College and Research Libraries By ELIZABETH 0. STONE The Encouragement of Reading Through Ownership of Books and Book Selection Miss Stone is assistant director of libraries for public servicesJ Southern Illinois. Uni- 'l'ersity. A RECEN'r article 1 has attested to the fact that students may not continue to be readers after leaving college, while another 2 informs us that "College Students Do Read." In the latter article the query is made, "Does the library do anything to pro- mote membership in book dubs and owner- ship of pocketbook editions ?"3 For some time, one of our plans for making students permanent readers is to sell them books. It is our theory that if students become purchas- ers, re.ading is likely to be continued. Since Southern Illinois University is not situated in a metropolitan area, and there is only one small bookstore, we have added one copy of each important title in the inexpen- sive reprint series. These are for inspection purposes only, and as such are always on display. A poster near the collection advises the student to "Build Up Your Own Library of Good Books." After listing in I, 2, 3 order the steps necessary for the ordering of these tides, the placard further admonishes, "Browse as often as you like, but t~e books in this group may not be with- drawn from the library. They are here for display only." Books are shelved by series 1 Canfield, Cass, "To Promote Reading," Library · Journal, 76:9II-I6, June I, I95I. 3 Abraham, Willard, "College Students do Read," Library Journal, 76: 677-79, 693, April IS, 195I . 8 Ibid., p.693. OCTOBERJ 1952 with prices prominently displayed, and there are at least two thousand titles in this open- shelf collection. Order blapks are placed on a near by table. When the bibliographical information has been entered on the blank and checked by the Circulation Division, the orders are given to the University Book- store (which serves only as a textbook rental store) and the i terns are ordered. Upon receipt the purchaser is notified by telephone. From the beginning orders have averaged at least one hundred per month. The collection is not allowed to become static; each worth while title published in an inexpensive reprint series is added. Selections are chosen carefully by experi- enced, professional staff members. At peri- odic intervals an · inventory is taken of the collection to determine how many and which tides are missing. These are then re- ordered. It is not too surprising to note that some few of the titles ar.e repeatedly listed as "missing," but our loss has not been great. The collection is publicized in the uni- versity weekly paper, and by displays of the material on bulletin boards. At the time of writing, an effective display informs the public, "You Can Own All of These for Five Dollars." Those currently e~hibited are: Photography As a HobbyJ by Fred B. Barton (Perma); YouJ TooJ Can Be the Perfect H ostessJ by Maureen Daly (Pocket); Handy World Atlas (Perma); Essentials of A rithmeticJ by Hen;y Sticker 309 ( Perma) ; Better Speech for YouJ by Daniel P. Eginton (Perrna); Best Loved PoemsJ edited by MacKenzie (Perma); The Mer- riam-Webster Pocket Dictionary (Pocket) ; The Pocket Cook ·Bo.okJ by Woody (Pocket); The Dictionary of First AidJ by Pomeranz (Pocket) ; Great OperasJ by Simon and Veinus (Pocket); Handy Book of Indoor GamesJ by Mott-Smith (Perma); A Treasury of Folk SongsJ by Kolb (Ban- tarn); Old MastersJ edited by Wech~ler (Pocket) ; The Handbook for House Re- pairsJ by Gelders (Penna); The Handy- book of Useful InformationJ edited by Copeland (Perrna); The ConsumerJs Guide to Better BuyingJ by Margolius (Signet) . A small typed notice informs the viewer of the exhibit, "Other titles are availab~e for consultation in the reprint collection, which is shelved near the circulation desk. Copies of these and other books in the reprint collection may be ordered by filling out one of the mimeographed forms and leaving it with an attendant at the circula- tion desk." The Great Books, Modern Library, Everyman's Library, Perma Books, Perrna Giants, Pocket Books, Signet and Mentor Books, Penguin Books (both American and English), Bantam, Pelican, Rinehart Edi- tions, Harper's Modern Classics, Halcyon House Books, Viking Portable Library, Collector's Editions, Reviewers' Selections are among the series displayed. This group will be expanded to greater length. As books become out-of-print they are removed from the collection. A careful check is made as to the length of time required before the purchasers receive their books. If the time required 'appears too great, an effort is made to obtain them more quickly. So useful have the reprint series been that the History Department has ordered various titles in quantity in order to meet the needs of the reserve collection. These are ·not cataloged, and are destroyed when their physical condition becomes poor. Our other plans relate to the selection of books for the university libraries, a task which if properly done should encourage reading. All book selection for the uni- versity libraries is coordinated in the office of the assistant director of libraries for public services. Book budgets are allocated by the Library Committee with the advice of the director of libraries. Each depart- mental chairman designates one member of his department ( whi~h in many cases may be himself) to serve as library representa- tive for the year. To this person is sent all information about new books, reprints, new series, books on rnicrocards or microfilm which comes to the office of the assistant director. This includes advertising ma- terial such as the Tuesday Letters sent out by the Macmillan Company, the annota- tions of their new books published by Longmans Green and Company, the library cards received from various publishers, such as Wiley, McGraw-Hill, and others. Special attention is paid to those subject areas in which the library