College and Research Libraries


B y C H A R L E S B . S H A W 

The Postwar Role of Libraries 

Mr. Shaw, librarian of Swarthmore Col-

lege, is president of the Association of 

College and Reference Libraries for 

1943-44• 

IF O U R P R O F E S S I O N A L J O U R N A L S w i t h 
t h e i r c o n t e n t s s p e c i f i c a l l y a d d r e s s e d to 

discussions of l i b r a r i a n s h i p a n d assorted 

l i b r a r y p r o b l e m s and s p e c u l a t i o n s — m a y be 

r e g a r d e d as o u r t e x t b o o k s a n d r e q u i r e d 

r e a d i n g , t h e r e is a c o n t i g u o u s f i e l d of 

p e r i o d i c a l p u b l i c a t i o n w h i c h s h o u l d v e r y 

p r o p e r l y be l o o k e d u p o n as r e c o m m e n d e d 

c o l l a t e r a l r e a d i n g f o r l i b r a r i a n s s e r v i n g in 

i n s t i t u t i o n s of h i g h e r l e a r n i n g . 

T h e E d i t o r of College and Research 

Libraries has s u g g e s t e d an i n s p e c t i o n of 

r e c e n t issues of some of these a l l i e d p u b l i -

c a t i o n s a n d the c i t a t i o n of those a r t i c l e s 

w h i c h m a y m o l d o u r t h i n k i n g a b o u t t h e 

r o l e of l i b r a r i e s in t h e p o s t w a r w o r l d . 

W h a t f o l l o w s is, t h e r e f o r e , s u g g e s t e d r e a d -

i n g f r o m the J u n e , J u l y , a n d A u g u s t , 

1 9 4 3 , issues of e i g h t s e l e c t e d j o u r n a l s . 

T h r e e of these a r e p u b l i c a t i o n s s p e c i f i c a l l y 

p r e p a r e d f o r l a b o r e r s in the l i m i t e d v i n e -

y a r d of h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n ; t w o are a i m e d 

a t a less r e s t r i c t e d a u d i e n c e of e d u c a t o r s ; 

a n d the r e m a i n i n g t h r e e , t h o u g h t h e y 

s h o u l d p r o b a b l y be classified as " g e n e r a l " 

m a g a z i n e s , a d d r e s s t h e m s e l v e s l a r g e l y to 

those w h o s e i n t e r e s t s a r e p o i n t e d t o w a r d 

a c t i v i t i e s in h i g h e r a c a d e m i c f i e l d s . T h e r e 

has been^ it m u s t be c o n f e s s e d , l i t t l e m o r e 

in t h e w a y of t h o u g h t f u l c r i t e r i a in the 

s e l e c t i o n of these e i g h t j o u r n a l s t h a n 

p r o x i m i t y on n e a r b y r e a d i n g r o o m s h e l v e s , 

b u t no a r t i c l e is cited w h i c h does n o t ap-

pear to m a k e some c o n t r i b u t i o n w o r t h o u r 

c o n s i d e r a t i o n to the g r o w i n g mass of s u g -

g e s t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g t h e e d u c a t i o n a l e r a 

t h a t lies a h e a d . 

O n l y r a r e l y , it m u s t be a d m i t t e d , in 

such a r t i c l e s as these does one c o m e u p o n 

a specific r e f e r e n c e to the o b l i g a t i o n s or 

p o t e n t i a l i t i e s of the l i b r a r y . T h e m a n d a t e 

f o r l i b r a r i a n s , h o w e v e r , is n o n e the less 

i m p l i c i t , a n d s o m e t i m e s r i c h l y so, in these 

discussions. B y t h e m y o u m a y be im-

p e l l e d to r e a d i n g s b e t w e e n the lines, to 

c o n c r e t e a d a p t a t i o n s of v a g u e s u g g e s t i o n s , 

or to p a r t i c u l a r i z a t i o n s a n d l o c a l a p p l i c a -

tions of g e n e r a l ideas. A r t i c l e s l i k e these 

c o n t a i n p e r t i n e n c e s of m a n y sorts t o the 

l i b r a r y p r o b l e m s w h i c h w i l l f a c e us. C e r -

t a i n l y as a d m i n i s t r a t i v e officers a n d as 

c o n t r i b u t o r s to decisions c o n c e r n i n g the 

e d u c a t i o n a l t r e n d s a n d policies of t h e i r 

i n s t i t u t i o n s , l i b r a r i a n s m u s t a n d w i l l w a n t 

to keep t h e m s e l v e s i n f o r m e d of t h e 

t h o u g h t s and c o n t r o v e r s i e s a n d p l a n n i n g s 

w h i c h c o n c e r n t h a t s e c t i o n of the e d u c a -

t i o n a l w o r l d in w h i c h t h e y are to c o n t i n u e 

to o p e r a t e . 

T h e M a y issue ( v . 2 9 , n o . 3 ) of the 

Association of American Colleges Bulletin 

does n o t c o m e w i t h i n the d a t e s p r o p o s e d 

f o r this a r t i c l e b u t it is, a t the t i m e of w r i t -

ing, t h e m o s t r e c e n t issue of a p u b l i c a t i o n 

w h i c h c o l l e g e l i b r a r i a n s s h o u l d w a t c h . I t 

w o u l d be p a r t i c u l a r l y u n f o r t u n a t e to miss 

this n u m b e r f o r it c o n t a i n s an i m p o r t a n t 

c o m m i t t e e r e p o r t ( p . 2 6 9 - 7 4 ) w i t h P r e s i -

d e n t J a m e s P . B a x t e r ' s i n t r o d u c t o r y c o m -

DECEMBER, 1943 19 



m e n t o n i t : t h e r e p o r t ( a d o p t e d by t h e 

C o m m i s s i o n on L i b e r a l E d u c a t i o n of the 

A s s o c i a t i o n of A m e r i c a n C o l l e g e s ) of t h e 

C o m m i t t e e o n t h e R e - S t a t e m e n t of t h e 

N a t u r e a n d A i m s of L i b e r a l E d u c a t i o n 

e n t i t l e d " T h e P o s t - W a r R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s 

of L i b e r a l E d u c a t i o n " ( p . 2 7 5 - 9 9 ) . T h e 

issue c o n t a i n s as w e l l t h r e e p e r t i n e n t a r t i -

c l e s : P r e s i d e n t A l g o D . H e n d e r s o n ' s " A 

P r o p o s a l f o r S a v i n g t h e H u m a n i t i e s " ( p . 

