College and Research Libraries


B y E V E L Y N S T E E L L I T T L E 

W a r Activities of College and 
Research Libraries 
A summary of the war services of academic 

libraries based on a quick study by the 

librarian of Mills College for the 

A.C.R.L. Committee on War Activities. 

This work was made possible by the 

Emergency Fund of the A.L.A. under a 

grant from the Carnegie Corporation of 

New York. 

THE FOLLOWING brief review of the activities of academic and research li-
braries during the past year may w e l l be 

termed a report of progress and should 

perhaps be read as a supplement to the 

report published in College and Research 

Libraries, December 1 9 4 1 , under the title 

" C o l l e g e and University Libraries and 

N a t i o n a l D e f e n s e . " T h e study, based on 

an elaborate questionnaire circulated sev-

eral months before December 7, showed 

the academic libraries reflecting a rather 

tepid attitude t o w a r d national defense 

w h i c h characterized their respective insti-

tutions and the country as a whole before 

P e a r l H a r b o r . T o quote from the con-

clusion of the r e p o r t : 

A number of librarians expressed the 
opinion that the responsibility of the library 
for promoting study and understanding of 
the present crisis belonged more properly to 
the public library. . . . A majority believed 
that the college library could not make a 
significant contribution on its own. . . . T h e 
library was generally regarded as having 
met its responsibility if it made available 
materials on all aspects of these problems.1 

1 College and Research Libraries 3:18-30, Decem-
ber 1941. 

In the course of the year 1942 the pic-

ture has changed significantly as the na-

tionwide awakening has affected academic 

institutions in v a r y i n g degrees. F o u r hun-

dred and eighty-eight colleges have been 

designated by the A r m y and N a v y as 

possible centers for the specialized train-

ing programs, and many college halls and 

playing fields otherwise deserted are now 

filled w i t h marching men. T h e large uni-

versities are centering their research efforts 

and facilities on scientific problems directed 

toward military purposes, often in build-

ings guarded night and d a y ; the services 

of their experts in various fields of k n o w l -

edge and the resources of their great li-

braries are devoted largely to govern-

mental use. Education for peacetime liv-

ing is continuing, to be sure, for certain 

groups and in certain places, but on the 

w h o l e the colleges have gone to w a r , some 

regretfully, others w i t h enthusiasm, all 

with a sense of dedication to fundamental 

purposes, w i t h a desire to f u l f i l l their 

obligations and w i t h an attitude which is 

expressed by D r . H a r o l d W . Dodds, of 

Princeton, as the necessity of cooperating 

w i t h the inevitable. In his annual report 

for 1941-42, the president of Princeton 

w r o t e : 

T h e thing to remember is that the col-
leges and universities will find themselves 
by losing themselves in the w a r effort. Only 
by so doing can they fit themselves into the 
whole structure of this w a r which is a w a r 
of the people. If they remain aloof in this 

1 7 9 



struggle, they cannot claim to be a part of 
the stream of civilization afterward.2 

The Role of the Library 

A s might be expected, the role of the 

library in the activities of the institution 

varies in importance as it has always done. 

In a college w h e r e the library has been 

an active and positive force in the past it 

automatically becomes the center of in-

formation, and sometimes, as in extension 

or radio w o r k , the library's staff is used 

not only in the planning but also in carry-

ing out the new or enlarged programs, 

whether of specific instruction or general 

stimulation of interest. T h e r e are other 

institutions in which the library's function 

in the past has been strictly limited and 

often relatively unnoticed by those w h o 

made use of its facilities. U n d e r the 

stimulus of the national emergency and 

the general desire in college communities 

as elsewhere for cooperative effort in the 

common cause or sometimes because of 

intense personal conviction as to the needs 

of the hour, the librarian has forgotten 

his traditional role—silence until spoken 

t o — a n d now finds himself in a new posi-

tion among the leaders in council, included 

ex officio in policy-forming bodies which 

plan for present w a r service and a con-

tinuous educational program. T h a t to-

day's problems offer the librarian this 

opportunity for increasing the effective-

ness of the library and the realization of 

this increase on the part of administrative 

and governmental authority, f e w w i l l 

deny, and it is the primary purpose of this 

report to make known to librarians 

throughout the field, in academic institu-

tions differing widely in size and purpose, 

the varied opportunities for service. 

M a n y of the details reported seem trifling 

2 School and, Society 56:428, N o v . 7, 1942. 

in themselves—a short cut discovered, an 

instance of useful cooperation, a project 

that proved s u c c e s s f u l — b u t in the absence 

of general meetings it is the belief of the 

A . C . R . L . Committee on W a r Activities 

that a gathering together of suggestions 

should prove helpful. Some libraries w i l l 

find their greatest usefulness in the field 

of research, others in the better under-

standing of vital w a r issues which they can 

encourage in the undergraduate student 

body. Still others, by their location, may 

be able to answer a need in the com-

munities surrounding the campus. A l l 

alike share in the responsibility of educat-

ing the people, and each can best serve in 

its o w n w a y according to its talents. 

Conflicting Opinions 

Conversation w i t h any group of col-

lege librarians brings to light the fact that 

there is still a fundamental difference of 

opinion as to the proper function of the 

library in today's w o r l d ; and w h i l e there 

is no need to j u s t i f y the undertaking of 

the committee, it might be w e l l at the 

beginning to answer the most frequently 

heard objection to studies of this sort. 

T h e familiar argument of the college li-

brarian, as he drops the questionnaire in 

the wastebasket, runs somewhat as fol-

l o w s : 

Another one of these things? When I get 
time I'll write and tell that fellow that our 
job is one of educating the students of this 
institution and that we are trying to carry 
on as effectively as possible in spite of w a r -
time difficulties. W h a t we do in relation to 
information concerning the war, to spread 
the use of printed materials through all the 
means at our command, we have always 
done for any subject of current interest. 
W e don't call it a " w a r activity" or 
publicize it as a stunt. O u r regular refer-
ence service provides prompt answers to all 

180 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



queries for information without draping it-
self in flags and posing as a key center for 
civilian morale. O u r task in this troubled 
time, as we see it, is to keep our heads, to 
avoid the contagion of hysterical activity, to 
recognize that our job is not to fight the w a r 
but to conserve the printed resources which 
will serve the cause of education hereafter 
and may help to build a lasting peace. 

T h e composite opinion quoted above 

represents the honest v i e w of many li-

brarians, not necessarily dwellers in ivory 

towers, but men and women w h o believe 

that their most important function is to 

acquire, to conserve for the future, and 

to make available w h e n sought, the records 

of the civilization which all alike seek to 

defend according to their powers. 

In answer to this point of v i e w the 

other librarian replies: 

O f course our purpose is educational. 
Granting that we must carry our daily job 
and build for the future, that teachers and 
students to come must not be hampered by 
gaps in our essential collection, by arrears 
of uncataloged books, or by records which 
defeat their purpose through inaccuracy or 
incompleteness, isn't it equally true that our 
all-time task includes the present as well as 
the future? T h i s war is the greatest event 
in* our day and generation. Its progress and 
its outcome affect the life of every in-
dividual now and in the years to come. A s 
citizens we are all sharing the burden. A s 
librarians some of us occasionally have 
work to do which contributes directly to 
the military effort, but this is a restricted 
field limited chiefly to the reference and 
research service of highly specialized or un-
usually complete general collections. T h e 
service which is open to all of us today in 
large or small libraries is to help interpret 
this perplexing world to our public through 
the printed word. 

T o this the first speaker, w h o likes to 

think of himself as hard-boiled, replies: 

So w h a t ? H a v e n ' t we always stood ready 

with the answers? W h a t more can you do 
than have them ready when needed? 

T o which again the advocate of further 

activity maintains: 

T h e r e are some libraries conceivably 
whose sole duty is to collect and preserve, 
but the library in a teaching institution 
which stands aloof today, with "custodial 
philosophy" or narrowed aims of purely 
academic education limited to college 
courses, will inevitably lose any vital rela-
tionship to the life and thought of this 
generation of students. T h e impact of the 
w a r on their lives is difficult to overestimate. 
Whether they view it as an adventurous 
world crusade in which they have a share or 
as a net in which they are caught, it over-
shadows all other events. If they live 
through this experience with no aid from 
books whether in the realm of information, 
guidance, or enlarged understanding, books 
will have little meaning for them and it is 
unlikely that they will turn to reading later. 
T h u s we shall have missed our great op-
portunity. 

Basis of the Report 

I t is because of faith in the immediate 

as w e l l as the future value of the li-

brary's services that it seemed w o r t h while 

to publish at this time a quick overview 

of w h a t some libraries are accomplishing, 

often w i t h inadequate resources in books 

and personnel, in the hope that such a 

record grouped by activities rather than 

by institutions (though necessarily in-

complete) might prove useful to other 

libraries, seeking enlargement of their 

facilities, by presenting suggestions for 

possible action. 

U n l i k e its predecessor, the survey pub-

lished in 1 9 4 1 , the present report is not 

the result of exhaustive study or detailed 

investigation on a broad base, but rather 

a sampling taken from those libraries 

which answered a widely scattered inquiry 

JUNE, 1943 181 



and f r o m a f e w others chosen for visits 

because of their geographical location, for 

unusual specific activities reported, or be-

cause they seemed to be typical of a num-

ber of other institutions. A l l sections 

of the country w e r e represented in the 

replies received, and visits included in-

stitutions on the Pacific Coast, the M i d d l e 

W e s t , and the A t l a n t i c Seaboard, cover-

ing all the types of libraries represented 

in the A . C . R . L . Information available at 

A . L . A . Headquarters in print and other 

materials on file has also been of great 

assistance. T h a n k s are due also to the 

many librarians w h o gave their time in 

letters and interviews to contribute the 

material for this report. Nevertheless, the 

limits of time available and the necessary 

restrictions on travel made many gaps in-

evitable, and the w r i t e r is a w a r e that 

many interesting undertakings have been 

missed and that valuable services per-

formed by various libraries are cited for 

only one. F o r all such omissions or im-

plications w e ask your c h a r i t y — a n d hope 

that you w i l l keep the committee informed 

henceforth as to your activities and plans. 

War and the Colleges 

T h e central importance of the library's 

function is ever-present in the minds of 

librarians, but it must be admitted of all 

academic libraries that they are merely 

parts of a larger whole, their services 

limited by the purposes of the institution, 

and their abilities by its fortunes. Previous 

w a r s have doubtless had their noticeable 

impact upon college halls but chiefly in 

leaving them empty for a time, their treas-

ures guarded by those w h o seemed, in 

contrast w i t h the y o u n g w a r r i o r , to be the 

aged or unfit. T o preserve the enduring 

values of civilization through successive 

w a r s has been their task and their justifica-

tion. B u t now the country calls upon 

its educational institutions to convert their 

programs and activities to perform services 

of immediate value to the w a r effort, often 

at the expense of their traditional purpose. 

T h e air is f u l l of the conflict of opinion as 

to whether this is wisdom or folly, but 

an increasing number of addresses, articles, 

and academic reports indicates a g r o w i n g 

consciousness of t w o f o l d purpose and re-

sponsibility on the part of the c o l l e g e s — 

to adopt all necessary measures of training 

required by the w a r emergency and some-

h o w at the same time to maintain the 

standards of humane education which are 

theirs chiefly to guard. T h e r e is recogni-

tion that the basic function of education 

remains the same and that for certain in-

dividuals and population groups it must 

be carried on w i t h as little dislocation as 

possible, but that the w a r adds other tasks 

thereto w h i c h are inescapable. T h e s e 

must be the w a r w o r k of the academic 

w o r l d . 

Briefly the picture presented by college 

campuses the country over is much the 

same. A w a r council, w a r activity board, 

or emergency committee has been set up 

by the administration. T h e loss in faculty 

men, whether directly to the armed forces 

or for special tasks required by the gov-

ernment, w o u l d seriously cripple the teach-

ing program w e r e it not for the corre-

sponding loss in student bodies. E v e n so 

the shift of personnel and reassignment of 

subjects is a constant strain. 

T h e greatest change is the shift in stu-

dent population, the replacement of four-

year students by those whose professional 

academic program has been accelerated or 

by a still greater number w h o are in-

ducted and returned to the campus for a 

short program of purely technical train-

ing. T h e N a v y College T r a i n i n g P r o -

182 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



gram has announced its purpose to disrupt 

as little as possible the academic w o r k of 

the reservists n o w in college, but this is 

not true of the units training for the 

A r m y , whose bodies might be said to 

occupy campus space w h i l e their minds are 

elsewhere. T h e r e is common agreement 

on the tension and strain observable among 

college men and women, which is not to 

be wondered at. W i t h many there is 

increased application to the w o r k in hand, 

a desire to finish the job, but a probably 

greater number are marking time w i t h a 

sense of f u t i l i t y . T h e picture w a s 

graphically presented by Fortune in the 

heading " T h e college student waits in the 

anteroom." 3 

Changes Reflected in the Library 

A s might be expected, the visible signs 

of enlistment in the w a r effort v a r y 

w i d e l y among libraries. T h e r e are uni-

versity buildings whose marble entrance 

halls still display the treasured incunab-

ula, w h e r e there seems to be no appro-

priate place for poster, map, or reminder 

of the day's pressing need. B u t this is no 

proof that w o r k of vital importance to the 

A r m y M a p Service is not going on in 

an upper room. T h e reference depart-

ment may be spending t w o thirds of its 

time in services which cannot be publicized 

because of their confidential nature in 

military plans. A n o t h e r library, concen-

trating on its campus public and keenly 

aware of its task of keeping them in-

formed, lines its entrance corridor w i t h 

arresting displays, posters, maps, the daily 

news on bulletin boards, so that even he 

w h o runs is tempted to pause, look, and 

read, perhaps even to think. Some li-

braries succeed in achieving both types of 

activity. 

