Book Reviews

Bartholomew Udemmadu Nwafor, 1939–1991: An Appreciation and an Annotated Bibliography of His Writings. Compiled by Michael Wise. “Professional Reports”, #50. Sponsored by the IFLA Section on Regional Activities—Africa; the IFLA Core Programme—Advancement of Librarianship in the Third World (ALP); and the Nigerian Library Association. The Hague: IFLA Headquarters, 1997. 69 p. ISBN 90–70916–60–6.

This is an appreciation of Bartholomew Nwafor’s contributions to librarianship. Bart, as he was fondly called by his friends, was until his death in 1991 the first university librarian of the University of Jos in Nigeria, and the editor of Nigerian Periodicals Index. He held executive positions in IFLA, including the chairmanship of the Africa Section. The book’s two sections present a good choice of topics.

The first section contains an introduction, four articles by his friends and colleagues, and a bibliography of his writings.

• Joseph C. Anafulu gives an account of his relationship with Bart over a period of twenty–eight years as they rose through the ranks to become university librarians. He knew him as a loyal friend, confidant, and great librarian.
• Audrey Ojoade, Bart’s successor, puts in context his career as the pioneer university librarian at his institution.
• A. O. Banjo lists Bart’s activities within IFLA, and his presentations at conferences. A consistent advocate of Third World issues in IFLA, Bart was elected chairman of that organization’s Africa Section in 1987. He also served as a member of an IFLA working group on South Africa’s membership in IFLA.
• Michael Dewe details his meetings with Bart at two seminars on library buildings. The planning and design of university library buildings occupied much of Bart’s time.
• A bibliography of Bart’s writings concludes the first section. Really the high point of the book, it lists sixty–five publications in chronological order, from his first paper (in Northern Nigeria Library Notes, 1964) to his last, published posthumously (in the African Journal of Library, Archives, and Information Science, 1993). Annotations are provided, except for works whose titles are self–explanatory.
• The book’s second section contains a selection of his writings. There are three of them, viz., “Funding Third World University Libraries”; “The Library Director as Student and Library Assistant”; and “‘Englibo’, or the Spoken Language of the Educated Ibo”.
• In the first, he discusses the distressing condition of university libraries in Africa, and especially in Nigeria. The problems are occasioned by drastic cuts in subventions, the rising cost of books and journals, the depreciation of national currencies, and too much dependence upon foreign books. Consequently these libraries are not merely in distress, but are actually at the precipice. As measures of relief he proposes cooperation and the sharing of resources, improved funding, and external assistance.
• The second article is an account of Bart’s 1981–82 sabbatical year at the University of Texas (Arlington), where he worked as a library assistant and also took some courses in the university, for self–improvement. This account reveals him as a simple, humble, and dedicated professional librarian.
• The article on “Englibo”—a hybrid of the English and Ibo languages—is a commentary on the gradual erosion of Ibo culture by Western values.

The book has an attractive appearance, and is well–organized and easy to follow. The index combines joint authors, subjects, and geographic names. A fitting tribute to one of Africa’s leading librarians, this book should be taken not as a final document but rather as a starting point on research into Bart’s contributions to librarianship.

Ajibola Maxwell Oyinloye