ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

New Publications

George M. Eberhart

Deliverance: The Inside Story of East Timor's Fight for Freedom,by Don Greenlees and Robert Garran (375 pages, April 2003), unravels the confusing history of the Portuguese half of this small island, which was taken over by Suharto’s Indonesia in 1976 and went through 24 years of bloody repression of its independence movement until a UN peacekeeping force intervened and stabilized the area in 2000. The authors, reporters for The Australian newspaper, witnessed many of the events firsthand, interviewed dozens of key participants, and examined hundreds of documents to summarize what East Timor’s experience meant for the region. The role of the United States is put into perspective. $24.95. Allen & Unwin, distributed by the Independent Publishers Group. ISBN 1-86508-367-4.

Encyclopedia of Alzheimer's Disease,by Elaine A. Moore with Lisa Moore (401 pages, January 2003), provides an explanation of hundreds of topics relating to the diagnosis, care, and treatment of Alzheimer’s and its symptoms, such as secretase enzymes, mild cognitive impairment, glial cells, and mortality. An even longer section of more than 200 pages gives state-by-state contact infonnation on long-tenn and day-care treatment centers and research facilities. $55.00. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1438-3.

Encyclopedia of Urban Cultures,edited by Melvin Ember and Carol R. Ember (4 vols., December 2002), contains 240 signed articles on the character and culture of the largest and most important cities in each country of the world. Suitable for both travel preparations and area studies, these volumes describe the origin, population, distinctive features, attractions, languages, history, migration patterns, infrastructure, politics, social life, cuisine, diversity, commerce, recreation, quality of life, and future of urban landscapes as far apart culturally as Copenhagen and Kampala. A solid bibliography accompanies each entry. $399.00. Grolier. ISBN 0-7172-5698-7.

Free and Public: One Hundred and Fifty Years at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 1853-2003,by John Fleischman (142 pages, Febmary 2003), tells the story of one of America’s first modern urban public libraries and the librarians, trustees, politi- cians, and patrons that made it fa- mous. Cincinnati’s library was one of the first with spe- cial services for the blind, for children, and for rural residents. It also pioneered free li- brary cards, circulating audiovisual collections, bookmobiles, and an online catalog, and was a national model for public libraries in its day. This volume’s well-chosen photographs document the legacy of the Old Main library and its branches on community development, and the excitement of its dramatic expansion in the 1980s and 1990s is well worth a close look. $34.95. Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-2071. ISBN 1- 882203-91-7.

The Library's Legal Answer Book,by Mary Minow and Tomas A. Lipinski (361 pages, January 2003), covers—in Q&A format and in a fair amount of detail—many of the troubling legal questions library administrators are commonly confronted with. Of particular interest to academic librarians are the sections on copyright, Web site issues, ADA implementation, privacy, professional liability, and personnel matters. The authors answer such specific questions as Does the Patriot Act supersede state laws? May library staff nin for public office? How are disability laws enforced? Can a library show the chocolate factory assembly-line scene from I Love Lucy in a training workshop? The answers are punctuated with actual case studies, hypotheticals, and such handy charts as a summary of state library confidentiality statutes. $48.00. ALA Editions. ISBN 0-8389- 0828-4. ■

George M. Eberhart is senior editor of American Libraries, e-mail: geberhart@ala.org