LI B R.ARY 
 
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 UNIVER'S.Il'Y 
 Of ILLINOIS 
 
 O20.715 
 A434 
 
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D. 
 
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 COLLECTING 
 SCIENCE LITERATURE 
 
 FOR 
 
 GENERAL READING 
 
 Allerton Park Instil ate 
 

 
 
ALLERTON PARK INSTITUTE 
 Number Seven 
 
COLLECTING 
 
 SCIENCE LITERATURE 
 
 FOR 
 
 GENERAL READING 
 
 Papers Presented at an Institute 
 conducted by 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 GRADUATE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE 
 
 November 6 -9, 1960 
 
 Distributed by 
 
 The Illini Union Bookstore 
 
 Champaign, Illinois 
 
Copyright 1961 
 
 by the 
 
 University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science 
 
 Lithoprinted by 
 Edwards Brothers, Inc. 
 Ann Arbor, Michigan 
 
. i 
 
 FOREWORD 
 
 The University of Illinois Graduate School of Library 
 Science in cooperation with the University Extension Division 
 sponsors an annual autumn institute on an area of professional 
 librarianship. This volume presents the papers given at the 
 Institute on Collecting Science Literature for General Reading, 
 the seventh of these institutes, which was held at Robert Aller- 
 ton Park, near Monticello, Illinois, on November 6-9, I960. 
 Earlier institutes considered such timely subjects as school li- 
 brary supervision, the library's personnel program, nature and 
 development of collections, information services, young peo- 
 ple's services, and classification. 
 
 The importance of an institute on the collection of sci- 
 ence literature for the non-scientist is fairly obvious. Scientif- 
 ic progress with its marked influence on man and his environ- 
 ment continues at an increasing speed. Competition for time, 
 misinformation, technical terminology, and unfamiliar concepts 
 make it difficult for the average citizen to keep pace with cur- 
 rent developments. Librarians as never before are faced with 
 the responsibility of assisting the non-scientist in gaining an 
 appreciation of progress in the various fields of pure and ap- 
 plied science. This is a challenge that must be accepted with 
 enthusiasm. It is not enough to just think in terms of readers 
 who have no interest in science. Some librarians seem prone 
 to underestimate the interest which ordinary people have in sci- 
 entific ma'tters. As Isaac Asimov so succinctly states in the 
 first chapter of his very readable The Intelligent Man's Guide 
 to Science: 
 
 To gain a satisfactory appreciation of the developments 
 in a field of science, it is not essential to have a total 
 understanding of the science. After all, no one feels 
 that he must be capable of writing a great work of liter- 
 ature in order to appreciate Shakespeare. To listen to 
 a Beethoven symphony with pleasure does not require 
 the listener to be capable of composing an equivalent 
 symphony of his own. By the same token, one can ap- 
 preciate and take pleasure in the achievements of 
 science even though he does not himself have a bent 
 
for creative work in science. 
 
 ... no one can really feel at home in the modern world 
 unless he has some intelligent notion of what science 
 is up to. But beyond this, initiation into the magnificent 
 world of science brings great esthetic satisfaction, 
 inspiration to youth, fulfillment of the desire to know, 
 and a deeper appreciation of the wonderful potentialities 
 and achievements of the human mind. 
 
 The purpose of the I960 Institute was to assist college, 
 public, and school librarians in building adequate science col- 
 lections to meet the current needs of their clientele. The pro- 
 gram began with a consideration of the dynamic nature of sci- 
 ence and proceeded logically through discussions of the present 
 state of scientific progress, the dissemination of scientific in- 
 formation through various mediums, reader interest in science, 
 the publication of scientific information, problems, and aids in 
 selecting material for libraries, to the concluding discussion 
 of the components of the science collection. 
 
 The program of the Institute was planned by a committee 
 of the faculty of the Graduate School of Library Science com- 
 posed of Harold Goldstein, Donald E. Strout, Harold Lancour, 
 (ex officio), ,and Frances B. Jenkins, chairman. Other mem- 
 bers of the faculty helped in many ways to make the conference 
 a success. 
 