book collection is known to be weak and reasonably rapid growth has been made in building collec- tions in several fields. Such material is accompanied by a mimeographed form, which is filled in with the name of the faculty member, asking him to complete orders which will be charged against the proper departmental library book fund. Catalogs which list second-hand material receive special care. They are not permit- ted to lie in a basket awaiting attention but are dated and sent immediately to the de- partment concerned. A letter, which ac- companies all second-hand catalogs, contains an explanation of the need for prompt checking of catalogs so as to insure pro- curement of the materials. We receive a prompt response from all departments, as they realize we are quite unlikely to be able to secure material if the lists have been held 310 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES for more than a week by faculty depart- ments. All orders for second-hand books are ordered "rush." The Order Division is aided by the return of the catalog with the request for the material. Two copies of Publishers' Weekly and Library 1 ournal are subscribed to for the use of this office in clipping. The "Weekly Record" and "Books Appraised are carefully studied, and the name of the appropriate library representative is written in the mar- gin beside the various books which the faculty members may be in teres ted in adding to the university libraries. This biblio- graphical information and annotations are cut out and pasted on order cards and sent with a mimeographed notice to the various library representatives. The notice requests the signature of the person and the depart- ment, as well as a statement to the effect that the item will be charged to the depart- ment. Since all order cards are routed to the office of the assistant director of libraries for public services, it is soon obvious which departments are discriminating purchasers and which are less active and less interested in adding to the university collection. Other periodicals checked regularly for library representatives include: Booklist~ Literary Supplement to the London Times~ Saturday R eview, reviewing sections of fVilson Library Bulletin, Library Quar- terly, and others. Books A broad is routed each quarter to the chairman of the Depart- ment of Foreign Languages. The chief of the Education Library checks new education and psychology peri- odicals, such as American- ! ournal of Psy- chology~ Education Index, Higher Educa- tion~ School Life, and School and Society. Order cards are typed and sent to the library representatives in the education and psychology departments to encourage the building up of these collections. In addition to periodicals checked for new publications many bibliographies are checked OCTOBER, 1952 with the card catalog and those not included in this library are sent to the proper depart- ment for possible purchase. Typical lists include the. Bibliograp~y on Elementary Education published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum DeveloPment~ and the Harvard List of' Books in Psy- chology. Booklists from other libraries are looked over for titles which we may have missed. Especial attention is paid throughout the year to lists of outstanding titles in various fields. These are regularly checked, and titles not yet ordered are called to the at- tention of the various library representa- tives. Typical li?tS include "Outstanding Educational Books of 1950," printed in the 1 ournal of the National Education Associ- ation~ "Educational Literature Review," which appears in each issue of School and Society, "The Year in Books," published in Tzme, "The Literary Summing-Up, a Per- sonal Winnowing of 1950's Books," which appeared in the Saturday Review of Liter- ature; "Among The Outstanding Books of I 9 50," from the New York Herald Trib- une Book Review, and such lists as appeared in Books A broad of rrDes Douze M eilleurs (French) Romans du Demi-Siecle/~ These all serve as some measure of the collection, and indicate to an extent whether or not the work has been effective. Many expressions of appreciation have come from the library representatives. Here is a typical comment from the depart- ment of business administration: "Your service in sending us these order suggestions is wonderful and I feel should be followed through." This one is from the library representative for the department of geo- graphy: "It is such fine materials which you unearth so abundantly that makes my work as the library representative for the Geography Department a real pleasure. I deeply appreciate all of the aid you have so generously given me because I certainly 311 could not do my job as library representa- tive without your valuable assistance. The Northwestern University Library list (a bibliography in th~ field of geology) you have just sent me is one of many examples of real service you are rendering to our department. "May I take this opportunity to express my appreciation of another service you render to me and that is your policy of sending me information about all new publications you run across in my fields. Certainly I could not possibly keep track of all of them. I, for one, hope that you may continue this service too." And from the Art D~partment: "Miss has asked me to express her thanks to you for sending her order cards for the books, "Navaho Weaving," and "Key to Weaving." She also suggested that you might keep up the good work. We have checked these two books for spec1al order and intend to make good use of them." The representative from journalism wrote, "Your manner of filling out these cards on new books is really helpful, and I appreciate the service." Industrial Education wrote: "A most ex- cellent selection. May I express my sincere thanks to the university library for the service. I think it is a good one." Each library representative receives each