Download This PDF File
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
brarians, by its books on real estate and busi- Allied Sciences. 2d ed., rev. and enl. Janet ness. Doe, Mary Louise Marshall, editors. Chi- The reader has ample material here upon cago: American Library Association, 1956. which to reflect on the need for a scholarly 601 p. $10. and farsighted acquisitiveness in librarians, coupled with solid and sensible accomplish- When the first edition of this Handbook ments in administration. The Boston Public appeared in 1943 it was described as "a man- Library has fortunately had some librarians ual of procedure and a reservoir of useful distinguished for both: the names of Charles data." Emphasis was placed on the latter Coffin Jewett, Justin Winsor, and Herbert aspect, with happy results; and happily this Putnam are writ large in library history. revised and enlarged second edition has Trustees and librarians alike may profit from continued this emphasis. A very wide range the story told in detail of the construction, of information is included: organization without regard to function, of the great ar- charts; salary scales; factors for calculation chitectural monument that is the present li- of stack capacities; names and addresses of brary in Copley Square, and the more sig- book and periodical dealers; directions for nificant story of attempts to rebuild the in- using mending glues; samples of various terior into the useful and complicated service classification schemes now prevalent; lists areas demanded in a modern public library. of subject heading aids; manufacturers of Anyone who has watched the ingenious map cases, display equipment, and micro- changes taking place under the present cap- film reading machines; checklists for a pub- able director, Milton E. Lord, will better ap- lic relations program; and data on medical preciate the extraordinary complexity of the library resources, medical library education, problems created by the necessity of defrost- and the Medical Library Association. There ing architectural icebergs. Branch libraries, is something here for everyone. All of it bookmobiles, the dual emphasis upon re- will be of daily usefulness to the younger search facilities and services to the reading librarian, and to the librarian of the "one- needs of the general public have their proper man" library, while even the most sophisti- parts, as has, too, quite fortunately, the dis- cated and experienced librarian must find pute over Macmonnies' sculpture "Bachante." in it an invaluable source of occasional If the reader does not turn from the few help. pages about the "Naked Drunken Woman" The last half of the book deals with ref- in this book to the author's longer account in erence and bibliographic service applicable the New England Quarterly for December, to clinical medicine and medical research, 1954, he will have missed one of the best and to a discussion of rare books and the stories in library history. history of medicine, both sections being In a note Mr. Whitehill commends David capped with a really magnificent annotated McCord's centennial pamphlet as "full of in- "Bibliography of the Reference Works and formation and free from the pompous solem- Histories in Medicine and the Allied Sci- nity that affects many commemorative publi- ences" numbering almost 2,000 entries. This cations of institutions." One can do no better bibliography was the outstanding feature of than use the same words to describe Mr. the first edition. It is here revised, aug- Whitehill's own book. To this should be mented (the number of entries has added a tribute to Rudolph Ruzicka, whose doubled), and rearranged. Formerly the bib- liography was arranged primarily by form fine illustrations and expertness in book de- of publication; in the second edition it is sign give the volume a deserved distinction. arranged basically by subject, and only sec- —Robert E. Moody, Boston University Li- ondarily by form. Finally, this book has braries. what might be called an indexer's index, the kind which every librarian admires but Medical Library Practice finds all too infrequently. Handbook of Medical Library Practice, This edition appears as its co-editor, Janet with a Bibliography of the Reference Doe, who edited the first edition, retires fol- Works and Histories in Medicine and the lowing a distinguished career at the New NOVEMBER, 1956 519 York Academy of Medicine Library. It is a Medical Library Classification, and card monument to her wisdom, her enthusiasm, number. her organizational skill, and her unflagging The 1950 and 1951 volumes included only zeal for the improvement of medical li- medical titles; all succeeding volumes have brarianship. To Miss Doe, to her co-editor, included material of medical interest. This Mary Louise Marshall, and to their talented edition not only contains current material, collaborators, all medical librarians are in- but lists under Part I, Authors, material pub- debted. This edition is a considerable im- lished before 1801 and American titles provement over its predecessor, and that is through 1820. Additional titles published high praise indeed.—Lt. Col. Frank B. during this period will be listed in future Rogers, Armed Forces Medical Library. issues of the catalog. Part Two, Subjects, is limited by the li- brary's policy of assigning subject headings Medical Catalog only to titles published since 1925, with the following exceptions: (1) important refer- Armed Forces Medical Library Catalog; a ence and historical materials; (2) biographies Cumulative List of Works Represented by and bibliographies; (3) periodicals; (4) con- Armed Forces Medical Library Cards, 1950- gresses; (5) statistical documents; (6) works 1954. Ann Arbor: J. W. Edwards, 1955. about institutions, such as hospitals, clinics, Authors: v. 1-3; subjects: v. 4-6. $64 a set. etc. In 1946 the Armed Forces Medical Library Altogether about 75,000 titles are listed. established a new cataloging program, and in Because the Armed Forces Medical Library order to make its cataloging records readily has an acquisition policy which is interna- available to as many libraries and individuals tional in scope and nearly complete in cov- as possible it was decided to publish the erage, this catalog becomes an indispensable cards in a variety of ways. To quote M. Ruth bibliographical tool for the world's medical MacDonald, Assistant Librarian for Catalog- literature published in book or pamphlet ing at the Armed Forces Medical Library: form. It is essential for active reference and research libraries; all libraries serving medi- From October 1946-March 1948, the cards cine and the allied sciences will find it neces- were published by the Library of Congress in a sary in the performance of their readers serv- medical series (MED) and reproduced in A ices and technical services.—G. /. Clausman, Catalog of Books Represented by Library of New York University—Bellevue Medical Cen- Congress Printed Cards, Supplement 1942-1947, and in the LC Cumulative Catalog, 1948. From ter Library. April 1948 to December 1949, the cards were mimeographed and retyped copies were pub- lished under the titles Army Medical Library No Ordinary Year Catalog Cards (April-December 1948) and the Army Medical Library Author Catalog 1949. The Annual Report of the Librarian of Congress former was issued as a supplement to the Cumu- for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1954. lative Catalog of Library of Congress Printed Washington, D.C.: The Library of Con- Cards and the latter as a supplement to the LC gress, U.S. Government Printing Office, Author Catalog. 1955. 178 p. This edition of the catalog covers the five- The Report for fiscal 1954 records as lead- year period 1950-1954 and supersedes the an- ing events the appointment of a new Librar- nual volumes for 1950-1953 (i.e., the Army ian of Congress and the accessioning of the Medical Library Catalog 1951, and the ten-millionth book. The list of officers begins Armed Forces Medical Library Catalog, 1952- with a roll-call of distinction: Luther Harris 1953). The work is divided into two parts, Evans, Librarian (to July 3, 1953), Verner W. an author catalog and a subject catalog. In Clapp, Acting Librarian (July 4, 1953-Sep- both parts the cards are completely repro- tember 1, 1954), L. Quincy Mumford, Librar- duced, giving the author entry, his dates, the ian of Congress and the accessioning of the title, place of publication, publisher, date, Librarian Emeritus—all the names since 1899 pagination, notes, tracings, Armed Forces but Archibald MacLeish. The guard changed, 520 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES .