College and Research Libraries By I R A J . P E S K I N D The Organisation of an Audio-Visual Unit in a Junior College Library1 Mr. Peskind is Director, Audio-Visual Department, IVright Junior College, Chi- cago. ONE OF the recent and significant devel-opments of education at the j u n i o r college level has been the rapid expansion in the use of audio-visual materials. Because these materials cover a t r e m e n d o u s range of types, it is necessary f o r purposes of discus- sion to define w h a t may be considered audio- visual materials at the j u n i o r college level. Audio-visual materials at this level do n o t mean w h a t audio-visual materials at the uni- versity level m e a n . T h e r e f o r e , there are not included, at this time, those materials and equipment which preserve l e a r n i n g such as microfilms and microcards. T h o u g h they have great usefulness f o r the j u n i o r col- lege library, their very n a t u r e makes them especially a p p r o p r i a t e f o r the purposes of the large four-year college and university li- brary. W h a t I shall include as audio-visual at this time are those m a t e r i a l s w h i c h require special technical devices, involving m o d e r n techniques of communication, and which are unusually adaptable f o r purposes of instruc- tion at the j u n i o r college level. T h i s does n o t mean t h a t materials w h i c h are not men- tioned are n o t audio-visual and t h a t these other materials are not a p p r o p r i a t e to the j u n i o r college level. I t merely means t h a t they are outside the present limits of discus- sion. 1 P a p e r p r e s e n t e d at t h e m e e t i n g o f the J u n i o r C o l - l e g e L i b r a r i e s S e c t i o n , A . C . R . L . , C l e v e l a n d , J u l y 1 9 , 1 9 5 0 . V i r t u a l l y no one w i l l ask w h y w e should have audio-visual materials. B u t w h e n one asks w h y p u t these materials in the library, the problem becomes m o r e complex. A l - most everyone actively engaged in the audio- visual field insists t h a t services and m a t e r i a l s should be centrally administered, but f e w w h o are not librarians w i l l concede t h a t they belong in the l i b r a r y . I t may be observed t h a t audio-visual materials and p r i n t e d ma- terials serve identical purposes and f o r t h a t reason should be organized and correlated in a single p r o g r a m . A library is technically set up, as no other o r g a n i z a t i o n is, f o r the f u n c t i o n s of acquisition, processing and cata- loging, all vital in audio-visual o r g a n i z a t i o n . T h e r e are other reasons f o r the inclusion of such a p r o g r a m in the library, but the p u r - pose here is to explain how one can f u n c t i o n . T h e problem may be stated as f o l l o w s : If an audio-visual u n i t is considered neces- sary f o r a j u n i o r college library, w h a t kind of u n i t should be organized ? T h e answer is, of course, t h a t the situation is relative, depending upon the p a r t i c u l a r j u n i o r col- lege, the library, the people in both, t h e financial resources and the existing audio- visual p r o g r a m . T h e kinds of o r g a n i z a t i o n t h a t may result are n u m e r o u s . I t may be necessary f o r the library to divide audio- visual responsibility w i t h the i n s t r u c t i o n a l d e p a r t m e n t s or w i t h an already existing cen- tralized unit. I t w o u l d be a d v a n t a g e o u s in such a situation f o r the library to be the agency to house, organize and distribute ma- terials. B u t best of all is to have the l i b r a r y administer the entire p r o g r a m . 62 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES T o s t a r t an audio-visual unit, the librar- ian may have to initiate all moves f r o m convincing the f a c u l t y and a d m i n i s t r a t o r s to the actual establishment of the u n i t . A pre- liminary survey of the situation should con- sider staff, budget, existing p r o g r a m s and personal conflicts. H o w e v e r , in planning, a good r u l e to f o l l o w is: find the absolute limit of your capacity to absorb audio-visual f u n c t i o n s and then go twice as f a r ! W h a t f u n c t i o n s should the audio-visual u n i t assume? O r w h a t f u n c t i o n s can it assume ? A description of certain aspects of an existing j u n i o r college library audio- visual u n i t may help to answer these ques- tions. A l t h o u g h this unit is n o w only in an early stage of development, it is being de- scribed because the scope of its operations is w i t h i n the realm of possibility f o r other j u n i o r college libraries. Background and Physical Characteristics T h i s p a r t i c u l a r audio-visual u n i t is one t h a t w a s organized d u r i n g the early m o n t h s of 1950 in the W r i g h t B r a n c h of the Chi- cago C i t y J u n i o r College. T h i s branch n o r m a l l y has a r e g u l a r s t u d e n t e n r o l l m e n t of over 5 0 0 0 and an additional 1500 or more a d u l t education registrants. T h e physical p l a n t consists of one very large building, constructed in 1934, and one which, comparatively speaking, may be called well-equipped though its facilities are very overcrowded. T h e library, in which the audio-visual u n i t was placed, is located in one extremely large r e c t a n g u l a r room di- vided vertically to separate the various f u n c - tional divisions of the library. Before the library u n i t w a s initiated, each instructional d e p a r t m e n t had its own audio- visual equipment and materials. W h e n the j u n i o r college a d m i n i s t r a t i o n decided upon a centralized audio-program, each depart- m e n t w a s asked to participate in the central- ization by v o l u n t a r i l y c o n t r i b u t i n g its equipment and materials to t h e library. E q u i p m e n t and materials w h i c h w e r e more conveniently located in the individual de- partments, or which w e r e t h o u g h t to be more u s e f u l decentralized, w e r e l e f t in the d e p a r t m e n t a l rooms and offices. T h e r e w a s n o t h i n g a r b i t r a r y in the centralization change over. T h e basic policy and raison d'etre of the audio-visual p r o g r a m are to relieve faculty members of the necessity of dealing w i t h technical complexities w h e n using audio- visual aids so t h a t they are l e f t f r e e to concentrate on the a l l - i m p o r t a n t utilization f a c t o r in teaching. W i t h this policy in m i n d , the librarian set out to incorporate an audio-visual pro- g r a m w i t h i n the f r a m e w o r k of the library o r g a n i z a t i o n . T h e assistant librarian was made director of the n e w p r o g r a m and w a s given com- plete responsibility over all phases of its administration. L i b r a r y clerks w e r e ap- pointed and trained f o r the n e w routines and technically-minded students w e r e hired f o r operation, messenger and repair w o r k . T e c h n i c a l knowledge of a m o r e expert sort w a s gathered f r o m existing resources on the college f a c u l t y . T h e audio-visual director has retained his assistant-librarian status b u t the audio-visual f u n c t i o n occupies v i r t u a l l y all of his time. Audio-visual finances have become p a r t of the library budget and the j u n i o r college has generously increased ap- propriations to the library accordingly. A n audio-visual room was carved out of the library, and in it w e r e placed tables and chairs f o r over 3 0 students or f a c u l t y mem- bers to listen to phonographs and to use other equipment. I n an a d j a c e n t room, all other equipment &nd replacement parts are housed so t h a t they may be ready f o r circu- lation at any time. P h o n o g r a p h record cab- inets, film and filmstrip cabinets, slides and other materials are kept in the audio-visual JANUARY, 1951 63 room. Books on the audio-visual subject, vertical files c o n t a i n i n g film catalogs and other materials, the audio-visual periodicals and reference books are also kept here f o r convenient usage. T h e desks of the audio- visual director and his assistants are kept in the n e w room to make it a convenient and compact center f o r the implementation of a large audio-visual p r o g r a m . Equipment and Materials By the end of J u n e 1950, the supply of equipment and m a t e r i a l s had g r o w n con- siderably. T h e r e w e r e five motion picture projectors, an a u d i t o r i u m p r o j e c t o r , three 3 x 4 " slide projectors, t w o 2 " x 2 " slide projectors, t w o filmstrip projectors, f o u r portable phonographs, a t u r n t a b l e capable of playing records t h r o u g h the a u d i t o r i u m , gymnasium and other amplifiers, 10 listening stations f o r the library capable of having six students listening at each station t h r o u g h earphones, t w o viewers f o r 2 " x 2 " slides f o r library use by students, an overhead projec- tor, an opaque p r o j e c t o r , a large disc re- corder, a tape recorder, as well as a small portable tape recorder, and n u m e r o u s screens, tables, stands, lenses, replacement parts and other supplies. T h o u g h this col- lection of equipment has g r o w n very rapidly and very efficient usage has been a t t e m p t e d , indications are t h a t m o r e equipment w i l l cer- tainly be needed to meet c u r r e n t demands. T h e audio-visual room contains over 3 0 0 0 p h o n o g r a p h records, all purchased re- cently, o n e - f o u r t h being 33 1 / 3 long-playing types. T h e rapidly e x p a n d i n g motion pic- t u r e film cabinets n o w house over 100 films and filmstrips, slides and t r a n s c r i p t i o n s ; other materials are a c c u m u l a t i n g rapidly. C a r e is taken in selecting these materials, w i t h f a c u l t y members o r d e r i n g only items meeting their high s t a n d a r d s f o r acquisition. Since they are f a m i l i a r w i t h sources, the library staff cooperates in selection. Functions and Services of the Audio-Visual Unit 1. R e f e r e n c e and i n f o r m a t i o n services: W i t h the collections of books, pamphlets, periodicals and other materials on the audio- visual subject housed in the audio-visual room, the director is able to provide a ref- erence service for f a c u l t y members. I n f o r - mation on suitable materials is given w h e n - ever it is requested. I t is o f t e n necessary to phone other libraries and film i n f o r m a t i o n centers to provide the required i n f o r m a t i o n , but this service is considered a necessary f u n c t i o n in the n e w unit. Lists of n e w materials are sent to f a c u l t y members and previews are always a r r a n g e d w h e n interest in any m a t e r i a l is evident. 2. Acquisition, processing and cataloging of m a t e r i a l s : T h e library unit is respon- sible f o r acquiring all audio-visual materials needed by the college. F i l m s are n o r m a l l y rented b u t are purchased w h e n continued usage shows t h a t p e r m a n e n t acquisition is more economical than f r e q u e n t rentals. A delivery service is provided by the library f o r r e n t a l pickups, and close contact is main- tained w i t h all film r e n t a l agencies in Chi- cago. F i l m s and other materials a r e in- spected, dated and labeled w h e n they arrive and care is taken to see t h a t rented materials are r e t u r n e d at the proper time. All audio- visual materials which are p a r t of the library's p e r m a n e n t collection are cataloged and incorporated into the card catalog. N u m e r o u s subject headings and other en- tries have been devised so t h a t m a x i m u m usage of audio-visual materials can be made t h r o u g h i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m the card catalog. 3. C i r c u l a t i o n of audio-visual materials and e q u i p m e n t : A l l materials and equip- m e n t are circulated a n y w h e r e w i t h i n the college. S t u d e n t s are f r e e to use any ma- terials w i t h i n the library and phonograph records are on open shelves to be taken and used as f r e e l y as books or periodicals. C e r - 64 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES tain materials are circulated f o r home use if f a c u l t y members request t h a t they be avail- able in this m a n n e r . T h e audio-visual u n i t also circulates, w i t h o u t restriction, maps, pictures, posters, display letters and cases, etc., to all persons requesting them. 4. A d a p t i n g college p l a n t f o r audio-visual u s a g e : T h e f u r t h e r i n g of better physical facilities f o r audio-visual use in the college has been a continual f u n c t i o n of the n e w u n i t . I t has been felt t h a t the best possible conditions f o r projections must be obtained if they are to be shown at m a x i m u m effi- ciency and usefulness f o r teaching. A l m o s t every room in the b u i l d i n g has been equipped w i t h d a r k e n i n g shades, additional electrical outlets and other h e l p f u l devices. 5. O p e r a t i o n of equipment w i t h i n the college: T o a r r a n g e a projection or other audio-visual f u n c t i o n in his classroom, the ' . r f a c u l t y member at W r i g h t i n f o r m s the library unit of the room n u m b e r , date and time of his class meeting and the m a t e r i a l s t h a t he will use. T h e necessary equipment and materials are b r o u g h t to the class meet- ing at the proper time and operated by a library operator w h o later r e t u r n s the equip- m e n t and materials to the library. E a r l y requests are, of course, encouraged but f o r public relations purposes, all requests are ac- knowledged regardless of the lateness of the h o u r or of the inconvenience to the l i b r a r y . 6. M a i n t e n a n c e and repair of e q u i p m e n t : T e c h n i c a l l y - m i n d e d students have been trained to keep the p r o j e c t o r s and other equipment oiled, cleaned and in the best pos- sible w o r k i n g condition. T h e s e assistants have also been f o u n d capable of m a k i n g m i n o r and sometimes m a j o r repairs on most equipment. 7. Research in the development of n e w equipment o r special a d a p t a t i o n of old equipment f o r the best utilization of audio- visual m a t e r i a l s : T h e audio-visual director f r e q u e n t l y consults w i t h sound engineering agencies, film projection specialists, as well as engineering specialists on the W r i g h t faculty, to develop newer improved equip- m e n t . T h i s procedure has resulted in the exceptionally satisfactory listening stations, earphone inputs f o r the tape recorders and motion picture projectors, convenient con- t r o l boards f o r the a u d i t o r i u m and special lenses and sound jack boxes f o r projectors. I t has been discovered t h a t m a n y types of s t a n d a r d equipment can be made much more useful for specific purposes t h r o u g h m i n o r adaptations or changes. 8. T r a i n i n g of f a c u l t y and students in the use of audio-visual equipment and ma- t e r i a l s : A p r i m a r y f u n c t i o n of the audio- visual unit is to t r a i n persons to be skillful in the operation aijd use of machines and ma- terials. F a c u l t y members w h o wish to ' o p e r a t e the equipment themselves are given instructions. S t u d e n t s using the phono- graphs, slide and film-strip projectors, tape recorders or other equipment are c a r e f u l l y instructed in proper usage. 9. I n t e g r a t i n g audio-visual usage into the c u r r i c u l u m t h r o u g h cooperation w i t h the f a c u l t y : Considerable a t t e n t i o n is paid to d i s t r i b u t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n to f a c u l t y mem- bers as to h o w audio-visual materials may be used in their courses. T h e audio-visual di- rector sometimes a r r a n g e s to speak at de- p a r t m e n t a l f a c u l t y meetings f o r the purpose of disseminating i n f o r m a t i o n about audio- visual materials. F a c u l t y members are en- couraged to discuss audio-visual utilization problems w i t h the audio-visual director. 10. P r o d u c t i o n of audio-visual m a t e r i a l s : T h e library unit cooperates w i t h the Physi- cal Science Division and their associated photographic laboratory in p r o d u c i n g films, filmstrips and slides f o r instructional use. I n the field of sound reproduction, the audio-visual unit cuts and dubs phonograph records and produces tapes upon request. U n u s u a l l y difficult requests are sent to pro- JANUARY, 1951 65 fessional recording agencies. A n interest- ing application of sound reproduction in the u n i t was initiated w h e n secretarial practice teachers recorded their voices at various speeds so t h a t s t u d e n t s could practice t a k i n g dictation at those speeds in the library and at home. I I . Services of a n o n i n s t r u c t i o n a l n a t u r e : T h e library's audio-visual service is not con- fined to instructional purposes alone. M a n y students w h o c r o w d the audio-visual room every day to listen to t h e fine music and d r a m a recordings are there not because of compulsory class assignments but because they have an o p p o r t u n i t y to listen to fine music and d r a m a not easily available else- w h e r e . M u s i c , films, etc. are available to s t u d e n t organizations. A s t u d e n t club of N e w O r l e a n s j a z z enthusiasts, f o r example, use the library disc recorder to d u b copies of r a r e recordings f o r distribution to each of the club members. Service is also provided to college play productions, athletic events, concerts, etc. I t is impossible to evaluate objectively the audio-visual p r o g r a m at this j u n i o r college. T h e p r o g r a m has not been in ex- istence long enough. A g r e a t deal, how- ever, has been achieved in this short period. T h e r e has been some confusion and there is a question of providing too m u c h . A n over- a b u n d a n t energy devoted to audio-visual service m i g h t d e t r a c t f r o m the t r a d i t i o n a l library service, but care has been taken in limiting the p r o g r a m so t h a t dangers in these directions are slight. F a c u l t y and stu- dent reaction has been one of singular en- thusiasm and this alone has been enough e n c o u r a g e m e n t to continue developing the p r o g r a m . I t is difficult to describe how i m p o r t a n t this audio-visual p r o g r a m has been f o r the library and f o r the school. I t has m e a n t an efficient integration of audio-visual materials into the c u r r i c u l u m w i t h little or no expense to f a c u l t y members' time wasted on its technical aspects. I t has m e a n t t h a t stu- dents have begun to view the library as a place to find the best not only in books but also in a r t and music. I t has m e a n t t h a t the library has taken steps to become the com- plete library, the l i b r a r y which provides the necessary variety in materials and services which teaching n o w requires. I t m u s t not be f o r g o t t e n t h a t the j u n i o r college library p e r f o r m s one of its most effective roles w i t h i n a j u n i o r college by being a service unit, and the m o r e widespread and complete its services, the more effective and valuable is the library to the j u n i o r col- lege it serves. By w i d e n i n g the scope of library operations, w e are helping to make the library a more effective i n s t r u m e n t f o r teach- ing at the j u n i o r college level. Correction In the article on "Investigations and Research Projects in the Field of College Libraries," October 1950 issue, p. 321-27, footnote 19 should have read "Michigan" instead of " D e n v e r " and footnote 60, "Michigan" instead of "Illinois." T h e date in footnote 13 should have been "1875" instead of "1785." 66 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES