AFRICANA LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER No. 84, October 1995 ISSN 0148-7868 Africana Libraries Newsletter {ALN) is published quarterly by the Michigan State University Libraries and the MSU African Studies Center. Those copying contents are asked to citeAZJV TABLE OF CONTENTS as their source. ALN is produced to support the work o f the Africana Librarians Council (ALC) o f the African Studies Association. It carries the meeting minutes o f ALC, CAMP (Cooperative Africana Microform Project) and other relevant groups. It also reports other Editor’s Comments items o f interest to Africana librarians and those concerned about information resources about Acronyms or in Africa. ALC/CAMP N E W S ...................................................... 2 Editor: Joseph J. Lauer, Africana Library, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824-1048. Calendar of Future Meetings Tel.: 517-355-1118; E-mail: 20676jjl@ m su.edu; F ax:517-432-1445. Schedule for meetings in Orlando Deadline for no. 85: Dec. 15, 1995; for no. 86: March 1, 1996. Notes on Members: Kraehe obituary; Armstrong OTHER N E W S ..............................................................3 News from other Associations EDITOR’S COMMENTS Calendar MELA The major features of this issue are a comment on journal prices and notes on cataloging at Hennepin County. Contributors include Sanford Berman, Moore RESEARCH ON LIBRARIES.....................................3 Crossey, David Easterbrook, Christine Guyonneau, David Henige, John Howell, Theses A1 Kagan, and Joann Zellers. Books and Documents The Business meeting minutes for the May meeting in Evanston will probably Journals & Articles reach members via email and be summarized in future issues. African Library Associations The last issue mentioned the CIC ([Midwestern] Committee on Institutional Cooperation) Systematic Coordinated Collection Development Plan. A related REFERENCE SOURCES............................................ 4 development was a September 8th conference call among the “senior interna­ Notes: Conference Papers; African Art tional officers” of CIC institutions. A working group of three was designated New Reference Titles to “develop concrete proposals to present to the CIC library directors aimed at promoting collaboration and ensuring continued coverage in foreign language LETTERS & O PIN IO N S............................................. 4 collections.” Carfax & Commercial Publishers (Henige) Hennepin County Subject Headings (editor) Case Against Local Changes ACRONYMS NOTES ON MATERIALS & VENDORS................ 5 Vendor Announcements ACRL - Association of College & Research Libraries (ALA) Events: Book Fairs ALA - American Library Association (Chicago) Literature on the Book Trade ALC - Africana Librarians Council (formerly Archives-Libraries Committee) of ASA ASA - African Studies Association (U.S.) CAMP - Cooperative Africana Microform Project (CRL) CRL - Center for Research Libraries (Chicago) IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations LC - Library of Congress MELA - Middle East Librarians Association MSU - Michigan State University SCOLMA - Standing Conf. on Library Materials on Africa U. - University UCLA - University of California, Los Angeles AFRICANA LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER 2 OCTOBER 1995 AFRICANA LIBRARIANS COUNCIL / CAMP NEWS CALENDAR OF FUTURE MEETINGS NOTES ON MEMBERS November 3-6, 1995, Orlando - ASA Annual Meeting Mary Alice Eggleston Kraehe, retired African Bibliographer at Nov. 2-3, 1995 - ALC/CAMP meetings in Orlando the University of Virginia’s Alderman Library, died of pulmonary April 25-27, 1996, Boston - ALC/CAMP Spring Meeting disease on August 26, 1995. She received her B.A. in philosophy November 23-26, 1996, San Francisco - ASA Annual Meeting from the University of Minnesota and the M.S. in Library and Fall 1997, Columbus - ASA Annual & ALC 40th Anniversary Information Science from the University of Kentucky, where she Fall 1998, Chicago - ASA Annual Meeting was elected to the Beta Phi Mu Honor Society. During her tenure in the libraries at the universities of Kentucky and