by:
Bierbaum, Esther Green

Publisher:
McFarland and Company
Published:August 1, 1994
ISBN:0899509711
Format:Library Binding
Pages:190

Description: From Library Journal
What a useful book this would have been for me as a library student more than two decades ago, but how sadly simplistic and outdated it is today, no matter how well intentioned and thoroughly readable it is. It's not clear just what audience is envisioned for this work, but any graduate of an accredited library school (to say nothing of an "information specialist") would find little more than a repackaging of standard, easily available information and some not too timely references. There are indeed classic works on the art and craft of museum librarianship, but when the majority of the cited bibliographical references are pre-1990 the currency of the information is open to question. To give equal weight to discussions of filing cards in a card catalog (indeed, even what type of drawers to use) and to the major advances in computerization may be fine for a historic overview but not for a guide to the current world. There are important points made: the need for an advocate for the library to participate in museum staff meetings on a par with other departments; the importance of the entirely nonadministrative role of a library committee; and the vital need for support of the library, both from within the museum infrastructure and from the population that it services. And these are eloquently made. It is evident that a great deal of thought and work went into this book, and one wishes it could do more than evoke a touch of nostalgia for a less complex time in our professional lives.
Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description:
All aspects of the museum library are covered here: beginning or revitalizing the library; collection development and the bibliographic process; space and equipment requirements; administration; services; technology; and the information partnership between museums and their libraries. Appendices include collection development policies, a sample budget, and related associations and organizations.