College and Research Libraries


However, the inauguration of this journal is 
important to librarians. It will be an aid 
in acquisitions work and cataloging—an in-
valuable reference tool in a scientific field 

which, heretofore, has had inadequate cover-
age.—Edward J. Doherty, Jr., Geophysical 
Research Library, IVatertown (Mass.) 
Arsenal. 

Library Education 
Education for Librarianship. Papers Pre-

sented at the Library Conference, Uni-
versity of Chicago, August 16-21, 1948. 
Edited by Bernard Berelson. Chicago, 
American Library Association, 1949, 307P. 
$4.00. 

A f t e r nearly three decades of relative sta-
bility, education for librarianship has become 
an area of change and experiment. T h e flux 
of new thinking on library education has pro-
vided a theme for innumerable books, pamph-
lets, and periodical articles. It has been the 
subject of at least a score of conferences and 
meetings. As an area which reflects the whole 
complexity of the profession, each issue in-
volved has found scores of highly vocal dis-
cussants frequently reflecting very differing 
points of view. A s D r . Berelson's "Intro-
duction" to the report of this conference 
indicates, these new patterns of thought on 
library education as they have developed since 
1946 represent as significant a period as any 
other in our history. Library education very 
appropriately became, then, the subject for 
the conference of 1948 at the University of 
Chicago. 

T h e particular contribution of this meeting 
to its subject lies in part in its three distinctive 
characeristics: first, in the preliminary de-
termination to confine it to general problems 
of library education rather than to allow it 
to be dissipated in consideration of perhaps 
temporary experimentation; second, in the in-
clusion of library practitioners rather than the 
professional educator in presenting the sub-
ject; and third, in employing a discussant to 
bring some ready evaluation to each paper 
presented. This third device would seem to 
have gone far in bringing to the report of the 
conference more continuity of thought than 
is usually possible with such a medium. 

Sixteen papers were presented at the con-
ference, and these were arranged in five 
general groups. T h e first group on "General 
Education and Backgrounds" includes the role 
of the professional school, educational prob-
lems of allied professions and historical and 

foreign aspects of the subject. A second 
division, "Preparatory Education," was a 
paper on preprofessional education. T h e third 
group entitled, "Professional Education for 
Librarianship," included presentations of the 
problem peculiar to public libraries, academic 
institutions, service to children and youth, 
special librarianship, and a general summary 
of issues. T h e fourth, "Special Problems," 
included advanced study and research, clerical 
and subprofessional employment, and admin-
istrative problems of library education. T h e 
final group, "General Summaries," consisted 
of " T h e Non-Librarian Inquirer," (Robert 
D . Leigh) ; " T h e Practicing Librarian," 
(Luther H . Evans) ; and " T h e Library Edu-
cator," (J. Periam Danton). 

A conference of such breadth carrying the 
differing theses of 16 major presentations and 
11 discussants is impossible to summarize. 
Some issues emerge, however, as providing the 
structure of basic problems of library educa-
tion. These include: T h e stratification of 
library education (and a correspondent strati-
fication of library positions) ; general library 
education as opposed to specialized library 
education; preprofessional and postprofes-
sional education; the quality and number of 
library schools; the academic point at which 
various types of library education should 
occur, and the length of various types of pro-
grams; the relationship of library education to 
the field of practice; and the role of the Board 
of Education for Librarianship and other 
interested bodies. 

Quite aside from its necessarily speculative 
nature, this conference follows a trend in a 
number of recent meetings where the presenta-
tion of problems is sharpened by definite 
recommendations and proposals. As Berelson 
points out, this conference had neither author-
ity nor mandate to recommend action, yet 
from it come a body of specific proposals. 
These are: 

1. T h a t the number of library schools be 
sharply reduced in order to improve the qual-
ity of the remaining schools. 

284 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



2. T h a t an exchange of senior personnel be 
effected between the schools and the practicing 
field of librarianship. 

3. T h a t a definite (and specified) system 
of training for the subprofessional and clerical 
workers in libraries be instituted, with all 
its implications for the profession generally. 

