College and Research Libraries


B y S A R A H R E B E C C A R E E D 

Research—But H o w Much Later? 
Miss Reed is associate professorLibrary 

School, Florida State University. 

CHASE D A N E 1 r e c e n t l y m a d e a s t r o n g plea f o r research in librarianship, not 
f o r m o r e of the heterogeneous studies n o w 

a p p e a r i n g but f o r investigations w h i c h 

w o u l d result f r o m a l o g i c a l l y f o r m u l a t e d , 

c o o r d i n a t e d research p r o g r a m of the n a t u r e 

o u t l i n e d by B e r e l s o n 2 at the C o n f e r e n c e on 

E d u c a t i o n f o r L i b r a r i a n s h i p at the G r a d u a t e 

L i b r a r y S c h o o l in C h i c a g o in the s u m m e r 

of 1 9 4 8 . 

B a c h 3 agrees that research is essential to 

the w e l l - b e i n g of the l i b r a r y profession, and, 

inspired by the n o w f a m o u s P r i n c e t o n In-

stitute, he has suggested establishing an in-

stitute f o r a d v a n c e d l i b r a r y s t u d y as a suit-

able a g e n c y f o r a s s u m i n g responsibility f o r 

i m p o r t a n t l i b r a r y investigations. 

I n 1 9 4 9 , at the M i d w i n t e r m e e t i n g of 

A A L S , T a u b e r 4 described a research out-

line series in l i b r a r i a n s h i p w h i c h m i g h t be 

used to s t i m u l a t e and direct research. E a c h 

such o u t l i n e w o u l d indicate the status of 

research in a p a r t i c u l a r area of l i b r a r i a n -

ship and point to problems w a r r a n t i n g in-

v e s t i g a t i o n . 

I n 1 9 5 2 , W i g h t c o n c l u d e d his c o m m e n t s 

on public l i b r a r y research by s u g g e s t i n g t h a t 

" l a r g e public libraries and the state l i b r a r y 

agencies begin to e x p l o r e the possibilities of 

1 C h a s e D a n e , " T h e N e e d f o r a R e s e a r c h P r o g r a m 
i n L i b r a r y P r o b l e m s , " COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES, 
X V I ( J a n u a r y , 1 9 5 5 ) , 20-23. 

2 B e r n a r d B e r e l s o n , " A d v a n c e d S t u d y a n d R e s e a r c h 
in L i b r a r i a n s h i p . " I n Education for Librarianship, 
ed. by B e r n a r d B e r e l s o n . ( C h i c a g o : A L A , 1949), 
pp. 207-25. 

3 H a r r y B a c h , " T h e N e e d f o r A n I n s t i t u t e f o r A d -
v a n c e d L i b r a r y R e s e a r c h . " Wilson Library Bulletin, 
X X I X ( M a y , 1 9 5 5 ) , 709, 7 1 1 . 

4 M a u r i c e F . T a u b e r , " A R e s e a r c h O u t l i n e S e r i e s i n 
L i b r a r i a n s h i p . " I n A s s o c i a t i o n of A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y 
Schools, Report of Meeting. ( C h i c a g o : J a n u a r y 2 1 , 
1 9 4 9 ) , P P . 2 6 - 3 2 . 

( a ) cooperation in p l a n n i n g , c o n d u c t i n g , 

and u s i n g the f i n d i n g s of f a c t u a l studies 

and ( b ) d e v e l o p i n g c o o p e r a t i v e plans w i t h 

one or m o r e of the g r a d u a t e l i b r a r y schools 

f o r t r a i n i n g personnel and c a r r y i n g o u t 

research studies in the area of public li-

b r a r y a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . " 5 

T h e s e are o n l y a f e w of the statements 

f r o m l i b r a r y l i t e r a t u r e c o n c e r n i n g the im-

portance of research if librarianship is to 

c o n t i n u e to be flexible and i n v e n t i v e e n o u g h 

to serve the demands of society e f f e c t i v e l y . 