North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she developed her expertise in SCHEDULE FOR ALC/CAMP MEETINGS the antiquarian book trade. In 1970, she joined the faculty of IN ORLANDO Alderman Library, where she became the African Bibliographer until her retirement in 1994. In the mid-seventies, she began The 38th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association developing a special collection to support the then developing will be held November 3-6, 1995, at the Hyatt Orlando (6375 West African Studies program, bringing it to respectable size and quality Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, Florida; tel: 800- before her retirement. She particularly developed the collection of 233-1234), which should not be confused with the Hyatt at the dictionaries and grammar books, which were also listed in her airport or the Hyatt at Disney World. Further details are available African Languages: A Guide to the Library Collection o f the from: ASA, Emory University, Atlanta; tel: 404-329-6410. University o f Virginia (1981). In 1993, she assisted the Division The following meetings are of special interest to librarians. of Continuing Education with its Global Studies Program for ASA’s Preliminary Program has slightly different times for Thurs­ Teachers. day morning: An active member of ASA, she held numerous offices in ALC, serving as chairperson in 1987-1988. She also served on CAMP. Thursday, 2 November: She was also a member of the Southeastern Regional Seminar in 8:30-9:30 .........ALC Executive African Studies, ALA, the Friends of the Kennedy Center, the 9:30-11:00 ...... ALC Cataloging Committee League of Women Voters, Kappa Kappa Gamma. 11:00-1:00 ...... ALC Bibliography Committee She is survived by her husband Enno, a son and a daughter, and 2:00-4:00 .........ALC Business Meeting three grandchildren. Contributions for a memorial fund to purchase 4:15-5:30.........ALC Executive African studies materials can be sent to the University Librarian, Alderman Library, Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903- 5:00-9:00pm .... Registration 2498. — Christine Guyonneau Friday, 3 November: 9:00-11:00 ...... CAMP Business Meeting James C. Armstrong has from the LC Office in Rio to the LC Office 11:00-12:00.... CAMP Executive in Pakistan, where he is transferring operations from Karachi to 3:15-5:15 Roundtable: Videos and Beyond Islamabad. His new address: American Embassy/LOC, Unit 62220, APO AE 09812-2200, USA. 10:00-5:00 ...... Registration 1:00-6:00 .........Exhibits (10-6 on following days) 5:15-6:00.........ASA Business Meeting 6:00-7:00 .........ASA Awards Ceremony 7:00-8:00 .........Welcoming Reception The ALC-sponsored Roundtable (Videos and Beyond: Providing the Moving Pictures) on Friday will be chaired by Helene Baumann (Duke), with the following panelists: • Valerie Mwalilino (LC), Building an African Film and Video Collection; • Cornelius Moore (California Newsreel), The Challenges of Releasing African Films in the United States; • Carol Lems-Dworkin (Northwestern), Videos of African Per­ forming Arts and Performance Practice: a Bibliography; • Miki Goral (UCLA), Film Festivals and the Education of the American Public; • Anthony Appiah & Suzanne Blier (Harvard), Demonstrations of two Video-disc Projects: Encyclopedia Africa and Baobab. AFRICANA LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER 3 OCTOBER 1995 OTHER NEWS NEWS FROM OTHER ASSOCIATIONS IFLA Annual Conferences: Aug. 25-30, 1996, Beijing CALENDAR August 1997, Copenhagen ALA: 1998, Amsterdam Jan. 19-25, 1996, San Antonio - Midwinter Meeting 1999, Bangkok July 4-10, 1996, New York - ALA Annual Conf. Feb. 14-20, 1997, Washington - Midwinter Meeting Apr. 11-14, 1997, Nashville - ACRL National Conf. MELA June 26-July 3, 1997, San Francisco - ALA Annual Conf. The annual conference will meet in Washington, D.C., 5-7 Decem­ Jan. 9-15, 1998, New Orleans - Midwinter Meeting ber 1995. Round table discussions at Georgetown University June 25-July 2, 1998, Washington - ALA Annual Conf. include: Cataloging problems, Middle East librarianship, Fund 1999, Philadelphia - Midwinter Meeting raising, and publishing. The final day includes a tour at LC. 1999, New Orleans - ALA Annual Conf. 2000, San Antonio - Midwinter Meeting MELA Notes, no. 62 (Spring 1995), included the MELA member­ 2000, Chicago - ALA Annual Conf. ship list (complete with typos and some addresses that need updating) and Jere Bacharach’s “The State of Middle Eastern Studies in Institutions of Higher Education in the US.” RESEARCH ON LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SCIENCE The following items have come to the attention of the editor. International Information & Library Review, v. 27, no. 2 (1995) included: THESES • Chowdhury, G.G. & T.T. Tadesse, “Review of SIS A Student Dissertations on Library and Information Systems and Ngcobo, Zipho Gwendoline. “Health Information-seeking Behav­ Services in Eastern and Southern Africa.” ior of Women in Rural Swaziland.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Pittsburgh, • Amekuedee, J.O. “Barriers to Successful University Library 1994. DAI56:0391A. Automation in Ghana with particular reference to the Balme Library.” • Dick, A.L. “The Afrocentric-Eurocentric Debate in Africa: BOOKS & DOCUMENTS From a Fruitless Dichotomy to Critical Dialogue.” Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sandy Berman but Were Afraid to Ask, edited by Chris Dodge and Jan DeSirey. Ducharme, Daniel (AUPELF). “Appui institutionnel et coopération Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1995. $25. Includes: en sciences de l’information: L’exemple de la République du Cap- Hans E. Panofsky, “An African Genesis,” p. 81 ; Vert.” Newsletter o f the Canadian Association o f African Studies, Berman, “Rants: 12 Letters,” pp. 124-136. Spring 1995, pp. 28-36. Report on 1990-93 work in archives and in setting up a library. JOURNALS & ARTICLES PUBLICATIONS OF Innovation: Appropriate Librarianship and Information Work in AFRICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS Southern Africa (Univ. of Natal Library), no. 10 (June 1995) includes the following: Compiled by Nancy J. Schmidt, Indiana University. • Darch, Colin. The Economics of Information and the Informa­ See ALN July 1994 for list that includes addresses. tion Society: Is Social Equity still on the Agenda in the 1990s? • Barratt, Amanda. Minorities and the Mfecane: Adapting Namibian Information Workers Association. NIWA-INFO, v. 5: Library of Congress Subject Headings for Use in a South No. 4 (1994): Includes resolutions from 11th meeting of the African Library. — Critiques use of qualifier (African Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African people), “primitive,” American spelling and terminology, lack Librarians and statements from retiring NIWA executive commit­ of sufficient headings on particular aspects of apartheid or tee members. resistance; describes thesaurus of 122 non-LCSH terms Nos. 5-6 (1995): Includes report by Barbara L. Bell who worked developed by the Univ. of Cape Town Library. as a library fellow at the National Library of Namibia, and a • Makhubela, Lulana. The Book Development Council of South description of the new University Library which opened in January. Africa: Making a Difference in Building an Information Literate South Africa. • Conference reports on “Women, Information and the Future” (Boston, June 1994) and the “Anglophone Africa Seminar on Government Information and Official Publications” (Harare, Dec. 1994). AFRICANA LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER 4 OCTOBER 1995 REFERENCE SOURCES NOTES NEW REFERENCE TITLES AFRICANA CONFERENCE PAPER INDEX (AFRC) AFRC is an index to the individual papers of conference proceed­ The following items or issues are noted. ings about Africa held by Northwestern University Library. As of For more titles, see the annual “Africana Reference Books ” August 1,1995, AFRC provides author, title and keyword access to in The African Book Publishing Record, no. 2. over 52,000 papers in Western European languages, from 1982 to the present. The Making o f Modern Africa: A Guide to Archives, compiled by Access is available both through the Library’s OP AC (NCAT) Chris Cook. New York: Facts on File, 1995. 218p. and through Z39.50. For technical and other details, contact: David Notes on over 1000 collections of personal papers; arranged by Easterbrook, Northwestern Univ. Library (dleaster@nwu.edu). individual, with index by archive; excludes official archives; strongest for British and South African individuals. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES is creating an “Online Index and Finding Guide to the Literature of African Art and “Africa: Resources for Education & Action” is a centerfold supple­ Culture.” They received a $197,250 grant from the Getty Grant ment in Third World Resources: A Quarterly Review o f Resources Program for a three-year project to index over 52,000 articles and from and about the Third World (July-Sept. 1995). Copies of the monographs. 4-page guide are available for $ 1 from: Third World Resources, 464 19th St., Oakland, CA 94612-2297. New Dictionary o f South African Biography. Vol. 1. Edited by E.J. Verwey. Pretoria: HSRC, 1995. Ngandu Nkashama, Pius. Le Livre littéraire: Bibliographie de la littérature du Congo (Kinshasa). Paris: Harmattan, 1995. LETTERS & OPINIONS In this section, the editor hopes to publish letters and essays The issue far transcends the state of my mind and my budget, that challenge prevailing practices or beliefs. In all cases, however. If I am not mistaken, many of the journals on Carfax’s list the opinions expressed are those o f the writer. have been weaned away from academic publishers (institutes, No endorsement by the editor or ALC or MSU is intended. university presses, etc.). Apparently the scholarly community somehow believes there are advantages to this in terms of circula­ tion and/or prestige. In the long run they are likely to be very wrong, CARFAX AND COMMERCIAL PUBLISHERS because they will be squeezing each other out of the marketplace. OF ACADEMIC JOURNALS by David Henige (University of Wisconsin) The only effective way to cope with the current wild inflation in serial prices is for the scholarly community to be re-exercising their Carfax Publishing first came to my attention about a year ago when obligation to disseminate knowledge in the most effective, expedi­ our Acquisitions Dept, notified me that the Journal o f Contempo­ tious and economical way, and to take the time to realize the rary African Studies was about to quadruple in price. Why? pernicious effects of not doing so. For us the most obviously of these Because it was moving from an academic to a commercial pub­ is that fewer and fewer libraries will be able to continue to lisher. I cancelled. subscribe to existing journals or to begin subscribing to new ones. Or virtually cease to purchase scholarly monographs—hardly an This year I find that Review o f African Political Economy is inflation-proof genre. (For more on this, see the October 1995 issue increasing from an already exorbitant $167 per annum to nearly of Perspectives, the newsletter of the American Historical Associa­ $200 (more when subscription agents’ fees are added). This is a tion.) Having served on the University of Wisconsin Press Committee fairly insubstantial journal which has already seen its best days. I for several years, I can claim quasi-firsthand awareness of these cancelled it. Another journal in Middle East studies is more than problems. Right now the journals division of UWP is carrying the doubling its subscription rate at the same time. I’m cancelling it monograph division (guess why?), but this can hardly be more than too. a short-term phenomenon. Are these cancellations too reflexive? Some might think so, but Is there an alternative to cancellation as a way of sending message what else is a library to do in today’s straitened budgetary circum­ to both publishers and scholars? If so, it (or in lieu of it, cancella­ stances? I must consider what I can buy instead of these tion) should be an item of discussion by— among others— Africanist journals—year after year, and I have judged that paying nearly fifty librarians. And soon. cents a page for ROAPE this year (more next, even more the following year, etc.) is cost and service ineffective. AFRICANA LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER 5 OCTOBER 1995 HENNEPIN COUNTY SUBJECT HEADINGS See HCL Cataloging Bulletin #136 & 137 (May/June & July/Aug. Summary Notes by the Editor 1995; Available from Hennepin County Library, 12601 Ridgedale Dr., Minnetonka, MN 55305-1909). Among the Hennepin County Library (HCL) headings adopted by LC (per March memo from Carolyn Sturtevant): Tribe (The Sanford Berman’s proposal for “Amistad Rebellion, 1839” as a English word). HCL form: Tribe (The word). new subject heading (See ALN, Apr. 1995, p. 8.) attracted the attention of the Amistad Research Center (New Orleans), which Some recent revised headings in HCL’s catalog: prefers the usage “Amistad Incident” over other descriptions such Colonialism— [Place]; as mutiny or rebellion. After further research and consultation, vs. LCSH: [Place]—Colonial influence. Berman changed the Hennepin County Library heading to “Amistad [African people]—Identity; Case, 1839.” vs. LCSH: [African people]—Ethnic identity. [African people]— Assimilation (Sociology); vs. LCSH: Assimilation (Sociology)— [Place] THE CASE AGAINST LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS [Country]— History—War for national liberation, [dates]; Notes by the Editor vs. LCSH: [Country]—History— Revolution, [dates]. [Country]—Interethnic relations; HCL’s policy of adding additional subjects and contents notes is vs. LCSH: [Country]—Ethnic relations. an expense discouraged by some administrators. After reviewing Imperialism, European; vs. LCSH: Europe—Colonies. the many variations of a record that could be found for a single book, East Africa; vs. LCSH: Africa, East. James E. Rush (Executive Director, PALINET) found that most Sub-Saharan Africa; vs. LCSH: Africa, Sub-Saharan local revisions of catalog records contributed nothing to the value of the bibliographic record. His conclusion: “Repetitive cataloging Structural adjustment programs (World Bank/IMF) is a costly and unproductive exercise... What must be done is to vs. LCSH: Structural adjustment (Economic policy) centralize the cataloging process so that a published item is [Public note]: Here are entered materials on a series of economic cataloged one and only once (no local practice allowed). ... the measures imposed on resource-poor countries by the World Bank process should concentrate on quality, consistency, and deep sub­ and International Monetary Fund as a condition for loans. Such ject indexing ... If each published item were given twice the measures include reduced government spending for social services, attention now paid to the item by a single library, far superior access currency devaluation, privatization of state-run enterprises, and could be provided at a small fraction of the cost of cataloging incentives to promote production for export. today.” Cross references: —James E. Rush, “A Case for Eliminating Cataloging in the Foreign debt—Third World Individual Library,” The Future is Now: The Changing Face o f International Monetary Fund Technical Services: Proceedings o f the OCLC Symposium ALA North-South economic relations Midwinter Conference, February 4, 1994 (Dublin, Ohio: OCLC, World Bank 1994), pp. 1-13. NOTES ON MATERIALS AND VENDORS VENDOR ANNOUNCEMENTS Leishman & Taussig will go out of business as of 31 October 1995, having been bought by Hogarth Representation and the Africa Book Africa Book Centre (38 King St., London WC2E 8JT) has started Centre (London). As the office at 2B Westgate will be vacated in a new quarterly that lists with notes books available from the November, any late payments are to go to 75, King St., Southwell, Centre, plus news and a review or two. No. 1 (August 1995) carries Notts, UK NG25 0EH. the title Book Review, the subscription forms (£12/year in UK; £18 In his letter of 18 September, A.D.H. Leishman noted his overseas) say Review. Seven pages of new books from Africa is involvement with L&T for over 12 years, first with Louis Taussig followed by 15 pages of New Books on Africa. and then solo. Concern over the future of library sales, as well as the influence of subsidized ventures, influenced his decision to African and Caribbean Imprint Library Services (236 Main St., close down L&T. His plans are to work as a buying agent for Falmouth, MA 02540; tel: 508-540-5378) has issued numerous Hogarth, and