4. T h a t a research program in librarianship 
be planned, at least within each advanced 
school, for the most effective and economical 
development of knowledge in the field. 

5. T h a t library schools jointly develop a 
series of examinations to test the possession 
of a general education by the applicant for 
admission. 

6. T h a t library schools inaugurate a system 
of intensive (and specified) preparation for 
special librarianship. 

7. T h a t library schools reorganize their 
programs to take account of the concept of 
continuing education throughout the librarian's 
professional career. 

8. T h a t the basic specialized professional 
training of librarians working with the young 
(children's and young people's librarians in 
public libraries, school librarians, and teacher-
librarians) be the same. 

T h e series of annual conferences sponsored 
by the Graduate Library School has provided 
a significant vehicle for the focusing of at-
tention upon professional areas of major con-
cern. T h e report of this last conference 
upholds the tradition of provocative and in-
formed discussion of perhaps what is now the 
most critical area of the profession. T o the 
body of recent literature and to other con-
ferences on the subject, it provides perhaps the 
most complete general summary that has ap-
peared to date. If one is to find fault with 
the report of the conference at all, it might 
lie in a regret for the overlong interval be-
tween the conference itself, and the publication 
of the printed volume covering it.—Kenneth 
R. Shaffer, School of Library Science, Sim-
mons College. 

Librarianship: Essays on Applied Bibliogra-
phy. By Raymond Irwin. London, G r a f -
ton, 1949, 13 ip. 8s.6d. 

W e r e this reviewer not a regular reader 
of the British library journals he might have 
taken M r . Irwin seriously. For one might 
well get the impression from the initial chap-
ters that while American librarians are still 
naively asking questions about library training 

their British colleagues have expertly found 
the answers. Judging from the articles, edi-
torials and correspondence in the British 
journals it is evident that the pros and cons 
of library education are vigorously being de-
bated there. In the field of library training, 
both in the United States and in England, 
educators are raising questions, seeking an-
swers, and projecting further questions leading 
from the speculative answers. And so the 
unsuspecting reader of this book should not 
carry away the impression as cautioned above. 
M r . Irwin does make some harsh statements 
but then rallies with such expressions as 
"These words are perhaps unfairly hard . . ." 
M o r e of his likes and dislikes later, however. 

T h e author dissects the persistent American 
pursuit for a "philosophy" of librarianship 
and arrives at the conclusion that we are 
victims of some will-o'-the-wisp. For, as he 
sees it, there is no such thing. If there is no 
"philosophy" of librarianship, what are we 
seeking? Upon what foundation shall our 
programs of library education be based? M r . 
Irwin is of the opinion that we should seek 
the purposive directions in librarianship, the 
necessary underpinning, its locale, its limita-
tions. Evidently he holds a very pragmatic 
view, for the one question which dominates 
throughout is: W i l l it work? T h a t still begs 
the central question. Since we are an aca-
ademic profession and, to be sure, the cur-
riculum in library science is offered in an 
academic institution, there still remains the 
question: D o we know, at least, what shall 
be the corpus of knowledge which will provide 
the underpinning for prospective librarians? 
Quite simple. T h e answer is "applied bib-
liography." And, M r . Irwin proceeds to 
define applied bibliography so that it includes 
precisely those subjects which constitute the 
traditional curriculum in American library 
schools. It is not quite up to date, however, 
for there is no provision for subjects 
which deal with reading interests and abilities 
or mass media of communication. 

T h e author inflates his work in the very 
first sentence of the "Prologue," thus: "These 
essays grew out of a study of the writings of 
American librarians during the last 30 years 
on the subject of professional training for 
librarianship." T h i s "study" consists merely 
of a few snatches from the works of Danton 
and Wheeler. No mention is made of the 
contributions of Williamson, Howe, Reece, 

JULY, 1950 
25 7