College and Research Libraries


By F A N N Y A L I C E C O L D R E N 

Destruction for Use 
Fanny Alice Coldren is reference librarian 
of the University of California at Los 
Angeles. 

TH E M O N O P O L Y of public library facili-ties by students, as stated in the 
recent article by Roland Mulhauser,1 di-
rects attention to a problem of long 
standing in college and university libraries, 
focusing particularly in the reference and 
periodical departments. H o w to provide 
and administer for the requirements of 
large classes certain materials often diffi-
cult to replace, and at the same time to 
preserve or replace those same materials 
for succeeding groups of students, is a 
problem not yet solved to the satisfaction 
of students, faculty, and librarians. 

It is the purpose of this paper to present 
the experience of some institutions in their 
attempt to formulate policies and institute 
practices to meet this perplexing problem. 
T h i s information is based upon corre-
spondence with librarians of one hundred 
colleges and universities with student en-
rolments ranging from one thousand to 
over fifteen thousand representing various 
parts of the United States. T h e inquiry re-
garding practices of libraries covered the 
following points: 

1. Has the library supplied copies of as-
signed articles, and if so, in what form 
and with what success ? 

2. Does the library or the department of 
instruction meet the expense of dupli-
cation ? 

1 Mulhauser, Roland. " P u b l i c L i b r a r y Service to 
College S t u d e n t s . " Wilson Library Bulletin 15:249, 
264, N o v . 1940. 

3. A r e duplicates administered by the re-
serve, the reference, or the circulation 
department? 

4. D o library problems assigned to fresh-
men or other special groups create 
difficulties in the use of reference ma-
terials? 

Sixteen institutions, with enrolments 
ranging from one to eight thousand stu-
dents, reported that the problem does not 
exist or that it has not reached an acute 
point; one that no prohibitions have yet 
been made on duplicates used but the 
problem must be faced soon; another that 
plans are made for a survey of the situ-
ation. 

Duplicated materials have been sup-
plied in the form of typed or mimeographed 
copies, reprints, photostats, and in two 
institutions, microfilms. T y p i n g is the 
most generally used method of reproduc-
tion and is done chiefly by N . Y . A . stu-
dents, otherwise the lack of help and the 
cost of labor are too great to supply 
copies. One institution has abandoned 
the use of typing because the life of the 
copy is not commensurate with its cost, 
and another indicated that it will be neces-
sary to do so if the demand continues to 
increase. Students in one college objected 
to typed copies because they were difficult 
to read. 

T h e purchase of materials falls largely 
into two groups, namely, duplicate copies 
of individual numbers of periodicals, re-
prints, and pamphlets, and additional sub-
scriptions to certain magazines required. 
T h e cost both of purchase and some form 

46 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



of duplication is met chiefly by the library, 
although some departments of instruction 
or individuals have supplied copies, which 
are administered by the library. T h e ex-
pense is charged to duplicate, replacement, 
periodical, textbook, department funds, 
and syllabi fees. 

Dartmouth College purchases extra 
copies of magazines in accordance with 
the library's reserve book policy of pro-
viding one copy for every eight students. 
T o acquaint freshman English students 
with general periodicals, Vanderbilt Uni-
versity buys from two to five copies of 
fourteen titles such as Harpers and the 
Atlantic, places them on reserve for a 
month, and discards them when the de-
mand is over. T h e English department 
assumes the cost. In other institutions 
freshmen are required to purchase or sub-
scribe to a magazine during one semester. 

Classes in the social sciences require 
many pamphlets which some libraries buy 
in quantities. A t St. Louis University 
the history department has assessed a fee 
of one dollar per semester to each student 
for the purchase of duplicates. These ma-
terials are generally textbooks other than 
the one assigned as basic and become the 
property of the library. T h e University 
of Washington divides the cost according 
to the length of the article; the circulation 
department reserves the right to determine 
whether the library or the department of 
instruction shall pay for the reproduction. 

Reference Books 

T h e problem as it applies to reference 
books is even more perplexing than that 
of periodicals and pamphlets. T h e re-
peated use of the same materials results in 
the loss of individual items in diction-
aries, encyclopedias, and biographical dic-
tionaries while the remainder of the 

volume and the set is still in good con-
dition. T h e same is true of other books 
in which diagrams, charts, and statistical 
tables are omitted from the later editions 
and in atlases when maps are traced. 

One library has attempted to persuade 
departments to pay for duplicate sets but 
with limited success because no one depart-
ment wishes to assume financial responsi-
bility for sets used by several departments. 
T h r e e libraries report that they reinforce 
sections and cover pages with gauze which 
prolong the life of the material but do 
not solve the problem. In some cases it 
is possible to secure new signatures or to 
purchase a single volume of a set but it 
is scarcely in the realm of possibility for 
any library to buy sufficient sets to meet 
the demand for certain articles which they 
may contain. 

W i t h few exceptions duplicate materials 
are administered by the reserve book room, 
are temporarily bound, and cataloged 
simply, if at all. Drake University files 
copies in envelopes labeled with the author, 
title, source, and name of the professor 
using them. These envelopes are ar-
ranged alphabetically and filed in the 
stacks adjacent to the reserve book room. 
Cards giving the same information as that 
on the envelopes but arranged by the 
source are filed in one drawer of the cata-
log marked " T y p e d Articles." 

T h e College of the City of N e w Y o r k 
mounts on white sheets for legibility copies 
made on onion skin paper and places them 
in pamphlet binders. T h e University of 
W y o m i n g gives to copies the classification 
of the book or periodical from which it is 
taken and files on the shelf following the 
source, with a note on the catalog card 
indicating that copies have been made. 

A t the Woman's College, University 
of North Carolina, when a duplicate has 

DECEMBER., 1941 47 



been cataloged, a note is penciled at the 
head of the original article stating, "Please 
use reprint or duplicate of this article for 
class assignments." Students are required 
to give paging of articles when requesting 
periodicals from the stacks, thus giving the 
librarian at the desk an opportunity to note 
excessive wear and to notify assistants to 
refer students to the reprints. 

T o protect maps from destruction of 
tracing, Vassar College has collected a 
group of maps from withdrawn copies of 
atlases and maps, which may be traced 
without requesting permission. 

Encyclopedia of Social Sciences 

Teachers College, Columbia University, 
was unable to supply sufficient copies of 
the Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 
for the many required readings in their 
educational foundations course. T h e in-
structional staff arranged with the pub-
lisher to select articles for a single vol-
ume2 which was published in 1937. T h e 
library bought volumes for circulation and 
many students bought their own copies. 

Most libraries withdraw original ma-
terial from circulation during the time 
when duplicates are in greatest demand; 
only two libraries refuse to make the ma-
terial available in any form for large 
classes. 

Library problems given to freshmen and 
library school students have brought forth 
both criticism and recommendations. It 
is the judgment of many librarians that 
expensive reference sets should not be 
ruined by immature students working on 
elementary reference problems or the "so-
called research assignments." Emory 
University limits instruction to the use of 
the card catalog and the Readers' Guide. 

2 Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Selections 
by the E d u c a t i o n a l F o u n d a t i o n s S t a f f . M a c m i l l a n , 
1937. 

Copies of the cumulative issues of the 
Guide are kept so that each student in 
groups of forty may have a copy for prac-
tice work. T h e University of Wisconsin 
has prepared microfilms of several pages 
of the O x f o r d Dictionary. Teachers have 
divided classes into small groups and stag-
gered assignments, not to reduce the use 
of books but to relieve congestion and con-
fusion in the reading rooms. Each student 
has been asked to examine subjects be-
ginning with the first letter of his name to 
spread use over larger areas of sets. T w o 
librarians have suggested that a practice 
collection in a room set aside for practice 
work would be highly desirable. 

Intensity of Feeling 

Intensity of feeling manifested on this 
entire situation ranges from the " G r i n 
and Bear I t " policy to high praise for 
faculty cooperation on a common problem. 
Faculty members have assisted by re-
questing one student or a committee of 
students to report to the class on periodical 
articles; by giving a large variety of sub-
jects for themes and not repeating the 
assignment; by large reserve collections 
and encouragement of a wide range of 
reading; by willingness to assist in the 
preservation of materials when informed 
of the problem and the limitations of the 
book fund. 

A t the beginning of the school year five 
libraries send form letters to all faculty 
members explaining the policy of the li-
brary. In this communication the Uni-
versity of Washington states under Class 
Use of Periodicals: "By vote of the fac-
ulty,, classes must not be referred to articles 
in bound periodicals for the following rea-
sons : 

I. When all or a considerable number of a 
large class have read a given article, the 

48 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



volume is badly worn at that place, the 
sewing is likely to be broken, and the pages 
frequently torn. 

2. Almost invariably some one in reading the 
article checkmarks certain passages and 
underscores important sentences in ink. 

3. Not infrequently pages are actually cut 
out of the volume so that a particular 
article is lost and the volume seriously 
damaged. 

4. It is a duty to preserve valuable material 
for future generations, as well as to make 
it available for present use. 

T h e letter further states that periodicals 
may be utilized: 

1. By having one student read an article 
and report on it. 

2. By notifying the librarian in advance if 
it is deemed necessary to have all students 
actually read a given article. The article 
will then be duplicated and a number of 
copies placed on reserve. In the case of a 
recent magazine, duplicate copies may be 
obtained if sufficient notice is given. 

Iowa State College letter reads in part 
as follows: 

Rare books and periodicals of which 
duplicate copies are not available and cannot 
be purchased will not be placed on reserve 
and cannot be made available for the use of 
large classes. It is suggested that members 

of the instructing staff desiring to use ma-
terial from such books and periodicals arrange 
one month in advance for mimeographing, 
duplication, or photostating. 

From the experience of many libraries 
it is evident that no institution has arrived 
at a solution of the problem under dis-
cussion. Moderate success has been 
achieved through faculty cooperation 
which seems to be the most logical first 
approach. Some librarians believe that 
no further progress can be made until 
methods of teaching are changed. One 
writes, "Fortunately, the practice of pro-
fessors assigning large classes to required 
reading is decreasing for the very good 
reason that it is not a satisfactory teach-
ing method." 

T h e matter of duplication is further 
complicated by the copyright law. T h e 
time and inconvenience involved in secur-
ing consent to copy materials, the refusal 
of publishers to allow duplication, and the 
risk of infringement of the copyright law 
delay action to the point of being imprac-
tical for the demands placed on libraries. 
It is probably on this point that libraries 
would profit most by further discussion. 

DECEMBER., 1941 49