barbara allan, ,blended learning: tools for teaching and training (2007) facet,london...

The book is not without its limitations. I would have pre-ferred that Matthews spend a little more time talking aboutcontext, the place evaluation plays in the strategic planningprocess, and the ways in which evaluation shapes organizatio-nal culture and facilitates change. All are mentioned, but itappears that the assumption has been made that managersunderstand these things and only reminders are required. And,while Matthews presents a cogent argument about options avai-able for evaluation, he doesn’t really talk much about why onemight choose to collect one data element rather than another orto use one technique rather than another, except for the com-ment, cited above, that intent defines evaluation within theorganization. An explanation of this comment would be helpful,as would a longer discussion of how one might frame the resultsof the evaluation to meet the intent of the study. I understand thatmuch of what I am saying comes from my own bias that eval-uation is, in addition to being an effort to determine theeffectiveness of elements of the program, a political act designedto communicate the urgency placed on those parts of the pro-gram being assessed.

The bottom line here, though, is that, in a culture whereassesszment and accountability are becoming catchwords, this isa fine book that should be on every manager’s bookshelf.Librarians will be expected to know the language of evaluation,and while books like Douglas Zweizig’s Tell It! Manual: theComplete Program for Evaluating Library Performance, DannyWallace’s and Connie Van Fleet’s Library Evaluation: a Casebook and Can-do Guide, or even Matthews are out there, theyare either old in terms of this discipline or limited in scope. It istime that we had a new, comprehensive overview that defines thebreadth and depth of library evaluation, even if only to define theterms and lead to more studies that address individual topics inmore depth. Matthews’ book addresses this need effectively in awell written text that is well illustrated and well organized toread cover to cover or to be used as a point of reference.

This is not an encyclopedia, but it a useful handbook that willacquaint readers with the terminology of evaluation and helpthem find deeper studies when assessment programs are beingplanned. I highly recommend that managers and otherpractitioners keep it close at hand.—Delmus E. Williams,Professor of Bibliography, Bierce Library, The University ofAkron, Akron, OH 44325-1712 <delmus@uakron.edu>.

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2008.05.012

The Accidental Fundraiser, by Julie M. Still. Medford, N.J.:Information Today, 2007. 156p. $29.50. ISBN: 978-1-57378-263-8.

This guide to fundraising is primarily intended for those newto fundraising and development work. The author is a librarian,community activist, an expert on volunteer work, and a web-master. Because of her multiple roles, she offers the reader aholistic perspective on fundraising. Her experience with bothlibrary and non-library organizations and community groupsalso provides a very practical perspective on the art of formingrelationships with people in the pursuit of common goals, whichmay involve asking for money from an individual, group, oragency, but just as often involves forming connections thatwill sustain both parties or stakeholders over time. This bookaddresses important (and sometimes neglected) elements for thevolunteer or part-time fundraiser of setting organizational goals

(along with writing well-crafted mission statements); settingpriorities for fundraising projects and finding “best matches” offunding sources for projects; and using contingency plans to besteffect in fundraising activities. The book offers a standard chap-ter on “Finding the Money” (Chapter 5) with attention given tofoundations, government agencies, memberships, donations andgifts, and the value of special events and receptions. The chapteron “Making Friends and Forming Partnerships” (Chapter 6)offers sage advice on dealing with people in an ethical and fairway; in managing relationships with political figures; and inusing the media wisely to create a positive image for the fund-raiser’s organization. The “Passive Fundraising” chapter (Chapter7) gives practical guidelines for using brochures, newsletters, andwebsites as part of an integrated development and fundraisinginitiative. Each chapter concludes with a brief section entitled“When Things Go Wrong”, offering strategies for overcomingbarriers or unanticipated problems that inevitably arise in the lifeof the volunteer or fundraiser. These sections are often scenario-based and describe experiences of the author or of others who dofundraising on a volunteer or part-time basis.

This guide is accessible for the first-time fundraiser or thevolunteer because it uses examples that everyone can easilyunderstand, whether they work in academic libraries, public lib-raries, or a variety of community organizations. While this bookdoes not treat such details of preparing case statements or otherdocuments, it offers an excellent overview of the range of strategicplanning, project management, and relationship-forming kinds ofactivities that are at the core of fundraising and developmentwork.It will therefore serve fundraisers in smaller libraries extremelywell, and introduce others interested in fundraising to the mainelements of this increasingly important work in libraries as theyseek to improve their visibility, image, and “branding”, in order tomake their libraries more integral to their communities.

Contains a ‘RecommendedReading’ bibliography, and a list ofuseful websites for fundraisers, volunteers, and nonprofit orga-nization members. This book is recommended for public andacademic libraries beginning fundraising initiatives and for alllibrarians involved in outreach programs.—Craig Gibson,Associate University Librarian/Research, Instructional andOutreach Services, George Mason University Libraries,Fairfax, VA 22030 <jgibson1@gmu.edu>.

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2008.05.013

Blended Learning: Tools for Teaching and Training, byBarbara Allan. London: Facet, 2007. 228 p. $115.00. ISBN:978-1-85604-614-5.

Blended Learning: Tools for Teaching and Learning answersmany questions that librarians, professors, and information pro-fessionals are currently asking. What is blended learning? Whatis Web 2.0 and how is it being applied in libraries and uni-versities? How might I use social networking software in mylibrary? Barbara Allan effectively answers these questions byteaching the reader about current information technology suchas WebCT, wikis, and MySpace; foundations of teaching andlearning; project planning and management; group learning; andlearning communities.

The most basic question, “What is blended learning?”, isanswered in the introduction: “a blend of different approaches,e.g., face-to-face and e-learning, the use of different technology-

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based tools, or the blending of classroom-based and work-basedlearning” [2]. Chapter seven addresses the many roles librariansand information professionals play in the blended learning arena,such as information literacy instruction, faculty collaboration,teaching a credit course, and e-reference. Presentation skills andassessment methods are also given special consideration in thischapter.

This book is intended to be a practical guide for both expe-rienced and new librarians and professors, but Allan’s style ofexplaining technology throughout the book indicates she ismainly targeting professionals who are new to e-learning. Onpage 58, for example, she explains that scaffolding occurs whenthe “experienced practitioner provides temporary support to thelearner for those parts of the task they find difficult”. Allan isable to succinctly describe terminology and technology becauseshe has experience in educational technology, librarianship, andtraining, and has taught workshops on these topics. She is cur-rently a lecturer in student learning and management learning atHull University Business School.

Allan provides an excellent overview of the basics of work-ing on a blended learning project that involves staff withdifferent specializations, for example, librarians, instructionaldesigners, and information technology staff. She describes adetailed 25-step design cycle, but also includes informationabout needs assessment, learning objects, copyright issues, deli-very, and evaluation. An example of a blended learning men-toring training program is on page 87, which is just one of manyuseful examples, case studies, checklists, figures, and tables thatsaturate Blended Learning. Table 5.1 contains an extensive listof example learning activities and how each can be applied inboth e-learning and face-to-face situations. While Allan does notrecommend specific software programs, she consistently statesthe advantages and disadvantages of each system she mentions,such as chat and blogs.

I recommend that academic libraries consider purchasingBlended Learning: Tools for Teaching and Training, especiallythose that have made information literacy a priority. It focuses oncombining traditional and contemporary methods of learning inorder to benefit college students and provide an optimum learn-ing experience. Librarians may also wish to purchase AcademicLibrarianship by Design: A Blended Librarian’s Guide to theTools and Techniques (ALA, 2007), which was positivelyreviewed in The Journal of Academic Librarianship’s January2008 issue.—Margie Ruppel, Reference and ILL Librarian,Rice Library, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville,IN 47712 <mdruppel@usi.edu>.

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2008.05.014

Intranets for Info Pros, edited by Mary Lee Kennedy andJane Dysart. Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc., 2007.286p. $39.50. ISBN: 1-57387-309-8.

Although not written specifically for the librarian audience,Intranets for Info Pros, edited by Mary Lee Kennedy and JaneDysart, contains much that will be of interest to librarians. Thisbook offers a comprehensive examination of intranet technol-ogies and trends, as well as in-depth discussions of closelyrelated topics of interest to information professionals.

The book is divided into eleven chapters. The chapters arewritten by a diverse group of authors, each with a different

background, including academic, information consulting, andcorporate. The book begins with a chapter describing the currentstate of intranets and their future possibilities. The remainingchapters offer practical information about different aspects ofintranet planning, design, and implementation as well as a strongdiscussion of core concepts for information professionals,including knowledge management and information architecture.

Intranets for Info Pros will introduce the reader to theconsiderations any organization will need to havewhen planningand implementing an intranet. A theme throughout the book isthat organizations have many individuals and groups that canand should play distinct roles in relation to the creation, imple-mentation, and maintenance of their intranet. The authors stressthe importance of keeping organizations focused on under-standing the proper role of the intranet within the organization,utilizing the correct groups and skills needed for the design,implementation, and maintenance of an intranet, and arguingwhat makes a good intranet end-user experience. Some of theskills are good governance of roles and responsibilities for theintranet environment, having a good information architecturethat stands behind the intranet, using concise and to-the-pointwriting, and following best practices for web interface design.

For librarians desiring to learn more about intranets, this bookis a good place to start reading. Many of the issues discussed arenot specifically focused on the library context but remain appli-cable to the library setting that has an interest in implementingan intranet. Topics such as collaboration, content management,writing for intranets, intranet search, and designing the user-endexperience are identical to many of the needs and concerns that alibrary should have for a library intranet. Although this may notbe the only book that librarians will wish to consult in order tolearn more about intranets and their implementation, it is a veryuseful book and covers a range of topics written by experts in thefield that is not likely to be available elsewhere.

The book is documented well with an extensive bibliography,short biographies for all the contributors and the editors, and auseful index. The editors also have written a helpful introductionthat describes the rationale of the book and how the differentauthors offer the reader a comprehensive and complementaryexamination of intranets. While Intranets for Info Pros is acces-sible to the non-technical reader, prior experience with informa-tion technology and terminology used by information profe-sionals will greatly aid the reader.—Robert D. Laws, Digitaland Access Services Librarian, SFS-Qatar Library, George-town University, Doha, Qatar <rdl27@georgetown.edu>.

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2008.05.015

FRBR: A Guide for the Perplexed, by Robert L. Maxwell.Chicago: American Library Association, 2008. 151p. $50.00.ISBN: 0-83890-950-7.

Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR)was published in 1998 by the IFLA Section on Cataloguing;however, there is still much confusion about the model, evenamong catalogers. Robert Maxwell attempts to eliminate thatconfusion in this excellent analysis of the FRBR model andexplanation of the model’s potential application in future bib-liographic databases.

Maxwell begins by looking at the environment that gave riseto the development of FRBR, an environment that includes

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