3 " E d u c a t i o n f o r W a r . " Fortune 26:132-37, De-
cember 1942. 

Librarians' reports the country over in-

dicate that changed conditions on the cam-

pus have made new demands upon them 

rather than diminished their w o r k . T h e 

loss in student enrolment has naturally 

been shown in the drop in circulation sta-

tistics, but this is frequently counterbal-

anced by new demands for other services 

to be described in some detail below. In 

general it may be said that the type of 

service which any library can or should 

render, whether in time of w a r or peace, 

w i l l depend on the character and purpose 

of the institution it serves, its location in 

relation to other libraries or agencies 

equipped to offer similar services, and its 

resources in printed material and person-

nel. 

The Library's Task 

W h i l e the great collections of university 

and research libraries are proving of in-

estimable value to the experts in many 

branches of government service, there is 

general recognition among t h o u g h t f u l li-

brarians that our primary task is educa-

tion, that our part in w i n n i n g the w a r is 

a minor one though our function in aiding 

understanding is essential. It f o l l o w s 

t h e n — a l m o s t a t r u i s m — t h a t our first duty 

is to our faculty and students, to imple-

ment the curriculum, to supplement class-

room teaching by providing the records 

w h i c h form the link between past and 

present, to aid the teacher, and to expand 

the ideas presented by him. T h e library 

also has a further duty in relation to the 

curriculum, to complement its incomplete-

ness w i t h regard to the limited number of 

courses which any one student takes, to 

make him aware of other fields of which 

he should have some knowledge. 

T o collect and make available the varied 

types of material necessary for this task, 

JUNE, 1943 
18 7 



to select wisely from the stream of books, 

to keep collections in order w i t h o u t undue 

fussiness, to decide where completeness 

is important and w h e n it may better be 

sacrificed to variety, is a task requiring 

not merely knowledge, wisdom, and fore-

sight but the g i f t of prophecy and some-

times the blessing of luck. T o accept this 

as our task is, in the eyes of some, to damn 

our philosophy as "merely custodial," but 

there can be no effective teaching or learn-

ing if someone does not supply the neces-

sary means, and the records of civilization 

have become too numerous to be readily 

cared for by those w h o use them. 

T h e present emergency has brought to 

vivid light the value of the library which 

has consistently in the past strengthened 

its collection by enriching areas in which 

it w a s already strong, by completing files, 

or by aiming at complete coverage in 

certain types of material. W h e n informa-

tion of a sort not often called for is needed, 

about the Solomon Islands, for example, 

mere willingness to serve w i l l not suffice 

and the best publicity is of little use, but 

the library w h i c h has the official yearbooks 

or other publications of all the colonial 

possessions in the Pacific is, in this case, 

the one which passed the ammunition 

w h e n needed. 

W h i l e the current reference service of 

the great university libraries is necessarily 

confidential, it is permissible to state that 

during the past year the U n i v e r s i t y of 

C a l i f o r n i a L i b r a r y has been used con-

stantly by the A r m y and N a v y authorities 

in search of detailed information concern-

ing the w a r areas in the Pacific. Its map 

collection for this particular area and for 

the F a r East in general proved the 

strongest in the country, though many 

other libraries have also proved invalu-

able for maps of other areas. 

N u m e r o u s other examples of a library's 

proving useful because of systematic col-

lecting could be cited. T h e University 

of Illinois had local M i d w e s t newspapers 

w h i c h furnished the government one 

important index of group opinion not 

observable in the metropolitan press. 

T h e N a v a l School at Columbia, train-

ing men for colonial administration, w a s 

set up in N e w Y o r k C i t y rather than 

elsewhere because the N e w Y o r k Public 

L i b r a r y had for years preserved files not 

to be found elsewhere in this country in 

their entirety, the parliamentary laws, 

sessional papers, official gazettes, and de-

partmental reports of all the leading coun-

tries, including their colonial possessions. 

T h e D e t r o i t Public L i b r a r y w a s unusually 

w e l l equipped to provide reference service 

on conditions in India because this w a s 

one of the fields for export which had 

interested the motor industry, and the 

A r m y has used this information extensively 

in planning bases and in studying prob-

lems of transport and supply. 

M a n y similar instances could be cited, 

not to imply that all libraries should col-

lect everything. O b v i o u s l y there is no 

value in complete files of unused material 

for the sake of symmetry, but if and 

w h e n the material is needed, there w i l l be 

no effective use of it unless it has been 

previously collected and preserved. L i -

brarians w h o see their chief service in 

terms of collecting need not apologize for 

their lack of modern advertising tech-

niques as long as they make k n o w n their 

resources to qualified potential users, 

chiefly to other libraries which might call 

on them in case of need. 

Various Types of Activity 

M a n y scholars w o u l d agree w i t h D r . 

M a r j o r i e H o p e Nicolson, of C o l u m b i a 

184 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



University, that "the true end of a uni-

versity is less the dissemination of learning 

through teaching than the accumulation 

of knowledge through research,"4 yet f e w 

librarians w o u l d deny that all libraries 

are concerned w i t h the diffusion of in-

formation as w e l l as the collection and 

preservation of its records, and even w i t h -

in a university the undergraduate students 

form a college public for w h o m the teach-

ing function of the faculty is all-important. 

T h e varied activities of different libraries 

in relation to the w a r , nevertheless, f a l l 

naturally into patterns dependent largely 

upon the size, nature, and location of the 

library. O n e w i l l be most useful for 

research. A n o t h e r is concentrating its 

energies upon the undergraduate group. 

Still others have extended their functions 

to the surrounding community. Some f e w 

can do all three. O n e service is not more 

valuable to the w a r effort than another, 

since all are necessary to its final and 

permanent success. In a general report 

such as this, however, they must be re-

counted separately. 

Service to Research 

T h e provision of material for specialized 

research and of the trained personnel to 

do much of the searching is carried on 

chiefly in the libraries of the large univer-

sities, the technical colleges of engineering 

and agriculture, or the reference divisions 

of the large public research libraries in 

cities. T h e specific demands upon an in-

dividual library are often due to its stra-

tegic location in relation to the armed 

forces, as in C a l i f o r n i a ; to industry, as in 

M i c h i g a n and C h i c a g o ; or to government 

departments, as in W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . , and 

N e w Y o r k C i t y . It is equally true, how-

ever, that the mousetrap theory still op-

erates and the authorities have, in many 

instances, established bureaus of the gov-

ernment or branch offices of A r m y services 

in centers where they could most effec-

tively use the resources of certain libraries. 

T h e A r m y C o r p s of Engineers has rented 

offices next door to the Engineering So-

cieties' L i b r a r y in N e w Y o r k . T h e A r m y 

M a p Service has its principal branch of-

fices in San Francisco and Chicago, though 

* Bulletin of the Association of American Colleges 
2 7 : 5 1 1 - 1 2 , D e c e m b e r 1942. 

it has searched the libraries of the country 

as w e l l . M a n y government services and 

private industries employ special workers 

whose f u l l time is spent in certain libraries. 

O t h e r s use the library or faculty personnel, 

and the choice of one institution for the 

w o r k may be the result of expert knowl-

edge available there rather than the ma-

terial resources of the book collection. A 

type of skill not generally recognized by 

outside experts in the subject field is that 

of the experienced reference w o r k e r w i t h 

a background knowledge of the subject 

w h o is often found in the large research 

libraries. T h e librarian of the Engineer-

ing Societies reports an instance of intelli-

gent use of this skill by one government 

agency which employed the library on an 

hourly basis to do a piece of specific re-

search. T h e reference assistant accom-

plished in five hours w h a t , according to 

the librarian's estimate, w o u l d have taken 

the W a s h i n g t o n official t w o weeks to do 

plus travel time and expense. 

A s suggested before, much of the refer-

ence w o r k is confidential and cannot be 

publicized even in general terms. W h a t 

JUNE, 1943 
18 7 



is generally admitted is that it falls into 

t w o categories: the geographic and eco-

nomic information necessary to the mili-

tary services planning the invasion and oc-

cupation of an area, such as weather data 

for the Solomon Islands or the gauge of 

the railways in N o r t h A f r i c a ; or the tech-

nical research in scientific fields w h i c h 

differs f r o m the usual research merely in 

the urgency of the need and the applica-

tion to immediate ends. Such w o r k is 

largely in the fields of chemistry, physics, 

r^dio, electronics, engineering, agriculture, 

and botany. 

Lending Research Materials 

Academic libraries throughout the 

country are, w i t h o u t hesitation, placing all 

their resources in these areas at the service 

of all those w h o are w o r k i n g to f u r t h e r 

the w a r effort. F o r m e r members of the 

faculty and alumni now at w o r k for the 

government feel free to claim by mail the 

materials w i t h w h i c h they are familiar 

on the campus. L i b r a r y loan facilities 

are being employed more freely than ever 

before, and many hitherto restricted vol-

umes are loaned w i t h o u t question w h e n 

the need seems imperative. In other cases 

reproduced copies can be supplied instead, 

and both microfilm and photostat are 

widely used. T h e U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r -

nia microfilm service is extensively used 

by the government in a variety of ways, 

one of which is the sending of weather 

reports by air mail. 

T h e supplying of maps for A r m y pur-

poses has been referred to. T h i s is one 

of the chief fields in w h i c h material for 

reproduction is in constant demand. N o t 

only map collections f r o m coast to coast 

have been combed for the necessary guides 

to invasion by land and sea, but old travel 

books, picture collections, and even post 

cards and lantern slides have been found 

useful in the location of strategic land-

marks visible from the air. F r o m these 

and from detailed portions of other maps, 

enlarged and specially reproduced, w i t h 

unnecessary features excluded, the A r m y 

cartographers produce the necessary guides 

for bombing expeditions. 

T h e picture collection of the N e w Y o r k 

Public L i b r a r y w a s providentially en-

riched a f e w months before P e a r l H a r b o r 

by the collection of the Japanese T o u r i s t 

B u r e a u w h i c h has been put to good use 

by several government agencies. Simi-

larly C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r y had 

accepted for storage the library of the 

Japan Institute, Inc., the most extensive 

reference library on Japan outside that 

country, w h i c h adds immeasurably to the 

w a r t i m e importance of Columbia's East 

Asiatic collection. 

Foreign Languages 

A n o t h e r example of useful service some-

times provided by the staffs of the large 

libraries is the translation of scientific arti-

cles, w h e n needed, f r o m periodicals in 

Slavic and other less-known languages. 

W h e n little time is required for this it 

may be done as part of the reference serv-

ice. If more lengthy w o r k is necessary it 

is frequently done on outside time at an 

hourly rate by staff or faculty members 

w h o are competent. T h e language com-

petence of hitherto unnoticed library 

workers is beginning to be recognized, and 

it is no longer surprising to find the de-

mure cataloger of a university library com-

piling a Russian phrase book for U . S . 

merchant seamen or the scholarly profes-

sor of A r a b i c and Sanskrit engaged on a 

manual for A r m y officers w h o w i l l need 

everyday A r a b i c phrases in A f r i c a . 

A n o t h e r linguistic demand on the in-

186 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



genuity, if not the foreign language abil-

ity, of the university librarian has been 

the need for teaching materials in the com-

mon vocabulary of little-known Eastern 

languages, w h i c h w e r e represented in 

A m e r i c a n libraries by ancient and purely 

literary materials if at all. T h e sudden 

call to teach A r m y and N a v y officers not 

merely Japanese or Chinese but M o n g o -

lian and M a n c h u r i a n sent the University 

of C a l i f o r n i a library on the hunt for vo-

cabularies in these languages. T h e ma-

terial w a s found in widely scattered 

sources, frequently in private collections, 

was reproduced, and made ready in time. 

P u s h t u and other East Indian languages 

have presented f e w e r difficulties because 

the British A r m y and C i v i l Service have 

long been schooled and examined in the 

various languages of the empire and sim-

ple teaching materials must be available. 

T h e w h o l e field of language study has 

been enormously widened by the possi-

bility of A m e r i c a n troops and postwar 

workers of all sorts being stationed in 

any corner of the w o r l d . A m e r i c a n lin-

guistic isolationism is over, and the wide-

awake librarian w i l l look over his diction-

aries, grammars, and phrase books w i t h a 

critical eye. 

