College and Research Libraries A Brief of the Minutes of the Meet- ings of the Board of Directors, A.C.R.L., Chicago M e e t i n g Jan. 27, 1950. President W y l l i s E. W r i g h t , in calling the meeting to order, welcomed the A . C . R . L . representatives on the A . L . A . Council, com- mittee chairmen, and other invited guests. Ralph P a r k e r reported on the progress the Committee on Budgets, Compensation, and Schemes of Service is making in preparing a classification and pay plan for professional schools. H e stated the w o r k w a s extremely complicated and little real progress had been made in the past t w o years. T h e Committee to Study L i b r a r y Standards of Professional Schools, of which he is chairman, has made some small progress in promoting revision of accrediting procedures by the Society of American Forestry Schools. F r a n k Lundy recommended that further study of the problem of the financial needs of the association be turned back to the officers and directors of the association and that the Committee on Financial Needs be dismissed. T h e r e followed considerable discussion of the present 20 per cent allotment of membership dues to the divisional treasury, and the de- sirability of asking for more for A . C . R . L . M r . Hamlin reported current support for A . C . R . L . (budget for the A . C . R . L . office plus divisional allotment) w a s somewhat over 50 per cent of the total dues paid to A . L . A . by A . C . R . L . members. M u c h was said in f a v o r of having A . C . R . L . collect its own dues and control its own funds, making generous allot- ments to A . L . A . U n d e r such arrangements it would be in a better position to discharge its obligations to its membership. A motion to discharge the Committee on Financial Needs with thanks was passed. T h e desirability of free subscriptions to College and Research Libraries in place of the A.L.A. Bulletin w a s discussed. President W r i g h t reported this matter had not been dropped by the wayside and reported on the cost of the proposal. T h e board next discussed the "Policy State- ment" prepared early in 1949. T h i s proposed that A . C . R . L . should have the right to admit members without respect to membership in another organization, that the association should collect and control membership dues, and that it should allot funds annually to the support of A . L . A . Headquarters. T h e state- ment opposed the organizational parts of the Fourth Activities Committee Report ( P a r t I I ) and recommended cooperative exploration of plans for a federation of autonomous American library associations.1 T h e state- ment had previously been approved by the board for submission to the regional confer- ences, where it had been likewise approved, virtually unchanged, at all except those held at Vancouver and F o r t W o r t h . Opposition to the organizational parts of the Fourth Activi- ties Committee Report had been unanimous. M r . W r i g h t suggested that there may have been misunderstanding of the recommenda- tion regarding federation. T h e committee which prepared the "Policy Statement" merely recommended that A . C . R . L . should cooperate with other divisions of A . L . A . in studying plans for an improved A . L . A . through federa- tion. T h e A . C . R . L . Board passed a motion that the "Policy Statement" be submitted to the A . C . R . L . G e n e r a l Session on the f o l l o w - ing day. T h e executive secretary reported briefly on the w o r k of his office and asked advice on keeping in touch with the membership. H e requested assistance in handling a large ac- cumulation of archives stored in the office. T h e board passed a motion authorizing the president of A . C . R . L . to appoint a local com- mittee to review A . C . R . L . archives. In a discussion of the term of office of the executive secretary of A . C . R . L . it w a s the general feeling of the board that a term of three to five years w a s normally desirable. In regard to the location of the M i d w i n t e r 1 " A S t a t e m e n t on R e l a t i o n s h i p of A . C . R . L . a n d A . L . A . " A.L.A. Bulletin, 43:310-311, O c t o b e r 1949. 262 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES A . C . R . L . Budget for 1949-50, as Amended and Approved Jan. 29, 1950 Probable Income From membership dues $5,500.00 Proposed Expenditures College and Research Libraries annual subvention $1,500.00 Section expenses: A g r i c u l t u r a l Libraries Section 50.00 College Libraries Section 75-°° Engineering School Libraries Section 50.00 Junior College Libraries Section 300.00 Reference Librarians Section 85.00 Libraries of T e a c h e r T r a i n i n g Institutions Section 75-°° University Libraries Section 125.00 Committee expenses: Budgets, Compensation, and Schemes of Service 100.00 College and University L i b r a r y Buildings 100.00 Financing College and Research Libraries 100.00 Periodicals Exchange Union 25.00 Preparation and Qualification for Librarianship 175-00 Publications 50.00 Study M a t e r i a l s for Instruction in the Use of the Library 25.00 Policy no funds needed Constitution and B y - L a w s no funds needed Membership 150.00 Recruiting 175-00 Statistics 100.00 Addressograph Plates for the Office of the Executive Secretary 125.00 M o v i n g Expenses of present Executive Secretary 483.00 Support of A . L . A . Washington Office 400.00 Officers' Expenses: President 25.00 T r e a s u r e r 10.00 General Administrative Expenses, T r a v e l , etc 700.00 A . C . R . L . ' s share of the T . I . A . A . premiums for Executive Secretary ( A . C . R . L . pays $25.00 and the Executive Secretary $25.00 per month) 300.00 meetings it was agreed that a downtown hotel w a s desirable. T h e executive secretary w a s requested to convey to A . L . A . Headquarters the feeling of the group on this subject. * * * * M e e t i n g Jan. 29, 1950. A f t e r calling the meeting to order, M r . W r i g h t brought up for discussion the pro- visional arrangement which provided for the A . C . R . L . Executive Office on the A . L . A . budget instead of previous practice of a separate and distinct budget for this office. T h e arrangement had been accepted pro- visionally by the A . C . R . L . Board of Directors $5,303.00 in the spring of 1949. M r . Hamlin felt too inexperienced to express positive opinion for or against and suggested it be continued as a working arrangement until the Cleveland Conference. T h e plan w a s criticized as un- businesslike by both M r . Hamlin and M r . Rush, who stressed the difficulty of responsi- bility to two different sources of funds. T h e latter felt that it was highly desirable for A . C . R . L . to have as complete as possible con- trol over the budget of its executive office. It was agreed to leave this as a tentative ar- rangement until the time of the Cleveland Conference. JULY, 1950 25 7 T h e Board voted that A . C . R . L . suggest to the member bodies of the Joint Importations Committee that this committee be dissolved. T h e Board approved the budget as shown in the table. T h e item of $300 for the Junior College Libraries Section was approved in view of the expense of preparation of the booklist for junior college libraries upon which the section has already expended much labor. T h e sub- vention to College and Research Libraries covered the deficit of $290 in the College and Research Libraries budget at the end of the fiscal year 1948-49, the cost of the anniversary issue in October 1949 which was double the usual size of the journal, and the cost of publishing the 10-year index to the journal. A motion was passed to continue the 85 gift subscriptions to College and Research Libraries for a second year. These go to foreign libraries where difficulties in dollar exchange are such that they cannot secure it with their own funds. T h e board passed a motion approving a con- tract with University Microfilms whereby it will be possible for libraries to keep College and Research Libraries in microfilm instead of bound volume form if they wish to do so. N o loss in subscriptions is expected to result from this arrangement.—Arthur T. Hamlin, Executive Secretary. Plans Completed for the Midw< A t a recent meeting of the board of direc- tors of the Midwest Inter-Library Corpora- tion, final building plans were adopted. Construction is expected to begin during M a y , and the building should be ready for occupancy by Jan. I, 1951. T h e Center, which will provide cooperative housing in Chicago of less-used research ma- terials for 13 middlewestern libraries, is planning six tiers of stacks covering a ground area 90 by 100 feet. A feature of the stacks is the use of a new type of compact storage hinged shelving developed by Snead & Com- pany, in which each aisle gives access to six layers of books instead of the usual two. T h e outer layers of double-faced shelving swing out, each three-foot section opening like a door, supported by casters and floor and ceiling pivots. T h e anticipated capacity is 2,000,000 vol- umes of books, and 10,000 volumes of news- papers. It is expected that much of the news- paper collection will be converted to microfilm copies. A low, split-level wing in front of the windowless stacks structure will house work- space, shipping room, administrative offices, photoreproduction laboratory, a teletype room, and 20 study cubicles. W h e n the building is ready for occupancy, the Center plans to send its truck to member t Inter-Library Center Building libraries to pick up books and newspapers they have selected for housing in Chicago. De- posits will fall into four categories as follows: Category A—Outright gift—ownership re- linquished. Category B—Title remains with depositing institution; deposit is permanent so long as the Center shall last; material subject to recall only upon dissolution of the Midwest Inter-Library Corporation. Category C— T i t l e remains with depositing institution. It is expected that deposits be indefinite. Category D — R e n t a l storage. Space available at annual rental. By means of teletype, member libraries will have quick access to deposited materials. A policy has been adopted which provides for the acquisition of new materials by the Center on a share-the-cost basis. T h e present members of the Midwest Inter- Library Corporation are: T h e University of Chicago, State University of Iowa, University of Illinois, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Minnesota, Indiana University, University of Kansas, Michigan State College, Northwestern University, Purdue University, University of Wisconsin, University of Cin- cinnati and the University of Notre Dame. Ralph T . Esterquest, formerly assistant director of libraries at the University of Denver, is director of the Midwest Inter- Library Center. 