational Preparation and 
the Utilization of Manpower in the Li-
brary and Information Profession. U.S. 
Department of Health, Education, and 
Welfare, 1970. 
Each new aspect of library operation 

produces a concomitant concern with train-
ing appropriate for the task. The relation-
s'hip of the "educational technologist" or 
"media specialist" and the librarian, espe-
cially the school librarian, caused a great 
amount of curriculum study and revision. 
Computer entry into the library world had 
its impact in the "documentalist" or "infor-
mation scientist" controversy with librarian-
ship. As a result, the library school curricu-
lum has been broadened to encompass 
training for computer uses. Now another 
library trend, that of interlibrary coopera-
tion and especially the evolvement of li-
brary networks, has made such an impact 
that there is a need to evaluate the training 
requirements of this mission. Some library 
schools have already enlarged their course 
offerings from the traditional "Larger Units 
of Service" to include courses in library co-

operation and networks. 
Olson's study has as its first objective: 

"To identify and categorize the major di-
mensions of interlibrary cooperation which 
have implications for manpower develop-
ment in librarianship." The other objectives 
are derivatives from the definition of these 
dimensions and are not fully attained, as 
Olson points out in the introduction. 

The study centers on three dimensions 
which Olson feels have implications for 
manpower development in librarianship. 
From Norton Long, Olson borrows the con-
cept of the "power budget" to ascertain 
capability of a cooperative as represented 
by its structure, resources, and decision-
making processes to accomplish its goals. 
The domain of a cooperative is taken to 
mean the current and future claims the co-
operative stakes out for itself in terms of 
the range of services and the population 
dealt with. The final dimension is that of 
opportunities and constraints which Olson 
restricts to the orientation of the director, 
the perception of carriers to goal achieve-
ment, and staff development. The study of 
these dimensions was conducted by means 
of two extensive questionnaires reproduced 
in the appendix of the report. The first 
questionnaire was entitled "Interlibrary Co-
operative Service Policies Questionnaire," 
while the second is called "Interlibrary Co-
operative Administrator's Questionnaire." In 
terms of the dimensions considered, Olson 
then draws conclusions from the data col-
lected via the questionnaire process. Olson 
is not sanguine about the ability of library 
networks to effect any social change or any 
significant modification in library patterns. 
The "power budget" does not seem to carry 
enough clout in cooperatives to influence 
members, and cooperatives have only a 
minimal leadership role in setting goals, re-
solving conflicts, and mobilizing resources. 
The directors of cooperatives emphasized 
the means of cooperation rather than the 
end of moving the aggregation of libraries 
toward substantially different goals. 

Translating these dimensions into man-
power requirements, Olson sees a need for 
significant changes in the education for 
staffing library cooperatives. Specifically, he 
mentions the principles and techniques 
of building interorganizational structures, 
communication linkages, mobilization of re-



sources, decision-making, and problem-solv-
ing. It is obvious that, because of the com-
plexity of networks, the kinds of expertise 
required will vary from the technician to 
the planner. Field experiences are also sug-
gested as a means of manpower develop-
ment. Finally, Olson points out the need for 
training in the social and quantitative sci-
ences. 

These are the generalized conclusions 
that are drawn from the questionnaire, and 
some of the specific data are perhaps as in-
teresting. There is some mystification on the 
purpose of the "services policies" question-
naire. These seventy-three questions on 
twenty-two pages ask for detailed, "how do 
you do it" answers that do not seem to re-
late to the purpose at hand. The answers 
have not been woven into the definition of 
dimensions as described and only vaguely 
relate to the "domain" concept. The admin-
istrative questionnaire is more germane, 
and the relationship of conclusions drawn 
can be discerned in the response patterns. 

Several of the responses reflecting direc-
tors' attitudes on networks' activities were 
quite revealing. For example, only 2 per-
cent of the respondents felt that cooperative 
acquisitions could be given any priority in 
their cooperative endeavors, yet this phase 
of cooperative activity is often highly 
touted as a purpose. 

From an analysis of the findings, it is ob-
vious that the present attention of coopera-
tives is based on service. Olson sums the 
major objectives to be ( 1) handling the 
large volume of acquired materials, and 
( 2) developing procedures to improve ser-
vices to users. Very little attention is given 
to planning or research. 

Training for network participation will 
be necessary, for as Olson points out, the 
directors themselves feel that lack of train-
ing, experience, and understanding are the 
reasons most cooperatives fail. One does 
wonder, however, if it took so much data 
to establish what some might consider an 
obvious conclusion. It is apparent that 
much additional work can be done with the 
data-work that may prove beneficial in 
completely different spheres than man-
power definitions.-Donald D. Hendricks, 
Director of the Library, The University of 
Texas, Southwestern Medical School, Dal-
las. 

Recent Publications I 149 

Campbell, H. C. Canadian Libraries, 2d 
rev. ed. Hamden, Conn.: Linnet Books; 
London: Clive Bingley, 1971. 114p. $5.00. 
This volume is one of a series of Com-

parative Library Studies intended for use 
as student texts. The book was first pub-
lished in 1969, and the second edition is de-
scribed as "fully revised and expanded." A 
comparison of the two versions indicates 
that this is a fair claim: 114 pages in the 
second as compared with 90 in the first edi-
tion; updated statistics; mention of recent 
developments in Quebec and Saskatche-
wan, for example, as well as at the national 
level; considerable rewriting and expansio'n 
of several sections, and the addition of a 
new chapter. There is a satisfactory index 
and a dreadful map. 

One might review a book like this by 
quoting Dr. Johnson's observation on wom-
en preachers. One must be a bold man to 
undertake to summarize in such small com-
pass the major characteristics of a nation's 
library service. Campbell has relied primari-
ly on his own wide-ranging knowledge of 
Canadian libraries and on contacts in the 
field, rather than on documents for his in-
formation. This makes for a readable, high-
ly personal impression; the student or read-
er who wishes to look further, however, 
may not always be well served. There are 
but nine textual references, and although 
a Select Bibliography is appended, it is not 
always easy to link the items in the bibliog-
raphy with the text. Occasional errors of 
fact were noted: for example, not all of the 
new university library buildings which 
sound complete actually are complete. 

The book is divided into four major parts 
of which the first-"Canadian libraries 
1900-1960"-is virtually unchanged from 
the first edition. This occupies a mere twen-
ty-four pages; the remaining three sections 
deal with post-1960 developments in "Ref-
erence and research library resources" ( uni-
versity, special, and government), "Provin-
cial and regional library systems," and "Li-
brary planning and co-operation in Cana-
da" (a chapter new to this edition) . In this 
edition the chapter on university libraries 
has been considerably expanded and reor-
ganized by province-important, because 
education is a provincial responsibility in 
Canada. Statistics dramatically illustrate the 
growth of university library expenditures