Siamese is being taught at the U n i v e r -

sity of M i c h i g a n ; modern Persian at C o -

l u m b i a ; Hausa, Fanti, and the A r a b i c of 

N o r t h A f r i c a at P e n n s y l v a n i a ; and M a -

layan at Y a l e . M a n y of the municipal 

colleges are offering extension courses in 

modern G r e e k , Hindustani, military 

French, and G e r m a n . T h i s is chiefly in-

tensive drill in the spoken language largely 

w i t h o u t books and by the use of a native 

of the country w h o m the bilingual in-

structor uses as an example and a " p r o p , " 

as it were, to give local color. T h e class 

is confronted w i t h such problems a s : 

" H e r e ' s your prisoner. G e t w h a t infor-

mation you can out of h i m , " or " H e r e ' s 

a villager. Find out w h a t food's avail-

able." 5 

N e w emphasis in the regular college 

teaching of the better-known European 

languages, however, does send teachers of 

French, G e r m a n , Italian, and Russian to 

the library asking for reading matter 

w i t h a practical war-related vocabulary. 

F r e n c h classes at M o u n t H o l y o k e are 

specifically related to the w o r k of inter-

preters, censors, radio listeners, etc. A t 

M i l l s the needs of overseas workers in 

Red Cross and related fields of social re-

construction w o r k are considered. T h e 

opportunities for service abroad in teach-

ing and library w o r k are leading students 

to take a practical interest in speaking 

a foreign language. 

Improvement of Resources 

W h i l e many libraries report the satis-

faction of discovering recognized areas of 

strength in their collections which j u s t i f y 

past policies of acquisition, others have 

become conscious of weakness in special 

fields and, w h e r e possible, have taken im-

mediate steps to improve. M a n y a liberal 

arts college has been forced by new de-

mands to strengthen its resources in mathe-

matics, physics, chemistry, and geography. 

Several report that funds hitherto required 

for European periodicals are now being 

spent on the purchase of scientific sets, 

either secondhand or in offset copies. T h e 

subscription to microfilm and offset issues 

of periodicals not otherwise obtainable is 

now possible and promises to become more 

widespread in practice, even after the w a r , 

w h e n those w h i c h survive may prove to be 

extremely scarce and on paper which w i l l 

s W a l k e r , C . R. " L a n g u a g e T e a c h i n g G o e s to 
W a r . " School and Society 57=369-73. A p r . 3, 1943. 

JUNE, 1943 18 7 



not last. F e w colleges are able to ac-

cumulate periodical funds beyond the 

fiscal year, so many report other fields of 

expenditure for this surplus. Some use 

it to increase the salary budget. M o r e 

often it stretches the general book fund. 

T h e g r o w i n g internationalism in the 

A m e r i c a n outlook is reflected in many of 

these purchase plans. M a t e r i a l in E n g -

lish on Russian affairs is being steadily 

increased in many libraries. L a t i n A m e r -

ican literature is a field of expansion al-

most everywhere in the country, indicating 

probably a previous weakness in Spanish 

and Portuguese except in certain locali-

ties. Interest in the F a r East is indicated 

everywhere from C a l i f o r n i a , where special 

collections in this field have l o n g been 

maturing at the university, at Pomona, 

and at M i l l s C o l l e g e ( f o r examples of 

three sizes) to Massachusetts, w h e r e the 

n e w l y established M e i - l i n g Soong Founda-

tion in honor of W e l l e s l e y ' s famous alum-

na bids fair to make that college a dis-

tinguished center of vital interest in the 

study of modern C h i n a and its needs. 

T h e clearly defined plan for this project 

and the philosophy of book selection as 

outlined by the librarian are models by 

w h i c h many a library could profit. 

Service to Faculty 

M e m b e r s of the teaching faculty are a 

library's most important patrons because 

effective teaching related to specific books 

w i l l send the students to the library more 

surely than any amount of visual public-

ity. T i m e and effort spent, therefore, in 

acquainting the faculty w i t h library re-

sources are never wasted. M a n y libraries 

content themselves w i t h a passive attitude 

of cheerfully providing w h a t e v e r aid is 

sought by the individual colleague but vol-

unteering none, on the theory that the 

responsibility for k n o w i n g his field in the 

collection belongs to the teacher. O t h e r s , 

however, have discovered the value of di-

rect action and not only send Professor X 

the routine notice w h e n books w h i c h he 

ordered arrive, but keep in mind his special 

interest, the subject of his o w n w r i t i n g , 

or the new course he is planning and 

send him w o r d of material noted or re-

ceived, particularly in periodicals in fields 

other than his own, which might not come 

to his attention. T h e librarian at Bradley 

Polytechnic Institute skims through a 

number of journals regularly as they come 

to his desk, thereafter routing them for 

quick perusal to members of the faculty 

w h o might be interested in specific articles. 

T h e responsibility for doing this might eas-

ily be divided among staff members w i t h 

comparable subject backgrounds. A simi-

lar service much appreciated in these days 

of rapid change is the practice of routing 

to the president, treasurer, or academic 

deans appropriate governmental or society 

publications affecting the institution and 

its educational opportunities. Incidental-

ly, there is probably no more effective 

method of impressing the administration 

w i t h the usefulness of library service than 

some of these intramural courtesies w h i c h 

are the daily rule in special libraries but 

are too often neglected in the academic 

w o r l d w i t h the excuse that w e lack the 

time. 

T o d a y there is an ever-increasing vol-

ume of important but ephemeral material 

pouring into the library f r o m all sides. 

M u c h of it is of vital interest now in 

conveying graphically facts relative to the 

national or w o r l d situation and w o u l d be 

constantly useful in teaching if the in-

structor had it» in time. A l l too often 

it is filed a w a y in the library in case of 

f u t u r e need, w h i c h may never arise. 

188 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



M u c h of this w o u l d far better be dis-

tributed w i t h o u t record, used and lost if 

need be, unless more than one user is fore-

seen. A s Keepers of the Book many of 

us are too prone to preserve all print as 

sacred, and it w i l l be long before w e live 

down the reputation w e have earned, 

which is evidenced in the failure of every 

attempt to convince government officials 

that publications sent to libraries are actu-

a l l y — o n occasion—read by some portion 

of the public. W a s h i n g t o n stands fast 

by its belief that to distribute means to 

send to any other department on the cam-

pus, but not to the library, because, ac-

cording to statements made verbally by 

t w o O . W . I , officials, " L i b r a r i a n s only 

keep things filed a w a y . " 

Library Publications 

F e w college libraries can afford printed 

bulletins or have the ability to produce one 

which w o u l d equal that of the Baker 

L i b r a r y at D a r t m o u t h , but most of us 

could do more than w e do in the w a y of 

c a r e f u l l y mimeographed matter of use or 

interest to the faculty. W e could learn 

much from the public library's techniques 

in the matter of book lists. W e might 

learn from our o w n art departments or our 

books on printing, something of layout 

and display. W e could make a practice 

of duplicating and distributing more gen-

erously w o r k which w e frequently do for 

one department alone. W e could arrange 

our monthly book lists by topics and by 

reader interest. T h i s w o u l d be more ef-

fective than the complete accessions list 

by D e w e y numbers w h i c h the library usu-

ally makes for its o w n records and fre-

quently sends forth regardless of its for-

bidding effect. T h e I o w a State C o l l e g e 

list of books on " U n d e r s t a n d i n g the W a r , " 

soon to be published by the O . W . I . , is an 

excellent example of a topical list com-

piled cooperatively by the library staff 

and the faculty. 

W e could cooperate more often than 

w e do w i t h departments of the college 

and w i t h other libraries in the making of 

indexes, abstracts, and bibliographies 

( w h e r e these do not exist in p r i n t ) . A n d 

if w e make them for local use, w e could 

try to see that they are made available 

through some form of duplication, like 

the cooperative bibliographies issued 

jointly by the technology division of the 

D e t r o i t Public L i b r a r y and the L i b r a r y of 

Congress. In this case the reference 

w o r k e r in technology prepares the bib-

liography and the L i b r a r y of Congress is-

sues it in some form of lithoprint. T h e 

t w o issued to date are Tanks and Other 

Track Laying Vehicles and Powdered 

Metals, and both have been serviceable 

to scientific technicians beyond the reach 

of the library's normal services. A similar 

project which might have been under-

taken in the medical library of any uni-

versity stands to the credit of D e t r o i t ' s 

medical science department, viz., the War 

and Medicine Index begun in 1940. C u r -

rent medical journals are indexed for every 

reference relating to w a r , and recent arti-

cles of interest to special research projects 

carried on in D e t r o i t are called to the 

attention of those in charge. T h e index 

is mimeographed and sent to medical li-

braries, A r m y medical officers, and indus-

trial medical departments on request. 

O r i g i n a l journals are interloaned when 

necessary for research w o r k , or films and 

photostats furnished. A new cooperative 

project, originating in the department of 

English at Columbia University and the 

N a t i o n a l Council of T e a c h e r s of English, 

may soon bring forth a book, and the 

cooperation of librarians is being sought 

JUNE, 1943 
18 7 



both in preparation and in publication. 

T h i s is the " G u i d e to Comparative L i t -

erature for I n t e r - C u l t u r a l Relations," 

which is designed to cover the literature 

of all countries as it appears in English 

translation w i t h special emphasis on the 

language groups in this country which form 

islands in our A m e r i c a n cultural pattern. 

Service to Students 

Students in Uniform 

F r o m coast to coast w i t h f e w exceptions 

librarians report little if any demand upon 

library service as yet by the A r m y and 

N a v y training units, whose men are rap-

idly taking the place of the former under-

graduate student body. Individuals 

among them w h o are habitual users of 

libraries naturally find their w a y to the 

desk w h e n they have time, but these are 

f e w . M i c h i g a n reports one lonely private, 

holder of a P h . D . in G r e e k , w h o w a s 

made happy by stack privileges, and every-

where such individual patrons are w e l -

comed. T h e men in uniform are quite 

generally offered all the usual privileges 

of the library upon proper identification. 

In many of the smaller colleges the staff 

has gone f u r t h e r in making k n o w n its 

services and extending its welcome in w r i t -

ing, in notices, in announcements, or in 

personal contacts through the officers. 

T h i s practice w i l l undoubtedly bring some 

result. 

T h e units differ widely in their official 

use of the library for study purposes. O n 

some campuses reading rooms in the li-

brary building are rented as part of the 

facilities for training and the men march 

to and from them as to classes, study 

being supervised by their o w n instructors. 

B u t this can scarcely be called library 

use since their eyes do not w a n d e r f r o m 

assigned textbooks. T h i s is more gener-

ally true of the A r m y than of the naval 

units, f o r the A r m y training seems to be 

purely technical and military w h i l e the 

N a v y program is designed to produce of-

ficers and includes subjects generally ac-

cepted as academic. Y e t contradicting 

this report comes w o r d from the G e o r g i a 

School of T e c h n o l o g y that in a unit of 

five hundred A r m y students, whose offi-

cers said that they w o u l d not need the 

library, approximately one hundred are 

there every day, studying, reading maga-

zines, or listening to records in the music 

room. W h e r e v e r the naval, aviation, and 

preflight meteorological schools are sta-

tioned, the librarians report use of the 

general reading rooms, an interest in cur-

rent magazines and in popular books, but 

many of the training programs are built 

upon a rigid scheme of hours w h i c h allows 

little or no free time for reading. T h e 

only course reported as requiring its stu-

dents to use the library is a i r c r a f t radio 

at Illinois. H e r e the librarian w a s in-

vited to instruct the class in methods of 

use. 

Music Hath Charms 

T h e University of C o l o r a d o reports one 

special use of its record library which 

might w e l l prove popular elsewhere if 

offered. T h e N a v a l Intelligence group, 

enrolled for the intensive study of the 

Japanese language, has been assigned an 

entire floor of the library, which is kept 

open until midnight for their use. A f t e r 

190 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



eight hours of concentrated study of O r i -

ental characters the men are too tired to 

read, but they w i l l gladly listen to music, 

and the library's extensive record collec-

tion placed at their disposal is of real serv-

ice. T h e director of libraries reports that 

"some of the men have confessed that 

these music programs are about the only 

thing that enables them to keep on an even 

keel emotionally." T h e y are also pro-

vided w i t h a room which is open to them 

throughout the twenty-four hours for lis-

tening to Japanese language records. 

Colorado is also setting a fine example 

of carrying its library service wherever 

needed to help the men in uniform. N o t 

content w i t h aiding those w h o wish to 

f o l l o w a program of study, to w h o m all 

the facilities of the main library are open, 

they have set up in the quarters occupied 

by the N a v a l Radio T r a i n i n g School a 

library of detective stories and light fic-

tion for the boys w h o w a n t to read that 

kind of material in the little leisure they 

have. 

T h e s e are only t w o suggestions of the 

w a y in which a campus library can help 

in the emergency. M a n y others w i l l de-

velop, and it seems certain that w i t h the 

inauguration of the new training programs 

in the summer, which w i l l return to the 

colleges a selected group of men for officer 

training w i t h courses often of longer dura-

tion than a f e w weeks or months, there 

w i l l be ample opportunity for the librarian 

w h o is awake and moreover believes in the 

value of the service he can offer. 

Classroom Service 

A lively and effective method of intro-

ducing library service to a new group of 

students has been practiced at Bradley 

Polytechnic Institute in Illinois. Here, 

in addition to the regular student body 

(normally 950, now 6 5 0 ) , some 1500 

persons are enrolled in the federally spon-

sored E . S . M . W . T . courses. A c c o r d i n g 

to the librarian most of these are mature 

people, aged 25-50, many holding responsi-

ble administrative positions in industry or 

business located near-by. In the years 

which have elapsed since their formal edu-

cation ceased they have often come to rely 

on experience rather than books. N o w 

they are seeking a new technical education 

to fit themselves for greater service in the 

emergency. M o s t of them are not familiar 

w i t h the location or resources of the col-

lege library and come to the campus for 

this one class only, which generally meets 

for t w o hours at a time. 

In this situation many a librarian w o u l d 

have considered his duty accomplished by 

a mimeographed notice or verbal an-

nouncement by the instructor, but the en-

ergy of a y o u n g and ably cooperative li-

brary staff under the leadership of an en-

thusiastic librarian is evidenced in the plan 

of "initial classroom service" started in 

the fall of 1 9 4 1 . A list of books and 

magazines pertinent to the subject is pre-

pared for each class and distributed by the 

instructor. A selection of books is then 

taken to the classroom by a staff member 

at a time agreed upon w i t h the instructor 

and a brief explanation of the library's 

resources and facilities given. T h e books 

are then examined by the students and 

may be checked out at once w i t h o u t delay. 

T h e y are then returned to the library by 

the individual. N o further classroom 

service is given, but the stimulus of this 

first contact has proved sufficient to in-

sure continued independent use. M a n y 

classes have regular reports henceforth 

from their members on new material com-

ing into the library. T h e fact that 

E . S . M . W . T . funds, controlled by the in-

JUNE, 1943 
18 7 



structors and used for equipment, have 

gladly been made available for new book 

purchases is understandable in the light of 

this service. 

T h e potentialities of such classroom 

service are of course great. T h e idea is 

not new. It has been used to some extent 

in high schools and in small colleges. 

T h e larger institutions are inclined to pro-

test immediately that all such schemes are 

impracticable in dealing w i t h numbers. 

T h e middle-sized colleges generally say, 

" W e haven't staff enough." It might be 

pertinent to point out that the Bradley 

library staff consists of three professionals 

plus student assistants. Some colleges 

w i t h seven to nine hundred students have 

staffs of ten to fifteen trained people and 

probably do more complete cataloging. I t 

is a matter of choice. 

The Forgotten Student 

B u t in all this w a r activity of research 

and of service to the forces and to new 

students from industry, w h a t becomes of 

the regular undergraduate student in the 

library, if any such still exist? H e does 

exist of course, though in many cases, 

particularly in the universities, he may 

seem forgotten. T h e women's colleges 

have as yet suffered no noticeable drop in 

enrolment. In the coeducational institu-

tions there are still freshman and sopho-

more men too y o u n g to enlist or in de-

ferred classifications. T h e r e are under-

graduates preparing for medicine, engi-

neering, and other professions w h o need 

their f u l l academic training, however ac-

celerated, and need library service geared 

to the new tempo of life and perhaps more 

essential than in the days of comparative 

leisure and undergraduate loafing. 

W h a t are the libraries doing for this 

student or w h a t new demands does he 

make upon them? In general there is 

little positive demand. T h e r e is much, 

however, that the library could do to 

stimulate his thinking, to aid him in a 

time of confusion. Activities reported by 

the m a j o r i t y of libraries include w a r in-

formation centers, guidance concerning 

w a r services, assistance by providing much 

more current ephemeral material for stu-

dent use and by providing additional ma-

terial for new courses or new emphasis in 

old subjects, new and renewed efforts to 

aid in the interpretation of current events 

and to provide reading material w h i c h 

w i l l help students to understand this per-

plexing w o r l d . Some of these topics must 

be dealt w i t h in detail, but in general it 

may fairly be said that the regular under-

graduate student has gone his w a y during 

the past year w i t h college administrators 

and librarians, for the most part, devoting 

little thought to any special needs that 

he might have. T o the president he is 

one of a diminishing group at the moment 

unimportant. H e has, in many cases, 

necessarily been turned out of his dormi-

tory. H i s study halls are needed for the 

men in uniform. In some of the large 

universities this means that the house li-

braries are closed, the college study is used 

for military purposes, and its undergradu-

ate collection consequently combined w i t h 

a general reserve room w i t h closed stacks 

so that there is no place on the campus 

to invite a student's reading. T h o s e li-

brarians w h o sincerely believe that w a r 

and education are poles apart, that our 

sole function is educational and our chief 

duty to keep alive the values of humane 

civilization in a w o r l d gone mad, might 

seriously ask themselves whether in "doing 

just w h a t w e have always done for our 

students," as many of them report, they 

are doing enough for those students. Per-

192 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



haps the students need, not something dif-

ferent, but more of the same. 

War Information and the Student 

T h e term " W a r Information C e n t e r " 

as used in library reports is confusing. 

Visits to a variety of institutions have 

shown that it may mean anything from a 

collection of w a r material (used by a 

speakers' bureau but kept in closed stacks) 

or a collection of O . W . I , pamphlets (in 

boxes behind the periodical desk) to a 

widely publicized office prominently situ-

ated in the main hall and functioning as a 

center of information along the lines made 

familiar in the public libraries. W h e r e 

these exist they are designed rather to serve 

the surrounding community and w i l l be 

treated as extramural activities. W a r in-

formation for the undergraduate student 

has meant chiefly data concerning the vari-

ous services and his relation to the question 

of enlistment. A l l libraries have made this 

material accessible, and in many of the 

smaller institutions the librarian has been 

designated as the campus officer to co-

ordinate all information concerning the 

services, the college, and the w a r . 

O f greater effect on the library, how-

ever, is the w a r material required for new 

courses or new directions in standard sub-

jects. Aeronautics has come to the fore 

and opens a wide field for development 

both technical and popular. Geography 

has been given a fresh impetus and units 

of courses are now concentrated on the 

Mediterranean, the Pacific Ocean, the F a r 

East, N o r t h A f r i c a , L a t i n America, etc. 

Libraries are called upon to supply not 

only books w i t h the new global emphasis 

but quantities of pamphlet and periodical 

matter. Several theological seminaries re-

port the addition to their curriculum of 

courses in global geography and interre-

lated history. C a r t o g r a p h y offers a new 

field for combining a training in science 

and art. W a r information films of various 

sorts are available and have been found 

useful in classes, forum discussions, etc. 

Public libraries have employed this tech-

nique more than the colleges. Librarians 

wishing information on the subject should 

consult the A . L . A . or the O . W . I . Bureau 

of M o t i o n Pictures. 

The New Maps and Posters 

A l m o s t all libraries have accepted the 

challenge to make people conscious of the 

global outlook by posting numbers of maps, 

not only maps of the w a r areas in the 

day's news but large-sized w o r l d maps 

in the new azimuthal-equidistant polar 

projection on the theory that if our eyes 

rest upon them constantly, the familiar 

M e r c a t o r projection of our school days 

w i l l fade somewhat and our minds be-

come accustomed to thinking in terms of 

the air distances which bring San Fran-

cisco so close to C h u n g k i n g , and C h i c a g o 

but a step from M o s c o w . F o r this pur-

pose bulletin boards and the maps sup-

plied by Life, Time, and the news services 

w i l l help, but far more effective are the 

large colored maps which may be obtained 

at reasonable cost for decorative use. T h e 

professional journals are f u l l of informa-

tion as to sources of map material. 

W h e t h e r the building includes a special 

map room or not, the library is the logical 

center for a map collection. W h e n maps 

are scattered in various departments for 

classroom use, a card catalog w i t h record 

of location is kept in the library. 

T h e w a r posters of the U n i t e d Nations 

are available from many sources and f u r -

nish useful material for classes in design 

as w e l l as decoration for the library and 

other campus buildings. T h e O . W . I , w i l l 

JUNE, 1943 
18 7 



supply the A m e r i c a n ones in quantity and 

welcomes suggestions f r o m librarians as to 

sizes and types desired. T h e British O f -

fice of Information has several series of 

most effective posters and enlarged photo-

graphs to lend. Librarians should con-

sult the list of sources of posters published 

by A . L . A . and may obtain information as 

to f u t u r e sources f r o m the A . C . R . L . C o m -

mittee on W a r Activities which w i l l keep 

the lists up to date.6 

New Emphasis in Old Courses 

T h e emphasis in studying Spanish lit-

erature has shifted decidedly to the W e s t -

ern Hemisphere, and there is a general 

demand for books by L a t i n A m e r i c a n au-

thors as w e l l as newspapers and periodicals 

from the lands to the south. T h e g r o w i n g 

interest in Portuguese requires library ma-

terials from B r a z i l . 

T h e effort of instructors to relate the 

curriculum to the problems of today and 

tomorrow is reflected in such new courses 

as " T h e G e r m a n M i n d , " offered in one 

W e s t e r n college, and " R a c i a l and U n i -

versity G r o u p s , " on a Southern campus, 

and in the widespread announcement of 

courses in " P o s t w a r P l a n n i n g , " " I n t e r -

national O r g a n i z a t i o n , " " T h e T h e o r y of 

the S t a t e , " " I n t e r - A m e r i c a n Politics," 

etc. Courses in European history are being 

reorganized w i t h greater emphasis on Rus-

sia and the Scandinavian states. T o all 

these curricular changes the libraries are 

responsive, searching for n e w materials 

and increasing departmental f u n d allot-

ments where necessary. 

Aids to Study 

W h i l e there is no verifiable data on 

changes in the reading and study habits 

6 " S o u r c e L i s t of W a r - R e l a t e d P u b l i c i t y Ma-
t e r i a l s . " A.L.A. Bulletin 37:42-46, F e b r u a r y 1943. 

of students and all reports are necessarily 

subjective, the observations of librarians 

fall into only t w o groups, somewhat con-

tradictory but probably indicating the re-

actions of t w o general types of students. 

O n one side w e hear that students are 

more serious, have reduced outside activi-

ties, w o r k more intently, are keen on 

finishing the job. F r o m many of the 

smaller colleges comes this report. T h e 

conflicting statement is that they are un-

derstandably restless, whether dreading 

or anticipating service before long, are 

hopeless about f u t u r e opportunity, and 

feel oppressed w i t h a sense of the futility 

of study at this time and therefore do only 

as much as is required to pass. 

W i t h the latter group the library has 

little to do as they are likely to avoid it 

until the night before an examination. 

W i t h the earnest w o r k e r , however, the 

library staff has always been quick to 

cooperate, as evidenced n o w by an increase 

in special privileges to undergraduates 

(particularly those engaged in independent 

study p r o g r a m s ) , such as undated long-

term loans, the use of carrells, and other 

aids formerly reserved for graduate stu-

dents. 

Ephemeral Material and Documents 

O n e of the effects of the w a r noted in 

libraries of all sizes and types is the greatly 

increased demand for and use of pamphlet 

and documentary material. In the larger 

libraries w h i c h have a l w a y s received (and 

frequently filed a w a y or kept for catalog-

i n g ) quantities of such paper, the change 

is chiefly one of trying to make such forms 

of print quickly available. Some colleges 

are keeping much of it displayed on racks 

and tables w h i l e current, filing the rest 

roughly by subject in pamphlet boxes easily 

194 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



accessible, making no record except for 

numbered serials. A t the University of 

M i c h i g a n it is sorted in the order depart-

ment and all new material segregated 

there for a week where it is looked over 

by reference and departmental librarians 

for decision as to w h a t shall be cataloged, 

w h a t duplicated, and w h e r e the remain-

der w i l l be most useful. M u c h of it the 

reference department chooses to use freely 

and lose if necessary. O t h e r colleges file 

by subject in boxes, using a colored refer-

ence card for each subject heading in the 

main catalog. A l l such material is heavily 

used as the basis of classwork, student 

themes, and panel discussions as w e l l as 

for public addresses and radio programs by 

members of the faculty. 

T h e importance of use despite the risk 

of loss is now generally recognized and 

in time this change of heart in the library 

w o r l d w i l l doubtless become k n o w n to 

distributors. A t present all librarians are 

bewailing the increased difficulty of ob-

taining publications f r o m government of-

fices at the very time w h e n the govern-

ment is setting up other offices designed 

to carry information to the people through 

libraries as w e l l as other channels. T h e 

library often fails to receive publications 

discovered elsewhere on the campus. 

O . W . I . , O . C . D . , and the Office of E d u -

cation themselves are dilatory, and in too 

many cases separate requests are neces-

sary for each departmental pamphlet. 

A procedure has already been set up 

by the L i b r a r y P r o g r a m Division of the 

O . W . I . , and may soon be in effect, to 

issue regularly a " L i b r a r y W a r G u i d e . " 

B y means of this librarians w o u l d be made 

aware, a month or so in advance, of sub-

jects on which the government w o u l d con-

centrate information during a given period, 

w i t h indications also given of w h a t lists, 

reading materials, posters, etc., could be 

supplied to further this effort. 

A n o t h e r project is the plan for earlier 

and more complete listing and for the pur-

chase of inexpensive documents promptly 

and w i t h little effort by the use of special 

stamps or post cards obtainable at any 

post office. Regional offices for sale and 

distribution have also been proposed. T h e 

A . L . A . has made detailed recommenda-

tions to the government for the improve-

ment of methods of sale and library dis-

tribution of official publications, and there 

seems to be at least the hope of better 

days to come.7 

Student Understanding 

T h e r e is an unfortunate fallacy in the 

faith of many of us that a reading list 

necessarily indicates a number of books 

read. A d v e r t i s i n g is doubtless necessary 

in this day of conflicting claims on our 

attention, but it is not in itself an accom-

plishment but merely a hopeful means to 

that end. 

Nevertheless, the college library in one 

aspect of its w o r k — t h a t of extracurricular 

student r e a d i n g — m i g h t do w e l l to evalu-

ate its policies of purchase and circulation 

in the light of public library experience. 

F o r in this one field w e share w i t h the 

public libraries the voluntary nature of 

the reader's attitude. In general w e a're 

accustomed to the mill of the curriculum 

which grinds us a steady stream of pa-

trons year a f t e r year, and often w e apply 

to the circulating portion of our collec-

tion the methods and practices of a refer-

ence library. If the reading of any book 

not required for course w o r k is regarded 

as solely for recreation this scantiness in 

7 " G o v e r n m e n t P u b l i s h i n g in W a r t i m e . " College 
and Research Libraries 4:100-06, M a r c h 1943. 

JUNE, 1943 
18 7 



the provision of one of the joys of life 

by university libraries is not perhaps of 

primary importance. Librarians differ in 

opinion as to the responsibility of an edu-

cational institution to do this. Some di-

rectors of university libraries admit re-

g r e t f u l l y that w i t h the pressure of large 

student bodies they simply cannot under-

take the task. B u t in today's crisis f e w 

w i l l deny that an important, perhaps an 

essential, part of the education of this 

generation is information and guidance 

toward understanding the present crucial 

problem. M a n y of them are about to fight 

a w a r and w i l l enter upon their citizen-

ship, if at all, in a w o r l d which w i l l need 

more than ever before a well-informed 

public opinion. T h e y need to think and 

talk about these problems; they need the 

stimulus w h i c h comes f r o m reading many 

opinions and points of v i e w as w e l l as fac-

tual information and experience of men in 

this and other countries. 

A r e they reading the current books, 

pamphlets, and magazines which w i l l pro-

vide this stimulus, and if not, w h a t agency 

w i l l best further this aspect of their edu-

cation? F e w of them have time to fre-

quent a public library as w e l l as that of 

the college which is their chief source of 

supply for books. A s to whether or not 

they do read, the reports, like those on 

morale, are bound to be subjective and 

conflicting, influenced by too many extra-

neous factors to be reliable. Y e t they are 

suggestive. F r o m a technical college in 

Louisiana comes a comment on the apathy 

and lack of interest on the part of students 

and f a c u l t y . In a large M i d w e s t e r n uni-

versity the readers' adviser reports that the 

students need relaxation and ask for 

"something not about the w a r . " Y e t 

Columbia's rental collection offers con-

crete evidence of a steady demand for 

the popular nonfiction of the day which 

is almost exclusively war-minded. In 

Swarthmore, as w e l l as in all the women's 

colleges, there i s — a s might be e x p e c t e d — 

a definite, serious concentration on the 

problems of peace, international organiza-

tion, and postwar reconstruction. In gen-

eral, it is probably safe to say that from 

the evidence of observation (not statistics 

of circulation) there is more reading of 

this type being done in the smaller insti-

tutions and in those which have made a 

special effort to make these books tempt-

ing and obtainable w i t h little effort. 

Books in Quantity 

In some of the libraries w h i c h have 

definitely accepted their responsibility to 

defend democracy by helping to c l a r i f y 

the issues of the conflict, the f o l l o w i n g 

methods have been used. First, a generous 

supply of readable books is purchased 

promptly, displayed prominently, and cir-

culated freely. T h e practice common in 

university libraries of buying only one 

copy of such books for general circulation 

cannot be counted generous, nor even the 

habit of purchasing another copy w h e n 

ten reserves are lined up w a i t i n g . T h i s 

is an emergency. W e must do something 

to influence thinking w h e n it is needed 

w i t h o u t caring whether or not these books 

w i l l have permanent value on our shelves. 

M a n y of them w i l l w e a r out or disappear. 

L e t the others be disposed of, if necessary, 

w h e n obsolete. 

In support of this policy the Baker 

L i b r a r y at D a r t m o u t h has for some time 

been purchasing multiple copies—ten or 

more on occasion—of books w h i c h in the 

opinion of the librarian were "impera-

tives," though not necessarily those chosen 

as such by outside agencies. T h e s e "books 

of the h o u r , " chosen in advance because 

196 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



they seemed to offer a serious contribution 

to the issues of w a r and peace, are promi-

nently displayed and have been steadily 

used by the college public. Last Train 

from Berlin has had the most readers, but 

The Coming Battle of Germany, The 

New Belief in the Common Man, Sabo-

tage, They Were Expendable, and A 

Time for Greatness have all been in de-

mand and have justified their purchase. 

T h e librarian infers that larger quantities 

w o u l d be welcomed and adds, to calm 

the fears of anyone w i t h traditional ideas 

concerning the use of endowed book funds, 

that the "book of the h o u r " plan is 

financed by the sale of surplus class du-

plicates.8 

T h e I o w a State College w e n t even 

further and w i t h funds especially secured 

for the purpose set itself to a campaign 

of spurring engineers and agricultural stu-

dents to read and discuss some books 

likely to prove germinal. F i f t y copies of 

such titles as Mission to Moscow, Last 

Train from Berlin, and Berlin Diary 

w e r e purchased in the past year and wide-

ly scattered, without accessioning, in such 

centers as dormitories, fraternity houses, 

student union club rooms, and all the 

open-shelf reading rooms to be found on 

the campus. Informal dormitory discus-

sions and interfraternity debates are held 

on the issues of the day, organized by a 

student speakers' bureau, on the basis of 

the books read. Some of this seed may fall 

on stony ground, but surely w i t h such a 

sowing some w i l l bear fruit. 

W e l l e s l e y reports that half its regular 

funds for the purchase of general books 

are now spent on reading of this type, 

for w h i c h there is a steady demand. A n y 

book about the w a r w h i c h is considered 

8 B a k e r L i b r a r y , Dartmouth College. Library Bul-
letin 4:9-10, D e c e m b e r 1942. 

w o r t h y is purchased and kept in a chang-

ing collection in the central hall. O t h e r 

copies purchased from a special f u n d are 

distributed through the house libraries. 

M o u n t H o l y o k e library received an anony-

mous g i f t of five hundred dollars for this 

purpose. T h i s suggests the probability 

that almost any library could find an in-

terested individual or organization to 

sponsor such a program. Columbia's 

rental library has been mentioned, and 

though the barrier of three cents a day 

may qualify the term "generous," this is a 

method which could be started in every 

library and is, in many, carried on at the 

loan desk w i t h small collections. T h e one 

at Columbia is luxurious in its appoint-

ments : a large, light room w i t h the air of 

a more than usually comfortable browsing 

room, all the latest books in shining cello-

phane jackets, all the popular book re-

v i e w i n g periodicals, and a philosophy of 

service which includes a free mailing list 

of the weekly mimeographed bulletin, 

" B o o k s Y o u W a n t to R e a d . " T h e di-

rector reports that the collection pays its 

own expenses, receipts covering the cost of 

staff and service as w e l l as book purchase. 

C a n d o r compels us to admit that faculty 

and w i f e l y consumption of mysteries may 

have a bearing on this prosperity, but there 

is general agreement that rental collec-

tions do p a y ! 

Library Bait 

H a v i n g obtained the b o o k s — i n quantity 

w e hope, but at least a f e w duplicated 

titles while they are h o t — t h e usual meth-

ods of display can be used plus others. 

A l l libraries post book jackets on bulletin 

boards in the building. T r y putting a 

f e w somewhere else on the campus. T r y 

w r i t i n g notes and annotations w i t h a little 

more snap for the college paper. T h e 

JUNE, 1943 
18 7 



editor w o u l d prefer to use short notes for 

fillers rather than the usual book review 

column w h i c h the students may skip. 

Send your first copy of a book to some 

member of the faculty w h o m you think it 

may ignite. A s k him to speak of it in 

class if he enjoys it, but if you have picked 

your reader w e l l , be sure you have enough 

copies on hand, f o r this is the u n f a i l i n g 

w a y to catch a stream of students. 

O n e librarian has found informal read-

ing groups in her home a good w a y to 

start demand for a book. A member of 

the faculty is invited to read aloud f r o m 

and discuss his latest book enthusiasm, 

something he is bubbling to share; or, 

more often, the book is chosen by the li-

brarian and " p l a n t e d " w i t h the instructor, 

also chosen for his personal ability to com-

municate enthusiasm or because the book 

is one w h i c h w i l l interest him. A certain 

amount of food for nibbling, even in ra-

tioned days, can be provided. Student 

groups vary in size f r o m ten to thirty-five 

a week, but these evenings by a fireside 

have their o w n value for those w h o come 

and their influence echoes in dormitory 

talk thereafter. Some of the books read 

this semester have been The Guilt of the 

German Army, A Time for Greatness, 

Listen Hans, And Keep Your Powder Dry, 

and Destination Chungking. A n o t h e r 

W e s t e r n college has found " B o o k s and 

C o f f e e " at the union a popular meeting. 

Book Exhibits 

N e a r l y all libraries have an exhibit 

case w i t h several hundred books displayed. 

In the large universities this often stands 

in the main hall and is invariably f u l l , w i t h 

a depressing effect of the same books being 

always there. T h i s is probably not true, 

but the effect is the same and in general 

there is too little choice about the collec-

tions. T h e boys at the loan desk just keep 

the case f u l l ! 

A more effective method is to group 

books by reader interest. A f e w at a time 

may be placed on a single shelf, w i t h an 

arresting sign, " W h a t Is Happening 

N o w . " O r a single volume may be placed 

in a bookrest labeled " H a v e you R e a d . " 

If you use a bookcase, place a chair near 

it. M i l l s library finds a cushioned w i n -

dow seat on the stair landing the best 

spot to tempt a reader. S w a r t h m o r e has 

made its browsing room a comfortable 

place w i t h an air of use, w h e r e a man 

w o u l d feel inclined to put his feet up. 

Instead of a permanent collection you find 

there small groups of readable books con-

stantly changing. T h e T o w e r Room at 

D a r t m o u t h is also famous for this atmos-

phere, and in many other colleges today 

there is a blessed tendency to move f r o m 

the mausoleum w h i c h enshrined " a gen-

tleman's l i b r a r y " t o w a r d scattered spots 

for relaxed reading, whether in stacks, 

patio, cy other corners of the library. 

O n e of the most important aspects is 

the recognition that books should be taken 

from the exhibit and circulated immedi-

ately, no matter h o w such gaps spoil the 

picture. T h e test of success is the speed 

w i t h which the books disappear, and an 

alert staff can usually keep something on 

hand to refuel. Such mechanical devices 

as the " I m p e r a t i v e s " book shelf w i t h i n a 

bulletin board are w e l l k n o w n and might 

be w i d e l y used for other books. In li-

braries w h e r e exhibit techniques are 

studied and skilfully practiced the w r i t e r 

w a s convinced that the combination of bul-

letin board and book is the most success-

f u l and that the books themselves, w a i t i n g 

to be read, should not be separated f r o m 

posters, lists, signs, or jackets. 

O n e of the other most successful meth-

198 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



ods of stimulating student interest prac-

ticed by librarians conscious of the 

pressing need today is staff participation 

in student groups meeting for discussion. 

L i b r a r y cooperation w i t h student f o r u m 

chairmen is taken for g r a n t e d ; reading 

lists, shelf displays, and posters to build 

up the subject of the current forum topic 

w i l l be the rule in any self-respecting 

library. B u t now, by w a y of greater 

effort, one member of the library staff at 

Ames, I o w a , contributes a fifteen-minute 

review of the factual news of the week, 

which precedes the discussion. A n o t h e r 

participates in the regular faculty panel, 

which covers European and w o r l d affairs, 

being responsible for developments affect-

ing Russia. F o l l o w i n g the panel there 

is a question period and general discussion 

among the students. It is significant that 

on this campus the discussion is always 

preceded by the statement of fact and 

opinion from informed sources, among 

which the library is rightly assumed to be 

a basic element. 

T h e use of a student library committee 

for cooperative planning of discussions, 

exhibits, methods of campus publicity, and 

promotion of student reading in general 

has proved successful in spreading interest 

throughout the residence halls in college 

libraries and is probably w o r t h the time 

required for a regular monthly luncheon 

and occasional meetings w i t h the librarian. 

Conversation w i t h university librarians 

has brought out the fact that because of 

the nature of their w o r k and the pressure 

of administrative cares f e w of them have 

any contact w i t h students or are able to 

give any opinion as to w h a t they are 

reading or thinking. E v e n in large insti-

tutions, however, it might be possible to 

delegate to an associate the task of form-

ing some regular channel for this human 

contact, for which no amount of statistical 

data reported can be a w h o l l y satisfactory 

substitute. 

Foreign Students 

W i t h f e w exceptions the college librar-

ies seem to have made little effort to dis-

cover or make use of the talents of the 

foreign students on the campus, though 

they are in many cases among our most 

constant patrons and their number in any 

one college is not likely to be so great 

that personal contacts could not be estab-

lished. T h e usual international club more 

often expresses itself in a variety of food 

and folk dancing than in the literature 

of the several nations represented. A n ac-

tive librarian can do much to provoke dis-

cussion of w h a t people read in different 

countries, w h a t they think of our books, 

w h a t seems f u n n y to them, etc. In one 

college a special member of the staff is 

assigned to attend w e e k l y meetings of the 

international club as a friendly adviser. 

O n e library uses the language skills of 

its foreign students whenever possible to 

give them a feeling of contributing some-

thing. A n o t h e r invites their comments 

on its collection in their native literature, 

asks their opinion of the value of the 

translated novels in the collection, or the 

value of other current authors from their 

country not represented in the collection. 

O f t e n they can establish valuable exchange 

relations w i t h their o w n colleges. Stu-

dents from South A m e r i c a particularly 

are coming in ever-increasing numbers to 

our colleges on exchange, fellowships, and 

federal grants. Some of the Catholic in-

stitutions are bringing them at private ex-

pense for the sake of values in cultural 

interchange. T h e s e students are at first 

shy and diffident, hampered by their lack 

of facility in conversation, but they have 

JUNE, 1943 18 7 



much to contribute in our colleges; and the in w h i c h they feel at home, and if w a r m l y 

library, through its possession of books in welcomed they become genuine ambassa-

their o w n language, is often the first place dors of goodwill in both countries. 

The College and the Community 

Beyond the Walls 

T h e problem of adult community edu-

cation has not hitherto been one tradition-

ally associated w i t h the colleges w h e r e 

town and g o w n have been conventionally 

separate, but universities have, through 

their extension divisions and some less 

formal channels, exerted a wider influence 

in the U n i t e d States, particularly where 

they constitute the apex of a state's edu-

cational and agricultural system. 

In this sense a college campus has al-

w a y s been a center of information but the 

project of key centers of information and 

training, as first inaugurated last year by 

the Federal Security A g e n c y in connec-

tion w i t h its program of civilian morale 

service, set up some 150 of these bureaus 

in many colleges strategically located for 

reaching a surrounding community not 

otherwise supplied w i t h a w a r information 

center in a public library. T h o u g h these 

have functioned w i t h various degrees of 

success, it is safe to assume that in many 

cases links have been formed between 

college and community which w i l l last 

beyond the emergency. T h i s is particu-

larly true in the smaller universities and 

the rural colleges where public library 

service is less likely to be available than 

in the cities. W h e r e the college faculty 

is the community reservoir for informa-

tion and speakers, the purpose of the gov-

ernment in establishing this program is 

primarily to promote the translation of 

printed materials into speech. 

Examples of the organization and w o r k -

ings of the w a r information centers are 

too numerous to quote, and the different 

patterns employed have conformed to lo-

cal needs. Some institutions have fol-

lowed the U n i v e r s i t y of Missouri's plan 

of m o v i n g several hundred selected vol-

umes from their stacks to supply back-

ground for the current material in the 

center itself. G e n e r a l l y , however, this has 

been chiefly a service bureau w i t h posters, 

pamphlets, and card files indicating the 

regular channels of information through-

out the library. N o r t h C a r o l i n a and M i n -

nesota are typical examples of state uni-

versities offering state-wide information 

services and distribution of materials in 

packets through the cooperative agency of 

the library and the extension division, 

which exercise a form of dual control 

over the w a r information center situated 

in the library. M i c h i g a n carries on much 

the same service to clubs, schools, and 

individuals through its regular library ex-

tension service, though the w a r informa-

tion center on its campus is directed by 

the department of political science and 

housed in the league. I o w a State College 

L i b r a r y is another which seems to perme-

ate every phase of state activity, w o r k i n g 

through f a r m bureaus, county agents, 

home demonstrators, and the regular ex-

tension services of the college which are 

organized down to the final unit of 

"neighborhood leaders" in the rural town-

ships. C o l o r a d o is an example of a state 

200 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



in which the colleges of agriculture and 

education and the university have sensibly 

divided their fields of responsibility for 

information in certain subjects and w o r k 

cooperatively to serve according to their 

respective abilities. 

In U t a h the university reports ex-

tensive use of the library from an outside 

public, but this demand is largely for 

specific technical books, not for services 

such as those offered by the key centers. 

T h i s indicates to the librarian that people 

get their information through the channels 

to w h i c h they are accustomed, the news-

paper, the radio, the weekly magazines, 

etc. 

Vassar College, which may be taken as 

typical of the smaller private college, is 

extending its w a r information service to 

the community outside, including six 

counties, largely by means of its w a r in-

formation library, w a r research council, 

and bimonthly " W a r Information N e w s 

L e t t e r , " in which the w a r research council 

of the faculty evaluates the material cur-

rently received in the information library 

and p r e p a y s bibliographies of suggested 

reading. T h e library of w a r information 

is an open-shelf collection set up in the 

main hall, w i t h o u t supervision or record 

of use, serving chiefly as a center for the 

display of current materials on the w a r . 

Community Service in the Future 

C o m m u n i t y forums on the college cam-

pus, in which members of the faculty, 

students, neighbors, and often visiting 

speakers meet for the discussion of prob-

lems common to all citizens, are not new 

but have been the practice for many years. 

T h e need for such cooperation is merely 

intensified by the emergency and has been 

met in all parts of the country by the en-

largement of such programs into insti-

tutes on " W o m e n and W a r , " " T h e 

Background of the W a r , " " T h e C i t i z e n 

and the W a r . " In many of the women's 

colleges the machinery for integrated ef-

fort is already established through the 

student community service undertaken in 

field w o r k connected w i t h courses in so-

ciology, nursery school training, occupa-

tional therapy, etc. B u t the purpose of 

this w o r k in the past has been the pre-

professional training of the student, as a 

part of the academic program, not pri-

marily a cooperative enterprise for com-

munity good or adult education. It seems 

probable that further development in the 

near future and in the postwar years w i l l 

be in the direction of using the facilities 

of all academic institutions far more wide-

ly for state-aided programs of adult edu-

cation. A project now being considered 

in the Office of Education, w i t h the advice 

of the various national associations repre-

senting the liberal arts colleges and others 

not used in the A r m y and N a v y training 

programs, w i l l seek means for conserving 

and making available for wider commu-

nity use the values inherent in the colleges 

already established, many of w h i c h may 

otherwise stand empty. T h i s program 

w i l l affect the libraries in many ways, and 

librarians should stand ready to take part 

in it from the earliest planning stages in 

their o w n institutions. T h e r e w i l l be new 

demands for service, probably for guid-

ance in individual reading not motivated 

by a curriculum, w i t h a new type of adult 

public and w i t h possible enlargement of 

facilities to meet new conditions. 

Interlibrary Loan 

M e a n w h i l e the extended services of 

most libraries are being offered less to 

direct community borrowers than through 

interlibrary loan wherever this is possible. 

JUNE, 1943 20 7 
18 7 



A l l libraries report the relaxation of rules 

in this regard to meet emergency needs. 

Universities w i l l lend materials hitherto 

restricted to reference use. T h e type of 

material required is generally in the field 

of science in periodicals or valuable sets 

of proceedings. Research libraries in the 

large cities, heretofore prevented by their 

governing l a w f r o m permitting any book 

to go outside the w a l l s except under ju-

dicial subpoena, are now mailing promptly 

w h a t e v e r is essential to authenticated bor-

rowers engaged in official w o r k whether 

this can be done ordinarily through a li-

brary or not. In most institutions the 

volume of interlibrary loan traffic has in-

creased rapidly although the U n i v e r s i t y 

of C a l i f o r n i a reports that its statistics in 

this department show a f a l l i n g off, com-

pensated by the large number of loans 

made directly to individual officers of gov-

ernment or industry whose requests come 

by mail, telephone, or messenger, w i t h i n 

a radius of sixty miles of the campus. In 

these cases speed is always considered im-

portant and the library waives its peace-

time procedure of requiring another li-

brary as responsible intermediary. 

Nevertheless, it might be w e l l to note 

that these departures f r o m accepted inter-

library loan practices in answer to the 

need of the moment do not, in the opinion 

of the librarians concerned, constitute a 

reflection upon the justice or necessity of 

the code. W a i l s are heard in various 

libraries f r o m N e w Y o r k to San Francisco 

that w h e n a book goes to an office in 

W a s h i n g t o n you might as w e l l kiss it 

good-by; that government officials in haste 

themselves are notoriously irresponsible in 

the matter of r e t u r n i n g ; that insistent cor-

respondence is often required; that the 

confusion resulting f r o m the absence of 

important reference materials in a given 

research library, w h e r e everything is sup-

posedly in place, results eventually in more 

lost time than the loan w a s designed to 

save. O w i n g to the large amount of ma-

terial on loan f r o m the L i b r a r y of C o n -

gress, in response to the needs of research 

offices, a colonel in the Signal C o r p s w i l l 

travel to N e w Y o r k in the confident hope 

of finding w h a t he needs in the N e w Y o r k 

Public L i b r a r y ' s supposedly immovable 

collection, only to find that the precious 

volume has gone to W a s h i n g t o n to the 

office of a m a j o r general in the Service 

of Supply. T h e result is frustration and 

a confirmation of the librarian's convic-

tion that they also serve w h o keep their 

material at hand to fill the greatest num-

ber of needs; yet one w h o refuses any loan 

is accused of obstructing the w a r effort. 

Librarians are mild people but sometimes 

they need to be tough. 

The Library and the Radio 

T h e popularity of radio book reviewing 

programs has been capitalized to some 

extent by public libraries, though success 

in this field is not conspicuous. U n i v e r -

sities throughout the country have had 

their regular radio outlets, though C h i -

cago is perhaps the only one w i t h a nation-

w i d e fan public. M a n y colleges likewise 

sponsor local radio programs regularly or 

at intervals and college librarians as indi-

viduals are occasionally invited as speak-

ers, but it has not been the general prac-

tice of academic libraries to concern 

themselves w i t h this medium of reaching 

a potential reading public. 

O n c e more, however, the emergency 

creates the pressure and, in the effort to 

use every available means at their com-

mand for bringing forcibly to the public 

mind the need for t h o u g h t f u l reading and 

discussion of books w h i c h help to c l a r i f y 

202 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



the perplexities which confront us, the 

library has taken to the air in many 

quarters. F r o m Salt L a k e C i t y the li-

brarian of the University of U t a h writes 

of helping to organize a regular radio 

program to be k n o w n as " T h e University 

and the W a r , " hoping thus to reach a 

wider audience than the university stu-

dents, w i t h w a r information based on a 

broader background of historical k n o w l -

edge than are some of the channels of 

information to w h i c h it is accustomed. 

T h e Rush Rhees L i b r a r y at the University 

of Rochester has undertaken the task of 

assembling and preparing the material for 

a w e e k l y half-hour broadcast over a local 

station, in the form of a round table dis-

cussion. Pamphlets, periodical articles, 

and books on the specific topic w e r e di-

gested in the library and given to the 

speakers at least a week in advance of the 

discussion. 

I o w a State C o l l e g e is again an example 

of w h a t is perhaps being done by other 

libraries as w e l l , unknown to the 

A . C . R . L . T h e regular radio extension 

program of weekly book chats continues, 

though its customary subjects, popular 

biographies, novels, books of travel, etc., 

are likely now to be those of w a r interest. 

In addition there are special discussions 

of informative books and other publica-

tions related to the w a r in which the need 

for an intellectual rather than an emo-

tional approach is encouraged. T h e li-

brary sponsors a radio book club which 

enables listeners to obtain the books dis-

cussed by mail from the college library, 

the nominal fee being paid in coupons pre-

viously purchased as a subscription to the 

club. 

T h e familiar charge of isolationism 

justly hurled in the past at many sections 

of the country, particularly the M i d d l e 

W e s t , can no longer be applied to the 

states of Iowa, N o r t h D a k o t a , and M o n -

tana, whose leaders, at least, seem to a 

traveler to be thoroughly awake to the 

need of education which w i l l produce 

understanding of the inescapable connec-

tion between international and local prob-

lems. T h e w o r l d is now closely knit 

together by innumerable ties but un-

happily struggling in those bonds, each 

nation for its o w n freedom. In the reali-

zation that no one can be w h o l l y free to 

stand alone, a group of educators in I o w a , 

including several librarians, has formed a 

Committee for D u r a b l e Peace, the aim of 

which w i l l be a state-wide educational 

program on the problems of peace, em-

bracing organizations of all types which 

can aid in stimulating thought, reading, 

and discussion on the practical question of 

w h a t w e as individuals, families, and 

members of special groups are w i l l i n g to 

pay as a price for peace and w h a t in 

return w e shall gain from a peaceful 

w o r l d . It is expected that this committee 

w i l l lead to the formation of a state coun-

cil on education f o r a permanent peace, 

which is the form of organization adopted 

in the other states mentioned. 

Main Street Discusses the Peace 

T h e r e has been and w i l l continue to be 

much discussion everywhere of postwar 

problems but too often it turns on w h a t 

the British Empire should give up, w h a t 

Japan should do, h o w G e r m a n y should be 

governed. T h e new and valuable ele-

ment in this scheme and one w h i c h li-

brarians elsewhere may be able to develop 

locally is the emphasis on the concrete and 

specific ways in which the people of M a i n 

Street are going to be affected by the post-

w a r organization here and abroad. In 

other w o r d s w e know w h a t w a r costs. 

