and how classification fits into the changing world of information organization, management,retrieval, and dissemination.
The Future of Classificationis conceptually and appropriately organized. Chapters arearranged according to theme and scope, and work together to uncover how print andelectronic information can be organized for both the traditional and the electronic library.The first few chapters deal with broad classification concerns and affirmations, including adiscussion of whether we even need classification, and a sound and valid argument forsystem and unity in organizing knowledge. The next few chapters delve into issues that areaffected particularly by the rapid changes in technology, including information organizationand the Internet, and the challenges of classifying electronic resources. The remainingchapters discuss specific classification types and systems (e.g., Dewey Decimal Classifica-tion, Universal Decimal Classification, LC Classification). In an attempt to understand howthese systems are adapting, the need for and importance of methodology is emphasized.
The Future of Classificationis complete, concise, and up-to-date. It is a particularly usefulresource for anyone interested in the modern challenges facing the means by which intel-lectual property is organized. In the modern world it is imperative that the place andappropriateness of classification for both physical and virtual forms of information areevaluated and assessed. In this way,The Future of Classificationis a valuable contribu-tion—a needed testament to the rapidly changing world of information access.
Rebecca E. Abbott ForgetteEndeavor Information Systems, Inc.,
2200 East Devon Ave, Suite 382,Des Plaines, IL 60018, USA
E-mail address:[email protected]: S1464-9055(00)00213-X
The Future of the Past: Preservation in American Research LibrariesAbby Smith; Washington, DC: Council on Library and Information Resources, 1999. 16pp., $15.00 softcover, ISBN 188733467X
This essay presents a summary of challenges and accomplishments in preservation effortsover the past 40 years. In a brief introduction the author make a very interesting andimportant observation about library collections in stating that “not all recorded informationwill survive, and we will never be able to predict accurately which information will be indemand by scholars in the future.”
The essay continues with background on the embrittlement of research collections and theefforts during the 1960s and 1970s to address the problem. It covers the use of permanentpaper, paper deacidification, microfilming, and the problems in deciding the fate of brittlematerials. The author then discusses the implementation of a national plan for preservingbrittle books. She points out that, unlike other countries that have national libraries that takeon the responsibility for collecting and preserving the national output, the United States must
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rely on plans developed through the existing decentralized network of repositories. Inselecting a national plan, decisions on the approach must be made. Various selection methodsfor identifying materials are detailed. These include the “great collections” approach usingthe Research Libraries Group (RLG) Conspectus, the bibliographic model employing bib-liographers and/or scholars to identify materials, and the user driven method which treatsitems in poor condition as they are used. The work of the Commission on Preservation andAccess and the National Advisory Council on Preservation is mentioned.
The concluding section of the essay focuses on the challenge to preserve the record of the20th century which exists in many media more fragile than paper—e.g., nitrate film, waxcylinders, videotape and audio cassettes. Although there apparently is no loss of informationduring copying in the digital world, there is a risk that over time there will be a loss offunctionality, considering the migration of files from one system to another. However, allmajor research libraries are expending resources to support the creation of and access todigital information. As they expand efforts in this area, libraries continue to make decisionsconcerning damaged or brittle books on a regular basis. The author concludes that preser-vation is the art of managing risk and calls for collaboration between scholars, who canadvise about the intellectual value of items, and librarians, who can decide on the physicalrisk to collections.
I strongly recommend this essay as required reading for all librarians and scholars. Thereview of past work and the ideas, suggestions and questions posed provide a sound basis forfuture work in the preservation field.
Ari CohenHead of Cataloging
Brooklyn Campus Library, Long Island University,1 University Plaza, LLC307b,
Brooklyn, NY 11201, USAE-mail address:[email protected]
PII: S1464-9055(00)00204-9
Learn Dewey Decimal Classification (Edition 21)Mary Mortimer; Library Basics, 2. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press in cooperation withDocMatrix, 2000. 145 pp., $24.50 softcover, ISBN 0810836947
Mortimer has created a combined text and workbook for learning the theories andprinciples on which the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) is based. The student orpracticing librarian reading the instructional text can then immediately put into practice theideas and information presented. This is the second workbook in the Library Basics series,originally published in Australia by DocMatrix (1997); some new and updated material hasbeen added for this North American edition.
The work begins with an introduction to classification in general, followed by an overviewof DDC, its components, and principles of application. The author describes the steps in
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Recommended
