Reader’s Roundup: Monographic Musings & Reference Reviews

Column Editor: Corey Seeman (Director, Kresge Library Services, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan)<cseeman@umich.edu> Visit him at https://www.squirreldude.com/

Column Editor’s Note: We often find ourselves dealing with products, services, people, performances with labels such as the best or the worst. In reviews, we often find that problem as people build up and pull down all sorts of things for all sorts of reasons. While I would not be likely to have ever run across the very best or the very worst of just about anything, I believe I have discovered the most useless review ever. Please bear with me.

Recently, I wrote a blog entry on the values of reviews.1 Too often there is way too value to really consider it a worthwhile addition to your knowledge of anything. I was reminded of a review I saw when buying a gas grill back in 2017. I was on the Sears site (that is how old that purchase was) when I saw this review:

“Still in the box — I purchased the grill to use when the weather got a bit warmer. Through the month of January it was too cold. We were gone for three weeks in February. Hope to get it out of the box and assemble it in March. It is in the garage acting as a table for miscellaneous objects. I expect it to work well upon assembly.” The reviewer “Valued” gave it one star out of five.

The name should have been “Idiot.” How can you review something you did not use. FWIW, how was the box acting as a table for miscellaneous objects? That would have been at least worth another star.

I did buy the grill and it was quite good. I believe it worked better once you took it out and assembled it. Surprising how that works.

Such is the way with book reviews. We really need to go through the work to have an understanding of what the benefits and drawbacks are. Practically, no book is the best. Practically, no book is the worst. They just live in the middle with the rest of us. Luckily, we have a great set of reviewers who actually look through the content and make an assessment based on the content!

Speaking of which, I very much appreciate the work of the reviewers who really dig into the work and provide context that may be missing elsewhere. Thank you to my reviewers for this issue: Kelly Denzer (Davidson College), Sandra Yvette Desjardins (Texas A&M-Central Texas), Carolyn Filippelli (University of Arkansas – Fort Smith), Peter Hesseldenz (University of Kentucky), and Katherine Swart (Calvin University).

As always, I want to thank them for bringing this column together. If you would like to be a reviewer for Against the Grain, please write me at <cseeman@umich.edu>. If you are a publisher and have a book you would like to see reviewed in a future column, please also write me directly. You can also find out more about the Reader’s Roundup here (new site name) — https://www.squirreldude.com/atg-readers-roundup.

Happy reading and be nutty! — Corey

“Bloomsbury Contemporary Aesthetics,” part of Bloomsbury Philosophy Library, Bloomsbury Digital Resources. Contact Bloomsbury Publishing for trial or pricing information (https://www.bloomsbury.com/).

Reviewed by Kelly Denzer (Collections Strategist and Discovery Librarian, Davidson College, Davidson, NC.)<kedenzer@davidson.edu>

“Bloomsbury Contemporary Aesthetics” is a collection on the Bloomsbury Philosophy Library platform. The tagline associated with the collection is “discover new ways of thinking about art and the everyday,” and that is indeed what I found with this collection of resources. The content includes case studies, primary texts and scholarly monographs, an image gallery and videos, and critical readings on global topics around traditional aesthetic theories. The collection contains diverse artworks and images, all with philosophical questions to engage students in deeper classroom discussions or as launching points for research papers.

Exploration of the items within the collection can begin at many different points. Content is organized by material type, subject, period, people, and by Movements and Schools of Thought such as Post-Structuralism, Hegelianism, or Ordinary Language Philosophy. Starting with these broad categories offers the option to further filter by period, people, subjects, etc. to narrow down the results.

The eBooks included in the collection include primary texts from publishers such as Princeton and Yale university presses, and Bloomsbury publishing imprints make up the secondary literature. Each eBook landing page contains a summary and a hyperlinked table of contents to bring the reader directly to the chapter or, alternatively, to go directly to a page number. A researcher can also search within the book for specific words or phrases. Each chapter includes a full citation list with direct links when available and suggestions for further reading. A brief overlap analysis indicates many of the monographs are available in other aggregator subscriptions, so be mindful of that as you consider this collection as a whole at your library.

One of my favorite areas to explore was “Aesthetics and Politics in the Global South” edited by J. Daniel Elam, Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Hong Kong. This is a collection of writings from non-European, postcolonial Global South thinkers and changemakers that includes the speech given by Gabriel García Márquez upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982 and the “Manifesto of the Progressive Writer’s Association in India” from 1936. The collection includes diverse voices aimed at providing students a broader understanding and knowledge of aesthetics outside of Europe.

Contributors to the Case Studies include museum curators, visual artists, and philosophy professors. One example is the study of the Chiapas Tote Bag.2 This article focuses on the concepts of forgeries and appropriation with the Chiapas tote bag as an example, and a similar one produced by an Italian luxury label. The article brings in a variety of philosophical points of view around the consideration of the aesthetics of art forgeries or appropriations. Is forgery an aesthetic issue, or economical/art historical one as Alfred Lessing claimed in 1965? Or is the problem with forgeries the misrepresentation of the achievement of the overall process of creation as Dennis Dutton wrote in 1979? This is a sampling of the philosophical arguments in the field of aesthetics that carry across multiple disciplines including fine arts, art history, dance, theater and beyond throughout the “Bloomsbury Contemporary Aesthetics” collection.

Also included are nearly 300 images selected by philosophers to spark class discussion or research paper topics. The questions accompanying the images delve into aesthetic judgment or the place of art in society. Additionally, the video case studies allow for close analysis of an art installation and an oil painting. The videos provide text that is seen on the screen, so no need for closed captions, however, I did not see an Audio Description option. Bloomsbury does include a full Accessibility Statement on their website and is compliant with W3C standards. Each video also includes a description underneath describing the artwork portrayed and providing deeper context. Researchers signed into the platform can also create clips of the video.

The platform is easy to navigate and includes the features one is looking for when searching multiple pages of online content, including the ability to save, cite, print, or share when logged in to your account. The platform also keeps track of your recently viewed items for easy back and forth navigation. Annual updates are made to the secondary literature and images to include contemporary references, such as Taylor Swift and eBooks including Philosophy of Comics. Having all this information in one portal is a definite benefit to this collection. That, along with the thought provoking philosophical questions around aesthetics to kick start a research query, makes this a worthy collection to explore for a library that serves undergraduates. “Bloomsbury Contemporary Aesthetics” topics span across disciplines and I would recommend a trial to promote to faculty outside of philosophy to those teaching writing, film, or any interdisciplinary courses taught on campus.

ATG Reviewer Rating: I need this in my library. (I want to be able to get up from my desk and grab this book off the shelf, if it’s not checked out.)

Edens, Patricia Stanfill (Ed.). Principles of Health: Depressions. Ipswich, MA: Salem Press, 2021. 9781637000250, 554 pages. $165.00.

Reviewed by Katherine Swart (Collection Development Librarian, Hekman Library, Calvin University) <kswart20@calvin.edu>

Principles of Health: Depression is the seventh book to be released in Salem Press’s Principles of Health reference book series. Available in both print and as an eBook, this volume lays out “the fundamentals of depression as a medical condition.” Intended for students and researchers, the book is easy to understand and is comprehensive. Editor Patricia Stanfill Edens, MS, MBA, PhD, RN, LFACHE is a medical writer who coordinated a team of eighty-three scholars to write the 119 entries in the book.

The first section, “What Is Depression?,” contains twentyseven articles, which collectively cover the basics of depression and what depression looks like in specific populations. Topics include depression in men and women, depression across the lifespan (adolescence, midlife crisis, and empty-nest syndrome), and depression in Black, Hispanic/Latinx, indigenous, and other races/ethnicities.

The second section covers “Types of Depression and Associated Conditions.” Articles such as bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, and seasonal affective disorder talk about causes, symptoms, treatments, and therapies.

The third section discusses how to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression. Sleep disorders, fatigue, social media, suicide, and several other signs each get generous articles devoted to symptoms, interventions, and treatments.

“Screening and Diagnosis,” the fourth section, delves into the Beck Depression Inventory and how doctors diagnose psychiatric disorders. Often depression is found alongside other illnesses, such as chronic pain and eating disorders. These and other aspects are considered along with physical and environmental factors.

The fifth section discusses “Treatment and Medications” spanning psychopharmacology to mindfulness. Entries give brief overviews of antidepressants, cognitive-behavior therapy, and counseling, as well as more involved treatments like EMDR, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and electroconvulsive therapy.

The last section covers self-care and how to help others with depression. Articles here are aimed at readers who have depression or know a friend or family member with depression. Topics include family stress, technology, nutrition, spirituality, and government mental health resources. A lengthy bibliography, glossary, list of helpful organizations, and subject index conclude the book.

The book feels refreshingly current, devoting articles to race and ethnicity, homelessness, political polarization, sexual orientation, and social media. It also feels comprehensive, covering types of depression, treatment, and self-care.

Typical of many Salem Press books I’ve reviewed, the book unfortunately has some glaring errors. Most notably the consecutive articles “Understanding Depression” and “Depression: Brain Chemistry, Cognitive and Stress Theories” are almost word for word the same text with just a few minor differences. How could the editors not catch this?

Secondly, the writing is somewhat uneven with some articles taking the expected generic tone of a reference book and other articles taking a more personal tone. For example, the article “Depression and Menopause” lays out the topic in a straightforward way, while the article “Pandemics and Depression” directly addresses readers who may be experiencing depression.

Likewise, the book purports to be for students and researchers, but can’t settle on an audience. The article “Depression in Adolescence: Black Adolescents” is written for a clinician, addressing the reader as “you” and giving suggestions for how a clinician should treat adolescents. The article “Talking to Seniors about Depression” is written for adults with ageing parents or spouses of seniors with depression, addressing the reader as “you” and giving instructions for starting a conversation.

Despite these drawbacks, Principles of Health: Depression makes a decent reference source for undergraduate students looking to get an introduction to the topic of depression and all its facets. The articles have solid bibliographies, and the index makes it easy to find specific subjects within the book.

ATG Reviewer Rating: I need this in my library. (I want to be able to get up from my desk and grab this book off the shelf, if it’s not checked out.)

Evans, Robert C., editor, Critical Insights: On the Road. Ipswich, Massachusetts: Salem Press, a division of EBSCO Information Services, Inc.; Amenia, NY: Grey House Publishing, 2022. 9781619255258, 389 pages. $105.00

Reviewed by Peter Hesseldenz (Academic Liaison for Literature and Humanities, University of Kentucky Libraries, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky) <phessel@uky.edu>

Salem Press has recently issued On the Road, a new entry in its Critical Insights series focusing on Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel. This volume, edited by Robert C. Evans, is, like others in the series, a collection of essays which aims to help students examine frequently studied literary works and place them in historical context. The book, Kerouac’s most famous novel, was credited with establishing and defining the Beat Generation. Though initially widely panned, it gained a devoted following and proved to be highly influential, eventually paving the way for the counterculture of the 1960s and beyond. The work is a fictionalized chronicle of Kerouac’s series of cross-country road trips in the late 1940s with his traveling partner, Neal Cassady, as they experience a rapidly changing America and search for enlightenment and meaning. Over the years, On the Road has come to be considered an American classic and is now widely studied and often taught in university classrooms.

Beat scholar Matt Theado’s opening essay, “Jack Kerouac, On the Road, and the Myth of the West” introduces the book by placing Kerouac’s fascination with westward travel in the context of the greater urge throughout American history to explore both the real, historical West as well as the mythic version depicted in books and Western movies. Theado considers On the Road to be a romanticized autobiography, featuring thinly veiled portraits of real people like Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs. He suggests that readers seek out actual biographies of Kerouac, which he feels will help deepen and enrich the reading experience.

Theado’s introduction is followed by several entries which look at On the Road in historical context. A pair of essays examine two of the main charges leveled at On the Road by critics when it was first published — that it promoted juvenile delinquency and glorified drug abuse. These essays, both written by Evans, present thorough looks at the subjects, using primary sources from the time period, to show the basis for each of these accusations. Two essays by Franco Manni look at how historical events converge with Kerouac’s literary and philosophical influences to provide the atmosphere out of which Kerouac produced his novel. Jesse Gripko’s contribution examines the clash between Kerouac’s ideals and those of the majority of Americans at the time of the book’s writing which he sees as ultimately resulting in the characters’ failure to find enlightenment.

Evans contributes a long entry covering the early reviews of On the Road, drawing from a large number of national and regional publications. Though a bit tedious to read since many of the critics made similar points over and over, the collecting and summarizing of this vast number of articles represents a considerable undertaking and includes valuable information. One point that emerges from that essay is that many of the reviewers found fault with Kerouac’s novel not because they found him to be a poor writer, but because of their concern about the impact his works had on society. In keeping with that idea, Lindsay Sears, working with a committee of several other writers, attempts to appraise On the Road by looking at Kerouac’s considerable skills as a writer. In their entry, they closely examine a single paragraph from the book, commenting on the artistic decisions that Kerouac made, sentence by sentence and sometimes word by word.

Several essays look at On the Road in the context of other books and writers. Michael J. Martin argues that On the Road is a naturalist novel and draws connections particularly to the work of Jack London, a writer who Kerouac admired. David Stephen Calonne looks at On the Road’s debt to William Saroyan, while Evans compares On the Road to another novel about crosscountry travel, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939.

On the Road’s continuing presence in society is the subject of a few entries — first in S.G. Ellerhoff’s entertaining piece about Cassady’s influence on the 1960s hippie generation via his association with Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters and then in two essays by Jordan Bailey concentrating on the 2012 film version of On the Road, directed by Walter Salles.

Two other entries, by Jessica Ahn and Eric J. Sterling, summarize earlier collections of essays about On the Road — What’s Your Road, Man? edited by Hilary Holladay and Robert Holton and On the Road edited by Harold Bloom. Though these articles are of debatable value, since readers could simply go to the actual collections, they will certainly be appreciated by students and might even inspire them to track down the original works.

One of the strengths of this volume is that it shows how the reaction to Kerouac’s work has changed significantly over the years, becoming deeper and more nuanced as we move further into the 21st century. While readers must now grapple with issues like Kerouac’s treatment of women and minorities, the greater themes, like the search for enlightenment and the rejection of societal norms, continue to connect with readers. This volume makes clear that, even as we enter the era of the electric car, Kerouac’s book will continue to inspire road trips far into the future.

ATG Reviewer Rating: I need this in my library. (I want to be able to get up from my desk and grab this book off the shelf, if it’s not checked out.)

Hall, Kate & Parker, Kathy. The Public Library Director’s HR Toolkit. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2022. 9780838938393, 208 pages. $59.99

Reviewed by Sandra Yvette Desjardins (Library Specialist III, Texas A&M-Central Texas, Killeen, Texas) <sandra.desjardins@tamuct.edu>

Library schools have a limited amount of time to teach students everything they’ll need to know in preparation of their new careers. And while some library programs require a management course as part of their core curriculum, most library students don’t immediately step into a management position. With that in mind, it’s a great idea to have a resource available that can be used as a refresher when they do take on a supervisory or managerial position. This book is one such example of an excellent resource to have for anyone wanting to review or learn more about the hiring process.

The Public Library Director’s HR Toolkit is broken down into three parts: Recruiting and Onboarding, Developing and Retaining, and Departing and Reassessing. In the first part of the book, the authors provide suggestions on ways to create strong job descriptions so that employers can recruit the best, most qualified candidates. “Job descriptions should reflect the needs of the organization, not the skills of a particular individual,” and job ads should include pertinent information about the organization, to include things like work environment and a clarification for the current opening. “By explaining that the position is open due to a retirement, or that new positions are being added, you alert candidates that there are not a lot of open positions due to high turnover and a toxic environment.”

Next, the authors share before-and-after tips for the interview process. They also provide an overview of unconscious and affinity bias and explain the importance of self-reflection in this regard. “Our job as hiring managers is to create a process that removes bias. We want to bring in people who represent different backgrounds and ways of thinking.” It’s also good to keep in mind that unconscious bias can be a form of unlawful discrimination, and so it’s best to be proactive by incorporating strategies to avoid any incidents before they occur. In terms of salary and benefits, the authors remind managers to “consider also that men tend to negotiate for salaries more than women,” and so it’s good to have a fair salary range prepared beforehand, as well as benefits that are equitable for all.

In Part II, the authors share their insight on developing employees through continual training and career development. They also speak on the importance of retaining employees by strengthening morale and by actively engaging with them by using effective communication techniques. The authors remind the reader that every employee is different, and so establishing their preferred method of communication is key. Giving the proper type of feedback is also essential. “For new employees, you might need to give more detailed feedback to help them learn. For more established employees, you want to provide feedback in a way that allows them to draw on their past skills and experience to grow.” In terms of goal setting, the authors recommend using SMART goals so that managers offer clear, specific language when providing feedback that incorporates measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals.

Part III focuses on aspects of reassessing staffing needs and managing departing employees. “Many managers and directors don’t want to focus on the more uncomfortable side of HR, discipline and termination, but to effectively lead, you need to know how to do that as well.” This portion of the book provides a wealth of information regarding the progressive discipline model and a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), both useful tools if employers would like to help employees who are struggling with any aspect of their job duties. There is, of course, a very useful section about the termination process, should the need arise to resort to that measure. Conversely, if an employee resigns, there is a helpful section about the best ways to plan for that transition and how to proceed with offboarding departing employees.

The book concludes with a helpful toolkit that includes samples of the following worksheets: job description, job ad, hiring philosophy, hiring checklist, interview question, rubric creation, compensation philosophy, manager onboarding, manager training, communication styles, SMART goals, training framework reflection, core values, director succession planning, when to call an attorney, discipline philosophy, discipline and termination, written warning, and manager offboarding.

This book provides a wealth of knowledge not only for supervisors or managers but for any library staff member. The above review speaks on many of the major key points of the book, while the book as a whole offers many other helpful bits of information that are relevant for anyone, anywhere. With that being said, I recommend having this book readily available for staff members of all varieties, and I especially recommend it for those interested in pursuing supervisory or managerial positions.

ATG Reviewer Rating: I need this in my library. (I want to be able to get up from my desk and grab this book off the shelf, if it’s not checked out.)

Mars, Laura (Editor). Working Americans: 1880-2022. Volume 18 (Health Care Workers), Amenia, NY: Grey House Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 978-1-63700-385-5, 600 pages. $150 Print.

Reviewed by Carolyn Filippelli (Reference Librarian, Boreham Library, University of Arkansas – Fort Smith <Carolyn.Filippelli@uafs.edu>

Health Care Workers depicts the evolution of health care in the United States from the late 19th century to the present through the lives of thirty-one health care professionals. Arranged chronologically by decades, each time period begins with a photo and profile of a health care worker such as a nurse, family doctor, dentist, midwife, or pharmacist. One unusual profile is that of a volunteer who worked in “poison control” with the Food and Drug Administration, often risking his own life to test effects of various additives in food. In addition to stories from health care workers from diverse geographical areas, the evolution of health care is also told through lives of health care workers from other nationalities, immigrants from China, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica, who later became citizens and also health care workers.

Included with each profile are standard sections such as “Historical Snapshot,” “Selected Prices,” and “Timelines.” These sections provide an interesting backdrop of significant political, cultural, and social events for each decade. Illustrations, advertisements, news items, pictures, and statistics add interest to the narrative and make it come alive. Along with developments in health care, the reader can follow changes in the prices of everyday items such as a gallon of milk and note events such as the opening of the first McDonald’s drive-through restaurant and Captain Kirk (William Shatner’s) travel to space on the SpaceX Blue Origin capsule.

The Timelines effectively summarize key events for diverse subjects such as the history of nursing, food and drug laws, and the Influenza Epidemic of 1918. They also focus attention on unusual topics such as the connection with corsets and women’s health. Included are significant advances in medical care such as the Salk vaccine for polio and the AIDS crisis, the growth of the health care industry and medical insurance, and passage of legislation such as the Social Security Amendments Act that included Medicare and Medicaid.

Section Two is reserved for detailed information on health care occupations. There are over 150 pages of detailed statistics and charts on individual occupations, employment and wages.

This volume is useful for students in the social sciences, health sciences, and also as an outstanding general reference source. The research is thorough and impressive, and the overall organizational features make this a very “user-friendly” work. The Index and the section on “Further Reading” are useful additions for locating more specific information. The many pictures and advertisements also contribute to the volume’s browsability and overall value.

ATG Reviewer Rating: I need this in my library. (I want to be able to get up from my desk and grab this book off the shelf, if it’s not checked out.)

Money in Politics. Reference Shelf. NY: H.W. Wilson, 2023. ISBN: 978-1-63700-494-4, 200 pages. $75.

Reviewed by Carolyn Filippelli (Reference Librarian, Boreham Library, University of Arkansas – Fort Smith <Carolyn.Filippelli@uafs.edu>

Money in Politics is an incisive overview of major controversies on money and the political process. Using documentation from articles, polls, legislation, web sites, and organizations, this work addresses issues in campaign finance and political contributions made through PACs, Super PACS, and nonprofit 501 Cs. Also included are the impacts in the political sphere of ‘dark money,’ foreign contributions, and lobbyists.

The Citizens United v. FEC ruling of 2010 overturned a great number of financial limitations that have been in force in the United States. 3 In its decision, the Court ruled that expenditures by corporations and labor unions were protected under the First Amendment. A subsequent Court decision in SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission determined that regulation of individual contributions was unconstitutional and an abridgement of free speech. These decisions paved the way for the development of PACs (Political Action Committees) and Super PACs.

PACs, Super PACs, and nonprofit 501 Cs became commonlyused vehicles to funnel money into campaigns and influence elections with little or no requirements for regulation or disclosure. Further inflows of money and impacts on the political process resulted from the inflows of cryptocurrency, dark money (funds for which there is no documentation of source and amount), and foreign contributions. An attempt to regulate foreign contributions through the Disclose Act was not successful.

A Pew Research poll in 2015 and subsequent polls have documented concerns of the American public with the effects of money in politics. Although Americans indicate that they are concerned about unregulated uses of money in politics as potential threats to democracy, few practical changes have resulted. Although there have been discussions of a 28th Amendment to the Constitution to repeal the ruling of the

Supreme Court in Citizens United and to allow states to regulate money in elections, little progress has occurred.

This work fills a niche for a current and balanced overview of the issues of money in politics. It presents historical background, development, regulations and legislation, controversies, court cases, polls, and public opinion. Although the work does not propose possible solutions or explanations as to why more reforms have not been made, the impacts of digital media, abundance of misinformation in society, and the current atmosphere of political divisiveness and mistrust of government are suggested as reasons why progress has been difficult.

Features such as a Bibliography, Websites, Index, and a CITE feature add to the usability of this work. The reader is easily able to grasp the impact of PACs and lobbying on public policy. Sections on campaign finance in the states, corporate PACs, and Trump’s influence on money in politics add further value. This book would be a good addition for ready reference or a current issues section in libraries. It would also be of value to researchers in political science, criminal justice, history, and law.

ATG Reviewer Rating: I need this in my library. (I want to be able to get up from my desk and grab this book off the shelf, if it’s not checked out.)

Endnotes

1. See my entry “Reviewing Reviews - Do They Even Matter or Help When Traveling?” — July 23, 2023 from On the Seas with Seeman: A Cruise Blog — https:// seaswithseeman.blogspot.com/search/label/Reviews

2. Atencia-Linares, P. (2021). Chiapas Tote Bag: Artistic Value, Forgeries, Appropriation Art and Cultural Appropriation. In D.H. Hick (Ed.). Case Studies in Contemporary Aesthetics. New York: Bloomsbury Academic. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from http://dx.doi. org/10.5040/9781350930063.0003

3. See: https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/ citizens-united-v-fec/

Guide to the ATG Reviewer Ratings

The ATG Reviewer Rating is being included for each book reviewed. Corey came up with this rating to reflect our collaborative collections and resource sharing means and thinks it will help to classify the importance of these books.

• I need this book on my nightstand. (This book is so good, that I want a copy close at hand when I am in bed.)

• I need this on my desk. (This book is so valuable, that I want my own copy at my desk that I will share with no one.)

• I need this in my library. (I want to be able to get up from my desk and grab this book off the shelf, if it’s not checked out.)

• I need this available somewhere in my shared network. (I probably do not need this book, but it would be nice to get it within three to five days via my network catalog.)

• I’ll use my money elsewhere. (Just not sure this is a useful book for my library or my network.)