Librarianshipquo Vadis?

Librarians and libraries now face unprecedented challenges, risks, and opportunities. In his latest collection of articles and speeches, White focuses on the professional issues confronting librarians at a time of increased technological options-when simple information access can be easily and directly done by end users, but in which complex information access poses needs and concerns which the end user may not even recognize, let alone understand. Often delivered with wit, these insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries are intended to provoke serious thought, discussion, and ultimately, action. A must read for library and information science professionals and valuable supplementary reading for students of library and information science.

Librarians and libraries now face unprecedented challenges, risks, and opportunities. In his latest collection of articles and speeches, White focuses on the professional issues confronting librarians at a time of increased technological options-when simple information access can be easily and directly done by end users, but in which complex information access poses needs and concerns which the end user may not even recognize, let alone understand. Often delivered with wit, these insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries are intended to provoke serious thought, discussion, and ultimately, action. A must read for library and information science professionals and valuable supplementary reading for students of library and information science.

Library Journal

Readers of LJ will be familiar with much of this sturdy volume, since it consists largely of the author's "White Papers" columns that appeared over the past five years. Also added are a number of items reprinted from other sources, including a few speeches to professional groups. It is the dangers (read failures, weaknesses, etc.) that predominate here. To be sure there are opportunities, if we follow White's advice, but even then he seems not so confident that librarians will survive all their faults and omissions. This pessimism pervades much of his essays, although White's dark view is largely attributable to his desire to provoke, with outrageous illustrations or comparisons if necessary. As when, annoyed by what he sees as the lack of relevance in much that happens at American Library Association conferences, he argues, "Perhaps we could learn something from the single-mindedness of the National Rifle Association." It is this penchant for provocation that makes White such a superb columnist, and that is one of the real strengths of this book. However, the problem with collections of this kind is that they reveal how often an author repeats himself over the years. Here can be seen clearly White's pleasure in trumpeting his credentials and his hammering home some of his favorite themes over and over again. His forte, of course, is administration, about which he writes well, but his guru, Peter Drucker, is cited so often that he almost deserves title-page credit as joint author. Thus, this volume should be dipped into, rather than read straight through, to provide a shot of adrenaline. Both new and would-be librarians and many of the old hands could benefit from this prescription, though the latter had better watch their blood pressure. Eric Moon, Sarasota, FL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

HERBERT S. WHITE is Dean Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus, School of Library & Information Science, Indiana University, and Adjunct Professor, University of Arizona, Green Valley. He is the recipient of the ALA Melvil Dewey Award.