College and Research Libraries


By G . D O N A L D S M I T H 

The Librarian and the Student 
G. Donald Smith is librarian of Mary 

Washington College Library, Fredericks-

burg, Virginia. 

o 

THE FUNDAMENTAL function of the library is to f o r w a r d , rather than to 
originate, the educational program of the 

campus. It must provide the materials 

recommended, must remove so far as is 

possible all barriers between them and the 

students, and must facilitate the flow of 

suggestion from class lecture, conference, 

and syllabus to book contacts and book 

use. It is not only the connecting link 

between teaching and learning, but, where 

students are intelligent and inquisitive, the 

library can supplement from its rich re-

sources w h a t the classroom has failed to 

supply." 1 

A l l too often the professional librarian 

fails to appreciate f u l l y the fact that the 

college library is designed primarily to 

be of service to the college student. T o o 

frequently the administrator of the college 

library adopts w i t h o u t question the objec-

tives and techniques of his predecessors. 

T h e service w h i c h w e render still consists 

of the cataloging, the classification, the 

circulation of books, and the answering 

of reference questions on an informa-

tion bureau basis. T h i s is true in spite of 

the changed and changing conditions and 

new objectives of higher education in 

A m e r i c a . 

It is unnecessary to do more than men-
1 Branscomb, H a r v i e , Teaching with Books: a 

Studv of Colleae Libraries. Association of American 
Colleges and A . L . A . , 1940, p. 82. 

tion here these changing circumstances. 

W e are conscious of the tremendous in-

crease in the number of students enrolling 

in the colleges. W e are constantly made 

aware of the demand for more and more 

democracy in education. W e have w i t -

nessed many careful criticisms and re-

visions of the college program of w o r k . 

U n d e r the stimulation of faculty demands 

w e have selected and bought more books 

and made them more easily available to 

the student through open stacks and other 

devices. In general w e have more money 

to spend than we had twenty years ago. 

W e have larger and better equipped build-

ings and better qualified staff members. 

O u r libraries are, for the most part, effi-

ciently organized, smooth-running collec-

tions of books, from which individual 

volumes may be selected and used by the 

student, subject only to certain rules and 

regulations having to do w i t h the length 

of loans, overdue fines, and the like. 

T h e distinction should be made here 

that w e are talking about the college li-

b r a r y — n o t the library of the university, 

the graduate school, the research institute, 

and other organizations. T h e college in 

this paper is understood to be the two- or 

four-year undergraduate institution. 

Importance of Books in the Teaching Pro-

gram 

W i t h this distinction in mind w e may 

ask, W h a t are the factors in current col-

lege education which affect the l i b r a r y ? 

T h e first is the greater importance of books 

MARC hi, 1941 119 



and related materials in the teaching pro-

gram. I t does not f o l l o w f r o m this that 

the emphasis is on the extensive use of 

books, although this is sometimes the case. 

I t is an indication, however, that educators 

recognize the value of the careful and 

independent study of books, in contrast to 

a book, which are suited to the individual 

student and to the course of study. T h u s , 

reserve reading lists tend to g r o w in size 

— t o the consternation of the reserve desk 

assistants—but exact page assignments 

tend to diminish. T h e student is supposed 

to select for himself, w i t h the guidance of 

competent instructors, the titles best suited 

to his need. 

A second factor is the w i d e tendency 

on the part of faculty members to assign 

"research papers." Such assignments usu-

ally are carried on throughout the quarter 

or semester session and are supposed to 

introduce the student to methods of inde-

pendent study and research on a topic of 

interest to him. It is research only in the 

most elementary sense, of course, and does 

not require the extensive collection of li-

brary research materials w h i c h the gradu-

ate school must possess. 

Related to the second factor is the third, 

the establishment of some form of "hon-

o r s " or " r e a d i n g " courses in the college. 

T h e individual student w o r k i n g under this 

system makes extensive use of the library 

and f o l l o w s subjects rather than definitely 

outlined courses of study. 

T h e trend which these factors illustrate 

is t o w a r d a greater and greater use of 

books and library collections. It seems 

almost unnecessary to point out that this 

trend is not in itself an objective of higher 

education, but is merely an expression of 

an objective. T h e aim is not the extensive 

use of books, but the intelligent, under-

standing use of books. 

Library as an Instructional Unit 

A l t h o u g h there are several noble excep-

tions to the " c o n v e n t i o n a l " college library 

organization, the criticism remains that 

contemporary library administration is not 

suited to the contemporary college. T h e 

f a u l t , I believe, lies in our failure to exam-

ine closely the objectives of the college 

library and their relationships to the aims 

of the college. Such expressions as "train-

ing for democracy," "development of per-

sonality," " t r a i n i n g for the home," "train-

ing in the profitable use of leisure t i m e " 

and the like, w h i l e phrasing the hopes of 

higher education, are somewhat vague 

terms to which to hitch the practical solu-

tions of the many administrative problems 

of the library. B u t suppose w e think of 

our library as an instructional unit of the 

college rather than as an administrative 

unit, and take as our primary objectives 

the training of the individual in the arts 

of selecting his reading and understanding 

w h a t he r e a d s — i n other words, training 

in the use of book collections and the art 

of reading. 

W e must grant, of course, that w e can 

no more than supplement in the library the 

efforts of the m a j o r instructional unit of 

the college, the f a c u l t y . F r o m our stand 

on such objectives as stated above, the 

practical problems of integrating our li-

brary service w i t h the rest of the college 

activities can be more easily seen and 

understood. W i t h such objectives, fol-

l o w i n g the example of progressive educa-

tion, w e turn our attention f r o m the 

materials concerned to the individual and 

his needs. 

In the quotation w i t h w h i c h this paper 

opened, the statement is made that the 

library "must facilitate the flow of sugges-

tion f r o m class lecture, conference and 

syllabus to book contacts and book use." 

120 ' COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



T h i s statement is the center of our " n e w " 

library program. T h e provision of various 

kinds of materials and making them avail-

able are problems w h i c h w e must solve 

in carrying out the program. 

Close Cooperation with the Instructors 

H o w may w e go about the attainment 

of these objectives? T h i s is, of course, the 

important question. T h e suggestion al-

ready has been made that w e must turn 

our attention from the books to the indi-

vidual, f r o m the subjects of study to the 

methods of study. It may f o l l o w that w e 

shall give less attention to the detailed 

technical processes of book preparation 

and it is to be remembered that all proc-

esses are justified only in so far as they 

further the attainment of our aims. 

T h e primary demand upon us w i l l be 

for close cooperation w i t h the instructor 

and a careful coordination of our efforts. 

T h e instructor is, a f t e r all, the person 

responsible for the content and method of 

his courses. T h e librarian must always be 

supplementary to the classroom and the 

librarian should have a definite under-

standing of w h a t the instructor is trying to 

do and the methods he employs. In a 

sense, the librarian becomes an assistant to 

the teacher in the conduct of his courses. 

T h i s works both w a y s for the teacher can 

help the librarian to a better understand-

ing of w h a t is being done, a better under-

standing of the individual student, and a 

more effective use of the library's resources. 

W h a t shall be the content of this co-

operation w i t h the f a c u l t y ? First, w e 

must stop thinking of ourselves as educa-

tional experts w i t h answers to all problems 

connected w i t h the library. T h e faculty 

member m a y have some fine suggestions 

for us concerning the importance of this 

or that process or procedure. 

A g a i n , since w e are attempting to in-

tegrate our service w i t h the teaching pro-

gram, may w e not expect the faculty mem-

ber to assist us in the exact definition of 

the services which w e w i l l offer and the 

methods w e shall use? Suppose, for exam-

ple, that w e attempt to offer an advisory 

service in connection w i t h curricular read-

ing, a service designed to assist the student 

in the choice of reading materials suited 

to his needs, his abilities, and interests. 

C e r t a i n l y the instructor in history can tell 

us a great deal about w h a t is needed in 

such a service for the improvement of his-

tory study, about the history books con-

cerned and how they may best be used, 

about the students involved and w h a t they 

are expected to get f r o m the books. 

T h e coordination of our program w i t h 

the teaching schedule calls for a detailed, 

day-by-day knowledge of w h a t is taking 

place in the courses. T h i s information 

w e may secure from the professor and by 

more or less frequent visits to the classes 

themselves. T h u s , w e shall know assign-

ments before they come up for considera-

tion in the library and can time our o w n 

activities to the course demands. 

Reading Records 

W e , in turn, can provide the teacher 

and others interested w i t h a careful record 

of w h a t the student does in the library 

and how he reacts to different assign-

ments. A n s w e r s to such questions as 

" W h i c h students r e a d ? " " W h a t do they 

r e a d ? " " W h a t are the relationships be-

tween reading and scholarship?" " W h i c h 

subjects are receiving attention, and which 

are n e g l e c t e d ? " and the like, are impor-

tant, and if w e give some time to the com-

pilation and analysis of reading records, 

the figures w e present w i l l receive the 

attention they deserve. 

MARC hi, 1941 121 



A second m a j o r demand upon us w i l l 

be for cooperation w i t h the student. A f t e r 

all, he is the individual w e are trying to 

serve. H e r e as in no other phase of our 

w o r k w e must consider ourselves as teach-

ers. O u r meeting w i t h the student is the 

moment at which all our efforts have been 

a i m e d — o u r book buying, our cooperation 

w i t h the faculty, our administration and 

organization. It is the point at which 

w e bring about that union of the class 

and the library, the student and the w r i t -

ten records of his subject. It is the point 

at which learning takes place. T h e im-

portance of this student contact cannot 

be exaggerated. It is the final test of our 

library program, for our ultimate success 

depends upon h o w effectively w e do our 

w o r k of teaching the use of books and 

libraries. W e have an excellent oppor-

tunity. W e meet the student informally. 

W e give no grades, no examinations, and 

are not, therefore, hampered in our w o r k 

by any feeling of fear on the part of the 

student. O u r activity is purely service, 

not requirement. 

D r . A d l e r , in his How to Read a Book,2 

gives as one of the important rules of 

reading the " c o m i n g to terms w i t h the 

a u t h o r . " T h a t is, w e must be sure that 

w e understand the a u t h o r — h i s words, 

phrases, sentences, etc. Likewise, in our 

library service w e must come to terms 

w i t h the s t u d e n t — u n d e r s t a n d his needs, 

his interests, his abilities. In no other 

w a y can w e give the student w h o comes 

to us for help the service he should expect 

and receive. 

Library's Teaching Function 

W e may, if you wish, constitute our-

selves a group of unofficial, informal "the-

2 A d l e r , M o r t i m e r J . How to Read a Book. Simon 
a n d S c h u s t e r [ c l 9 4 0 ] . 

sis advisors" at the undergraduate level 

of instruction and function in somewhat 

the same w a y that the research advisor 

functions in the graduate school, giving 

individual assistance and advice where 

needed. W e may undertake to guide and 

instruct the student in his attempts to read 

w i t h understanding the materials assigned. 

W e may assist him in the organization 

and interpretation of materials for his 

papers, remembering that w e are not w r i t -

ing the papers but giving instruction in 

the methods of reading and study. W e 

may further undertake to explore for and 

develop individual interests and hobbies of 

whatever subject content, turning them 

into positive educational activities in direct 

relation w i t h the established curriculum. 

Such assistance as outlined briefly above, 

if given w i t h the approval and help of 

the faculty members, w i l l be of unques-

tioned value in the attainment of the 

educational objectives of the college. 

Since this is not an article on college li-

brary administration, I shall make no at-

tempt to describe all the changes which the 

adoption of this program w i l l bring about 

in the individual libraries. It goes without 

saying, of course, that the customary 

activities of book selection and acquisition, 

preparation, circulation, reference, and the 

rest w i l l be c o n t i n u e d — b u t they w i l l be 

continued in a form modified by the new 

emphasis on the teaching function of the 

library. 

T w o features of our library administra-

tion call for immediate attention. Both 

are prerequisite to the establishment of 

this type of library service. T h e first is 

the librarian's relation to the college ad-

ministrator. Such a library program calls 

for more than mere presidential approval. 

It must have the active support, both 

moral and financial, of the administration. 

122 ' COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



W e must, therefore, turn our first efforts 

toward demonstrating to the administra-

tive officers the possibilities and methods of 

the program and convincing them of its 

desirability. O n c e that is done the neces-

sary support w i l l be forthcoming. 

Library Staff 

T h e college administration is the source 

of the second important feature of the 

p r o g r a m — t h e library staff. T h i s is the 

most important single factor of the entire 

plan. It w i l l succeed or fail depending 

upon the staff selected for the duties out-

lined. In my opinion, the individuals 

selected for this " t e a c h i n g " in the library 

need not all be trained in library science. 

T h e primary qualification which w e must 

require is a first-class academic training 

similar to that which w e expect of the 

faculty member, without, perhaps, the 

subject specialization. Such training w i l l 

enable the library staff members to under-

stand the purposes, processes, and methods 

of the service which they are to render 

more easily and completely. T h e number 

of staff members required for this service 

depends upon local conditions—the size 

of the library book collection, the number 

of students enrolled, the library building, 

and the effectiveness w i t h which our 

efforts at library-faculty cooperation are 

carried out. 

Equally important is the factor of staff 

organization. T h e head librarian is 

naturally responsible for the service. H e 

must see to it that his staff works w i t h the 

highest degree of internal cooperation, that 

provision is made for frequent, rapid ex-

change of ideas, information, and experi-

ences, that every member of the staff is 

constantly aware of the objectives of the 

service and of the activities taking place 

around him. Individuals and groups of 

the faculty, members of the library com-

mittee, and representatives of the ad-

ministration should be active participants 

in the frequent and regular meetings of 

the library staff. T h i s "teaching service" 

in the library can be developed and main-

tained only by accepting from every 

possible source the advice and help avail-

able, exercising carefully planned control 

over the conduct of the service, and keep-

ing detailed records of the activities. 

A n y college library that w i l l restate its 

objectives along educational lines as sug-

gested herein, that w i l l develop and 

execute a careful plan of educational serv-

ice, w i l l rapidly attain a position of 

prominence in the eyes of the administra-

tive officers of the college, the faculty, its 

o w n staff members, and of the library 

profession at large. T h i s has been true 

in every case where the library has under-

taken some such program as described. 

W i t h the adoption of this type of service, 

w e integrate our library activities w i t h 

the instructional program of the college, 

and the librarian, including in that term 

all members of the staff, comes into direct 

teaching relationship w i t h the student. 

MARCH, 1941 123