288 College & Research Libraries May 2010

through the sifting sands of reference.” 
Divided into four sections, the authors 
cover fundamental concepts for reference 
and information services, an introduction 
to major reference sources, special topics, 
and developing and managing reference 
collections and services.

In the first section, “Fundamental 
Concepts,” chapter 1 introduces read-
ers to the history of reference services 
and typical activities involved such as 
readers’ advisories, information literacy, 
promotion and marketing, and staff and 
service evaluation. Chapter 2 focuses on 
the reference interview, including steps to 
take in conducting reference interviews 
as well as things to avoid. The section 
concludes with chapter 3 on basic search 
techniques and common pitfalls to avoid.

Part 2, “Introduction to Major Refer-
ence Sources,” offers readers an overview 
of the primary resources consulted when 
answering “how, what, where, who, and 
when questions.” The authors discuss us-
ing bibliographic resources, encyclopedias, 
dictionaries, indexes and full-text data-
bases, government resources, biographical 
resources, and more. In addition, there is a 
separate chapter on “Answering Questions 
about Health, Law, and Business.” Each 
chapter opens with an overview of the 
resources and the ways librarians can use 
them. All have a list of the top ten sources 
in the topic area as well as a list of some 
recommended free Web sites on the topic. 
Each chapter also includes a list of the rec-
ommended resources discussed in the text.

The next section deals with Special 
Topics in Reference and Information 
Work, which include using the Internet 
as a reference tool, Reader ’s Advisory 
work, working with children and young 
adults, and information literacy. In the 
chapter on using the Internet, the authors 
include five steps to successful Internet 
reference and a chart of some general 
search engines, metasearch engines, and 
subject directories to use. The chapter on 
Reader’s Advisory looks at some common 
Reader’s Advisory questions and lists the 
top ten Reader’s Advisory tools.

The work concludes with part 4, 
“Developing and Managing Reference 
Collections and Services.” The chapters 
in this section discuss sources for review 
and evaluation of reference works, how to 
manage staff and services, assessment of 
reference services, Reference 2.0, and the 
future of information service. The chapter 
on the future looks at new service models 
and competencies needed for 21st-century 
librarians.

Cassell and Hiremath end each chapter 
with recommendations for further read-
ing and a bibliography of works cited. 
Included in the Appendix is RUSA’s Out-
standing Reference Sources 2005–2009, 
the association’s list of the best reference 
publications for small and medium-sized 
libraries. In addition to the subject index, 
the authors provide an index of reference 
resources described in the text. They also 
maintain a companion Web site at www.
neal-schuman.com/reference21st2nd/.

Librarians new to reference work will 
find Reference and Information Services in 
the 21st Century a great introduction to the 
field. Seasoned reference librarians will 
find the work to be a good refresher.—
Nicole Mitchell, University of Alabama.

Randall C. Jimerson. Archives Power: 
Memory, Accountability, and Social 
Justice. Chicago: Society of American 
Archivists, 2009. 466p. alk. paper, $56 
(ISBN 193166630X). LC2009-025519.

The author makes it clear from the outset 
that this is a work of advocacy addressing 
complex ethical debates arising from the 
re-examination of traditional assumptions 
about archivists’ roles. Borrowing heavily 
from the views of such thinkers as Nelson 
Mandela and Verne Harris, and drawing 
from his own wide-ranging experience as 
historian, archivist, and former president 
of the Society of American Archivists, Ji-
merson has crafted an informed, assertive, 
and sensitive challenge to the profession. 

There is no longer a consensus among 
archivists and historians regarding wheth-
er archivists are—or should be—neutral 
guardians of historical source materials. 



Book Reviews 289

Jimerson weighs in on the side of those 
who believe archivists should intentionally 
shape our knowledge of the past, arguing 
that such activism, exercised judiciously 
and impartially, is necessary if we seek 
as complete a picture as possible of our 
culture. Throughout history, the selection 
and preservation policies of archives have 
frequently favored the powerful elites in 
societies. Jimerson claims that archivists 
have a moral professional responsibility to 
avoid the kinds of biases that so often exist 
when “history is written by the winners.” 
Archives can and should be an important 
source for promoting accountability and 
social justice. Archivists should ensure that 
their selection and preservation policies 
include the records and stories of those 
who have been marginalized, thus balanc-
ing and rectifying our cultural memory. 

Jimerson offers copious historical ex-
amples of how records and archives have 
checked totalitarian power and brought 
terrible injustices to light. Particularly 
compelling are his discussions of how the 
Nazi and South African apartheid gov-
ernments meticulously built enormous 
information resources that favored their 
policies and philosophies, thus helping to 
repress their enemies. Yet ironically, many 
of the same archives were used to bring 
atrocities to public attention, return stolen 
property to rightful owners, and provide 
conclusive evidence of malfeasance. 

But there are pitfalls inherent in archi-
vists sacrificing their image of neutrality 
and exercising a social conscience in the 
pursuit of their professional responsibili-
ties. If the archivist has been neutral in her 
work, doesn’t that lend legitimacy to the 
resulting archives? Shouldn’t we fear that 
our archives would still be biased, but in 
a different direction? Jimerson responds 
by emphasizing a distinction between 
objectivity and neutrality, in which an 
objective archivist strives to be fair, honest, 
detached, and transparent. To take one 
example, in the interests of transparency 
it would be appropriate for an archivist to 
provide, along with the repository’s official 
selection and preservation policy, notes on 

the reasoning the archivist used in making 
various decisions regarding acquisition, 
retention, processing, and the like.

