Deceptive appearances.

Deceptive appearances. The public library service: IFLA/UNESCO guidelines for development.Prepared by a working group chaired by Philip Gill on behalf of theSection of Public Libraries. IFLA IFLA International Federation of Library Associations and InstitutionsIFLA International Federation of Landscape ArchitectsIFLA Instituto Forestal Latinoamericano (Venezuela)IFLA Israel Free Loan Association Publications, 97. Munich: K.G Saur,2001. (IFLA Publications; 97) price not reported hard ISBN ISBNabbr.International Standard Book NumberISBNInternational Standard Book NumberISBNn abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m3598218273 'Boring, old-fashioned' were my first thoughts onreceiving this publication. I was so wrong. That's the package, notthe publication--and there is an old saying about a book and its cover.Not that there's anything wrong with the cover--impeccable librarybinding and preservation-friendly acid-free paper. It is just that thisslight tome looks somehow oppressive in so much armour plating. Be that as it may, these guidelines are a ripping read, chock-fullof common sense and lively examples from real-life library services. Aswith its predecessor, the 1986 edition, this steers clear of setting'standards' which may be impossible for some library servicesto achieve. Instead, the focus is very much on 'guidelines'with standard-like recommendations interspersed. These are richlyillustrated with examples from libraries around the globe which areproviding typical public library services. Housebound services may besupplied by boat, as in Norway and Indonesia, for example, or by donkeyas in Peru, where donkeys transport laptop computers as well as books. Astep-by-step reading program for young people may be used forbibliotherapy bibliotherapy/bib��lio��ther��a��py/ (bib?le-o-ther��ah-pe) the reading of selected books as part of the treatment of mental disorders or for mental health. bib��li��o��ther��a��pyn. , as in Zagreb both during and after the war. There is muchto ponder in these examples. Succinctly written in clear prose, the handbook includes usefullinks to other, more detailed sources. For example, 'The IFLA/FAIFEwebsite includes details of over twenty codes of ethics forlibrarians'. A most useful sample Customer Charter is included infull as Appendix 3, and Appendix 4 gives library building standards fromCanada and Spain. This handbook is organised along the lines of the Manifesto,covering the public library's role and purpose and its context, thelegal and financial framework. Other sections include user needs,collectiondevelopment (including electronic), human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. , and managing andmarketing the public library. While all sections are good, that oncollection development is particularly strong and includes guidelinesfor the components of a collection development policy If there is aweakness, it is in the final chapter. There is nothing explicitly aboutstrategic planning, and the section on marketing is simply notsufficient. Marketing and promoting public library services is loominglarge in the 21st century, at least in Australia. Another difficulty is the resource list, which is hard to use. Forsuch a wide-ranging topic covering so many countries, it would have beenmore useful to abandon the traditional alphabetical format in favour ofa classified sequence. Oddly, 'buildings' is given its owncategory, but other topics, such as 'ethics' or'standards', are not. The index is, of course, excellent, asone would expect in such a publication. However, these are minor quibbles; on the whole The public libraryservice: IFLA/ UNESCO UNESCO:see United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. UNESCOin full United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization guidelines is strongly recommended to all publiclibrarians, to all institutes offering library courses, and to allpractitioners with an interest in library services for the community Jennifer Burrell, Parramatta Parramatta(pâr'əmăt`ə), city (1996 pop. 139,157), New South Wales, SE Australia, a suburb of Sydney, on the Parramatta River. It is the regional center for the western suburbs of Sydney. City Library