The management of children′s literature is a search for value andsuitability. Effective policies in library and educational work arebased firmly on knowledge of materials, and on…
Abstract
The management of children′s literature is a search for value and suitability. Effective policies in library and educational work are based firmly on knowledge of materials, and on the bibliographical and critical frame within which the materials appear and might best be selected. Boundaries, like those between quality and popular books, and between children′s and adult materials, present important challenges for selection, and implicit in this process are professional acumen and judgement. Yet also there are attitudes and systems of values, which can powerfully influence selection on grounds of morality and good taste. To guard against undue subjectivity, the knowledge frame should acknowledge the relevance of social and experiential context for all reading materials, how readers think as well as how they read, and what explicit and implicit agendas the authors have. The good professional takes all these factors on board.
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A pæan of joy and triumph which speaks for itself, and which is a very true indication of how the question of poisonous adulteration is viewed by certain sections of “the trade,”…
Abstract
A pæan of joy and triumph which speaks for itself, and which is a very true indication of how the question of poisonous adulteration is viewed by certain sections of “the trade,” and by certain of the smaller and irresponsible trade organs, has appeared in print. It would seem that the thanks of “the trade” are due to the defendants in the case heard at the Liverpool Police Court for having obtained an official acknowledgment that the use of salicylic acid and of other preservatives, even in large amounts, in wines and suchlike articles, is not only allowable, but is really necessary for the proper keeping of the product. It must have been a charming change in the general proceedings at the Liverpool Court to listen to a “preservatives” case conducted before a magistrate who evidently realises that manufacturers, in these days, in order to make a “decent” profit, have to use the cheapest materials they can buy, and cannot afford to pick and choose; and that they have therefore “been compelled” to put preservatives into their articles so as to prevent their going bad. He was evidently not to be misled by the usual statement that such substances should not be used because they are injurious to health— as though that could be thought to have anything to do with the much more important fact that the public “really want” to have an article supplied to them which is cheap, and yet keeps well. Besides, many doctors and professors were brought forward to prove that they had never known a case of fatal poisoning due to the use of salicylic acid as a preservative. Unfortunately, it is only the big firms that can manage to bring forward such admirable and learned witnesses, and the smaller firms have to suffer persecution by faddists and others who attempt to obtain the public notice by pretending to be solicitous about the public health. Altogether the prosecution did not have a pleasant time, for the magistrate showed his appreciation of the evidence of one of the witnesses by humorously rallying him about his experiments with kittens, as though any‐one could presume to judge from experiments on brute beasts what would be the effect on human beings—the “lords of creation.” Everyone reading the evidence will be struck by the fact that the defendant stated that he had once tried to brew without preservatives, but with the only result that the entire lot “went bad.” All manufacturers of his own type will sympathise with him, since, of course, there is no practicable way of getting over this trouble except by the use of preservatives; although the above‐mentioned faddists are so unkind as to state that if everything is clean the article will keep. But this must surely be sheer theory, for it cannot be supposed that there can be any manufacturer of this class of article who would be foolish enough to think he could run his business at a profit, and yet go to all the expense of having the returned empties washed out before refilling, and of paying the heavy price asked for the best crude materials, when he has to compete with rival firms, who can use practically anything, and yet turn out an article equal in every way from a selling point of view, and one that will keep sufficiently, by the simple (and cheap) expedient of throwing theory on one side, and by pinning their faith to a preservative which has now received the approval of a magistrate. Manufacturers who use preservatives, whether they are makers of wines or are dairymen, and all similar tradesmen, should join together to protect their interests, for, as they must all admit, “the welfare of the trade” is the chief thing they have to consider, and any other interest must come second, if it is to come in at all. Now is the time for action, for the Commission appointed to inquire into the use of preservatives in foods has not yet given its decision, and there is still time for a properly‐conducted campaign, backed up by those “influential members of the trade” of whom we hear so much, and aided by such far‐reaching and brilliant magisterial decisions, to force these opinions prominently forward, in spite of the prejudice of the public; and to insure to the trades interested the unfettered use of preservatives,—which save “the trade” hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, by enabling the manufacturers to dispense with heavily‐priced apparatus, with extra workmen and with the use of expensive materials,—and which are urgently asked for by the public,—since we all prefer to have our foods drugged than to have them pure.
In his inaugural lecture at Imperial College, Professor J. G. Ball pointed to the tendency of metallurgy to become a scientific discipline of logical inference, making teaching…
Abstract
In his inaugural lecture at Imperial College, Professor J. G. Ball pointed to the tendency of metallurgy to become a scientific discipline of logical inference, making teaching centred on plant skills, and the parrot‐learning of facts and alloy specifications quite out of date. The principles and practice of teaching with special reference to metallurgy have not received the attention accorded to allied subjects such as chemistry. The purpose of this article is to provoke thought, criticism and free discussion among those engaged in the dissemination of metallurgical knowledge.
