LIBRES: Library and Information Science Research
Electronic Journal ISSN 1058-6768
1998 Volume 8 Issue 1; March 31.
Bi-annual LIBRE8N1 REVIEWS
American First Ladies: Their Lives and Legacy
Reviewed by Margaret Henderson
HIV/AIDS Information for Children: a Guide to Issues and Resources.
Reviewed by Penelope Papangelis
Benjamin Britten: A Guide to Research
Reviewed by Barbara L. Cressman
Spanish Artists From The Fourth To The Twentieth Century: A
Critical Dictionary
Reviewed by Terry Skeats
Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum
Reviewed by Ru Story-Huffman
Native America in the Twentieth Century: an Encyclopedia
Reviewed by John Burch
Immunobiology: the Immune System in Health and Disease
Reviewed by Penny Papangelis
American First Ladies: Their Lives and Legacy. edited
by Lewis L. Gould. NY: Garland Publishing, Inc. 1996 Paperback edition of a 1995 book. 686
p. (ISBN. 0-8153-2585-1)
The stated purpose of this book is "to provide the general reading public, especially
students coming initially to First Ladies, with informative entries about each of these
women, entries that also indicate the location of primary sources, reliable biographies
where available, and topics for further research." (xiii). Each entry has two parts,
an account of the life of the First Lady, including before and after her stay in the White
House, with a generally bipartisan effort to assess her impact as a First Lady, followed
by a bibliographical essay which lists where personal papers and relevant manuscripts can
be found, selections of the First Lady's writing where applicable, biographical studies,
relevant newspaper stories, scholarly articles, and general surveys. An obituary is listed
for deceased First Ladies.
The preface for the 1996 paperback edition updates some of the material, specifically the
auction of the possessions of Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at Sotheby's and the legal
problems of Hillary Rodham Clinton. The introductory essay by Gould, 'The First Lady as
Symbol and Institution', explains his selection process and what he is trying to
accomplish with this book, as well as an exploration of the role of the First Lady through
history. The excellent bibliographical essay which follows includes old and new materials
on First Ladies. This book also includes results of The First Ladies Polls conducted in
1982 and 1993 by the Siena Research Institute. Even though the polls are eleven years
apart, it is interesting that Eleanor Roosevelt is at the top of both polls and Mary Todd
Lincoln is at the bottom (Appendix A).
In general this is an excellent book. Gould has chosen some very qualified and
knowledgeable people to write the essays. The essays are all clear and concise and try to
provide contemporary thought on each woman as well as her place in history. Good and bad
comments are included although most essayists are sympathetic to the women. All essays are
very readable and appropriate for high-school and college level readers. Through these
biographies you can trace the changing role of the First Lady from hostess, and
occasionally behind the scenes advisor, through the period where the First Lady promoted a
favorite cause, to the current First Lady who plays an active role in policy making with
her work on health care.
My main concern is with the bibliographical essays. These essays are a great resource for
listings of primary research material as well as biographies of the First Lady and her
husband. Most essays seemed complete but in one case, where I have some interest, I found
that Phyllis Lee Levin's entry on Abigail Adams includes only one biography, hers. I have
three other biographies on my shelf, all of which include references to original letters
and manuscripts (1). Two other important books about the Adams family by Paul C. Nagel,
THE ADAMS WOMEN (1987) and DESCENT FROM GLORY: FOUR GENERATIONS OF THE JOHN ADAMS FAMILY
(1983), are not included.
It is also important for any librarian recommending this book to suggest that the patron
look for newer biographies. The field of First Lady research in particular, and women's
studies in general is growing quickly. As I was writing this review, a McFarland &
Company New Books brochure arrived in the mail with a new book by John R. Bumgarner, M.D.,
SARA CHILDRESS POLK: A BIOGRAPHY OF A REMARKABLE FIRST LADY and in Gould's bibliographical
essay on Edith Wilson, he mentions that Phyllis Lee Levin is writing a new biography of
her.
The other item lacking in the bibliographical essays is any reference to Internet
resources. I feel that a book written in 1996 documenting all research sources needs to
make some mention of internet resources. I have not found any actual documents online YET,
but I did come across several finding aids for various collections. As well as getting a
sense of what is available, the online sites also give names, and contact information for
people who can help researchers. A good access to documents for recent First Ladies, is
the Presidential Libraries (2). The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum has a whole
section devoted to Eleanor Roosevelt (3). Hillary Rodham Clinton is well represented
online by her own home page (4), official documents, including speeches, press releases,
daily schedules, etc., in the Virtual Library at the White House WWW site (5), and
unofficial documents, commentaries, criticisms, newspaper articles, etc. (6). Other First
Ladies can be found with your favorite Web search engine, usually in relation to their
husbands or an historic site. The White House WWW site has a list of all First Ladies
linked to short biographies (7) .
