Bizzle, Ben. Libraryland: it’s all about the story. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2020. 122 pp. ISBN: 978 0 8389 4743 1. £50.


Pun, Raymond; Cardens-Dow, Melissa and Flash, Kenya S. (eds). Ethnic Studies in Academic and Research Libraries. Chicago: ACRL, 2021. 282 pp. ISBN: 978 0 8389 3883 6. £89.


Exploring the journey of humankind’s love affair with books


THIS work is a fascinat- ing examination of the history of books as mes- sengers of ideas as well as physical objects. It is also an exploration of the relationship between books and readers. The author charts the history of writing from wax tablets, collections of scrolls and manuscripts through early printed books, Gutenberg bible, pamphlets, ephemera, paperbacks to ebooks and audio books. The topics covered are truly wide rang- ing – book production and binding, book trade, book burning, banning, pulping, collecting, censoring as well as books used for exorcisms, rituals, art installations and even books bound in human skin. Information, anecdotes and musings are combined to take the reader on a vivid and non-linear journey with detours such as the trenches of First World War, the depths of the ocean, photographs of Marilyn Monroe or portraits of Madame de Pompadour. The reader is treated to a wealth of detail, exhaustively researched and skilfully assembled. Chapters are focused around themes rather than chronology or geography and can be read in any order. Exceptionally well written in an engaging and witty style, this work is superbly suitable for dipping in and out of. Notes on each chapter with further references are provid- ed at the end along with an excellent index.


June 2023


An informative and practical guide on an important data learning subject


THERE are some excellent books about information literacy and how to teach it but very little on busi- ness information literacy specifically. This book fills that gap with some highly practical training session plans.


Smith, Emma. Portable Magic: a history of books and their readers. London: Allan Lane, 2022. 344 pp. ISBN 978 0 2414 2726 2. £10.


The last chapter is entitled “What is a book?” and the answer is perhaps not as simple as it may appear. The author coins her own definition of a book: “a book becomes a book in the hands of its readers. It is an interac- tive object. A book that is not handled and read is not really a book at all”.


This book is thought provok- ing, informative and erudite – a captivating and enjoyable read for anyone interested in all things bookish.


Margaret I. Katny London


All 41 chapters follow a sim- ilar pattern helping anyone wishing to dip into the book, to use different chapters over time to quickly orien- tate themselves. From basic business research it covers distinct areas such as finance and accounting to rarely covered intellectual property and franchising. Sections on data literacy and visualisation and the final section on using technology in the classroom section are particularly useful. The lesson plans have been thoughtfully prepared includ- ing useful timing for each element.


Excellent tips on how to adapt the sessions for virtual or in-person training with details of how group sizes affect timing are provided in each chapter. The authors offer pragmatic advice about how to make the most of one-shot training sessions through exploiting flipped classroom activi- ties, which less experienced trainers may not consider. Some helpful templates are included with others available on accompanying websites. The gamification suggestions are particularly enjoyable for the trainer and students. The most significant improvement could be in the quality of some screen shots


Snipes, Genifer; Karo, Marlinda; Faulkner, Ash E. and Reiter, Lauren (eds). Teaching Business Information Literacy. Chicago: ACRL, 2022. 406 pp. ISBN 978 0 8389 3909 3. £25.


which have been reduced to a point where they are not always easily readable. Some but not all are available from online resources but for reader convenience they could be a little larger. It is American oriented, but the named data- bases and examples could be easily adapted to equivalents. This book provides an excellent guide to develop- ing and delivering training sessions for anyone new to running business information literacy to students. Readers can feel confident in relying on session plans which have been successfully tested in practice by the authors. Worthy of a space on the shelves of anyone new to this area of training.


Mandy Webster Browne Jacobson


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 51


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