An Introduction to Library and Information Work
Abstract
An Introduction to Library and Information Work by Anne Totterdell; with contributions from Jane Gill and Alan Hornsey 2005, London: Facet, 210pp, £29.95, ISBN 1 85604 557 9 This book seems so much an established classic that it is hard to believe that it first appeared only in 1998. In fact it has antecedents by other authors and with other titles, so that its history is rather longer. For this new edition the title has been slightly changed again, and the rather scholastic-looking word 'primer' dropped. The text is set in the same type as before, but the titles and sub-headings have been changed to an ugly font called MicroSquare, which is a pity. The cover is a typographical hotchpotch of words in different colours, and looks messy, disjointed and offputting. The principal aim of the book is to support students who are working towards qualifications as para- professionals, either NVQs or City and Guilds. This pre- sumably shapes its content to some extent. It covers the full range of library and information work, including such aspects as tourist information centres (now often combined with libraries) and citizens' advice bureaux. Coverage of each aspect is necessarily fairly brief,