264 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES Brief of Minutes, Association of Research Libraries, Jan. 26, 1950, Chicago THE 34TH m e e t i n g of the A s s o c i a t i o n of R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s w a s h e l d in C h i c a g o a t the E d g e w a t e r B e a c h H o t e l on J a n . 26, 1950, b e g i n n i n g a t 5 P.M. and c o n t i n u i n g t h r o u g h d i n n e r and the e v e n i n g . R a l p h E . E l l s w o r t h w a s elected a m e m b e r of the A d v i s o r y C o m m i t t e e f o r a t e r m of f i v e y e a r s to s u c c e e d D o n a l d C o n e y w h o s e t e r m h a d e x p i r e d . C h a r l e s W . D a v i d w a s e l e c t e d A . R . L . r e p r e s e n t a t i v e on the A . L . A . C o u n c i l f o r a t e r m of f o u r y e a r s t o succeed P a u l N o r t h R i c e w h o s e t e r m h a d e x p i r e d . I t w a s decided t h a t the n e x t m e e t i n g of the A s s o c i a t i o n of R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s s h o u l d be held in C l e v e l a n d in J u l y a t a d a t e to be selected d u r i n g the A . L . A . C o n f e r e n c e w e e k . Documents Expediting Project T h e D o c u m e n t s E x p e d i t i n g P r o j e c t ( d e - signed t o assist l i b r a r i e s in o b t a i n i n g d o c u - m e n t s , f o r t h e m o s t p a r t " p r o c e s s e d " d o c u - m e n t s , f r o m W a s h i n g t o n ) , w h i c h is u n d e r a j o i n t c o m m i t t e e of w h i c h H o m e r H a l v o r s o n is the c h a i r m a n , w a s the s u b j e c t of c o n s i d e r - a b l e discussion. T h e e x e c u t i v e s e c r e t a r y r e - p o r t e d on an e x a m i n a t i o n of the h i s t o r y and o p e r a t i o n of the p r o j e c t w h i c h he h a d r e c e n t l y m a d e in W a s h i n g t o n , and J a m e s T . B a b b , the A . R . L . r e p r e s e n t a t i v e on the j o i n t c o m m i t t e e , r e p o r t e d on the f i n d i n g s of a q u e s t i o n n a i r e w h i c h had been sent o u t f o r the p u r p o s e of d e t e r m i n i n g the e x p e r i e n c e of A . R . L . m e m b e r s w i t h the p r o j e c t and t h e i r v i e w s w i t h r e s p e c t to it. I n the end the opinion p r e v a i l e d t h a t t h o u g h m u c h l i g h t h a d been shed u p o n a s u b j e c t w h i c h w a s t o o l i t t l e u n d e r s t o o d , n e v e r - theless n o t a l l the e s s e n t i a l f a c t s r e l a t i n g to this m a t t e r had y e t been b r o u g h t o u t . I t w a s a c c o r d i n g l y v o t e d t h a t M r . H a l v o r s o n be r e q u e s t e d to s u b m i t a f u l l r e p o r t on the p r o j e c t f r o m the b e g i n n i n g and to d i s t r i b u t e the r e p o r t w e l l in a d v a n c e of the n e x t m e e t i n g so t h a t m e m b e r s w o u l d then be in a b e t t e r position t o discuss the p r o b l e m w i t h k n o w l - edge and t o a r r i v e at a sound decision. Farmington Plan P a u l N o r t h R i c e s u b m i t t e d a brief r e p o r t d e a l i n g w i t h the d i m i n i s h i n g p a r t w h i c h the N e w Y o r k P u b l i c L i b r a r y h a s p l a y e d in the o p e r a t i o n of the F a r m i n g t o n P l a n d u r i n g the p a s t y e a r , due to the f a c t t h a t a g e n t s of the P l a n a b r o a d h a v e been a s k e d to do t h e i r o w n c l a s s i f y i n g of F a r m i n g t o n P l a n b o o k s and to m a k e s h i p m e n t s d i r e c t l y t o the r e c i p i e n t li- b r a r i e s in this c o u n t r y . K e y e s D . M e t c a l f , c h a i r m a n of the F a r m - i n g t o n P l a n C o m m i t t e e , then r e p o r t e d on the o p e r a t i o n of the P l a n as he had o b s e r v e d it. H e n o t e d t h a t t h e r e h a d been f e w e r c o m - p l a i n t s d u r i n g the p a s t y e a r t h a n p r e v i o u s l y , and he m a d e r e f e r e n c e to a c o n v e n i e n t f o r m w h i c h h a d been d e v e l o p e d by the A c q u i s i t i o n s D e p a r t m e n t at C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y f o r r e - p o r t i n g q u e s t i o n s and e r r o r s to F a r m i n g t o n P l a n d e a l e r s . T h e t h r e e m a i n difficulties en- c o u n t e r e d in the o p e r a t i o n of the P l a n , he said, w e r e : ( 1 ) e r r o r s of d i s t r i b u t i o n , ( 2 ) e r - r o r s of c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , and ( 3 ) difficulties re- l a t i n g t o c o n t i n u a t i o n s — a s u b j e c t w h i c h had been r e f e r r e d to in F a r m i n g t o n P l a n L e t t e r , N o . 2, w h i c h had been issued in J a n u a r y 1950. D i s c u s s i n g s e r v i c e M r . M e t c a l f o b s e r v e d t h a t it had n o t been as rapid as it s h o u l d h a v e been, and he said t h a t it w a s less s a t i s f a c t o r y f r o m F r a n c e t h a n f r o m o t h e r c o u n t r i e s , due t o the f a c t t h a t the B i b l i o t h e q u e N a t i o n a l e w h i c h is responsible f o r the m a t e r i a l s sent f r o m t h a t c o u n t r y is c u r r e n t l y v e r y b a d l y u n d e r s t a f f e d . H e noted t h a t the s m a l l a m o u n t of m a t e r i a l b e i n g r e c e i v e d c u r r e n t l y f r o m B e l g i u m is n o t due t o inefficiency in the o p e r a t i o n of the P l a n , b u t to the f a c t t h a t p u b l i s h i n g in B e l g i u m is n o w a t an u n u s u a l l y l o w ebb. M r . M e t c a l f n o t e d t h a t f u n d s w e r e a v a i l a b l e t o send a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of the F a r m i n g t o n P l a n C o m m i t t e e to E u r o p e , and he said t h a t such a v i s i t s h o u l d be m a d e l a t e this s p r i n g o r s o m e t i m e in the s u m m e r . H e r e q u e s t e d t h a t p a r t i c i p a t i n g l i b r a r i e s send re- p o r t s of all t h e i r difficulties w i t h a g e n t s JULY, 1950 25 7 directly to him in order that it might be pos- sible to place in the hands of our representa- tive when he goes abroad some definite prob- lems that require investigation. With respect to the most fundamental ques- tion of all, namely that as to whether the Farmington Plan in its operation is giving adequate coverage, M r . Metcalf expressed the view that a thorough study of the results achieved is needed, and he expressed the hope that M r . Williams of Harvard would soon be able to make such a study. M r . Metcalf then raised a question concern- ing the division of fields, stating that he had come to the conviction that the operation of the Plan had been handicapped by the division of fields into too small classes. A s a result it was difficult to determine who had a par- ticular book. He also raised a question as to whether the Plan was saving money for par- ticipating libraries. W i t h regard particularly to material in the so-called minor languages he questioned the wisdom of following logic as we had done and dividing such materials among 54 libraries. He suggested that one of the reasons for our minute division had been the desire of some libraries to prove that they were scholarly and that language pre- sented no difficulties to them. It would have been wiser, he felt, to divide the minor lan- guage materials, which undoubtedly present peculiar difficulties, among a small number of libraries which had most need for them and which had adequate facilities for handling them. Upon motion by M r . Ellsworth it was voted that the Farmington Plan Committee reconsider the whole question of the division of fields. M r . Metcalf then turned to a discussion of the extension of the Plan to additional coun- tries, and he reviewed the contents of Farm- ington Plan Letter No. 2 on the question of Latin materials. Upon motion it was voted to include Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador in the Plan this year as soon as arrangements could be completed. M r . Metcalf then suggested that it was desirable for the association to begin the con- sideration of the 1951 program of the Plan, and he raised a question of including Spain, Portugal and Brazil, and he added that Lewis Hanke of the Library of Congress who was going abroad would investigate the desirability of adding these countries. He inquired whether the association would approve of in- cluding these countries in 1951 if M r . Hanke's investigations indicated that conditions were favorable. A question was raised as to whether it was proposed to extend the Plan to these additional countries without waiting for the report upon coverage and savings under the Plan in its earlier operations. M r . Metcalf replied with a recommendation that a report be made to the association by M r . Hanke upon his return from abroad, but that a final decision be reserved until the July meeting of the association. Upon motion by M r . Clapp it was voted to request M r . Hanke to investigate and to report not later than July 1950 on the desirability of adding these countries. M r . Metcalf then raised a question as to the desirability of extending the Plan to G e r - many and Austria. A f t e r various expressions of interest from members present, M r . M e t - calf said that he felt that a decision to extend the Plan to these countries could not be made until conditions there were such that reason- able coverage could be expected. He said that the representative of the Farmington Plan Committee who was to go abroad this spring or summer would report on this problem at least before the next midwinter meeting of the association. W i t h respect to the extension of the Plan to G r e a t Britain, M r . Metcalf pointed out that guidance had been sought through a special survey of our acquisitions of British publications, and that on the basis of that survey he had recommended in Farming- ton Plan Letter No. 2 that Great Britain be not included since nearly adequate coverage was apparently being achieved there without the Plan. Charles H . Brown urged that the extension of the Plan to India be seriously considered. M r . Metcalf indicated that it had been the policy of the Committee to concentrate first on the Latin alphabet countries. He expressed the view that it might be wise to ask some competent person who might be going to India, to investigate the problem for us. It was pointed out that M r . Poleman of the Library of Congress has recently gone to India, and M r . Clapp said that the Library of Congress would try to have him report. M r . Metcalf then raised the question of extending the Plan to Ireland. A f t e r a brief discussion from the floor, he expressed the view that the pro- cedure of investigating and reporting before decision be followed with respect to all these 266 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES questionable countries before attempting a decision. T h e possibility of extending the Plan to South Africa, N e w Zealand and Australia was then laid before the group for consideration. A f t e r a brief discussion it was decided again to follow the procedure of investigation and re- port before decision. M r . Metcalf asked for an expression of opinion as to whether the Plan should be extended to Canada. M r . Bauer said that Canada could well be omitted since it was likely that coverage of Canadian publications was already adequate. M r . Metcalf suggested that the problem be investigated and a report submitted at the July meeting of A . R . L . , or at the next midwinter meeting at the latest. M r . Metcalf said that as yet there were no adequate figures on the number of books re- ceived under the Plan in 1949. He hoped that an adequate report on this subject would ap- pear in the next Farmington Plan Letter. In conclusion, M r . Metcalf said that the problem of serial publications was very im- portant and needed study. He hoped to have a study of the problem made and suggested that our agent who is to go to Europe should try to secure lists of serials from the smaller European countries. The Pest of Questionnaires W a r n e r Rice discussed the pest of question- naires from which we all suffer with increas- ing frequency. He began by pointing out that he was not concerned about requests for sta- tistical information relating to the operation of his library, though he did wish that sta- tistics could be made to appear more promptly in published form and that individuals sub- mitting requests for information would exer- cise more ingenuity in locating information already available before they resorted to the method of questionnaires. His real concern, however, was with the numerous question- naires that are submitted by various com- mittees and by graduate students. M a n y of these questionnaires, he felt, were formulated without regard to sound principles of research and the studies that emerge from them often have no scholarly value and can have no schol- arly value. T h e problem cannot be solved by our refusing to answer or by charging a fee for the work involved in answering. T h e problem is more fundamental than this. M r . Rice suggested that it might be solved if the institutions responsible for the pro- liferation of objectionable questionnaires would try to bring about better methods of thinking and would cultivate sounder prin- ciples of research. M r . Coney suggested that all questionnaires be submitted in duplicate in order to save the answering library the effort involved in mak- ing copies. M r . Kuhlman proposed that M r . Rice discuss the problem with the Asso- ciation of American Library Schools. It was also suggested that the Association of College and Reference Libraries should review all questionnaires submitted by its various mem- bers. M r . Hamlin, the executive secretary of that organization, who was present as a guest, pointed out that it could do so for question- naires sponsored by A . C . R . L . headquarters and appearing under its letterhead, but that it could hardly exercise control over question- naires submitted by various committees. Committee on Library Privileges and Fees Stimulated by a request from Harvard, the executive secretary had recently appointed the following Committee on Library Privileges and Fees: Keyes D . Metcalf ( H a r v a r d ) , chairman; Donald Coney ( C a l i f o r n i a ) ; Robert A . Miller ( I n d i a n a ) ; C a r l White (Columbia) ; Herman Henkle (John C r e r a r ) . M r . Metcalf, chairman of the committee, spoke briefly of the problem created for some large research libraries by the very consider- able number of visiting scholars from outside who seek to use their collections, and he said that it appeared to be necessary to consider the possibility of charging fees to these out- siders for such library privileges. He said that as yet his committee had had no opportunity to meet and make a serious beginning of his work, but he said that he was very anxious to have the problem studied and that he would appreciate receiving letters and comments from all members of the association. Use of Manuscripts by Visiting Scholars and Microfilming of Same M r . Metcalf spoke of the problem of the use of manuscripts by visiting scholars and the analogous problem raised by the micro- filming of manuscripts for the use of scholars at a distance. H e said that it was the long standing policy of Harvard to cooperate with visiting scholars without discrimination by making its manuscripts pretty freely available JULY, 1950 25 7 to t h e m , b u t he h a s c o m e to h a v e the f e e l i n g t h a t t h e r e a r e special m a n u s c r i p t s w h o s e use m i g h t b e t t e r be r e s t r