A s s u m i n g then that research in l i b r a r i a n -

ship is and w i l l c o n t i n u e to be needed, the 

B e r e l s o n - D a n e p r o g r a m , the B a c h institute, 

the T a u b e r outlines, the W i g h t c o o p e r a t i v e 

v e n t u r e s — a l l m e r i t consideration by the 

appropriate professional bodies. W e r e 

such deliberations to be a r r a n g e d , it is here 

suggested that a w e l l - p l a n n e d , e x p l o r a t o r y 

c o n f e r e n c e m i g h t h a v e some v a l u e as prepa-

ration f o r the f o r m u l a t i o n of a sound re-

search p r o g r a m . O n e f o r m of o r g a n i z a t i o n 

f o r p r o d u c t i v e discussions of research needs 

m i g h t be a series of m e e t i n g s on the v a r i o u s 

m a j o r areas of librarianship. P e r h a p s in 

v i e w of the r a t h e r s p e c t a c u l a r success of 

v a r i o u s committees u s i n g the device of w o r k -

i n g papers as s p r i n g b o a r d s f o r discussions, 

a series of such w o r k i n g papers c o u l d be 

prepared as the basis f o r g r o u p sessions by 

committees representing l i b r a r y agencies and 

l i b r a r y schools. I n a d d i t i o n , such c o m m i t -

tees w o u l d profit by the advice and help of 

people w h o have had experience w i t h re-

search techniques in the solution of l i b r a r y 

a n d / o r related problems. V a l u a b l e assist-

ance too w o u l d be f o r t h c o m i n g f r o m A L A 

5 E d w a r d A . W i g h t , " P r o b l e m s of Coordination a n d 
R e s e a r c h in L a r g e P u b l i c L i b r a r i e s . " Public Libraries, 
V I ( A p r i l , 1 9 5 2 ) , 13. 

OCTOBER, 1955 383 



and other l i b r a r y association personnel. 

F o l l o w i n g the presentation of a g i v e n 

w o r k i n g paper, w h i c h m i g h t w e l l have also 

been c i r c u l a t e d to r e g i s t r a n t s in a d v a n c e of 

the c o n f e r e n c e , there should be ample op-

p o r t u n i t y f o r discussion. If these discus-

sions w e r e limited to invited participants, 

perhaps g e o g r a p h i c and i n s t i t u t i o n a l repre-

sentation could be assured. A n o t h e r pos-

sibility m i g h t be to l i m i t p a r t i c i p a t i o n to 

invited r e g i s t r a n t s but to e x t e n d a u d i t i n g 

p r i v i l e g e s to other interested professional 

people. I f the l a t t e r plan w e r e used, one or 

t w o e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r open discussion periods 

m i g h t b r i n g o u t still f u r t h e r u s e f u l k n o w l -

edge and opinion. 

W o u l d any g r o u p or institution be w i l l i n g 

to sponsor such an e x p l o r a t o r y c o n f e r e n c e ? 

W o u l d a n y f o u n d a t i o n be l i k e l y to provide 

f u n d s f o r a d m i n i s t e r i n g the m e e t i n g ? 

W o u l d a n y t h i n g w o r t h w h i l e be d o n e ? 

I n c o n t e m p l a t i n g sponsorship one n a t u r -

a l l y thinks first of the e x i s t i n g research com-

mittees of such g r o u p s as A A L S , L E D , and 

A C R L , and of the l i b r a r y schools a l r e a d y 

h a v i n g a c t i v e research p r o g r a m s . A j o i n t 

sponsorship m i g h t have m u c h to r e c o m m e n d 

it. T h e v a r i o u s l i b r a r y associations and li-

b r a r y schools and m a n y libraries, public and 

academic, c o u l d easily a r r a n g e f o r con-

v e n i e n t c o n f e r e n c e q u a r t e r s . W h e t h e r such 

a m e e t i n g w e r e on a n a t i o n w i d e scale, or 

w h e t h e r the p r e v i o u s l y m e n t i o n e d w o r k i n g 

papers w e r e used as the basis f o r r e g i o n a l 

meetings, there w o u l d seem to be no serious 

problem in sponsorship. 

S i m i l a r l y , if responsible sponsorship w e r e 

assured and if a f o u n d a t i o n w e r e approached 

w i t h a request in w h i c h the technique pro-

posed seemed a reasonably reliable i n s t r u -

m e n t f o r g e t t i n g the kind of i n f o r m a t i o n 

essential to i n t e l l i g e n t p l a n n i n g of a sound 

research p r o g r a m in librarianship, f o u n d a -

tion m o n e y m i g h t w e l l be f o r t h c o m i n g . 

S u c h a proposal should p r o b a b l y be in t e r m s 

of the costs of d u p l i c a t i n g and d i s t r i b u t i n g 

the w o r k i n g p a p e r s ; r e c o r d i n g , t r a n s c r i b i n g 

and issuing the p r o c e e d i n g s ; and, if pos-

sible, f o o d and l o d g i n g f o r i n v i t e d partici-

pants. T h e u l t i m a t e effectiveness of the 

p r o j e c t m i g h t be c o n s i d e r a b l y increased if 

m o n e y w e r e a v a i l a b l e f o r a t least a part-

time paid c o o r d i n a t o r . 

A n t i c i p a t e d results f r o m such a c o n f e r -

ence, p r o p e r l y p l a n n e d and c o n d u c t e d , 

w o u l d i n c l u d e the w o r k i n g papers, the con-

clusions and suggestions e m e r g i n g f r o m the 

o p p o r t u n i t y f o r e x p e r t s to canvass t o g e t h e r 

the l i b r a r y problems n e e d i n g i n v e s t i g a t i o n 

and to re-examine a p p r o p r i a t e research m e t h -

o d o l o g i e s ; and the s t i m u l a t i o n such an ex-

perience a f f o r d s the p a r t i c i p a n t s . T h u s by 

b r i n g i n g t o g e t h e r a g r o u p of c r e a t i v e and in-

f o r m e d scholars and practitioners, by l e t t i n g 

them w h e t their minds on the ideas tossed o u t 

in the initial papers and by each other, per-

haps such a c o n f e r e n c e c o u l d p r o v i d e fresh in-

sights. C e r t a i n l y libraries can no l o n g e r 

a f f o r d n o t to plan f o r the f u t u r e , and the 

m a x i m u m effectiveness of such p l a n n i n g 

m a y w e l l rest on principles not y e t f u l l y 

r e c o g n i z e d . 

Rising Costs 
D u r i n g the p a s t y e a r the E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r y 

of A R L asked the c h a i r m a n of the A R L S e r i a l s 
C o m m i t t e e to i n v e s t i g a t e the r u m o r e d i n c r e a s e 
in the price of Chemical Abstracts a n d the g e n -
e r a l a r e a of i n c r e a s e in p r i c e s of scientific s e r i a l s . 
A r e p o r t on the study m a d e by the c h a i r m a n , 
C h a r l e s H a r v e y B r o w n , h a s been m i m e o g r a p h e d 
a n d is a v a i l a b l e f r o m M r . B r o w n , I o w a State 
C o l l e g e , A m e s , I o w a . T h e r e p o r t p r e s e n t s the 
p r o b l e m of i n c r e a s i n g costs in p a r t i c u l a r r e l a -
t i o n s h i p to the state o f l i b r a r y b u d g e t s , and points 

out the i n e v i t a b l e r e s u l t s : the i n a b i l i t y of li-
b r a r i e s to p u r c h a s e Chemical Abstracts and other 
h i g h l y p r i c e d scientific j o u r n a l s ; the r e d u c t i o n in 
the n u m b e r of these p u b l i s h e d . T w o t a b l e s a r e 
i n c l u d e d in the r e p o r t : T a b l e I is a " C o m p a r i s o n 
of P r i c e s P a i d in 1949, 1950 and 1955 f o r 37 
A m e r i c a n Scientific P e r i o d i c a l s , Selected Some-
w h a t at R a n d o m " ; a n d T a b l e I I is a " C o m -
p a r i s o n of P r i c e s P a i d by O n e L i b r a r y in 1949, 
1950 a n d 1954 f o r T h i r t y of S p r i n g e r ' s Scientific 
P u b l i c a t i o n s . " 

384 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES