Librarianship: A Third World Perspective by Rosario Gassol de HorowitzReview by: R. N. SharmaLibraries & Culture, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Summer, 1989), pp. 390-391Published by: University of Texas PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25542185 .

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390 L&C/Book Reviews

Librarianship: A Third World Perspective. By Rosario Gassol de Horowitz. (Contribu tions in Librarianship and Information Science, No. 59) New York: Greenwood

Press, 1988. x, 140 pp. $37.95. ISBN 0-313-25507-5.

Libraries and librarianship have developed at a much faster rate in the Western

nations than they have in the Third World countries. There are many reasons for

this slow growth in developing nations, which have been dealt with in a very fine

manner by Rosario Gassol de Horowitz in her book Librarianship: A Third World Per

spective. The book is divided into three parts: "The Issues of National Develop

ment," "The Theoretical Foundations of Librarianship," and "Synthesis and In

terpretations." The book deals mainly with Latin American librarianship, its history, progress,

and problems. Other Third World nations have similar experiences in their develop

ment, progress, and dealing with problems in the field of library and information

science. Therefore, the story of Latin America can also be applied to other develop

ing nations, which makes this study more interesting and meaningful. It is a well

known fact that is supported by this study that the ideas of development in Third

World countries for advancing librarianship and education for librarianship have

been borrowed from the Western nations. But the implementation of these ideas

and the progress has been slow due to various reasons. One of the reasons is poor

planning without taking into consideration the local environment, including il

literacy, financial needs, and changing conditions. Due to the failure of their plans,

many nations in the developing world "are stressing self development as opposed to

the passive reception of foreign aid and technical assistance" (p. 16). The author clearly has emphasized that the planning for library and information

science in developing countries should be linked with their national planning and

development. There are many other excellent suggestions included in the book to

improve the profession and services. Some of them are: cooperation among li

brarians and libraries of all types at the local, state, regional, national, and inter

national level; upgrading the quality of education for librarianship in Third World

countries with a proper plan based on universal principles and transfer of tech

nology that suits the needs of local communities; curriculum changes in library schools to include information science courses; hiring of better and more experienced

professors to teach and train librarians; improving physical resources; and pro

viding leadership to a disorganized field of library and information science, which in

turn will attract high-quality professionals to meet the challenges of change in the

developing profession.

According ta the author, these basic problems and issues must be resolved with

the help of strong library associations. Unfortunately, many countries in the Third

World do not have strong library associations; therefore, before solving the prob

lems, library associations must be strengthened, and new trends in the profession must be understood. The policies and changes must be introduced and implemented

effectively in a practical manner rather than on paper only. It is important to keep in

mind that the world is shrinking due to technological developments. Second, as

stated earlier, the key to success in the present world is cooperation at all levels

because resources and budgets are also shrinking. In addition, the Third World

countries must develop a strong tridimensional framework of theory, research,

and curriculum based on human nature, human thought, and process in this infor

mation age. This book includes a selected bibliography covering the period from 1911 to 1987.

It has certainly opened the eyes of many researchers and can help to improve the

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391

profession in Third World countries. It is highly recommended for all libraries,

library educators, consultants, and others interested in the library history of

developing nations.

R. N Sharma, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh

The Management of Information from Archives. By Michael Cook. Brookfield, Vt.:

Gower Publishing, 1986. ix, 234 pp. $41.50. ISBN 0-566-03504-9.

This book is a welcome contribution to the slight body of archival books in the

English language. The author associates it with A Manual of Archival Description

(Liverpool: University Archives, University of Liverpool, 1985), stating that "the

two books should be read and used in close conjunction. They complement each

other: the manual giving specific recommendations and models on the writing of ar

chival description, and this book containing the background discussion, the general

principles, and a push towards viewing archives work as a branch of information

management" (p. vii). Reinforcing this statement, Cook adds that "the aim of this

book is to explain the general background and setting of MAD, and to suggest ways in which these newly established standards can be integrated into a total service" (p.

4). A second, more specific aim is "to seek to extend the application of the descrip tive methods suggested by MAD until they meet the boundaries of AACR2's effec

tive application" (p. 6). However, the broad purpose of this book is more ambitious

than that, and Cook clearly states it: "The aim of this book is to reassess the theory and practice of archives and records management, viewing them from the stand

point of processors and suppliers of information, as part of a developed and effective

information management service" (p. 3). And the book achieves precisely this aim

by means of an admirably rational, clear, and succinct presentation of ideas and

facts relating to the entire body of archival theory and practice. From what he writes in the preface, Cook seems to consider it to be a "radical"

book (p. vii). I did not find anything really radical in either the organization of the

book, which treats in sequence records management, acquisition and appraisal, ar

rangement, description, data elements, information retrieval, automatic data pro

cessing, and user services, following the pattern of discussion familiar to North

American archivists, or the information provided. What is new and really pro

gressive is the attitude, the placement of emphasis, the general character of the

discussion, and the accurate use of a terminology common to all those involved with

contemporary information management. An interesting element to note is the

balance in the treatment of records management, archival functions, application of

methods of a bibliographic control to archives, and archival automation, and this

reveals at the outset how Cook considers the knowledge of those areas equally rele

vant to the management of archival information and to the creation of an integrated

information system. The same idea is expressed in the new definition of archives proposed by Cook:

"archives may be defined as information media which have been generated from

within the organization, and the management of which has been delegated to a

specialist service. The purpose of this delegation is the preservation of the materials

and the exploitation of the information in them" (p. 8). This definition, though not

in contrast with older definitions, perceives the nature of archives as determined by the circumstances of their creation, and the archival material as "belonging to the

universe of information media," so that both the practices of records management

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