The danger inherent in our over‐specialized system of education has now become a fashionable theme. There is already a considerable literature on the subject; and eminent figures…
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The danger inherent in our over‐specialized system of education has now become a fashionable theme. There is already a considerable literature on the subject; and eminent figures as different as Sir Charles Snow and the Earl of Verulam have called the nation's attention to the problem. There can be no doubt about the gravity or the extent of the problem; for many would agree with Sir Charles Snow in his conviction that ‘the intellectual life of western society is increasingly being split into two polar groups.’ At one pole there are the scientists whose intensely specialized education encourages them to neglect, and at times to despise, all forms of knowledge outside the strictly scientific. At the other pole is the equally dangerous specialization of the arts student whose single‐minded pursuit of Eng. Lit. or Med. Hist. encourages him to ignore and belittle the great scientific achievements that have shaped the world in which he lives. Increasing specialization at an earlier age in our schools and an almost total concentration on the chosen ‘subject’ in the university make it possible for students to graduate without once having looked into any of the scientific discoveries of our time or once having pondered, for example, the philosophical or political ideas that have shaped our civilization.
Current issues of Publishers' Weekly are reporting serious shortages of paper, binders board, cloth, and other essential book manufacturing materials. Let us assure you these…
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Current issues of Publishers' Weekly are reporting serious shortages of paper, binders board, cloth, and other essential book manufacturing materials. Let us assure you these shortages are very real and quite severe.
WHAT WAS DESCRIBED as a “new‐look” Library Association Council, the first constituted under the scheme of reorganisation, met last month at Chaucer House. There were many new…
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WHAT WAS DESCRIBED as a “new‐look” Library Association Council, the first constituted under the scheme of reorganisation, met last month at Chaucer House. There were many new faces, especially from the ranks of the university and special libraries, and it was a happy thought on somebody's part to have a roll‐call, so that old and new members could be introduced to one another. The reorganisation of the Association was still not signed and sealed by the Privy Council, but members were informed that approval was imminent, subject to a minor alteration in the audit arrangements. This alteration was speedily accepted by Council and the Privy Council's final approval has now been given.
Many members will be pleased to know that Miss Anne Turnbull, Meetings Organizer, Aslib, has announced her engagement to Mr Jim Elphick who was, for some six months during 1959…
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Many members will be pleased to know that Miss Anne Turnbull, Meetings Organizer, Aslib, has announced her engagement to Mr Jim Elphick who was, for some six months during 1959, Accountant to the association. Miss Turnbull has given fifteen years of devoted service to Aslib and is the only remaining member of the staff who remembers the small Bloomsbury offices and who served under Miss Ditmas, the first Director. We wish her and her fiancé every happiness in the future and are glad that she means to carry on with her work after her marriage on Wednesday 18th May.
Liz Chapman, David Reid, Brian Griffin, Quentin Bibble, Graham Barnett and Wilfred Ashworth
WHEN YOU meet people for the first time and they ask what you do, do you ever hesitate about telling them you're a librarian? Do you ever qualify your self‐description with some…
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WHEN YOU meet people for the first time and they ask what you do, do you ever hesitate about telling them you're a librarian? Do you ever qualify your self‐description with some such phrase as ‘can't you tell by looking at me?’ or ‘I don't just stamp books you know’? Do you sometimes feel diffident about describing your work? I do. The reason I react in this way is that I know people outside our information world think they know very well what we do, but in fact have very little idea. We seem to have a very strong popular image which it is difficult if not impossible to shake off.
The following classified, descriptive list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the…
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The following classified, descriptive list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the RSR review column, “Recent Reference Books,” by Frances Neel Cheney. “Reference Books in Print” includes all additional books received prior to the inclusion deadline established for this issue. Appearance in this column does not preclude a later review in RSR. Publishers are urged to send a copy of all new reference books directly to RSR as soon as published, for immediate listing in “Reference Books in Print.” The prevailing policy of including all reference books received has temporarily allowed the listing of titles with imprints older than two years; with increased receipt of more current titles from a longer list of publishers, this policy will soon be discontinued (with the exception of reprints or older books newly acquired for distribution by another publisher). The column shall also occasionally include library science or other library related publications of other than a reference character.
Speculation, hypothesizing and imagination are the dreamer’s tools. Advanced research and novel technology for the military often profit from what are sometimes unstructured…
Abstract
Speculation, hypothesizing and imagination are the dreamer’s tools. Advanced research and novel technology for the military often profit from what are sometimes unstructured approaches to invention. Once that reality materializes, it may be stranger than the phantasma of the most unleashed of minds.