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Title:
The Quintessential Searcher: The Wit and Wisdom of Barbara Quint
Review:
When word spread through the information community that this book was
forthcoming, the general response was "About time!" After years spent
reading the pithy words of bq (as Barbara Quint is known to her fans),
everyone was pleased that someone had finally shown up to organize
them so that they can be found when needed. With such sterling source
material, the only thing that could have ruined this book would have
been bad editing.
Luckily, Marylaine Block is a very good editor. Her introductory
comments explain, for the benefit of any benighted information
professional who hasn't heard of bq, who she is and why this book was
compiled. Editorial comments among the selections from Quint's
writing are brief and only inserted when necessary to establish
context. She has given us some (not all - that would make a much
larger book than practical) of the best of Barbara Quint, in a very
accessible format.
For those aforementioned benighted souls, Barbara Quint is one of the
best-known writers and editors in the library world. She has written
for and/or edited professional publications such as Information Today,
the Wilson Library Bulletin, and Database Searcher, and currently
edits Searcher. Her editorials and articles are usually the first
items turned to when a new issue is received, and probably the most
often recommended to colleagues as well. She was one of the founding
members of the famous SCOUG (Southern California Online Users' Group),
one of the first organizations to bring together information
professionals on all sides of information product production, sales,
and use.
Anyone who often makes speeches or presentations, or who writes on
information-related subjects, will want to keep this book right next
to Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, where it will probably be used more
often than that venerable work. Quint is Grand Mistress of the mot
juste, what we would have said if we could have thought of it in time.
Especially on the subject of database vendors, she says what needs to
be said, and says it well.
This is a good book, too, for anyone who does database searching
regularly. Without giving specific how-tos, Quint sometimes shines a
new light on the act of database searching. While reading this book,
I was working on a rather involved search myself, and got some ideas
on new places to look for what I needed. Reading this book and
thinking about bq's ideas feels a lot like brainstorming.
There will probably be a run on The Quintessential Searcher this
spring, as information people welcome new graduates to our ranks.
This will make a very good graduation present for someone finishing an
MLS or related program. It would also be a good gift for someone just
starting out in a library program, to help them keep a realistic
concept of library and information services. Barbara Quint pulls no
punches about what is idiotic about information services and products,
but serves up the bad with the good in grand style.
As Mick O'Leary said in Link-Up, "What Clapton is to the guitar, what
Jordan is to the court, Barbara Quint is to online searching - the pro
the other pros admire." (p. 198) Just buy the book.
Free Pint Reviewer:
Caryn Wesner-Early is a librarian interested in writing and the Internet. She maintains a Web site at http://home.dencity.com/CarynW
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