Documentation and Bibliographic Control of the Humanities in India Edited by L.S. Ramaiah and M. Kankachary. New Delhi: Adita Prakashan, 1992. xv, 349 p. ISBN 81–85689–06–7. 350 rials.
It has been said that the humanities are the mothers of all subjects, but the documentation and bibliographic control of the humanities has always been neglected. The literature has many gaps which should be filled for the benefit of researchers not only in India but all over the world.
L. S. Ramaiah and M. Kankachary have made an attempt to fill the gap by publishing a much needed volume. The book is divided into eight parts under broad subject headings: The Humanities—Importance; The Humanities—Scope and Meaning; The Humanities—Classification Schedules; The Humanities—Problems and Prospects; The Humanities—Research Activities; The Humanities—Tools for Bibliographic Control; The Humanities—Institutional Profiles; and The Humanities—Documentation and Bibliographic Center’s Proposals. Each section has a number of articles on the subject written by well–known Indian academicians, library educators, and librarians. There are a total of 33 articles in the book including one on the resources and services in humanities of the American Studies Research Center [in India], and a discussion of the proposals to establish humanities documentation and bibliographic centers in India. The majority of the articles have been written especially for this book. A few articles are reprints from other journals published during 1963–1990. The editors have included a few papers which were presented at various conferences. Many articles are certainly scholarly with proper documentation and other articles are opinions of the authors on the subject. The book has three important appendices: List of Institutions Concerning the Humanities in India; List of National Documentation Centers in India; Recommendations of Special Interest Groups on Humanities of the Indian Association of Special Libraries & Information Centres.
The book is dedicated to S. R. Ranganathan, father of the Indian librarianship, and the foreword has been written by a well known Indian library educator, P. N. Kaula, who is of the view that “Humanities studies have been a neglected area in comparison to sciences” and is of the opinion that “Greater mutual knowledge in humanities will lead to greater understanding.”
It is certainly a well prepared book with many facts and figures. It is highly recommended for all librarians, educators, and other scholars interested in humanities. It will be a good addition to all library collections.
R. N. Sharma is Director of Libraries, University of Evansville, Evansville,
Indiana. He has master’s degrees from the University of Delhi and North Texas State
University, and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Before going
to Evansville he had been Assistant Director for Public Services, University of
Wisconsin–Oshkosh, and Head Librarian, Pennsylvania State University, Beaver. Dr.
Sharma is the author of five books and over 150 articles and reviews. He is particularly
active in international circles, having presented papers at many world conferences,
acting as editor of Library Times International, and serving currently as Vice
President/President Elect of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.
© 1993 Rosary College