I recommend this book to any person or library with an interest in American
history or women's studies.
Margaret Henderson
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
henderso@cshl.org
Walter, V. A., & Gross, M. (1996). HIV/AIDS Information
for Children: a Guide to Issues and Resources. New York: H.W. Wilson Company. ISBN:
0-8242-0902-8
This book calls itself a guide, and indeed it is a bibliography listing works, both
fiction and nonfiction, on HIV/AIDS as it relates to children. The cutoff date for
inclusion of materials is 1995. The authors provide descriptive and critical comments of
the resources listed, which are virtually all books; articles, videos, and web sites are
not included. Inclusion of a book does not imply recommendation of it; the authors explain
that in some of their chapters, all the titles listed are recommended, but that in others,
some are not. This is a bit confusing, but the explanation is there (on page xi) for
reference if desired.
The authors go beyond merely listing book titles and discuss, as promised in the book's
subtitle, "issues" that surround HIV/AIDS. When it comes to bibliographies,
there are those that are just lists of books; others, called annotated bibliographies that
list books along with descriptive and/or critical comments; and others, like this guide,
that go beyond even annotated bibliography to include sections on the subject itself,
HIV/AIDS in this case. This the authors do with confidence, but not with arrogance. They
put forth very few original ideas, instead quoting numerous researchers in the field and
summarizing their ideas. For example, they discuss how the group of children whose lives
are affected by HIV/AIDS may be conceptualized as an iceberg, the bulk of which lies under
the surface. This image is taken from the work of Carol Levine. The authors also bring in
Jean Piaget's theory of child development; L.S. Vygotsky's concepts of scaffolding
(building learning on previous learning) and a zone of proximal development; James
Garbarino's contexts of development; Mary E. Welsh and James Bibace's educational
objectives of reducing fear, teaching the cause, and preventing new cases of HIV/AIDS; Jim
Zola's distinction between a paternalistic and a neutralistic approach toward selecting
HIV/AIDS materials for libraries; and John M. Last's distinctions between the words
"illness," "disease," and "sickness."
But the bulk of this book, as would be expected in a work by two librarians, lists
resources. The authors have compiled a 100-plus-page "HIV/AIDS Information Web"
consisting of 18 sections covering different aspects of HIV/AIDS as they relate to
children. This web reflects a commendable holistic approach on the part of the authors in
which all aspects of the impact of HIV/AIDS on a child are addressed. The 18 aspects
covered are adoption and foster care; compassion; death and dying; emotions; ethics and
values; family; friendship; health and nutrition; homelessness and poverty; homosexuality;
illness, sickness, and disease; medical care; safety and survival; self-esteem; sex
education; sexual abuse; social action; and substance abuse. There are some titles, such
as Onion Tears by Diana Kidd, that may not treat of HIV/AIDS specifically, but
which are nonetheless useful in understanding an aspect of it (adoption and foster care in
the case of Kidd's book). It should be noted, however, that despite its name and despite
the existence of many children's literature sites on the Internet, the authors'
"HIV/AIDS Information Web" does not include any World Wide Web sites. The
authors explain that they have not been able to locate any appropriate sites dealing with
HIV/AIDS and children on the Internet.
The intended audience for this book is teachers, librarians, health care professionals,
counselors, and parents. It would also be useful in health education courses, such as
those taught in American university departments of public health. Very well done and
recommended.
Penelope Papangelis
Western Kentucky University
Penny.Papangelis@wku.edu
Benjamin Britten: A Guide to Research. Peter J.
Hodgson. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1996. 244 p. (ISBN:0-8153-1795-6)
We are fortunate indeed to have the Garland Composer Resource Manuals series turn its
attention to Benjamin Britten. This series encompasses more than 50 composers representing
Western musical tradition from the Renaissance to the present century. Although these
manuals are individually unique in presentation, they each display common elements,
including lists of writings and works, biographical sketches, as well as guides to library
resources, organizations, and specialists.
Benjamin Britten: A Guide to Research is divided into three major parts: I.
Notes, II. Music, and III. Bibliography. The Notes are intended as background information
for Parts II and III, and contain introductory notes on Benjamin Britten, the
Britten-Pears Library and related items of interest.
