Library : From ancient scrolls to the World Wide Web

A modern library is more than just a collection of books. Children take part in activity workshops and hear story readings given by librarians or authors. Adults go there to surf the Internet, see exhibitions, and learn languages. Libraries have become vast and complicated storehouses of information.

Grade 4-8-These titles give detailed descriptions of the intricate workings and behind-the-scenes operations of two large, sometimes intimidating institutions. In both volumes, the first spread, which shows the outside of a building, unfolds into a four-page, color-coded, annotated cutaway map of the entire facility. As readers continue on their tours, each area or department is described functionally in brief and interesting texts that often include bits of history or vital vocabulary. The first book includes lending libraries and bookmobiles as well as single-themed collections such as special-needs, children's, multimedia, reference, local history, business, and rare books. The second entry concentrates on the different parts of a theater (foyer, box office, auditorium, pit, stage, wings, etc.) and briefly describes some of the various types of theater (ancient Greek, proscenium, playhouse, street, outdoor, and in-the-round). Both books have detailed illustrations that bring the structures to life and go a long way in helping to describe their functions. Helpful glossaries and indexes round out these outstanding offerings.
Betsy Barnett, Eads School District, CO
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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