Alternative Library Literature, 1996‐1997

Citation

Gore, I. (1999), "Alternative Library Literature, 1996‐1997", Library Review, Vol. 48 No. 8, pp. 413-424. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.1999.48.8.413.11

When a senior librarian handed me this book to review securely wrapped and bearing the warning “Extremely dangerous – handle with care” I foolishly discarded the wrapping, and after flicking through the book began to read aloud passages from several of the articles whose intriguing titles had caught my attention: “Resolution on subject headings relating to class and poverty”; “Service undermined by technology: an examination of gender relations, economics, and ideology”; “‘Dog shit’ in flatland”: “A brief commentary on the ‘archaic intersection’ of information and geography in libraries”; “Sex in the stacks: the steamy world of librarian porn”. I stopped as complete mayhem befell the packed staff room; tea and coffee were dashed from mouths as some colleagues fell poleaxed to the floor, venerable female colleagues clutched their pearls and screamed hysterically, others gibbered incoherently and fled the building never to return.

So I hurried home to read and review the book in private. Despite taking the precautions of wearing asbestos overalls and kevlar blast‐proof body armour complete with helmet and flash visor, I still received minor burns, and a bottle of Smirnoff blue label vodka purchased to aid reviewing exploded unopened. Shortly afterwards the police surrounded my house and used a megaphone to order me to surrender the copy of Alternative Library Literature for reasons of public safety.

OK!a slight exaggeration, justified on grounds that a review of Alternative Library Literature warrants an alternative review, at least in part. But seriously, this biennial anthology is a pleasure to read, an anarchic, irreverent and often humorous collection of reprinted articles originally published in many of the smaller circulation journals within the field of libraries and information sciences. Each article has its original source placed as a footnote, and includes a short professional profile of the author, and a useful list of references and further reading. The reprinted articles are in a variety of fonts and print sizes and are liberally interspersed with largely superfluous illustrations drawn specially for this anthology. While this may enhance its alternative credentials visually it is completely irrelevant to the content of the articles.

Alternative Library Literature has continued as a biennial anthology since it was first published in the early 1980s. It serves a moderately useful purpose in bringing together a wide range of interesting and often provocative articles in the field of libraries and information science. However, one wonders how much longer the publication may continue considering the quick and easy accessibility of online access to CD‐ROM formats of LISA and Internet sites. Certainly on‐line searching for, and retrieval of, these articles and thousands like them is far more economical and more comprehensive when compared to the inherent restrictions of a paperback book of selective reprints priced £31.50.