Audrey Fenner, Ed.

For all types of libraries, this work is a collection of articles that considers the ramifications of a major shift in library collections. (Haworth Press, 2005. 203 pp. $29.95. 978-0-7890-2834-1.)

Bottom line: Recommended for the theorist among us. David Loertscher

H. W. Wilson

This reliable core collection continues and has added more multimedia materials and web sites. It is recommended for those who are creating new libraries. Online core lists compete with this standard, however, but all are needed to create essentials to have a little bit of everything. This resource is not useful, however, for building in-depth collection segments matching major curriculum topics for research. (H. W. Wilson, 2005. 1,237 pp. $275.00. 0-8242-1053-0.)

Bottom line: Worth considering.David Loertscher

Young Adult Library Services Association

This is a super collection of YALSA lists spanning 1959–2004 of both fiction and nonfiction. It is outstanding, fun to browse, and great for teen collections. (American Library Association, 2005. 224 pp. $31.50 0-8389-3553-2.)

Bottom line: Essential.David Loertscher

G. Edward Evans and Margaret Zarnosky Saponaro

Evans has been the standard text and authority on collection development for all types of libraries. It still is. However, in the advent of digital resources, the Internet, databases, multimedia, and so forth, the topic of collection development is so large that our authors have resorted to their usual 450+ pages and including a CD-ROM with numerous articles written by various authors. They also have established a web site that brings even more current materials to the attention of the reader.

For the teacher-librarian, much of the collection development ideas rest with academic, public, and special libraries, and while some mention is given to schools, the focus is broad and specialized.  Should TLs be educated broadly about the collection development concerns of all types of libraries? Should we understand a role we as school teacher-librarians can play in the total information picture? And, how important are the many collection development practices that exist from tradition, now that technology has thrust us into a new world? There is not room here to discuss the implications of collection development as we transition from print to digital. Evans clearly gives a mix of the traditional with glimpses into the difficulties and challenges of the present and immediate future. This is heavy stuff, not bedtime reading, and it is still required in many library schools.

So, if you are a current student or want to get serious about updating what you learned long ago in library school, then this is certainly the core center of professional reading. There are, however, many other concerns of teacher-librarians as we emerge into the 21st Century and the needs of our kids who seem tethered to Google, but that is another conversation. (Libraries Unlimited, 2005. 472 pp. $45.00. 1-59158-219-9.)

Bottom line: Evans is recommended as a central work. David Loertscher

George Kunzel

The study of place is a central one in all levels of education and an area sorely in need of reform. So often students are sent to the library to do a country report, state report, or the like that ends up a cut-and-paste product or PowerPoint presentation that results in little learning. So one approaches this book with hope that there might be some fresh insight into the study of cultures in the Americas. Are you interested in doing cultural celebrations from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, or Columbia? If so, then consider this book, written in both English and Spanish.

For each country, general information is given, such as history, population, and government (easily available in any general encyclopedia), followed by a description of the culture, food, music, arts, and letters. Also provided are simple recipes of common foods that can be made for a celebration. All of this is followed by a list of learning activities; most are topics for reports that students can do about the individual country, followed by a bibliography of resource books about the culture. No enlightenment here when looking for high-level learning activities that will boost not just surface knowledge about a particular culture but cultivate some deep understanding.

So is this book worth its price? That depends on the creativity of the reader. Kunzel’s book provides a good foundation for a background study of the Latin countries of North and South America, but it lacks the push toward deep understanding so desperately needed by students. Its value to the teacher-librarian is that an expert has assembled the basic cultural information along with a list of research topics. Now, can a high-level use be created? My wish is that the author would have included better suggestions. I also wonder why each chapter appears in both English and Spanish. The reason could be that the Spanish teacher wants to study Latin cultures but is unfamiliar with several of the countries that are covered in this book. (Libraries Unlimited, 2005. 208 pp. $35.00. 1-59158-178-8.)

Bottom line: Recommended as background material. david Loertscher