College and Research Libraries Personnel TH E SUDDEN D E A T H of D r . John E. V a n -M a l e on January 15, following an emer- gency operation, terminated the career of a librarian who had contributed significantly to the advancement of librarianship. T h e nature of this contribution may be summarized as f o l l o w s : V a n M a l e entered li- brarianship in 1927 from the ranks of Ameri- can booksellers. For a number of years he had dealt in general literature, then shifting to Americana, especially of the Rocky M o u n - tain and Southwest regions of the United States. In 1936 he received his A . B . from the Library School of the University of D e n - ver, and in 1940 his master's degree from the university. H e served as research librarian in the Western History Department, Denver Public Library 1935-37 and as acting director of the University of Denver Library 1939-40. H e prepared indexes and bibliographies for the books published in the series "Overland to the Pacific" edited by Archer Butler H u l - bert and published in cooperation with the Denver Public Library. In 1939 he was awarded a fellowship by the Graduate L i - brary School, University of Chicago, but re- linquished it to accept the position in the li- brary of the University of Denver. H e entered the Graduate Library School as a fellow of the A . L . A . in 1940 and was awarded the Ph.D. in 1942. D r . V a n M a l e ' s knowledge of the book trade, particularly of Western Americana, was of great value to him in helping organize the Denver Bibliographical Center, as was his knowledge of bibliography and the biblio- graphical apparatus essential in supplying in- formation to the cooperating libraries con- cerning rare publications of importance to the region. His acquaintance with the book trade also made it possible for him to secure advantageous discounts for his clientele and contributed to his success in setting up a cooperative undertaking that now has a dec- ade of successful operation behind it. H e was also a student of the use of union cata- logs and wrote concerning their value in bibliographical centers. D r . V a n M a l e ' s next undertaking was a study of the library extension services of five Wisconsin institutions, including the Free Li- brary Commission (traveling libraries and legislative reference services), the depart- ment of debating and public discussion of the University Extension Division, the medical library service of the University of W i s c o n - sin, Medical School Library, and the Uni- versity of Wisconsin Library. In this study he described the services of each agency and showed how through cooperation they sup- plemented extensively the services of the local libraries of the state. T h e publication, with V a n M a l e as editor, of Resources of Pacific Northwest Libraries in 1943 marked the completion of one of the major cooperative undertakings of the Pacific Northwest Library Association. V a n M a l e organized the bibliographical center of that region after the plan of the one in Denver but adapted to the conditions of the N o r t h - west.' T h e nature of the resources of the region was described and a program of up- building was suggested which would enable the libraries to serve their patrons more ef- fectively, as well as support the movement of library cooperation and specialization pro- moted by the A . L . A . Board on Resources of American Libraries. Since 1943, D r . V a n M a l e ' s activities have run along the lines of promoting cooperative efforts in building up resources of libraries. H e served as a member and as chairman of the A . L . A . Board on Resources of American Libraries (1942-44) and as librarian of Madison College (1943-45) and as director and assistant director respectively of the li- braries of the University of South Carolina (1945-46) and the University of Denver (1946-48). In the latter positions he was in- strumental in having the libraries surveyed and in inaugurating programs of extensive reorganization and improvement. H e was particularly successful at Denver in building up a strong professional staff, in greatly in- creasing the budget of the library, and in co- ordinating the different parts of the university library system. H e was also successful in integrating library service with instruction by having different staff members assigned to work in cooperation with staff members of APRIL, 1948 169 the various departments of the university. H e was also largely responsible for a new li- brary law passed by the Colorado legislature which changed the policy and program of the state library and which stimulated the o r - ganization of libraries in Colorado on the basis of a unit appropriate to the geographi- cal conditions. Quiet in manner, clear in his understanding of the objectives he sought, and with an un- usual capacity for winning friends and secur- ing cooperation, D r . V a n M a l e is lost to the profession just when he was giving evidence of unusually effective service to librarianship and scholarship.—Louis R. Wilson. OF INTEREST to all investigators in the field of Shakespearean literature is the appointment of D r . Louis B. W r i g h t to the directorship of the Folger Shakespeare M e - morial Library, effective July I. T h e ap- pointment brings to that institution a scho- lar who is widely known both personally and Louis B. Wright through his numerous publications in various phases of the English Renaissance and colon- ial American civilization. Over the past sixteen years D r . W r i g h t has been a mem- ber of the permanent research group at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif. H e was, in fact, among the first selections made by the late D r . M a x Farrand, then director of research at the Huntington, in the organization of that library as a locus f o r research along lines suggested by the literary and historical materials available there. Prior to his Huntington appointment and during his tenure as, successively, in- structor, assistant professor, and associate professor in English at the University of North Carolina, D r . W r i g h t has served as Johnston Research Scholar at Johns Hopkins University (1927-28), Guggenheim Fellow in England and on the Continent ( 1 9 2 8 - 2 9 ) , visiting professor at Emory University ( I 9 3 o ) , and visiting scholar at the Hunting- ton Library ( 1 9 3 1 - 3 2 ) . D r . W r i g h t has been for several years a familiar participant in the activities of such professional bodies as the M o d e r n Language Association of America, the American Histori- cal Association, and the American Antiquar- ian Society. Significantly, he has served on the advisory boards of both the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the Institute of Early American Civilization and Culture. Currently he is vice chairman of the Pacific Coast Committee for the Humanities. These activities, in conjunction with his important responsibility at the Huntington f o r suggest- ing candidates for the research fellowships offered there, have kept D r . W r i g h t closely in touch with projects and personalities the nation over. T h e fact that he is not only a productive scholar in his own right, but has in addition such wide administrative experience with foundations, associations, and research libraries, makes his selection for the Folger post an exceptionally happy one.—Roland Baughman. DO R O T H Y W . C U R T I S S became librarian of W e l l s College, Aurora, N . Y . , on February 1, succeeding M r s . Jane ( H a w k - ins) Hall. Miss Curtiss is leaving the School of Library Service, Columbia University, where she has served for nearly twelve years as assistant professor in charge of the compre- hensive examination program. In addition she has occasionally taught courses in catalog- ing in the school. She brings to her new position a variety of experience. Graduating f r o m the University of Rochester in 1918 she began her pro- fessional career as librarian of the Bergen, N . Y . , High School, combining it with the 170 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES Dorothy W. Curtiss teaching of English. In 1921 she went to Albany and, while serving as first assistant in the order section of the N e w Y o r k State Library, attended courses in the library school. Graduating in 1924, Miss Curtiss again led a dual life, this time at the State Normal School in Geneseo, directing its cataloging department and teaching in the li- brary science department. H e r success in this position led to her appointment as teacher of cataloging in the American Library School at Paris, where she remained f o r two years. A f t e r her return to this country (1929) she alternated actual cataloging (Public Library, Westerly, R . I . ) with teaching (Library School, Western Reserve University) and study ( M . S., School of Library Service, Columbia University, 1932). Following an administrative position as assistant super- visor of school libraries with the N e w Y o r k State Education Department (1932-36) she came to Columbia to set up the comprehen- sive examination program to be used in con- nection with the new curriculum, then in process of formation under Dean Charles C. Williamson's guidance. Pioneering in this field, she and D r . Alice I. Bryan developed a series of objective examinations designed to evaluate students' achievements in a much more scientific way than had been possible hitherto. T h e variety of Miss Curtiss' interests is reflected in her memberships and offices, rang- ing from Faculty Marshal to membership on the board of directors of the N e w Y o r k State Library School Association, f r o m A . L A . in- terviewer for Foreign Library Service to membership on the board of directors of the Association of American Library Schools, from activity in the N e w Y o r k City League of W o m e n Voters to the presidency of the N e w Y o r k Regional Catalog Group. W i t h this rich background of administrative, pro- fessional, teaching, and community experience Miss Curtiss, while assuming the position as librarian of W e l l s College, will no doubt soon be serving not only in her customary dual role, but even in a triple capacity—Bertha M. Frick. TH E O F F I C E OF W A R I N F O R M A T I O N c a n take credit for depositing yet another of its information specialists on the doorstep of librarianship. Frederick W . Stewart, who organized and administered the O . W . I . L