month from the Order Division of the library a statement of funds spent, amount encumbered and amount available for ex- penditure. The university fiscal year ex- tends from July I through June 30, and on April I all unspent or unencumbered funds revert to the General Library Book Fund. The General Fund is usually rather large, and is very flexible. If a new depart- ment is begun or special course offerings were not planned until after funds have been allocated, a portion of the General Fund is used for building up its collection. Special items, too expensive for any one department to purchase are paid for from this hind, as are all reference materials, all books which would be used by several departments (and for which no single de- partment would feel justified in expending its funds). Another function of the General Fund is in filling gaps in the collection. Replacements of worn out and missing books and recreational reading sections are purchased from this fund. Recreational reading is selected in two ways. We make no especial point of pur- chasing best sellers, but we do wish to pur- chase the best fiction titles, both American and foreign. Therefore, we wait for the monthly issues of Book Review Digest, and carefully c~msider all fiction suitable for a university library. Broadway plays are also purchased for recreational reading. These were selected from I940 to date from the Book Review Digest. Current ones are found and sug- gested for order at the time the Publishers' Weekly, Library Journal, and other sources are checked. Another plan by which we encourage reading is through three types of perm anent ·exhibits, the material in each one being changed frequently. The chief of circula- tion selects from the new books added to the library those which in her opinion are of general interest. These are displayed on open shelves for two weeks in order that all may see them. These are not permitted to circulate for this period, but personal reserves are accepted and at the end of the period may be called for. A special fiction shelf includes worth- while novels not more than two or three , years old. These circulate at once, but are returned to the shelf after they have been discharged. (The newer fiction titles are displayed, not because we believe that these are more worth-while than older standards or classics, but the older ones ~12 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES .· are better known and hence easier to find under author or title.) Students who would have little time to select titles from the card catalog choose a volume in passing. The third permanent display is of Broad- way plays, which is an unrelated project of the chief of the Education and Psychol- Jgy Library. She selects the titles to be purchased and maintains the display. This group of books also circulates at once, and books are marked "To be Returned to Drama Bookshelf." The circulation of each of these types of material has more than tripleq since these special displays have been used. An exhibit committee plans and super- vises the execution of displays on various bulletin boards scattered throughout the library building. These usually consist of book jackets on timely topics, and each bulletin board covers one specific subject. Call numbers are listed, and often inquiries for these titles come rapidly to the circula- tion desk. A few of the topics around which displays were centered during the past year were: A journalism display, exhibited at the time of the meeting of the Southern Illinois Editorial Association; Literary A wards of the Year ; the State Department in the News ; Korea ; ECA ; Gateway Amendment; Human Rights Day; United Nations Week; and I950 Legislation. For one or two bulletin boards, use is made of government docu- ments and of pamphlet material which tends to keep this type of matter before the students and faculty members. A selected list of new books added to the university libraries is mimeographed each month and sent to each department. Inter- ested faculty members may receive a per- sonal copy by asking that their name be added to the list. A questionnaire is sent to each faculty member at the beginning of each academic year asking: OCTOBER~ 1952 "Is the Booklist helpful to you? Do you wish to continue to receive it? Do you make use of the en tire list ? \ . Do you usually use only that section which lists books in your subject area? Do you wish to receive only the section pertaining to your major field? Might one copy posted in your depart- ment meet your need? W auld you prefer to have your own copy? The results of the questionnaire determine who is to receive the Booklist. An attempt has been made to build up and also to measure the book collection through the use of the excellent collection for Harvard undergraduates in the Lamont Library, recently selected by the Harvard faculty and library staff. 4 Over 40,000 cards representing titles in the Lamont Library were checked against our holdings, and purchase of the I5,000 which were not in this library has begun and will proceed as funds become available. Possibly only about I o % of these I 5 ,ooo ti ties were acquired in I950, and were concentrated in the areas of geography, geology, guidance, special education, anthropology and philos- ophy. We are taking advantage of the wisdom and knowledge of Harvard's combined faculty, which is in part embodied in the order cards for their Lamont Library. Because we firmly believe that it is so important that people be apprised of the issues before · the world today, because we believe their convictions will be formed to a great extent by the material read, and because reading should be made as attrac- tive as possible we give book selection and the encouragement of reading top priority in this University Library. 4 Williams, Edwin E., "The Selection of Books for Lamont," Harvard Library Bulletin, 3:3 86-94, Autumn 1949· 313