for Africa Book Centre, from a base in South or East lists including “Titles Recently Received” for Ghana and Togo. Africa. His next trip, on behalf of Hogarth, will be to Tanzania and Zambia in late November and December. African Books Collective (The Jam Factory, 27 Park End St., Oxford OX1 1HU, England). Mary Jay is now in charge of Library of Congress Overseas Acquisitions Program for East­ management and operations, replacing Hans Zell (PO Box 56, 11 ern Africa has been extended to now include: Priced monographs Richmond Rd., Oxford OX1 2SJ) who left ABC to concentrate on from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe; all publications his work with the Hans Zell Publishers list and as editor of ABPR. from government statistical offices in Botswana, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; Amharic Alpha Resources Publishing Company (24 Adeniji St., Suru- priced monographs, two periodicals and a daily newspaper; legal Lere, Lawanson, Lagos-Nigeria; telefax: 234-1 -2642095) distributes publications from ten countries. Nigeria Magazine and other Nigerian imprints. AFRICANA LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER 6 OCTOBER 1995 Per Ankh (B.P. 2, Popenguine, Senegal) is a new African printing 229 exhibitors from 43 countries, including 27 from Africa (com­ and publishing company. It offers Armah’s new novel (Osiris pared to 39 and 20 in 1994). Trade visitors on 1-2 August: 6500, Rising) for $21 (including air postage) by bank draft. including representatives from an additional 12 countries. And a total of 31,456 visitors for 1-5 August. Total business transacted by Robert Palmeri (06 B.P. 1160, Abidjan 06) is involved in a variety the Book Shop is estimated at Z$200,000. of book projects in Abidjan, including promoting the distribution of The ZIBF Trust together with representatives of its UK office contemporary francophone African literature in North America. and UK-based S ABDET met on 5 August with major donors: SIDA, For the March 1995 meeting of the African Literature Association HIVOS, KOPINOR, the Norwegian Publishers’ Association and in Columbus, Ohio, he prepared a 8-page catalog of recent books. the Norwegian Non-fiction Writers Union (UFF). The donors expressed their grave concern about the revoking of the GALZ stand at ZIBF95 but confirmed their support for ZIBF. EVENTS First Ghana International Book Fair is scheduled for 6-12 Nov. LITERATURE ON THE BOOK TRADE 1996 in Accra. Contact: P.C.T. Quarcoo, Exhibition Director, PO Box 111, Trade Fair Centre, La-Accra. Butalia, Urvashi, and Ritu Menon. Making a Difference: Feminist Publishing in the South. Chestnut Hill, MA : Bellagio Publishing The Second Annual National Book Week (22-27 April 1995), Network, Research and Information Center, Boston College, 1995. organized by the Nigerian Book Foundation, was on the theme 82p. Bellagio Studies in Publishing; no. 5 ISBN 0-964078-0-8. “Data Collection: the Foundation for Effective Book Develop­ $15.00 Tel: 617-552-4236. ment.” It was agreed that the Foundation would collect data on the book industry. Awards were conferred on the following publishers: Partners in African Publishing, no. 1 (Summer 1995), is a new free Litteramed, Longman Nigeria, and Nok. Other activities included newsletter. Published by CODE Europe, its goal is to promote the annual conference of the Nigerian Library Association and a commercial arrangements between African and European publish­ Children’s Book Day. ers. It will appear quarterly in 1995; bi-monthly in 1996. Available from: Kelvin Smith, Director, CODE-Europe, The Jam Factory, 27 Zimbabawe International Book Fair Park End St., Oxford, OX1 1HU, England. ZIBF96 will be held 26 July-3 August 1996 in Harare, with the theme of “Books for Business.” Vernon, Elizabeth. “Notes on an Acquisitions Trip to Tunisia, ZIBF96 (28 July-5 August) on the theme of “Human Rights” saw 1995.” MELA Notes, no. 62 (Spring 1995): 55-61. •uoumtjsui ¿Qiunuoddo-jonbd ‘uoi}jn-3Aijmuuiffv un si fiSPV IZ *ojq 11ULI9J S£0I~t?Z88t’ ucSiipijAi ‘Suisireq jseg ‘Suisung J3JU 33 JBUOIJBUJ3JUJ 0 0 1 diva X jisja A iu fi s u n s ireS iipijA j aovisod s n H31MHD SH ianiS NVDIiUV •gjQ njoy-uoN