JUNE, 1943 
20 7 



W h a t w i l l peace cost us in terms of daily 

l i v i n g and w h a t price are w e w i l l i n g to 

pay f o r the v a l u e s of peace and f r e e d o m 

f o r w h i c h w e n o w f i g h t ? T h e people of 

I o w a are setting out to consider this v i t a l 

problem systematically and w i t h e n e r g y , 

seeking the aid of qualified persons to help 

them c l a r i f y the issues i n v o l v e d . Some 

of the questions suggested f o r discussion 

a r e : M u s t the U n i t e d States police the 

w o r l d ? Should all nations have access to 

r a w materials ? W h a t is the f u t u r e of the 

B r i t i s h E m p i r e ? C a n w e trust R u s s i a ? 

C a n J a p a n become a d e m o c r a c y ? C a n w e 

compete w i t h A r g e n t i n a and C a n a d a ? 

W h a t w a s w r o n g w i t h the L e a g u e of 

N a t i o n s ? 

E n d l e s s other questions suggest them-

selves, and no one assumes that I o w a w i l l 

find all the solutions, but at least there's 

g o i n g to be a lot of interested t h i n k i n g 

and t a l k i n g amidst the tall corn this year, 

the people's t a l k , w h i c h is the l i f e b l o o d of 

d e m o c r a c y . T o this blood bank the local 

l i b r a r y is a constant donor. I t can be the 

focal point and source of the t h o u g h t f u l 

r e a d i n g w h i c h must precede intelligent 

discussion. A s o m e w h a t similar under-

t a k i n g w h i c h is u n d e r w a y in the academic 

w o r l d is k n o w n as the U n i v e r s i t i e s C o m -

mittee on P o s t w a r I n t e r n a t i o n a l P r o b -

lems, of w h i c h P r o f e s s o r R a l p h B a r t o n 

P e r r y , of H a r v a r d , is c h a i r m a n . T h e 

n a t u r e of its w o r k m a y be indicated by a 

report f r o m W e l l e s l e y C o l l e g e l i b r a r y 

( t h o u g h more than one h u n d r e d colleges 

and universities are c o o p e r a t i n g ) . In a 

letter dated A p r i l 9, 1 9 4 3 , B l a n c h e 

P r i t c h a r d M c C r u m w r i t e s : 

Wellesley has its own central committee 
on the subject and a number of subcom-
mittees devoting their time to various aspects 
of the question. On each of these sub-
committees there is a representative from 

the library staff who does the bibliographical 
work that is necessary. The librarian is 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Relief 
and Rehabilitation. The work of these com-
mittees looks to preparing a memorandum 
on the given topic, to working on solutions 
of problems sent out by Dr. Perry's commit-
tee, and to holding open meetings for faculty 
and students to spread abroad on the local 
campus accurate information. The library 
is the bibliographical center of the projects 
of all subcommittees and has done a great 
deal of buying and soliciting of material in 
support of the project. 

War Hits the Library's Budget 

A s k e d w h a t effect the w a r has had on 

the internal a f f a i r s of the l i b r a r y thus f a r , 

the m a j o r i t y of l i b r a r i a n s reply, " V e r y 

little, r e a l l y , aside f r o m the inconveniences 

w h i c h are universal and not peculiar to 

our p r o f e s s i o n . " T h e r e have been b u d g e t 

cuts in some libraries, chiefly those in 

smaller e n d o w e d institutions w h e r e state 

provision f o r a biennium does not g i v e 

even t e m p o r a r y security, but several of 

them have received special g i f t s or addi-

tions to e n d o w m e n t . T h e universities and 

the state colleges report the usual allot-

ments, some of them even r e p o r t i n g in-

creases in salary and book b u d g e t , so that 

the financial picture in general is not as 

yet a g r a y one. T h o s e colleges w h i c h 

have received contracts f r o m the g o v e r n -

ment in the A r m y and N a v y t r a i n i n g 

p r o g r a m s are in some cases more flourish-

i n g than before because their r e g u l a r 

o p e r a t i n g costs can be met in this w a y . 

In some cases the A r m y contracts include 

a basic a l l o t m e n t ( a p p r o x i m a t e l y one 

d o l l a r per m a n per m o n t h ) f o r l i b r a r y 

service ( i n c l u d i n g books, staff, and depre-

ciation of plant and e q u i p m e n t ) , but this 

is, of course, only justifiable w h e r e the 

trainees are using l i b r a r y facilities. C a s e s 

such as that in G e o r g i a h a v e been reported, 

204 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



however, in which the men in uniform 

do use the library w h e n the financial pro-

vision for this service from the college 

w a s not part of the contract. Such an 

omission cannot be blamed on the A r m y , 

which merely approves or questions the 

contract for expenses as estimated by the 

college authorities. Some college presi-

dents seem unaware of the library as part 

of the training facilities offered by the 

institution, but energetic and w e l l -

informed officials w i l l see to it that f u t u r e 

plans for any new undertakings by the 

institution are considered in the light of 

the possible usefulness of the library and 

the demands likely to be made upon it. 

T h e provision of books for E . S . M . W . T . 

courses f r o m federal funds has been men-

tioned above and applies chiefly to tech-

nical schools, though some liberal arts 

colleges are offering these courses. 

Budget Problems Ahead 

T h e present budgetary situation, how-

ever, w i l l not survive a long w a r nor the 

straitened period likely to f o l l o w it, and 

college librarians generally are conscious 

of lean years ahead. A s a group w e are 

probably too inclined to accept these w i t h 

passive resignation. W h i l e in theory the 

library is no longer considered an unim-

portant part of the college (see public 

addresses and w r i t i n g s of presidents), in 

the traditional practice of the budget com-

mittee and the accounting department it 

is still too often grouped w i t h the chapel 

and the art gallery, which may be in the 

minds of the budgeteers pleasant but de-

cidedly ancillary adjuncts of education. 

A sounder philosophy, generally prac-

ticed in universities, is to include its 

budget as part of the cost of instruction 

and research. T h e forward-looking li-

brarian w i l l in the spring of 1943 prepare 

to analyze his place in the college pro-

gram as a whole, evaluate the library's 

various services as essential or desirable, 

and j u s t i f y the essential in discussion w i t h 

the administrative authority. T h e obser-

vations of the writer confirm those of the 

survey made by the librarian of Bard 

College, recently published in the Library 

Journal, that the drying up of their es-

sential resources during the coming years 

is the most serious danger the college li-

brarians have to face and that our best' 

efforts should go into the planning which 

w i l l insure adequate provision for the 

book budget and a competent staff.9 

M o s t librarians argue that even as a 

matter of strategy it is not wise to defend 

your budget from all attacks, since in all 

probability every department of the col-

lege must retrench in time of w a r or 

depression. B u t the librarian should be 

able to submit w h a t is in his opinion the 

wisest method of effecting economies 

whether the proposed decrease needs to 

be 10 or 20 or 30 per cent of the total. 

A n d then he should bring his best elo-

quence to enforce the argument that below 

a certain point the quality of library book 

collection and service cannot go w i t h o u t 

violating the intellectual integrity of the 

institution and w h a t it stands f o r . 

The Staff Carries On 

M o r e real than financial difficulties 

during the past year has been the burden 

of carrying on the regular and increased 

activities of the library w i t h the rapid 

turnover in personnel which the w a r has 

occasioned in every type of w o r k . In the 

professional ranks there has been the 

inevitable loss of the men of military age 

and of those w h o have gone into the serv-

9 H i r s c h , F e l i x E. " T h e S m a l l e r College L i b r a r i e s 
and the W a r . " Library Journal 68:192-95, M a r . 1, 
1943. 

JUNE, 1943 
20 7 



ice of government, business, or industry 

on a noticeably higher scale of compensa-

tion. T h i s loss has been most keenly felt 

in the universities and large research li-

braries. T h e N e w Y o r k P u b l i c L i b r a r y 

has lost one seventh of its staff, largely 

in the higher brackets of subject reference 

specialists. A f e w w o m e n have l e f t for 

enlistment in the armed services and for 

w a r library w o r k of various sorts. In 

general, however, professional morale has 

been strong enough to prevent any large-

scale exodus into types of w a r production 

w o r k w h i c h can be performed as w e l l by 

those w i t h less specialized training, and 

for the most part the staff has carried on, 

cheerfully w o r k i n g a little harder and 

longer to fill the gaps in the line, for it 

has been the policy of many institutions 

to avoid general salary cuts by f a i l i n g to 

fill the positions of those w h o resigned 

unless such positions w e r e considered 

essential. In some cases infinitesimal in-

creases w e r e made possible by this policy. 

V e r y f e w libraries (though there are some, 

and again it is the active state colleges) 

report additions to the staff and a general 

salary increase in all the lower-paid 

positions. 

In certain libraries located in industrial 

sections w h e r e the W a r M a n p o w e r C o m -

mission decrees the forty-eight hour week 

for all organizations employing more than 

eight persons and in other libraries where 

the change w i l l take place in conformity 

w i t h the regulations controlling govern-

mental and other offices, this increase in 

scheduled hours of w o r k w i l l produce 

more problems t h a n additional w o r k ac-

complished. T h e necessary 20-25 per cent 

increase in the compensation of those w h o 

w o r k a six-day w e e k , w i t h o u t a corre-

sponding increase in the budget, w i l l make 

it necessary to reduce the number of em-

ployees and w i l l in the medium-sized li-

braries present serious difficulties in main-

taining public service over a fourteen-

hour day. T h e W i l l i s t o n M e m o r i a l L i -

brary of M o u n t H o l y o k e C o l l e g e is the 

only one w h i c h has yet reported this situa-

tion as existing, though it is expected in 

many other libraries w i t h i n the next f e w 

months. T h e librarian of M o u n t 

H o l y o k e has ruled that four of the eight 

extra hours may be spent in professional 

reading or in other similar tasks to be 

distributed throughout the w e e k at the 

w o r k e r ' s o w n discretion rather than at 

scheduled duty. 

T h e chief personnel loss has come in 

the ranks of clerical, page, and student 

workers. T h e replacement of these at 

greater cost, often w i t h persons of less 

training or ability, has proved a hardship 

w i t h the added result of time lost in train-

ing a constantly shifting group. T h e ex-

perience of E n g l a n d , where w o m e n first 

took the place of men and w e r e later 

themselves called up for essential indus-

tries, leaving certain types of w o r k to be 

done solely by shifts of part-time workers, 

may be repeated here. I t might be that 

f a c u l t y w i v e s w i l l f o r m a local source of 

supply, though as volunteer w o r k e r s in a 

w a r information center one library found 

them not w h o l l y satisfactory. 

N o library has reported the substitution 

of clerical for professional assistants, but 

Stephens C o l l e g e , indicating a turnover of 

nearly half the staff, has replaced several 

trained librarians w i t h highly qualified 

nonprofessional persons, and in the j u d g -

ment of the librarian the service has not 

been impaired by these changes. T h e re-

port f r o m Stephens does not state whether 

the new assistants w e r e members of the 

faculty, but this possibility raises an inter-

esting point as to the wisdom of using 

206 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



teachers whose classes may have dis-

appeared in the loss of enrolment. In 

some cases they might prove valuable ad-

ditions to the library staff, while in others 

the personal adjustment would involve 

difficulties which would be almost in-

superable. A t Smith College, where the 

librarian resigned in December, the acting 

librarian is professor of Greek. 

A movement in the opposite direction 

has been the tendency to use library staff 

members who are qualified to teach in the 

emergency replacement of men called 

suddenly into service. In modern lan-

guages, English literature, and political 

science librarians have stepped into the 

breach, and when necessary they have 

been found qualified for a variety of posi-

tions from tennis coach to dean of the 

faculty. 

In addition to the war activities of the 

library as a unit, staff members the coun-

try over are reported as participating 

wholeheartedly as citizens in the many 

undertakings of the community. It goes 

without saying that they knit, sew, and 

roll bandages, serve as nurses' aides, air 

raid wardens, airplane spotters, blood 

donors, etc. Except in areas where a 

larger public library nearby directed the 

Victory Book Campaign, the college li-

braries have been responsible for this 

effort and in all cases they have furthered 

it by campus action. As in many other 

instances, a traveler is impressed by the 

quality of work accomplished in the small 

institutions by a library staff composed of 

energetic people. T h e large library will 

put out a barrel and a poster, accepting 

passively what the students provide, and 

because of their number a fairly re-

spectable total results, even though many 

of the books are old texts and must be 

discarded as useless. In a small college 

in Monmouth, 111., for example, the li-

brarian by a cleverly written appeal, based 

on personal reference by name to the men 

who have gone to war from the campus, 

induces the students to part with, even to 

buy "a book for Corky Kilpatrick in 

Africa, Herb Merillat in Guadalcanal, 

for former editor Larry Beth, and Bobby 

Dunlap who left only a few weeks 

ago. . . ." T h e appeal continues, "Dedi-

cate a book to one of these boys you know 

and give it to the campaign, knowing 

whoever reads it will experience the same 

enjoyment that you intended for your 

friend." This brought results, as one 

would expect, and though the number of 

volumes collected on college campuses 

does not always seem high if compared 

with the larger populations of the com-

munity outside, many librarians have 

commented on the average good quality of 

the books received. 

Delays and Difficulties 

Few libraries have as yet curtailed their 

regular services except in the matter of 

closing some departmental reading rooms 

and consolidating others. Often this re-

organization results in more efficient serv-

ice as well as economy of administration. 

One library notes a considerable increase 

in the use of the telephone for reference 

service. In some cases rare book rooms 

and special collections are no longer 

staffed and are opened only on request. 

In other colleges reading rooms are being 

closed on Friday nights and Saturday 

afternoons, when the student use is too 

slight to justify opening. But in general 

the libraries are open for business as usual 

for a fourteen-hour day or longer, six 

days a week. 

T h e trials which are accepted as part 

of wartime living are chiefly delays, the 

JUNE, 1943 20 7 



slowing up of publishing and purchasing 

machinery, delayed deliveries, delays in 

binding w h e n demands for haste are more 

insistent than ever. T h e r e are f e w ex-

plicit reports of increased costs of opera-

tion though one institution in V e r m o n t 

estimates a 10 per cent increase in binding 

costs and 8 per cent in cards. A number 

of libraries bought equipment and supplies 

in greater quantity than usual, anticipating 

that the present shortage w i l l g r o w more 

acute. 

T h e cessation of foreign book selling 

and of all periodicals from Europe has 

reduced the purchasing problems of aca-

demic libraries to some extent and thrown 

the budget out of balance, but books con-

tinue to come w i t h surprising regularity, 

if some delay, from E n g l a n d . South 

American purchases are readily arranged 

and more rapidly received than formerly. 

A number of books in French and G e r m a n 

are procurable in South America, and 

libraries have been quick to subscribe for 

the several French periodicals published 

there and in eastern C a n a d a as w e l l as in 

N e w Y o r k , w h i c h contain the current 

w r i t i n g of the exiled French authors w h o 

were formerly the leading contributors to 

the scholarly and literary journals ordered 

f r o m Paris. T h e whole question of 

foreign journals is still in process of solu-

tion. T h e enterprise of University 

M i c r o f i l m s , Inc., should be noted. L i -

brarians may notify the Custodian of 

A l i e n Property concerning additional 

titles which they desire to have filmed. 

W h i l e no one familiar w i t h the inner 

workings of libraries w o u l d ever accuse 

them of prodigal spending, it is also pos-

sible that occasional lean, or perhaps 

leaner than usual, years are a wholesome 

experience for us in f o r c i n g a close scrutiny 

of routine practices or traditional services. 

T h e required continuity in the nature of 

our w o r k tends to perpetuate w h a t e v e r is 

once started, sometimes a f t e r the need has 

passed a w a y . 

K n o x C o l l e g e reports plans for con-

tinuous study and reorganization of its 

library. Bradley has reduced its circula-

tion routine as the result of a time and 

motion study. C a t a l o g processes are 

under careful consideration in many 

quarters and it is probably in this direction 

that useful simplification and economy 

w i l l be effected. It is said that the last 

w a r eliminated the accession book from 

many a library, and this one may go down 

in history as the event which brought 

action in the long argument over the 

varieties and degrees of cataloging which 

are desirable or necessary. 

C o l l e g e and university library reports 

in the past year everywhere indicate a 

realization of responsibility for the care 

and preservation of treasured volumes, 

original sources, and valuable editions 

which may w e l l prove the source material 

for f u t u r e duplication of the books de-

stroyed in w a r . Some Eastern libraries 

packed and shipped irreplaceable volumes 

to locations further inland and probably 

safer in the event of enemy attack. M a n y 

others, fearing the damage which might 

occur in l o n g storage and preferring to 

have their rare materials accessible in case 

of genuine need for consultation, segre-

gated them in portions of the building 

which seemed least vulnerable. 

Policies of Acquisition 

T h e squirrel complex to save every-

thing within reach, which is an occupa-

tional disease w i t h the average librarian 

and for the most part a blessing to histori-

cal research, should nevertheless receive 

curative treatment to the extent of divid-

208 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



ing its responsibilities and distributing its 

benefits. T o o many libraries today are 

collecting everything they can get about 

the war. Yale has asked every Yale man 

the world over to send in every scrap of 

original war material he can find, and the 

haul is already imposing. T h e Hoover 

Library of W a r , Peace, and Revolution, 

at Stanford University, has an organiza-

tion already equipped and in operation for 

the systematic collection of documentary 

and other material. Here are two 

scholarly institutions situated well apart, 

both suitable depositories for all such 

printed records as the future may need. 

W h y not give them everything the rest of 

us get except local material for which 

each of us accepts local responsibility? 

O r if two centers are not enough, why 

not establish regional collections and let 

others collect in smaller, well-defined 

fields? 

Cooperative buying too has long been 

the topic of papers at library meetings, 

but few of us get further than expecting 

the other person to cooperate. In rare 

instances, particularly when funds from 

foundations are concerned, complementary 

buying programs have been worked out. 

T h e specific division of the Latin Ameri-

can field among the libraries of Duke, 

Tulane, and the University of North 

Carolina, on a joint grant from the Rocke-

feller Foundation, is an excellent example 

of what might be done more consistently 

by neighboring institutions in various 

regions.10 T h e University of Michigan, 

because of certain faculty interests in the 

field, is also embarked on a program of 

buying heavily in Central and South 

America, although the director of its li-

braries points out that Canada would be 

10 L o w e l l , M . H . College and University Library 
Consolidations. O r e g o n S t a t e S y s t e m of H i g h e r 
E d u c a t i o n , E u g e n e , O r e . , 1942, p. 40. 

a more logical and less competitive field 

for its endeavors. 

A l l academic libraries, to be sure, need 

a certain amount of material on Latin 

America, Russia, and China, and all are 

now intent on strengthening their collec-

tions in what are for some relatively new 

fields of interest. But we should definitely 

limit those interests to the books necessary 

for teaching and reference, dividing the 

realm of specialized research into regional 

responsibilities and agreeing to serve each 

other through interlibrary loan and micro-

film for the research scholarship of the 

future. This division in the library of 

Oriental studies is particularly desirable 

on the Pacific Coast. 

Libraries are already making plans for 

future purchase abroad of books which 

have appeared during the war years or of 

collections which may come upon the 

market after the war in Europe and Asia. 

Many are setting aside substantial funds 

for this purpose. Yale has plans for send-

ing an agent to the Near and Middle 

East. T h e University of California is 

talking of collecting on the spot in China 

at the earliest possible opportunity. T h e 

director of the National Library at Pei-

ping has outlined inspiring plans for the 

rehabilitation of Chinese libraries with 

American aid and will undoubtedly co-

operate in the undertaking of strengthen-

ing the Chinese collections in the libraries 

of this country. Many libraries are al-

ready collecting from their faculties per-

sonal copies of scholarly journals for later 

shipment to Chinese and European li-

braries, under the direction of the A . L . A . 

Committee on Aid to Libraries in W a r 

Areas. T h e air is full of library plans 

for international cooperation, a heartening 

sign in the present world and a reminder 

that despite all wars better days do come 

JUNE, 1943 
22 7 



in w h i c h men of g o o d w i l l may go about 

their business of building again singly and 

together. 

Present Conclusions 

Y a l e U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r y reminds us 

that the college has survived nine wars. 

In this rapid flight over the country which 

has afforded glimpses of only a f e w col-

leges and none so venerable as Y a l e , the 

reporter has been impressed nevertheless 

w i t h the essential stability of collegiate 

institutions. T h e i r students come and 

go, the flags and the uniforms w i l l pass, 

the curriculum w i l l change, but the pur-

poses of truth and learning endure. T o 

f u l f i l l these purposes libraries exist and 

w i l l continue to g r o w . T h e test of their 

successful functioning is the contribution 

to knowledge made by the faculty and the 

degree of understanding w h i c h the stu-

dents derive from books. 

In A p r i l 1943 the importance of every 

A m e r i c a n institution or endeavor must be 

measured in terms of its relation to the 

total w a r effort. Does it help or hinder? 

In terms of research the academic libraries 

have given a clear answer. T h e govern-

ment has called upon them and not found 

them w a n t i n g in the required aid to 

science and techniques. 

W i s d o m and understanding, however, 

are equally necessary in the present crisis, 

and in the realm of student education to 

this end w e cannot claim conspicuous 

success as yet. H e r e then is the task 

ahead for every college, large or small, and 

for the colleges within the large univer-

sities where it has been chiefly n e g l e c t e d — 

to provide the necessary books, pamphlets, 

and periodicals in sufficient quantity and 

to stimulate their use by every means in 

our power. B y all means let us extend 

our functions beyond the w a l l s w i t h w a r 

information services if and w h e n w e can, 

but remembering that other agencies may 

also serve this w i d e r community while 

the responsibility for student reading is 

ours alone. 

Future Plans 

O n e of the f e w excitements in a some-

w h a t staid calling is the satisfaction of 

w h a t the librarian of W e l l e s l e y describes 

as "prophetic b u y i n g , " the justification in 

present use of one's past j u d g m e n t in the 

development of certain areas in the collec-

tion or in the choice of specific titles which 

prove to be finds. T h e librarian w h o is 

to be ready must forecast needs, and even 

now in time of w a r w e can prepare for 

c a r r y i n g on the studies necessary if peace 

is to endure. T h e fact that the urgency of 

military training is fast draining the ma-

jority of students from classes in the 

humane and social subjects in no w a y 

lessens the f u t u r e need for strong collec-

tions in these fields. T h e r e w i l l be a 

resurgence of interest in the things of 

mind and spirit such as f o l l o w s every 

c o n f l i c t ; there w i l l be enlarged programs 

of rehabilitation and reconstruction, as 

w e l l as those for occupational therapy and 

vocational adult education, and in all 

these endeavors the library w i l l do its 

part. 

Academic librarians are by nature and 

training neither crystal gazers nor w i s h f u l 

thinkers. F o r the immediate f u t u r e they 

have f e w rosy-tipped prophecies but a 

steadfast determination to carry on the 

allotted task, to bear a f u l l share of the 

common w a r burden, and to preserve the 

permanent values for w h i c h their w o r k 

exists. If they can do so through this 

period of stress, certain strengths should 

develop in their libraries w h i c h w i l l leave 

them in a better position a f t e r the w a r , 

210 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



both internally and in relation to other 

departments. T h e wholehearted partici-

pation of the library in all the activities 

of the institution it serves during a period 

of war will bring about better integration 

in the life of the campus and the com-

munity outside, which may for the first 

time have learned to know the college 

library. Work with administration, fac-

ulty, and students in a common cause 

will bring to each better understand-

ing of the other's problems. If the li-

brary's work is sound and its service 

effective, there is no reason to foresee a 

permanent crippling of that work, pro-

vided that the librarian has enough faith 

in its value to defend it against indiffer-

ence or lack of understanding on the part 

of authorities. Publicity alone will not 

do this, but good work first plus a 

valiant coming-out-from-under-the-bushel 

in which college librarians have too long 

hidden their light may accomplish 

wonders. 

A few hours spent in reading the an-

nual reports of academic libraries im-

presses one with their similarity in pattern 

and general lack of effective power to 

produce results. Follow this by a glance 

at the corresponding report of the presi-

dent to the trustees and the reason for 

inaction is obvious. T h e librarian's re-

port almost invariably deals with acquisi-

tions, gifts, resignations, etc., a faithful 

recounting of what has happened to the 

library, with an appendix of circulation 

statistics meaning little to the uninitiated. 

T h e president, skipping the statistics and 

any troubling references to the leaky roof 

or the need for more stack space, reports 

to the trustees the more imposing of the 

gifts and the activities of the Friends of 

the Library. T h e trustees purr approv-

ingly at the annual meeting following the 

commencement luncheon and forget the 

library until next year. 

Compare this with the graphic reports 

prepared by some of the public libraries, 

such as that of Detroit,11 which is an ex-

cellent example. These are designed to 

render to the board and thus eventually 

to the taxpayer an account of the library's 

stewardship of public funds. T h e em-

phasis is all on what the library has 

accomplished and what it could do or 

plans to do. 

A n ideal library report should recount 

briefly the year's activities with reference 

to the plans outlined in that of the pre-

vious year. W i t h proper record of what 

has been spent and acquired it should 

carry also some reference to the intangible 

but no less real accomplishment of the 

library in its direct service to faculty and 

student bodies: in aiding the faculty in 

research and teaching, in helping the stu-

dents to attain intellectual maturity. It 

should leave an impression of forward 

vision and include, not timidly modest 

hopes, but demands as daring as the visions 

deserve—though not more so. In other 

words, the report should perform the 

functions of a preliminary bombardment 

for the detailed attack on the budget to 

follow. 

Only with foresight, vision, and energy 

can college libraries hope to carry on 

effectively both the war service which 

calls them today and the larger task of 

tomorrow which is theirs also, a share in 

the education which will shape the world 

of the future. 

11 The Library in Wartime. S e v e n t y - s e v e n t h A n -
nual Report of the D e t r o i t L i b r a r y Commission, 
1941-42. i8p. 

JUNE, 1943 
22 7