i c t e d t o s c h o l a r s of f u l l y r e c o g n i z e d c o m p e t e n c e and t o use in c o n n e c - tion w i t h s t u d i e s in w h i c h t h e y w o u l d be c e n - t r a l . H e e x p r e s s e d the v i e w t h a t the w h o l e p r o b l e m n e e d e d c a r e f u l c o n s i d e r a t i o n , and he said t h a t it w o u l d s e e m t o him d e s i r a b l e t o h a v e a code of f a i r p r a c t i c e s a d o p t e d . M r . B a b b c o m m e n t e d b r i e f l y on the e x p e r i e n c e a t Y a l e and a g r e e d t h a t the p r o b l e m w a s a s e r i o u s one. H e said t h a t he h a d a l w a y s been c o m p l e t e l y l e n i e n t in the m a t t e r of p e r m i t t i n g v i s i t i n g s c h o l a r s t o u s e m a n u s c r i p t s in the Y a l e c o l l e c t i o n s , b u t t h a t m e m b e r s of the Y a l e f a c u l t y had r e c e n t l y e x p r e s s e d d i s s a t i s - f a c t i o n a n d had g r o w n c r i t i c a l . H e h a s a c - c o r d i n g l y been s a d d l e d w i t h the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of d e t e r m i n i n g w h o is a c o m p e t e n t s c h o l a r and m a y p r o p e r l y be p e r m i t t e d to u s e s u c h m a n u s c r i p t s , b u t he said he f e l t t h a t he w a s n o t q u a l i f i e d t o m a k e s u c h a j u d g e m e n t and o u g h t n o t t o be a s k e d t o do so. M r . M i l l e r asked h o w a n y o n e c o u l d m a k e the decision as t o w h o is a c o m p e t e n t s c h o l a r , and he a l s o i n q u i r e d h o w any l i b r a r y c o u l d hope t o m a i n - t a i n its s t a n d i n g as a n a t i o n a l l i b r a r y if it p l a c e d l i m i t a t i o n s on the use of its m a t e r i a l s . M r . B a b b a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t Y a l e h a s h a d a p o l i c y of g i v i n g e x c l u s i v e use of m a n u s c r i p t s t o Y a l e p e o p l e f o r a p e r i o d of f i v e y e a r s , b u t o n l y if a r e q u e s t f o r e x c l u s i v e use of t h e m is m a d e . R a l p h S h a w r e f e r r e d t o his f o r t h c o m - i n g s t u d y of this p r o b l e m and said t h a t m a n y r i g h t s a r e c u r r e n t l y b e i n g a s s e r t e d w h i c h do n o t e x i s t . M r . C l a p p said t h a t he c o n s i d e r e d a c o d e of ethics on this s u b j e c t w a s u r g e n t l y n e e d e d . L a w r e n c e P o w e l l a s k e d w h a t p u r - pose such a code w o u l d s e r v e . M r . M e t c a l f r e p l i e d t h a t it c o u l d be used as a g u i d e in m a k i n g decisions as to w h e t h e r a m a n u s c r i p t s h o u l d be m a d e a v a i l a b l e t o a v i s i t i n g s c h o l a r o r n o t . M r . P o w e l l said t h a t in his u n i v e r s i t y the f a c u l t y h a d c o n t r o l of the use of m a n u - s c r i p t s and t h a t he d o u b t e d w h e t h e r a c o d e d r a f t e d by l i b r a r i a n s w o u l d be a c c e p t a b l e t o t h e m o r indeed t o any s c h o l a r s . M r . D a v i d s u g g e s t e d t h a t a code d e v e l o p e d by l i b r a r i a n s w o u l d p r o b a b l y n o t be a c c e p t a b l e to s c h o l a r s and s u g g e s t e d t h a t a m i x e d c o m m i t t e e of s c h o l a r s and l i b r a r i a n s be a p p o i n t e d t o f o r m u - l a t e s u c h a c o d e , w h i c h m i g h t then be s u b - m i t t e d t o A . R . L . f o r d i s c u s s i o n and possible a p p r o v a l . U p o n m o t i o n by M r . C l a p p it w a s v o t e d t h a t t h e e x e c u t i v e s e c r e t a r y and t h e A d - v i s o r y C o m m i t t e e a p p o i n t a c o m m i t t e e to s t u d y the p r o b l e m and to d r a f t a c o d e of f a i r p r a c t i c e f o r p r e s e n t a t i o n to the J u l y m e e t i n g of t h e a s s o c i a t i o n . M r . T a t e c o m m e n t e d on the p a r t i c u l a r p r o b l e m c r e a t e d by the r e f e r e n c e use of m a n u - s c r i p t theses. H e t h o u g h t t h a t it w o u l d be d e s i r a b l e to s t u d y the m a t t e r of a c o d e of f a i r p r a c t i c e e s p e c i a l l y f o r theses in the science and e n g i n e e r i n g f i e l d s w h e r e " p r i m a c y " o r " p r i - o r i t y " is a m a t t e r of g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e . T h e r e w a s d i s a g r e e m e n t as t o w h e t h e r this p r o b l e m of m a n u s c r i p t theses w a s a p a r t of the m o r e g e n e r a l p r o b l e m c o n c e r n i n g the use of m a n u - s c r i p t s w h i c h M r . M e t c a l f h a d r a i s e d , o r w h e t h e r it w a s a s e p a r a t e p r o b l e m . I n the end the c h a i r m a n m o v e d t h a t the c o m m i t t e e w h i c h had been a u t h o r i z e d s h o u l d d e t e r m i n e f o r itself w h e t h e r theses s h o u l d o r s h o u l d n o t be c o n s i d e r e d a p a r t of the m a n u s c r i p t p r o b l e m . M r . M i l l e r of I n d i a n a u r g e d t h a t in the m a k e - u p of the c o m m i t t e e c a r e s h o u l d be e x e r c i s e d to i n c l u d e " h a v e - n o t s " as w e l l as " h a v e s " in the m e m b e r s h i p . Committee on Microfilming Cooperation M r . T a t e , c h a i r m a n of the c o m m i t t e e , s u b - m i t t e d a f i n a l r e p o r t in w h i c h he r e v i e w e d b r i e f l y t h e w o r k of the c o m m i t t e e since its a p p o i n t m e n t n e a r l y f o u r y e a r s a g o , and s u m - m a r i z e d its a c h i e v e m e n t s . A b r i e f d i g e s t of the r e p o r t f o l l o w s : 1. Information Center on Long-Run Micro- film Projects. T h r o u g h the c o o p e r a t i o n of t h e L i b r a r y of C o n g r e s s an I n f o r m a t i o n C e n t e r on l o n g - r u n m i c r o f i l m p r o j e c t s i n v o l v i n g n e w s - p a p e r s , s e r i a l s , o r m a n u s c r i p t s h a s been e s t a b - lished t h e r e in the U n i o n C a t a l o g D i v i s i o n . T o the e x t e n t t h a t l i b r a r i e s and o t h e r s co- o p e r a t e in l i s t i n g t h e i r h o l d i n g s the I n f o r m a - tion C e n t e r w i l l be able t o s u p p l y u p - t o - d a t e i n f o r m a t i o n on p r o j e c t s t h a t h a v e been c o m - p l e t e d , a r e in p r o g r e s s , o r a r e in p r o s p e c t . 2. Newspapers on Microfilm, A Union Check List, c o m p i l e d u n d e r the d i r e c t i o n of G e o r g e A . S c h w e g m a n n , J r . , h a s been p u b - lished by A . R . L . in c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h the L i - b r a r y of C o n g r e s s . T h e r e is a l r e a d y e v i d e n t need f o r a n e w r e v i s e d edition, and it is h o p e d t h a t in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e w o r k of the I n - f o r m a t i o n C e n t e r at the L i b r a r y of C o n g r e s s such a r e v i s e d edition c a n be issued in the n o t t o o d i s t a n t f u t u r e . 3. Standards for Newspaper Reproduction 268 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES on 35mm Film. Under the direction of Her- man H . Fussier and Cabot T . Stein of the University of Chicago, preliminary set of standards for the reproduction of newspapers on 35mm film has been drafted. It is to be published in the new journal, American Docu- mentation, Vol. I, No. 1. 4. Interlibrary Loan Policy for Microfilm- ing Reproductions. T h e committee has en- deavored to develop a set of basic principles governing this subject, though their adoption has been left for the voluntary action of li- braries. 5. Sale and Pricing Policies. Though the committee has spent much time in the dis- cussion of these matters, it has not succeeded in resolving the present chaotic sale and pric- ing situation. 6. Objectives of Long-Run Periodical Film- ing. T h e committee has felt the need of a long-range broad scale plan of microfilming both for preservation and for use, but so far it has not been able to develop such a master plan with any degree of success, and it there- fore proposes to delegate this and other re- sponsibilities to its successor agency whatever that agency may be. M r . T a t e then expressed very strongly the view that his committee had carried out its assignment as far as it felt able to do, and he urged that it be discharged. T h e r e being no objection, it was ruled that the committee be discharged with thanks. The Continuing Problem of the Preservation of Newspapers M r . Kuhlman asked a question as to how many of the libraries represented at the meet- ing had changed their subscriptions to the New York Times from the rag-paper edition to the film edition for purposes of reference and preservation. It was indicated, though with some uncertainty, that eight libraries have so changed. M r . Clapp then spoke in more general terms of the large problem of the preservation of newspapers by means of microfilm repro- duction (which he felt was still with us), and he referred to the original memorandum of the Librarian of Congress on this subject which had preceded the appointment of M r . T a t e ' s Committee on Microfilming Coopera- tion. T h e Library of Congress, he said, was besieged with inquiries which had a direct bearing on this question, and he expressed the JULY, 1950 view that it might be well to have a board or committee, perhaps the Board on Resources of American Libraries, to which the Library of Congress might turn for advice. Although the T a t e Committee had been discharged, there was need for assistance and for planning, and the libraries must certainly get together and cooperate with respect to this matter. A suggestion was made that we look to the In- formation Center that had been established at the Library of Congress on the advice of the T a t e Committee, but it appeared to be M r . Clapp's view that while the center was im- portant, something more positive was re- quired. M r . Coney urged that the Board on Resources be asked to appoint a subcommittee to study this question. M r . Downs, chairman of the Board on Resources, said that he hoped the board would be favorable to such a pro- posal. It appeared to be the sense of the meet- ing that no further action should be taken by A . R . L . until it could be learned what construc- tive development with respect to this matter might come from a direct exchange of views between the Library of Congress and the Board on Resources. Committee on Serials in Research Fields T h i s was formerly the Committee on Re- production of Wartime Periodicals. Charles H . Brown, chairman, reported