i - brary in Paris during the war years 1944 and J945> has accepted appointment as librarian of the Hunter College Library in N e w Y o r k City. Although M r . Stewart's library experience is of comparatively recent vintage, he has long been concerned with scholarship and higher education. From 1938 to 1944, he served first as editor of the American Coun- cil of Learned Societies and then as liaison for the council with the Department of State and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter- American Affairs. When the work of the O . W . I . Library in Paris was completed, M r . Stewart stayed on for two years as librarian of the American Library in Paris, a responsi- bility which he discharged with vigor and dis- tinction. M r . Stewart holds both the A . B . and M . A . degrees from George Washingon University. Since his return to America he has been pur- suing the completion of his doctorate in Romance languages and his professional edu- cation, both at Columbia University. His appointment marks the fourth and last of recent changes in the librarianships of the city colleges of N e w Y o r k . W i t h Jerome K. W i l c o x , Humphrey G . Bousfield, and M o r - ris A . Gelfand, M r . Stewart is now joined in seeking new levels of cooperation in the library service given to the municipal colleges APRIL, 1948 171 work on his M . S . degree in the School of Library Service, Columbia University. His prior library school training was also taken at Columbia. His academic B.A. was re- ceived from Amherst College where he grad- uated cum laude in 1930. A glance at M r . Christ's publications shows a range of interests f r o m librarianship of N e w Y o r k City. His scholarship, keenness of intellect, and personal charm have received a hearty welcome from the entire circle of col- lege and university librarians in the metro- politan a r e a . — B . C . H . Frederick W. Stewart ROBERT W . C H R I S T assumed his duties as , assistant librarian at Duke University, on February 15. M r . Christ brings to Duke an extensive and varied experience in library and business fields. H e has had teaching experience at W o o s t e r School f o r Boys, and business ex- perience at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft C o r - poration. His library career started at M o u n t Holyoke where he worked as an as- sistant in the summers of 1928-30. Later he became assistant to the librarian and re- mained in this position from 1936 to 1943. Further library experience followed at C o - lumbia University and the Grosvenor Library in Buffalo. H e left his position as head of the reference department at the latter library to become chief of the information section in the reference division of the Office of In- telligence Collection and Dissemination at the State Department. Here his responsibilities were as large as the impressive title indicates. M r . Christ's contributions in this position were in building up staff morale and in setting up an efficient service organization. A t present M r . Christ is completing the Robert W. Christ through French literature to bibliographic studies. His articles have appeared not only in library publications, but also in business magazines. In addition to all of this, he seems to find time for his choral, theatrical, and gardening interests. Duke University will soon appre- ciate the variety of gifts and talents which M r . Christ brings to his new position.— Foster E. Mohrhardt. DR. F E L I X R E I C H M A N N has been promoted to the newly-created position of assistant director in charge of technical services in the Cornell University Library. D r . Reich- mann came to Cornell in M a r c h 1947, as acquisition librarian. As the assistant director for technical serv- ices, D r . Reichmann will be responsible f o r the administration of the acquisition depart- ment, the combined catalog and classification department, and the binding work of the peri- odical department. H e will continue as ac- 172 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES quisition librarian until July I, when a new appointment to that position is expected. This new position carries one step further the administrative organization of the Cornell University Library which was begun in July 1947. T h e r e are now two assistant directors, whose activities and responsibilities are at the administrative rather than the service level, and under whom are grouped the readers' service and technical service departments. During the present year D r . Reichmann has been in charge of the expanded acquisition program of the library. Under his direction the staff of the department has been increased, and the department has assumed much greater responsibility for book collecting, par- ticularly in the humanities and the social sciences. D r . Reichmann has also undertaken this year to coordinate the w o r k of the tech- nical service departments and has developed and introduced new procedures which have eliminated duplication of effort. T h e work of the searching staff in the acquisition de- partment has been so organized that it in- cludes most of the w o r k commonly regarded as preliminary cataloging. D r . Reichmann was recently on the staff of the Library of Congress. In 1945-46 he served as publications officer with the U.S. A r m y of Occupation in Germany, and in earlier years served as librarian of the Carl Felix Reichmann Schurz Foundation at Philadelphia and the Landis Valley Museum at Lancaster, Pa. Before coming to this country in 1939, D r . Reichmann had extensive experience as a book seller in Vienna. H e holds the Ph.D. de- gree from the University of Vienna and the M . A . degree from the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago.— Stephen A. McCarthy. Appointments Frederick A . Meigs, reference librarian of Cooper Union, N e w Y o r k City, has been appointed librarian of Washington College, Chesterton, M d . Cedric R. Flagg, librarian, Squier Signal Laboratory, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is now chief of the library section of the Research and Development Board, Washington, D . C . L . Grace Proffitt is now circulation librarian in the Vassar College Library, Poughkeepsie, N . Y . Edwin B. Colburn, first assistant in the preparations division of the Reference D e - partment of the N e w Y o r k Public Library, has become chief of technical processes, Northwestern University Library, Evanston, 1 1 1 . John B. Stratton, assistant circulation li- brarian, Ohio State University, is now head acquisitions librarian of Oklahoma A and M College, Stillwater. David C. Libbey has been appointed acting reference librarian of the State College of Washington at Pullman. Kurt Schwerin, head cataloger, University of Virginia L a w Library, is now in charge of the foreign and international law collections of the Northwestern University L a w Library in Chicago. T h e Louisiana State University Library announces the appointment of Jane St. Clair as serials cataloger, Jean M o r f o r d H o w a r d as senior circulation librarian, and M a r y Elizabeth Garst as librarian of the Social W e l f a r e and Government Library. James W . Dyson, formerly on the staff of the union catalog of the Library of Congress, APRIL, 1948 173 is now librarian, Loyola University of the South in N e w Orleans. Myron B. Smith, secretary, committee on Near Eastern Studies of the American Council of Learned Societies, has been appointed fellow of the Library of Congress in Islamic Arche- ology and Near Eastern History. Filomena Martemucci, formerly cataloger at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y., has been appointed head cataloger at the Hunter College Library, N e w York City. Josephine Savaro, cataloger of the M a n - hattanville College Library, N e w York, is now librarian of the University of Scranton, Scranton, Pa. Lillian R. Sanger has been appointed law librarian of John Marshall College, Tersey City, N.J. William C. Dawson has been appointed librarian of Arnold College, Milford, Conn. Michael Von Krenitsky is now librarian of the Texas Military College at Terrell. Elizabeth Frances Adkins is now medical librarian of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. M a r y L. Richmond has returned to W i l - liams College, Williamstown, Mass., as act- ing custodian of the Chapin Library of Rare Books. M a r y Vie Cramblitt is now head cataloger of the Middlebury College Library, Middle- bury, Vt. Elizabeth O . Cullen, reference librarian of the Bureau of Railway Economics Library, Washington, D . C., has been appointed li- brarian of the bureau, succeeding Richard H . Johnston. Laurence J. Kipp, executive director of the American Book Center for W a r Devastated Libraries, has become assistant to the director of the Harvard University Libraries at Cam- bridge, Mass. Katherine S. Diehl is now librarian at Central China College, Wuchong, China. Dorothy Harmer has been appointed head of the catalog department of the University of Georgia Library, Athens. Retirements Lydia M a y McCutchen retired from the staff of the University of Washington Library at Seattle on Sept. I, 1947. A member of the first class to be graduated from the Univer- sity of Washington Library School, she has been on the staff of the library since 1913. For the past twenty-three years she has been senior librarian in the acquisitions division in charge of binding. Willia K. Garver, assistant librarian in charge of acquisitions of the University of Illinois Library at Urbana, retired on Sept. 1, 1947. Miss Garver had been head of acqui- sitions at Illinois since 1920. Necrology Dr. Gwladys Spencer, assistant professor of library science, University of Illinois Library School, died on November 21 following an ill- ness of several months. Dr. Spencer came to Illinois in 1940 after holding positions previ- ously at the University of Chicago, Graduate Library School, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Denison University. Pelham Barr, for the last twelve years di- rector of the Library Binding Institute, died suddenly on January 11 after a prolonged illness. A close friend of librarians, he worked consistently for the establishment of standards for library binding. 174 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES Graduate Studies in College and Research Librarianship A m o n g theses completed at the U n i v e r - sity of Illinois, L i b r a r y School, during 1947 w h i c h may be of interest to college, uni- versity, and research librarians are the f o l - l o w i n g : Bartolini, Renato Paul. Position Classifi- cation in University Libraries. Blum, Eleanor Jane. Reading Resources in Rural Areas of Champaign County. Pearce, Catherine Ann. T h e Development of Special Libraries in Montreal and T o r o n t o . Stanley, Ellen Lenora. T h e History of the Earlham College Library. T h e f o l l o w i n g theses w e r e completed at the School of Library Service, C o l u m b i a University, in 1 9 4 7 : Fry, M a r y Edith. An Investigation of the Letters N and O of Appleton's Cyclo- paedia of American Biography, to Ascer- tain the Inclusion of Fictitious Articles. H o r t , M a r g a r e t Janvier. T h r e e Areas of Student Use of Russell Sage College L i - brary, 1940-44. Sister M a r y Winifred ( G r a s s ) . T h e A d - ministration, Organization, and Distribu- tion of Educational Films and Record- ings in College Libraries. T h e f o l l o w i n g C o l u m b i a theses w e r e c o m - pleted in February 1 9 4 8 : Blodgett, Catherine C. Duplication in Original Cataloging among Research L i - braries in the N e w Y o r k Area. Copeland, Emily A . Academic Status of Librarians in Institutions of Higher Learning for Negroes. Engle, Virginia. Implications of a Special Collection on the Southern Appalachian Mountain Region at Berea College Li- brary. Hotaling, Donald O . Reading Patterns of College and University Librarians. Morisset, Auguste M . Differences in En- try in the Catalogs of the Library of Congress, the British Museum, the Bibliotheque Nationale, and the Deut- scher Gesamtkatolog. Simonton, Wesley. Duplication of Entries in the Subject Catalog of a University Library and Subject Bibliographies in English Literature. Snider, W i n i f r e d . Extramural Library Service in Libraries and Extension D e - partments of Canadian Universities. Snodgrass, Isabelle S. American Music Periodicals of N e w England and N e w Y o r k , 1786-1850. Williams, C. Opal. Adequacy of Collec- tion in T w o Areas of History for a Fifth Y e a r of W o r k in Six Teachers Colleges of Texas. T h e f o l l o w i n g studies w e r e completed in 1947 at the University of M i c h i g a n , D e - partment of L i b r a r y Science: Connor, E. Faye. Reading Interests of Huntington College Students. Mattlin, A . Homer, S.J. Proposed Re- organization of the Loyola University Libraries. Fiftieth Anniversary T h e Medical Library Association celebrates this year the fiftieth anniversary of its found- ing. T h e Annual meeting will be held in Philadelphia, M a y 28th-30th; the headquarters will be the Hotel W a r w i c k . T h e commemoration of the association's founding in Philadelphia in 1898 has a prominent place on the program with an address on " T h e History of the A s - sociation" by D r . Archibald Malloch, N e w Y o r k Academy of Medicine; " T h e Medical Library Association and Medicine" by D r . Chauncey D . Leake, University of T e x a s ; and " T h e Medical Library Association faces the future" by the president, M r s . Eileen R. Cun- ningham, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Library. T h e speaker at the Annual dinner on M a y 29 will be D r . O . H . Perry Pepper of the University of Pennsylvania. Group meetings will be held to discuss practical library problems. APRIL, 1948 175 News from T h e Board of Regents of the General University of Utah have approved a policy whereby library staff members, with the rank of instructor or above, may be granted one full quarter for study out of each eight quarters served at the university. Pay is to be granted as pro- vided under the four-quarter plan. T h e leave and the program of study must have the approval of the librarian and the presi- dent of the university. During the final weeks of 1947 the V i r - ginia State Library prepared a special exhibit "of rare manuscript and printed materials to commemorate the one hundred and fifty-sixth anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights and the visit of the Freedom T r a i n . " T h e exhibit, arranged by J. Van Schreevan, head archivist, traced the origin and enact- ment of both the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the federal Bill of Rights. Several months ago Acquisitions, Gifts, James T . Babb, li- and Collections brarian, Yale Univer- sity, announced receipt of a gift of sixty rare books of 16th and 17th century English. T h e donor was Louis M . Rabinowitz of N e w Y o r k City. T h e col- lection includes many early and several first editions of works in various fields: drama, poetry, history, religion, prose, fiction, law, geography, politics, and pedagogy. One of the rarest items in the group is a first issue of the first edition of Lovelace's Lucasta and a first edition of Daniel's Musofihilus. Books on religion are in the majority. One of these is a copy of The King's Book, drawn up by order of Henry V I I I in 1543 and considered a foundation stone of the church of England. Other titles are Bunyan's Holy Life and Calvin's Certain Ho indies. Several items of particular interest to historians are included. M r . Rabinowitz has made other gifts of rare books to Yale and has also endowed a re- search project at the Yale Graduate School for the translation of Hebrew literature. Robert Henry Thurston, engineer, and one of the fathers of engineering education in America died in 1903. During his lifetime he taught at Annapolis, Stevens Institute of Technology, and ultimately at Cornell. A prolific writer and adviser on engineering problems, he was the originator of a f o u r - year course in mechanical engineering and in 1875 established the first mechanical testing laboratory in the country at Stevens Institute. In 1885 he accepted a call to Cornell and there he undertook, as director, to reorganize Sibley College and was instrumental in de- veloping it into a first-rate college of me- chanical engineering. At Cornell he estab- lished the finest materials laboratory of the day and under his able administration en- rolment in the college rose from 63 in 1885 to 885 at the time of his death in 1903. Recently Cornell became the recipient of the correspondence, books, and miscellany of Thurston. This interesting collection came as a gift from Arthur H . Dean of N e w Y o r k , a Cornell trustee. Among other items are leters from Carnegie, Edison, M a x i m , A l e x - ander G . Bell, Lord Kelvin, Nikola Tesla, and other famous inventors and scientific figures. During November President Edmund E. Day, of Cornell, announced that the uni- versity had received a grant of $180,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of N e w Y o r k to in- vestigate the impact of modern agriculture, science, and industry on such areas as the Far East, India, and Latin America. T h e fund will be used, over a period of years, in a pro- gram of research and instruction in which cultural anthropologists and other scientists will study contemporary social problems in relation to technological change. In December George Matthew Adams of N e w Y o r k presented a collection of Ambrose Bierce's works to Dartmouth College. T h e collection boasts first editions and all titles contain inscriptions by the author, either to his brother or to Richard Harding Davis. Thirty-one titles are represented in the col- lection. During the autumn of 1947 the Library of the Bureau of Public Administration, Uni- versity of Virginia, was transferred to the 176 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES the Field Alderman Library. T h e library system at the University of Virginia now includes the Alderman Library (the general library of the university) ; three departmental libraries (Engineering, L a w , and Medicine) ; and nine school libraries and special collections. T h e E. Trinkle Lee Library of M a r y Washington College (the women's college of the University of Virginia) has been concen- trating on completing its files of the more im- portant igth and 20th century periodicals. Reverend Eugene F. Bigler, rector, St. A n - drews Episcopal Church, Beacon, N . Y . , re- cently gave Kenyon College Library a collec- tion of book and folios on art and archaeology valued at more than $10,000. W y m a n W . Parker, librarian of Kenyon, reports that the collection includes works on Persian art, Oriental jades and ceramics, rugs and tapes- tries. T h e collection is particularly rich in ma- terial relating to the archaeology of North America, Mexico, and the American Indian. Northwestern University Library recently acquired two valuable railroad collections. T h e first, primarily of historical interest, con- sists of some 750 pamphlets and 250 pictures relating to early American railroads. This collection was originally assembled by the late Frank F. Fowle, a member of the Western Society of Engineers in Chicago. It is said to cover the key phases of the early history of roadways, canals, and railways. T h e second collection, a gift from the Association of American Railroads, contains a complete set of the reports of the Railroad Committee for the Study of Transportation that was or- ganized by the Association of American Rail- roads. These reports offer technical and financial data relating to railroad problems of today. In December the library of the University of W e s t Virginia purchased a collection of approximately 600 volumes of Civil W a r his- tory and biography from D r . W . E. Brooks, formerly pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Morgantown. First editions of Hawthorne, Longfellow, Bret Harte, W h i t - tier, and Bryant were included in the pur- chase. Last spring the W e s t Virginia University Library began the microfilming of newspapers published in the state. Ultimately it is hoped that all, or nearly all, the dailies and week- lies will be available on film. In connection with this project a checklist of W e s t V i r - ginia newspapers is planned as a means of lo- cating copies missing from the university files. A recent grant from the General Education Board of N e w Y o r k City has made it possible for W e s t Virginia Wesleyan College, Buck- hannon, to add to its library holdings. T h e collection in the social sciences has been particularly enriched with the help of the grant. T h e plans for the new library Buildings building at Hampden-Sydney College are progressing and it is hoped that acfual construction can begin in 1948. A plan to place the student near the books he uses was inaugurated in a temporary library annex and study hall at Union C o l - lege, Schenectady, N . Y . T h e new seating ar- rangement will enable a student to choose a study desk in the vicinity of the specific refer- ence works covering the material he is study- ing. This new building, financed by the Fed- eral W o r k s Agency as a veterans educational facility, will augment existing study facilities in Union's unique round-house library, and will provide shelf space for about 40,000 volumes. T h e W e s t Virginia University Library has opened a supplementary reading room in a building formerly used as a cafeteria. T h e reserve collection has been transferred to this new location, and space for 170 students has been provided. In an effort to afford study space for the large number of commuting stu- dents, the former reserve book room has been turned into a newspaper, periodical, and study room for those students interested in using their own books. N e w Y o r k state has appropriated $1,529,000 for a joint library building for the N e w Y o r k State Colleges of Agriculture and Home Eco- nomics. APRIL, 1948 177 Devereaux Josephs, president Committees, 0 f Carnegie Corporation of Conferences, N e w Y o r k , stated in his an- Curricula n u a ^ r e P o r t that the urgent need for supplying our gov- ernment with trained men constituted a g r o w - ing challenge to higher education. "Enlarge- ment of the nation's understanding of its international responsibilities" is the other major interest of the corporation. In 1946- 47 grants in this latter field tripled, amount- ing to $1,828,700. M r . Josephs' report stressed the need for experts in government at all levels: " . . . the most critical problems of the day relate at every point to the ur- gent need for better organization of what we know, for better programs of training and f o r more extensive use of trained men in high places. . . ." T h e report further stated that the corporation may also be able to assist universities trying to adapt their curricula to new national needs. M o r e than forty representatives of public and private libraries in the Kansas City area organized a Kansas City chapter of the Spe- cial Libraries Association, January 17, at a meeting at the Linda Hall Library. M a r t h a Hershey, technical librarian for the Midwest Research Institute, was elected president of the chapter. An organization known as Audio-Visual Instruction Directors has been formed in In- diana. Purposes of this organization are: ( 1 ) to provide directors of audio-visual edu- cation in schools, colleges and universities an opportunity to become acquainted and to co- operate on mutual problems, ( 2 ) to act as a clearing house for ideas and projects of state- wide concern, ( 3 ) to provide direction and coordination of audio-visual programs throughout the state, and ( 4 ) to develop p r o j - ects of assistance to directors of audio-visual education. D r . J. Periam Danton, dean of the School of Librarianship, University of California, has announced that a group of San Francisco Bay Area libraries have indicated their willingness to employ some of the students accepted for the second-year program in the school. Posi- tions, paying approximately $1,200 a year f o r half-time work, are available in both the pub- lic and university library fields. Prospective students f o r the master's degree, interested in w o r k opportunities, should indicate that fact when making application f o r admission to the school. Establishment of a "Curriculum in Pre- librarianship" has recently been announced by the University of California at Los A n - geles. T h e new curriculum, one of a number of recently outlined "organized fields of con- centration" in the College of Letters and Science, permits an interdepartmental major. It is designed to meet the needs of students planning to take a general course in a gradu- ate school of librarianship. Students in- tending to specialize in scientific, industrial, or other technical fields of librarianship, are advised to complete a major in an appropriate subject field, rather than the prelibrarianship curriculum. T h e student desiring to pursue the prelibrarianship curriculum must file a "Prelibrarianship Plan" which has been ap- proved by an authorized library adviser, and which meets the general requirements stated in the catalogs. Advisers will be appointed by the librarian from the library staff. Provi- sions and requirements of the curriculum are described in the supplement to the general catalog of the university. T h e Conference of College and University Librarians of Southern California met on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles on November 22. "Recruitment and Trends in Education for Librarianship" served as the topic. D r . J. Periam Danton, dean of the School of Librarianship at the University of California, and D r . Lewis F. Stieg, director of the Graduate School of Library Science, University of Southern Cali- fornia, were the speakers. O n November 15, eighty Ohio librarians gathered at Kenyon College f o r a fall meeting of the College and University Division of the Ohio Library Association. N . Orwin Rush, executive secretary, A . C . R . L . , spoke on the work of his office at A . L . A . Headquarters and D r . Paul Leedy, librarian, Bowling Green State University Library, spoke 011 "Opportunity f o r Cooperation among College Librarians in O h i o . " T h e University of Minnesota, Division of Library Instruction, announces the John C . Hutchinson Scholarship of $250 f o r the aca- demic year 1948-49 to be awarded f o r study in library science. Application blanks may be secured from the Bureau of Loans and Schol- arships, University of Minnesota, M i n n e - 178 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES apolis 14. Applications received after June 1, 1948, cannot he considered for the year 1948- 4 9 - A center for scientific aids to learning has been established at the Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology under a grant of $100,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of N e w York. It will concern itself with research and experimentation in the fields of printing, documentary reproduction, visual education, sound recording, and mechanical selection systems. Technicians, librarians, and persons in other allied fields will be trained in theories and practices of scientific aids to learning. D r . B. Lamar Johnson, librarian and dean of instruction at Stephens College, Columbia, M o . , will give a course on " T h e Utilization of the Library in the Instructional P r o g r a m " at the Graduate Library School, University of Chicago, this summer. Since this course is being offered for professors, as well as librarians, D r . Johnson is eager to obtain descriptions of teaching activities of profes- sors who are particularly successful in mak- ing effective use of library materials in their teaching. Librarians can be helpful if they will send to D r . Johnson descriptions of any relevant courses or course units, or anecdotal accounts. Columbia University Press Publications recently published College Retirement and Insurance Plans by William C. Greenough. T h e book reviews the various retirement plans now operative in colleges and universities through- out the nation and finds that most of them are not adequate. T h e author stresses the im- portance of sound plans in attracting good teachers. This is an interesting study of an important problem. T h e W o r l d Peace Foundation has begun publication of Documents of International Organizations: A Selected Bibliography. This quarterly, prepared by the staff of W o r l d Peace Foundation, has an advisory committee consisting of Verner W . Clapp, Philip C. Jes- sup, Ruth Savord, W a l t e r R. Sharp, and Harry N . M . Winton. Included in vol. 1, no. 1 (November 1947) were materials re- lating to United Nations, the specialized agencies, the League of Nations, the regional organizations, war and transitional organiza- tions, and other functional organizations. Half a century of progress in bibliographic publishing is being rounded out this year as Halsey W . W i l s o n observes his fiftieth an- niversary of publishing the Cumulative Book Index in the company which bears his name. J. F. Vanderheyden is the author of Die nieuwe Bibliotheekbouw in de Verenidge Staten (Antwerp, 1 9 4 7 ) , in which he de- scribes his reactions to various library build- ings and their internal organizations during his recent trip to America. Donald Coney, secretary, has issued the 1946-47 report of " T h e Library Council of the University of California." Among the topics discussed in the report are the develop- ment of a job classification and salary scale study; the furtherance of the M o o d y survey; the Fussier survey of photographic facilities; the annual report on library size; discontinu- ance of the interlibrary loan service charge to other libraries; questions on the acceptance and reporting of gifts; and policy agreement on transfer of personnel. Margaret Freeman, Brooklyn Public L i - brary, recently issued a mimeographed report on the use of paper-backed books in the Brooklyn Public Library. Methods of han- dling these books and their usefulness are stressed. T h e John K . Mullin Library, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., has published its first issue of an informal library bulletin titled "So N o w Y o u K n o w . " N o regular publication schedule is planned, but issues will appear as items arise that re- quire explanation or staff-wide publicity. T h e Alderman Library has published, as number seven of the University of Virginia Bibliographical Series, the "Catalogue of the Adolph L o m b Optical Library" at the U i - versity of Virginia. James P. C. Southall, professor emeritus of physics, Columbia Uni- versity, wrote the introduction. T h e volume is folio size and was lithoprinted by Edwards Brothers, Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich. T h e first issue of the " U C L A Librarian" appeared on Oct. 6, 1947. A bi-monthly bul- letin for the staff at the University of Cali- fornia, Los Angeles, it is edited by Everett M o o r e , reference librarian and issued by the librarian's office in mimeographed form. It contains news notes and other items. APRIL, 1948 179