Part I provides a personal perspective through the biographical notes describing
influences on Britten's childhood and later life. The summary of his education begins with
his first music lessons at age five with his mother, while the chronological synopsis
commences with the year after he left the Royal College of Music at age twenty.
The "Short Titles" section of Part II features an alphabetically arranged music
index, which is cross- referenced and indexed to the "Full Titles" citations in
Part II. The "Short Titles" also includes an opus number list and a
chronological conspectus (1932-1976.) "The Full Titles" section is arranged by
genre, including juvenilia, incidental music, stage music, choral music, solo vocal music,
instrumental music, and arrangements/editions.
Part III. Bibliography is structured around six principal groups of citations and focuses
on analyses, commentaries, and descriptive writings by authors, critics and scholars of
the past half-century. The first of these groups, "Bibliographies and Comprehensive
Sources", is thoroughly researched, even to the point of providing a topical guide to
an earlier publication, A Britten Source Book (Evans/Reed/Wilson, 1987), by
citation and year. Other writings included in Part III are biographical/personal studies,
Britten's writings, music studies, university theses/dissertations, as well as histories
and dictionaries. An especially useful feature of the bibliography is the author index,
which includes authors of principal texts and contributors of articles along with other
items noted in a subordinate position to the cited text.
This title is most welcomed as an indispensable member of a small group of definitive
works written for scholars of Benjamin Britten and will serve as an essential starting
point for further research. Without being redundant to earlier Britten research, this
guide stands as an independent reference resource for the literature about the life and
music of this prolific British composer. In addition to Britten scholars, anyone who
enjoys his music will take pleasure in browsing through this guide.
Further information about the collection in the Britten-Pears Library can be accessed at www.lib.uea.ac.uk/libinfo/localcol/britwelc/britwelc.htm
These web pages include information about the catalog (as well as a telnet link to the
catalog), and publications of the library. Information for approximately thirty percent of
the collection may be accessed through the online catalog.
Barbara L. Cressman
Eastern Illinois University
cfblc@eiu.edu
Spanish Artists From The Fourth To The Twentieth
Century: A Critical Dictionary (New York; G.K. Hall, 1993-96). 4v. (cloth). ISBN
0-8161-0614-2 (v.1); 0-8161-0656-8 (v.2); 0-8161-0657-6 (v.3); 0-8161-8037-5 (v.4).
In part because of its geographical location at the entrance to the Mediterranean, the
number of civilizations which have influenced Spanish art over the centuries is
significant, and include those of Africa, Greece, Phoenicia, and even some from the East.
The Roman conquest of Spain in 218 B.C., and the resultant domination which lasted five
hundred years, brought about the construction of buildings of various types (theaters,
temples, aqueducts, bridges) and roads which significantly changed the face of Spain.
Invasion by the Visigoths in the 6th century A.D. resulted in some artistic decline, but
nevertheless brought Byzantine and Sassanian influences to existing traditions.
In the 8th century, the Arab conquest of the Iberian Peninsula wrought substantial changes
in Spanish art and intellectual life, changes which are still felt today. As one writer
has stated, "...at a time when the rest of Europe was still seeking its identity, and
until the 13th century, southern Spain had the unique privilege of knowing a civilization
that was extraordinarily brilliant for its close association of Arabs, Jews, and
Andalusians."
The composite culture which flourished during this period changed Spanish art
dramatically: the Moors taught the Spanish how to work gold and silver, how to cover walls
with ceramic tiles (azulejos), and exercised some influence on wood carvers and manuscript
illuminators. The influence of Moslem and Iranian art forms has been documented in the
development of the Romanesque style in the north of Spain after the Arabs were expelled.
Moorish influence in Spain began to decline around 1000 A.D. due to infighting amongst
Moorish groups; by the late 13th century, Muslim territory in Spain comprised only the
Kingdom of Granada in the south of the peninsula. But the themes and forms of Eastern
architecture migrated northward, eventually influencing the architecture of much of the
rest of Europe.
In a review such as this, it is impossible to enumerate all of the influences Spanish art
has had on Western art in general. Suffice to say that the richness and depth of Spanish
art have been sources from which many have drawn inspiration.
This set of four volumes is derived from information obtained from the Authority File of
Artists used as an internal resource at New York's Frick Art Reference Library, and
expanded by the addition of data from general histories of Spanish art such as the Ars
Hispaniae and Post's 14-volume History of Art in Spain, together with information from
such multi-volume dictionaries as those of Benezit and Thieme-Becker.