on the progress which the firm of Edwards Brothers is mak- ing with its program of facsimile reproduc- tions of wartime periodicals. M r . Brown said that his committee contem- plates the preparation of comprehensive lists of all periodicals which are announced for reproduction anywhere and the publication of these lists, probably in the Unesco Bulletin for Libraries. He said that W a l t e r J. Johnson of N e w Y o r k , Springer-Verlag, and many others have announced plans for reproduction of many sets. M r . Brown said that on account of the dollar exchange problem, Unesco was anxious to obtain permission to reproduce certain American scientific journals in France rather than in this country, and, as a means of strengthening the hand of Unesco in this laud- able enterprize, he presented a resolution which the association passed urging upon the publishers of American periodicals the desir- ability of their consenting to the photographic reproduction of their periodicals now out of 25 7 print for distribution and sale in soft-currency countries. M r . Brown said that his committee had had considerable correspondence with Unesco regarding exchanges, and he pointed out that in the Unesco Bulletin for Libraries there have been lists of publications available for exchange by various institutions in the United States and abroad. He urged that these lists receive the careful attention of exchange librarians. M r . Brown drew attention to the lists of most cited periodicals in the various fields of pure and applied sciences which had been issued by a committee of A . R . L . in 1942, based o n !939 publications. He said that his com- mittee hoped to make arrangements for a new edition of these lists, to be based on 1949-5° publications. T h e association ap- proved. M r . Brown especially asked that librarians who are successful in getting regularly all issues of their Russian periodicals notify him as to how they are doing it. Committee on Prices of German Books, Periodicals, and Microfilm M r . Clapp, chairman, reported how this committee had arisen out of complaints pre- sented orally to the last meeting of the asso- ciation held in Cambridge in M a r c h 1949. He then went on to report the various investiga- tions which the committee has carried on and stated that up to date little evidence has come to light that seems to justify the complaints that have been made. He accordingly con- cluded as follows: " T h e committee sees no cause for alarm on the German front and recommends no action." Committee on Research Libraries and the Library of Congress M r . David, the chairman of this committee, submitted a final report the principal feature of which was a long letter from the Librarian of Congress which summarized the results at which the committee had arrived in its con- sideration of the half dozen problems with which it had been concerned. T h e contents of this letter were far too extensive to be in- cluded here. It must therefore suffice to say that the Librarian of Congress acknowledged that all assignments made to the committee had been placed in appropriate channels or awaited the completion of important stages of development, and therefore he was willing to have the committee dismissed. T h e chairman, therefore, while fully acknowledging that not all of the problems submitted to the com- mittee had been successfully resolved and that there would doubtless still be continuing need for discussion of the various problems of the research libraries and the Library of Congress, nevertheless requested that his committee be permitted to dissolve. T h e request was granted and the committee was dismissed with thanks. United States Book Exchange T h e executive secretary presented on be- half of the director of the U . S. Book E x - change, Inc., a very gratifying report of progress. Committee on Customs Procedures and Importation Difficulties Lawrence C . Powell, chairman, reported that there is some prospect of legislation which would increase from $100 to $250 the value of merchandise for which the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe regulations for declaration and entry. T h e effect would be very advantageous for libraries making im- portations, but it is as yet by no means certain that such favorable legislation will be enacted. A Monthly Index to United Nations Publications An announcement has been received that the United Nations Library will begin publi- cation in February 1950 of a monthly index of documents under the title United Nations Documents Index; Documents and Publica- tions of the United Nations and Specialized Agencies. It is intended to list and index by subjects all of the documents and publications of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies received by the United Nations Li- brary, except restricted (confidential) ma- terials and internal papers. T h e publication will be reproduced by photo-offset with a printed cover and will be S i x 1 1 " in size. It is estimated that each issue will run some- where between 75 and 100 pages. T h e sub- scription rate for the publication will be about $8.00 in the United States and Canada. T h e meeting adjourned at 10:45 P - M - — Charles W. David, Executive Secretary. 270 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES