Remote Access Technologies for Library Collections, by Diane M. Fulkerson

Remote Access Technologies for Library Collections: Tools for Library Users and Managers. By Diane M. Fulkerson. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2012. 213 pages. Hard cover. ISBN 9781466602342.

The growth of distance education has caused libraries to increasingly rely on technology to provide services to users. This book addresses the many technologies that allow users to remotely access library services. While not clear from its title, it is intended primarily for use in an academic setting.

The book is organized into twelve chapters, each addressing a topic of interest to an academic audience. Subjects addressed include distance education and assessing user needs, copyright, collection development, digital collections, course management software, Web 2.0 tools, and mobile technology. Each chapter includes the following sections: Introduction, Background, Main Focus of the Chapter, Future Trends, and a Conclusion. One of the weaknesses of this book is that it is overly repetitive. Much of the material in the “Main Focus of the Chapter” sections is repeated in the “Future Trends” and conclusion of each chapter.

However, the book has many other significant weaknesses. It appears to have been published without any editorial review. Grammatical errors, and missing and misplaced punctuation appear in almost every paragraph and certainly on every page. The writing is awkward and unprofessional. Many sentences are written in such a way that they are completely incoherent. For example: “As for libraries and libraries, it will help keep them an integral (and irreplaceable) part of current and future research in academic and beyond” (p. 30). Another example: “In order to meet the needs of users’ new approaches and ideas need to be explored to meet the growing demands of library users” (p. 55). A third example: “Librarians support access to information all people to help educate all people” (p. 51).

In addition, many of the stated “facts” are suspect. There are too many generalizations such as “All libraries have collection development policies regarding the materials they will include in their collections” (p. 49). While it might be true that most libraries have collection development policies, making such generalizations without corroborating evidence is misleading. Other statements are clearly incorrect, such as: “The Library of Congress will have to adapt and change copyright law to meet the growing use of mobile technology and digital content. As we make our way through the 21^st century, the Library of Congress will need to expand their list of exceptions for use of copyrighted materials in an academic settings” (p. 43). Congress, not the Library of Congress, makes copyright law.

It is shocking that Information Science Reference, an imprint of IGI Global, would allow a book with so many, and such egregious, errors to be published at all. It is almost as if not one person read the manuscript prior to publication. This book is not recommended.