1 7 5 - 8 0 ) ; ( r e p r i n t e d f r o m the M a r c h 

1 9 4 3 The Catholic University Bulletin) 

the R t . R e v . G e o r g e J o h n s o n ' s a r t i c l e 

e n t i t l e d " T h e F i n a n c i a l O u t l o o k f o r 

P r i v a t e l y S u p p o r t e d I n s t i t u t i o n s of H i g h e r 

L e a r n i n g " ( p . 1 8 1 - 8 6 ) ; a n d P r e s i d e n t 

C h a r l e s E . D i e h l ' s " P o s t w a r L i b e r a l A r t s 

E d u c a t i o n " ( p . 1 9 6 - 2 0 1 ) . 

T h e American Association of Univer-

sity Professors Bulletin ( w h i c h h a s in its 

A p r i l issue s u c h r e l e v a n t a r t i c l e s as H a r -

d i n C r a i g ' s " T h e U n i v e r s i t i e s a f t e r the 

W a r " a n d G e r a l d B a r n e s ' " E d u c a t i o n f o r 
I 9 5 ° " ) r e p r i n t s ( w i t h a d i f f e r e n t p r e -

a m b l e ) in t h e J u n e n u m b e r ( v o l . 2 9 , n o . 

3, p. 4 1 2 - 3 1 ) t h e t e x t of the c o m m i t t e e 

r e p o r t c i t e d in t h e p r e c e d i n g p a r a g r a p h . 

T h i s r e p o r t is f o l l o w e d ( p . 4 3 2 - 3 3 ) b y a 

s t a t e m e n t c o n c e r n i n g the U n i v e r s i t i e s 

C o m m i t t e e o n P o s t - W a r I n t e r n a t i o n a l 

P r o b l e m s . 

T h e Journal of Higher Education 

( J u n e 1 9 4 3 , v . 1 4 , no. 6, p. 2 8 5 - 8 8 , 3 4 2 ) 

c o n t a i n s N o r m a n F o e r s t e r ' s " A U n i v e r -

s i t y P r e p a r e d f o r V i c t o r y . " 

T u r n i n g t o the less s p e c i a l i z e d e d u c a -

t i o n a l press, t h e r e is in t h e l a t e s t a v a i l a b l e 

issue of The Educational Forum ( M a y 

1 9 4 3 , v . 7, n o . 4, p. 3 6 9 - 7 4 ) H a r l R . 

D o u g l a s s ' " E s s e n t i a l s of a P o s t - W a r E d u -

c a t i o n a l P r o g r a m , " w h i c h discusses pre-

c o l l e g e o b l i g a t i o n s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s as 

w e l l as those of h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n . I n The 

Educational Record ( J u l y 1 9 4 3 , v . 2 4 , 

n o . 3, p. 2 9 3 - 3 0 5 ) P r e s i d e n t R o b e r t 

C l o t h i e r , of R u t g e r s U n i v e r s i t y , w r i t e s o n 

" T h e W a r T r a i n i n g P r o g r a m s a n d P o s t -

w a r E d u c a t i o n . " 

General Magazines 

T h r e e " g e n e r a l " j o u r n a l s r e m a i n . I n 

the m i d s t of o t h e r s u g g e s t i o n s o n " s e c u r -

i n g the p e a c e " t h e r e is in t h e Journal of 

the American Association of University 

Women ( s u m m e r 1 9 4 3 , v . 3 6 , n o . 4, p. 

2 2 8 - 2 9 ) a s e c t i o n o n " W o m e n ' s P a r t in 

t h e P o s t - W a r W o r l d . " T h e i n c l u s i o n of 

t w o l e t t e r s in The American Scholar 

( s u m m e r 1 9 4 3 , v . 1 2 , n o . 3, p. 3 8 1 - 8 3 ) 

p e r m i t s m e n o t o n l y t o c i t e t h e m b u t t o 

r e m i n d y o u of t h e e a r l i e r a p p e a r a n c e ( i n 

t h e s p r i n g i s s u e ) of W e n d e l l W i l l k i e ' s 

" F r e e d o m a n d t h e L i b e r a l A r t s . " I n 

American Oxonian ( J u l y 1 9 4 3 , v . 30, 

n o . 3, p . 1 2 7 - 3 5 ) t h e r e is r e p r i n t e d f r o m 

the p r e c e d i n g F e b r u a r y Reader s Digest, 

R o b e r t M o s e s ' s " C o n s u l t t h e A v e r a g e 

A m e r i c a n a b o u t t h e P o s t w a r W o r l d " w i t h 

the v a l u a b l e a d d i t i o n of t h r e e l e t t e r s of 

c o m m e n t by P r e s i d e n t J o h n W . N a s o n , of 

S w a r t h m o r e C o l l e g e , P r o f e s s o r B e r n a -

d o t t e S c h m i t t , of the U n i v e r s i t y of C h i -

c a g o , a n d S u p e r i o r C o u r t J u d g e F r a n k G . 

S w a i n , of L o s A n g e l e s . 

20 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES