Educating the Public Library User by John Lubans, Jr.Review by: Mary BiggsThe Library Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul., 1984), pp. 317-318Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4307765 .

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REVIEWS 317

Educating the Public Library User. Compiled and edited by JOHN LUBANS, JR. Chicago: American Library Association, 1983. Pp. viii + 145. $14.00 (paper). ISBN 0-8389-0382-7.

Concluding this book is a bibliography which lists at least 60 books and articles dealing directly with user education in public libraries. While the number is substantial; most of the articles are very short, and the body of literature sur- rounding this subject is small indeed when compared with that focusing on instruction and orientation in academic and school libraries. Yet, as Lubans points out and his authors confirm, public librarians do teach library use- though purposes, methods, and problems may differ significantly when the library is not nestled in an educational institution with a captive and relatively homogeneous clientele and a clearly defined primary mission. Ilene Nelson makes the provocative suggestion that the domination of user education litera- ture by academic librarians propounding narrow approaches in a prescriptive manner has led to a generally accepted service philosophy which is only partially appropriate for public libraries. Furthermore, academicians have neglected dis- cussion of such crucial and cost-effective, but glamorless, "passive" devices as carefully designed sign systems, printed handouts, and displays: "The impli- cation is that only formal programs of group instruction have any real validity" (p. 18).

Following Lubans's introductory essay is a group of 3 chapters-one each written from the perspective of a public librarian (Nelson), a public library administrator (Peggy Sullivan), and a school librarian (Anne M. Hyland). These emphasize the need for communication among different types of libraries, affirm the value and validity of public library user education, and offer some suggestions for successful implementation. Sullivan warns that lack of staff competency and motivation may impede programs: many librarians, she notes, are schoolteaching dropouts, and the public library reward system, unlike that in academic and school environments, usually fails to recognize such work. Fur- thermore, she claims, "Making library patrons more independent in their use of libraries often means transferring from the librarian some of the thrill of the search and much of the feeling of accomplishment in finding what is requested. These are perquisites not lightly relinquished, and attitudes of the public, which are closely related to them, help to maintain them" (p. 26). Is this truly an obstacle in any but a few isolated cases? Sullivan's highly debatable assertion is, I hope, too tantalizing not to be debated. I look forward to the fallout.

A second 3-chapter section, focused on the adult user, offers a brief descrip- tion of user education courses provided through Britain's Open University (chapter by Sheila Dale); presents questionnaires used to assess adults' informa- tion needs and preferred sources (John C. Shirk); and concludes with Lubans's advice on "Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating," which may be of some use to neophytes but is superficial and mostly a rehash of what has been advised in print many times over.

The volume ends with 5 "instructional program case studies" drawn from one British and four American public libraries. All are fairly conventional, class- room-based efforts, employing tours, handouts, and exercises (sometimes struc- tured as "games"). Rigorous needs assessment and evaluation efforts are avoided, apparently on the assumption that user education is, ipso facto, a good thing, and the content and methods dictated by tradition and common sense must be adequate. For example, David Miller, of Britain's Sheffield City Librar- ies, notes: "Unfortunately, due to lack of resources no research is available to

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318 THE LIBRARY QUARTERLY

assess the value of this service. The individual reactions of the children are encouraging, nearly all leave having enjoyed their visit, and most tell us.... Certainly it can be said that most of the children do feel more confident in using the library, since many are seen returning on successive days" (p. 127). While Miller may well feel personally gratified by the children's reactions, such soft evidence proves nothing about the real effects of the program or about its benefits relative to its costs.

In summary, Educating the Public Library User is thin in both size and substance. A few striking statements do not add up to a challenging text overall. Still, it is at least something that interested professionals can read. Little else on the subject is available, except for brief articles scattered throughout many books and journals.

Mary Biggs, University of Chicago

Public Library User Fees: The Use and Finance of Public Libraries. By NANCY A. VAN

HOUSE. Contributions in Librarianship and Information Science, no. 43. West- port, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1983. Pp. 140. ISBN 0-313-22753-5.

Nancy Van House states that her study of public library user fees differs from other studies of the subject in two unique respects: "It reasons dispassionately from a firm understanding of both economics and the public library, to analyze the rationale for public support of libraries and the effect of fees"; and "it develops a conceptual basis for explaining and predicting library use both with and without fees" (p. 5). Both claims are substantiated in this well-documented analysis. From the outset, it is clear that Van House does not regard user fees as inappropriate in public libraries, nor is she talking about fees for basic library services (for example, general reference assistance). Her intent is to demonstrate that user fees for certain selected services, most specifically online searching in public libraries, are economically sound, practical, and philosophically justified.

Van House is far more concerned with articulating a theoretical framework for viewing the economics of public libraries than she is with user fees per se, and so the book's title might strike some readers as misleading. Public Library User Fees is not a guide to the pros and cons of the "free or fee" debate, nor is it a practical handbook on how to establish a fee-for-service library operation. Rather, the book is an examination of public finance theory and time allocation theory as they apply to the public library environment whether or not user fees are present.

The research is presented in 6 chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the research question and the recurrent theme of choices. "Economics," states Van House, "is about choices" (p. 3). The choices examined in this text are why the community chooses to support the public library and why individuals choose to use it. In order for library managers to make sound decisions regarding library services and user fees, they must understand basic economic principles which govern publicly supported libraries. They must also know something about their constit- uency and the factors which influence library use. Chapter 2, "The Nature of the Public Library," is a brief, standard account of the historical development and contemporary role of public libraries as primarily middle-class institutions, func- tioning as broad-based educational agencies, and providing a wide range of information resources to a general clientele. The general nature of the public

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