The Introduction and Guide in v.1 are published in English, Spanish, French and German.
The Guide is particularly helpful as a key to the organization of the set. Volume 1 covers
artists with last names A-F; v.2 covers G-L; v.3 covers M-Z. Volume 4 contains the general
bibliography, and the chronological and comprehensive indexes. The total number of artists
listed is close to 7,000.
As a research and reference tool for the history of Spanish art and artists, this is a
major work, and should be the standard reference for some time to come. The vast majority
of citations in the general bibliography are to works published during this century.
However, significant publications dating as far back as the early eighteenth century are
also included.
Given the influence of Spanish art on Western art in general, particularly in the past two
centuries, this set should be on the shelves of any academic library which supports major
art history programs or departments. Highly recommended.
Terry Skeats
Bishop's University
tskeats@ubishops.ca
Harms, Jeanne McLain, Ph.D. and Lettow, Lucille. Picture
Books to Enhance the Curriculum New York: H.W. Wilson, Company, 1996. ISBN:
0-8242-0867-6
Designed as a tool for the elementary teacher, school library media specialist and
children's librarian, Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum is a collection of picture
books chosen to expand the curriculum of the elementary classroom. The authors have
attempted to include titles which would be found in a typical children's literature
collection. In addition, themes have been chosen based on study of elementary curriculum,
review of materials, and both author's personal experiences in the classroom.
Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum is designed with two major sections: a)
an index of themes with related titles and b) a section providing full bibliographic
information, brief synopsis of the book and list of themes for each book. Numerous themes
are included in this book, with some themes such as "migrants," "aesthetic
appreciation" or "graphic and performing arts" a bit narrow for an
elementary classroom. Many of the themes are broken into "subsets" with further
identifiers. A good example is the theme "Animals," with 60 sub-themes. These
sub-themes identify numerous types of animals and are useful for specific assignments.
The Themes Index provides specific titles used for each theme and is the main resource
tool for the user of this volume. Teachers have the opportunity to check their library
catalog against the list of titles for a chosen theme. The Themes Index can also aid in
the development of a library's children's literature collection. For each theme, picture
books have been chosen to represent that theme. The author and title are listed for each
book, with full bibliographic information found in the Picture Book Index.
The Themes Index, while a useful tool, can be a bit limited in the number of books chosen
for some of the themes. A comparison to the 4th edition of A to Zoo: Subject Access to
Children's Picture Books by Carolyn W. Lima and John A. Lima, R. R. Bowker, 1993,
showed A to Zoo sometimes providing a more exhaustive listing of titles. A check
of the theme "Clothing - shoes" showed 21 books in A to Zoo and 3 books
in the Harms and Lettow volume. The check of theme "Weather - snow" showed more
titles in the Lima book. In addition, A to Zoo tended to break the themes into
"tighter" subcategorizes. Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum
provided a theme for "grandparents," while A to Zoo broke the theme
into "grandmothers" and "grandfathers." On the other hand, at times Picture
Books to Enhance the Curriculum offered a wider selection of books for use in the
classroom. In addition, some of the books mentioned in Picture Books to Enhance the
Curriculum are not present in the 4th edition of A to Zoo. Also, Picture
Books to Enhance the Curriculum provides a short annotation to the content of the
book, which A to Zoo does not. The annotation could be a useful tool for a
librarian or teacher who is not familiar with a suggested title. A true comparison of both
volumes is only as complete as the requirements of the user. A teacher or librarian who
wanted an exhaustive list of titles for use in the classroom may find A to Zoo
the useful tool. While the educator who did not want a large list of titles, or had a
limited collection of books for use, may find Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum
the better resource.
Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum has an added bonus of a variety of
indexes. This volume contains a Picture Book Index, Title Index, Bibliography and a Key to
Themes Index in its table of contents. These added indexes or "chapters" will
aid the student, teacher, librarian or researcher in the quest for finding a specific
picture book to enhance a chosen theme.
Both Dr. Harms and Ms. Lettow are affiliated with the University of Northern Iowa and are
well respected in the field of children's literature. As a native of Iowa, I am well aware
of both professors and their reputations. They have presented many workshops throughout
the nation, and I had the opportunity to hear Ms. Lettow numerous years ago. The expertise
of both authors is an added bonus to their book. They have obviously done extensive
research on their subject, and have attempted to choose quality children's literature
which would work well in an educational setting.
Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum would be a good tool for the library who
does not have a recent copy of A to Zoo. In addition, the price is comparatively
less, with A to Zoo priced at $55.00, and Picture Books to Enhance the
Curriculum priced at $38.00. Also, this book would be a good book for the smaller
library or school system that does not have access to a large core collection.
Ru Story-Huffman
Cumberland College
rshuff@cc.cumber.edu
Native America in the Twentieth Century: an
Encyclopedia. Mary B. Davis, ed. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1996. 787 p.
(ISBN: 0-8240-4846-6).
While there are many subject encyclopedias available on the topic of Native Americans, few
have provided adequate coverage of Native American society in the twentieth century. This
void in the reference literature is admirably filled by this title. This excellent
encyclopedia is a paperback reprint of a title that was first published in 1994. Its focus
is primarily on Native American issues in the United States since the condition of Native
Americans in Canada is superficially acknowledged. It is noted in the preface that there
is a definite need for a specialized volume on the complex issues concerning Native
Americans in Canada.
113 of the 282 subject specialists that wrote the entries are Native Americans. The tribal
affiliations of the Native American contributors are noted. The contributors include such
highly respected scholars as Duane Champagne, Helen C. Rountree, Arlene B. Hirschfelder,
and Laurence M. Hauptman. Each of the entries is signed and includes a bibliography to
facilitate in-depth research on a particular topic.
The volume features superb indexing. There is a topical index at the beginning of the book
that lists the articles by subject. This allows the reader to quickly identify a number of
different entries on related topics. The encyclopedia concludes with an extremely detailed
index that provides access to the text, illustrations, and tabular data.
In the preface, the editor states that more than half of the entries focus on "native
nations." The use of "nations" is a question of semantics since these
organizations are commonly referred to as tribes or confederations. The editor is not
consistent in the use of the term since "tribes" is the term of choice in the
section entitled "Articles by Subject". The nations selected for inclusion in
the volume tend to be officially recognized by either the federal government or their
local state government. One notable omission from this volume is an entry for the
Meherrin, who are recognized as a tribe by the state of North Carolina. Unfortunately,
this encyclopedia does not cover the plights of those Native American groups who are
currently seeking official recognition as tribal units. The entries for each of the
nations include a brief historical overview followed by subheadings focusing on issues
such as tribal government and land claims. The contributors have made a conscious decision
to be apolitical and thus hot-button issues are dealt with carefully. This objectivity is
especially evident in the entries for specific nations.
The other entries focus upon general issues such as educational policy, treaties,
archaeology, Pan-Indianism, and arts. It was surprising to note that there is not an entry
for the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. This act is extremely controversial since it
provides a specific definition of who is a Native American artist. The act also touches
upon a number of sovereignty issues. In fairness to the editor, this is an extremely large
compendium and she obviously included all that she could.
This is simply the finest book currently available on the Native American condition in the
twentieth-century. It should be in the reference collection of every library that has
patrons researching Native American topics.
John Burch
Cumberland College
Jburch@cc.cumber.edu
Janeway, C.A., & Travers, P. Immunobiology: the
Immune System in Health and Disease (3rd edition). New York: Garland Publishing Inc.,
1997. ISBN: 0-8153-2818-4 $42.95.
Written to serve as an introductory text in immunology courses for medical students,
advanced undergraduate biology students, and graduate students, this book is difficult, to
be sure. But it is also clear. The authors are to be commended on their writing style.
Again and again I noticed that the sentences usually expressed one idea and one idea only.
In a book on modern immunobiology, this tendency is most welcome. In addition, Janeway and
Travers make good use of visuals and color to achieve clarity, as when they consistently
use the same drawing of a B cell, for example, every time a B cell occurs in one of their
figures.
The amount of information the reader of this text is asked to assimilate is enormous, but
the authors provide many helps along the way. Chapters are broken up into sections, each
of which is given a
full-sentence heading.
The heading of section 5-1, for example, is "B-cell development proceeds through
several stages," which prepares the reader for a list to come (pro-B cell stage,
pre-B cell stage, immature B cell stage, and mature B cell stage). This full sentence is
more helpful than a mere noun phrase (such as "B-cell Development") would be.
Janeway and Travers knowledge of immunology is impeccable. I do not think this book could
have been written better or more sympathetically. Recommended without reservation,
especially for medical school courses in immunology. (Note: The material contained in this
third edition is also available as part of a CD-ROM, Immunobiology 3 Bookshelf: The
Comprehensive Resource by Charles Janeway (Garland, 1997, $66.00)).
Penny Papangelis
Western Kentucky University
Penny.Papangelis@wku.edu
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Volume 8 Issue 1.
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