College and Research Libraries 152 College & Research Libraries available in even the poorer microform readers. Electronic publishing is a new form of publication that some believe will solve the ''library problem'' and replace publications in both microforms and tradi- tional print. Can the history of micropub- lishing be helpful in assessing how likely this is to happen? In some ways it proba- bly can. Electronic publishing will not re- place traditional publishing, but it will succeed to the extent that it can find appli- cations that will provide useful alterna- tives to print and microforms.-Francis F. Spreitzer, University of Southern California. Maack, Mary Niles. Libraries in Senegal; Continuity and Change in an Emerging Na- tion. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1981, 280p. ISBN 0-8389-0321-5. This is a short history of library, archive, and documentation development in Sene- gal, French West Africa. Senegal is partic- ularly appropriate for historical attention: it has exerted a strong influence on its francophone neighbors, and its archives cover library activities from their early ql NCGR,E~GOR jj < . .._, C/fluppu! ~ "PERSONALIZED" SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE McGregor can simplify complex and time consuming problems of periodi- cal procurement involving research, ordering, payments, renewals and record keeping. Prompt courteous service has been a tradition with McGregor since 1933. Call or write for catalog today 815/ 734-4183 MCGREGOR MAGAZINE AGENCY March 1984 nineteenth century beginnings. Maack ex- plains the heavy and continuous depen- dence on France in education and library science. The book is written in a positive and temperate manner; its aim is to under- stand and explain, not to evaluate or criti- cize. Maack is a University of Minnesota Library School professor, and this is an adaptation and summary of her doctoral dissertation. Chapters are arranged chronologically and by type of library. Lists of acronyms and abbreviations are provided as well as tables, illustrations, glossary, bibliogra- phy, appendix, index, and footnotes. Ac- cording to Maack, Senegalese archives and special and academic libraries more or less have prospered in this period, but public and school libraries have not, a common picture in developing countries and one reflecting priorities in France, also. This is a work to be proud of within its self-imposed limitations. The author's en- ergy and thoroughness in collecting infor- mation through interviews and library search in Senegal, France, and the United States are noteworthy. The book is fair and comprehensive. It is well written, well titled, judicious and meticulous, and seems to be almost completely error-free. It is supported by extensive bilingual notes and citations. The work mentions for the anglophone reader the influence of French policies and practices on West Af- rican development and certain of their contrasts with the Anglo-American influ- ence on other West African nations. The conclusions are logically developed and il- luminating. Most of this reviewer's questions relate to Maack's presentation policies. The book's focus is narrowly on libraries, while their cultural and economic setting are only lightly touched on, perhaps too lightly. Further, Maack nearly omits the Arabic and vernacular Islamic culture, which still dominates the common peo- ple's lives. So the book represents an out- sider's or colonialist's view. Little space is given to comparisons of nearby nations. Nor is the question faced that French li- brary policies may have been applied pri- marily in the best interests of France rather than those of Senegal. Finally, the story ends at 1975, leaving the reader with natu- ral questions about more recent develop- ments. The book is strongly recommended for research collections covering developing countries, West African, and library history.-John F. Haroey, International Li- brary and Information Science Consultant, Lyndonville, Vermont. Davies, Helen. Libraries in West Africa: a Bibliography. Hamden, Conn.: Shoe String, 1982. 170p. ISBN 3-598-10440-5. This is a selective bibliography of Cen- tral West African librarianship . A third edition, with library history newly added, it covers the period through 1979. The book's objective is to provide access to in- formation on West African library activi- ties, with emphasis on practice, not gen- eral theory. Very little information is included on culture, scholarship, publish- ing, or related subjects. All scholarly lev- els are included, and most items are pa- pers or short reports, not books. In total, Recent Publications 153 1,398 items are listed. Davies is a College of Librarianship-Wales faculty member with West African experience. Following a section on West African li- braries in general, arrangement is alpha- betical by country, then classified by kind of library or library activity. Within sub- headings, arrangement is in inverse chronological order. Item duplication is minimized. Libraries in general, library history, legislation, associations, libraries, buildings, collections, processes, surveys, national bibliography, reading, and ar- chives are covered. Benin, Cameroun, Cape Verde Islands, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Si- erra Leone, Togo, and Upper Volda are in- cluded. A list of twenty-seven West Afri- can library periodicals, conference index, and name index conclude the book. The page division is Nigeria, 46 percent; West African libraries in general, 23 per- cent; Ghana, 8 percent; Senegal, 4 per- cent; Sierra Leone, 4 percent; and the re- maining twelve countries, 15 percent UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATIONS Publications Catalogue sent free on request BASIC TOOLS FOR LIBRARIANS Current Bibliographical Information. Monthly listing of publications as well as articles selected from some 900 worldwide periodicals on cur- rent topics of interest to the United Nations. Annual subscription : $60.00 Single issues: $6.00 UNDOC Current Index (United Nations Documents Index). Issued in 10 _ . monthly issues, plus one annual cumulation, giving a comprehensive -:::;:.:. coverage of UN documentation , with a checklist, full bibliograph~i:_c .~--~~~ descriptions and subject, author and title indexes. 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