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A good snapshot of 21st century library architecture
THE title Special Collec- tions is misleadingly broad for a book that focuses on modern library archi- tecture, primarily about the buildings that house special collections. Of the book’s three sections, multiple contributors provided the fi rst two. The fi rst, ‘Typology’, romps succinctly through the history of library architecture and looks at specifi c elements, such as exhibition spaces, with an excursus into sound archives. Christy Henshaw’s description of digitisation at the Wellcome Library is a useful vade mecum of issues to consider, and Helen Shenton’s concluding examination of the connection between digital and physical elements of a library is mas- terly. Section Two, ‘Technical Primer’, resembles a textbook, dealing with the various considerations when planning a building. Eilish McGuinness gives helpful advice about what to consider when submitting funding applications. The fi nal third of the book deals with fi ve projects in which Wright & Wright played a leading role, describing the new buildings and the intention behind them. The reader’s fi nal impression is that the book, published and partly written by the architectural fi rm Wright & Wright, is an advertisement for the architects. The book is very readable, and is beautifully designed and illustrated. It is not entirely accurate historically: catalogues, especially Bodley’s, were important well before the late eighteenth century; some city libraries off ered the
48 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS WRIGHT & WRIGHT
A worthwhile read for LIS professionals
SYSTEMATIC searching consists in using evidence in a rigorous way in order to determine policy or practice. It is most com- monly used in the health fi eld where the purpose of evidence-based medicine is to employ a set of methods and techniques for compar- ing one medical treatment with another in a way which is unbiased and explicit. Systematic searching can also be used in fi elds of social care, criminal justice or education.
Wright, C. and Slessor, C. Special Collections. London: Wright & Wright, 2018. 223 pp. ISBN 978 1 5272 3173 3. £35.
general public access to books well before public, as in local authority, libraries existed, and London’s Senate House (intended to include, rather than be, London’s univers ity library) inspired Orwell’s Ministry of Truth less for its ‘oppressive architecture’ than for having housed the wartime Ministry of Information. The practical information can all be found in such manuals as Alison Culling- ford’s The Special Collections Handbook, or more specifi c books about preservation, which would have been helpful additions to the reading list. But the title is a good snapshot of 21st century library architec- ture for special collections at a time when such architecture is fl ourishing.
Karen Attar University of London
This book has been written by over 20 contributors with diverse experience and edited by two information specialists working at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). It assumes a certain level of knowledge and experience of systematic searching and focuses instead on the ways in which the practice of searching can be improved.
The contributions are grouped into three sections. The fi rst part covers methods and techniques involved in systematic searching such as qualitative evidence, the value of grey literature and unpub- lished data. The second part examines new technologies and systems for example text mining, linked data or social media tools with potential to enhance the current practice. The last part focuses on the knowledge and skills required of infor- mation specialists to become expert searchers. The authors acknowledge that the quality of the results of systematic
Levay, P. and Craven, J. (eds) Systematic Searching: practical ideas for improving results. London: Facet Publishing, 2019. 352 pp. ISBN 978 1 78330 373 1. £69.95; CILIP members £55.95.
searching very much depends on the skill of the information professionals and their ability to take advantage of the methods and technologies.
Although this work does not aim to be a step-by-step guide to carrying out systematic searching, it is nevertheless practical as it contains numerous case studies, tips for discussion, suggestions for further reading and ample references as well as a glossary and an excellent index. It is a worthwhile read for any LIS professionals involved in systematic searching seeking guidance and solutions for improving the way they work.
Margaret I. Katny London
October-November 2019
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