Since archivists work in many different 
kinds of institutions, and, depending on 
the nature of his or her institution, an ar-
chivist may face certain ethical challenges 
not encountered by colleagues elsewhere. 
In institutional archives, for example, 
there will likely be very detailed policies 
governing what must be kept and for how 
long, how the records will be disposed at 
the designated time, and so forth. But in 
manuscript repositories, the archivist may 
have much more latitude in selection and 
in seeking out additional materials, yet be 
constrained by limited space, donor stipu-
lations, and the like. An especially thorny 
objection to Jimerson’s recommended 
ethical imperatives comes from corporate 
archivists, whose employers may be will-
ing to support only actions that portray the 
company in a favorable light or contribute 
to the corporate bottom line. Despite Jimer-
son’s examples of how organizations like 
the Ford Motor Company have recognized 
that their historical records are an essential 
resource for understanding social issues 
and have responsibly made their records 
available to researchers investigating ties 
between Ford and the Nazi government, 
the fact remains that private entities have 
the right to establish their own preserva-
tion, access, and privacy policies, and ar-
chivists in such situations may sometimes 
confront a choice between their employers’ 
directives and what the archivists believe 
would be more socially responsible deci-
sions. Still, as Jimerson says, such dilem-
mas may arise for archivists in almost 
any work environment, and the purpose 
of his challenges for archivists to be more 
socially conscious is not to create a test 
for identifying who is or is not an ethical 
archivist. Jimerson is more concerned that 
archivists think more carefully about why 
they make the decisions that they do and 
understand the importance of defining 
their relationship to social and political 
systems of power, influence, and activism. 
Jimerson is less interested in establishing 



290 College & Research Libraries May 2010

new codes of ethics and more interested 
in encouraging archivists to continually 
reflect, examine, and question.

In his concluding pages, Jimerson 
considers further the ethical implications 
of being socially responsible archivists 
and examines the weaknesses of current 
codes of ethics, which he believes do not 
provide much guidance to practitioners. 
Jimerson thinks most codes fail because 
they attempt to articulate universal 
principles of action that are difficult to 
apply to specific situations. Instead, he 
recommends archivists should describe 
and highlight the desirable outcomes 
they wish to achieve on behalf of societal 
interests. While such an approach may 
be just as complicated to apply when re-
solving moral dilemmas, it has the virtue 
of helping make the resulting decisions 
more understandable to the layman. 

There are extensive notes, but a sepa-
rate bibliography of the works cited would 
have been a useful and efficient adjunct for 
the reader. Jimerson writes well, especially 
in light of his heavy reliance on quoting 
other authors. But he eschews jargon and 
writes clearly and enthusiastically. He has 
produced a clear and articulate position 
regarding important ethical challenges 
to the archival profession and has solidly 
defended his admirable theses.—W. Bede 
Mitchell, Georgia Southern University.

William H. Brandt. Interpretive Wood-En-
graving: The Story of the Society of Ameri-
can Wood-Engravers. New Castle, Del.: 
Oak Knoll Press, 2009. 204p. alk. paper, 
$85 hardback (ISBN 9781584562672). 
LC2009-031744.

William H. Brandt, an emeritus botany 
professor at Oregon State University, has 
been a collector of wood engravings for 
thirty years. Enthusiasts who write about 
a subject often lack the critical engage-
ment of professional scholars, and their 
views on its relative importance tend to 
be myopic. Brandt largely escapes this 
pitfall, fortunately; and, although his 
enthusiasm is clear, his assertions and 
claims do not suffer for it.

Interpretive Wood Engraving focuses 
on the known members of the Society of 
American Wood-Engravers (SAWE), even 
though the records of the Society have not 
survived, and places them within the larg-
er context of the golden age of wood en-
graving in publishing (1850–1900). Brandt 
has identified the names of twenty-nine 
members who belonged to the Society 
at its height (ca. 1890–95), and in section 
nine gives biographical sketches of each 
member along with an example of his or 
her work (plates 21–49). The total number 
of wood engravers in America peaked at 
over 500 in 1890; by 1905, wood engraving 
had lost its place as the premier form of 
illustration in publishing to the halftone 
process, which allowed photographs to 
be satisfactorily printed on paper along 
with type. 

The first four sections detail the history 
of wood-engraving, the split between 
the Old and New Schools of engravers, 
the formation of the Society, and the 
competition between Scribner’s (later The 
Century) and Harper’s, and how it drove 
the engravers to innovation. Sections five 
through eight focus on specifics—the role 
of the Grolier Club in SAWE’s history, 
the portfolio the Society produced, a 
select bibliography of American wood-
engraving, and an annotated list of ex-
hibitions in which the Society members’ 
engravings have appeared (1881–2001). 
Brandt includes a section on collecting 
wood-engravings, offers a defense of the 
practice as an art and not merely a craft, 
and outlines four classes of material to 
collect (proofs on Japan or Indian paper, 
proofs on plain paper, and magazine and 

Index to advertisers
Amer. Philosophical Society 199
Amer. Scientific Publishers cover 4
Annual Reviews 196
Cambridge University Press 195
CHOICE Reviews 294
ISTE cover 2
Lexis-Nexis cover 3
Philosophy Documentation Ctr. 202
Wilfrid Laurier University Press 201