 We are greatly indebted to the speakers for finding time 
 in busy schedules to prepare scholarly papers and attend ses- 
 sions of the institute. As usual a special word of appreciation 
 is extended to Hugh Davison and to the staffs of the University 
 Extension Division and Allerton House for assistance with all 
 of the business details of the Institute. Finally we wish to ex- 
 press our gratitude to Mrs. Janet Phillips for her editorial 
 assistance in the preparation of this manuscript for publication. 
 
 FRANCES B. JENKINS 
 Editor 
 
 Urbana, Illinois 
 May 15, 1961 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 Foreword v 
 
 Classics in Science 
 
 Robert B. Downs 1 
 
 Science on the March 
 
 Frederick Seitz 23 
 
 Science for the General Public 
 
 Watson Davis 36 
 
 Symposium: Reader Interest in Science 
 
 Children 
 
 Sidney Rosen 44 
 
 Young People 
 
 Herbert Zim 52 
 
 Adults 
 
 John T. Thackery, Jr 61 
 
 Science Knowledge Through Audio -Visual Materials 
 
 Joseph E. Dickman 68 
 
 Publishing of Science Literature 
 
 Joseph C. Shipman 73 
 
 The Aids of Selection 
 
 George S. Bonn 90 
 
 Problems of Selection in Science 
 
 WilliamS. Budington .......... 138 
 
 The Components of the Science Collection 
 
 Irene Strieby 150 
 
 The Status of Science Fiction as Literature 
 
 Adrian Janes 171 
 
 Summary 
 
 Harold Lancour 181 
 
 vii 
 
CLASSICS IN SCIENCE 
 
 Robert B. Downs 
 
 In common with most readers, excepting the fanatical 
 culture seekers, the concept of a list of "great books, " which 
 every educated man or woman must read, strikes me as dreary 
 and dull. Despite Robert Hutchins 1 and Clifton Fadiman's ex- 
 hortations, nothing could induce me to wade through such 
 sleep-producers as a majority of the titles urged upon us in 
 The Lifetime Reading Plan and the Great Books Foundation 
 list. 
 
 Far more rewarding, significant, and exciting, in my 
 view, is to try to single out those books that over the centuries 
 have made the most profound impact on the history, economics, 
 culture, civilization, and science of our time. Admittedly, 
 some works of prime importance are intangible in their influ- 
 ence. That is especially true in such fields as literature, phi- 
 losophy, and religion. 
 
 Most measurable in their effect are certain seminal 
 works in sciencethe trail-blazers, creating new frontiers, 
 often dramatically extending man's knowledge of the visible and 
 invisible universe around him. Often these books represent 
 the culmination of the efforts of many minds. William Harvey 
 on blood circulation built upon the researches of sixteenth- 
 century anatomists and physiologists; Linneaus came at the end 
 of two centuries of systems of classifying plants. Sir Isaac 
 Newton, after acknowledging his indebtedness to Copernicus, 
 Kepler, Galileo, and other predecessors, remarked, "If I 
 have seen further than other men, it is by standing on the shoul- 
 ders of giants. " 
 
 Nevertheless, though we may concede that there is noth- 
 ing essentially new under the sun, and it is extremely difficult 
 to discover the beginning of anything, the evidence is conclusive 
 
 Robert B. Downs is Director of the Graduate 
 School of Library Science and Dean of Library 
 Administration at the University of Illinois. 
 
 - 1 - 
 
that certain books have had a powerful impact on the progress 
 of science and human thought. I propose to identify some thir- 
 ty-three works which in the past four centuries appear to have 
 contributed most directly to pushing back the boundaries of 
 knowledge. The logical order of approach is chronological. 
 Because of time limitations, discussion will be confined to se- 
 lected examples among the thirty-three. 
 
 The first name to appear is that of Nicolaus Copernicus' 
 Concerning the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, 1543. For 
 more than fourteen centuries, a system devised by Claudius 
 Ptolemy, second-century Egyptian astronomer, had been ac- 
 cepted as the true conception of the universe. Ptolemy held 
 that the world was a fixed and immovable body, situated at the 
 center of the universe, about which all celestial bodies, includ- 
 ing the sun and the fixed stars revolved. 
 
 Doubtful of the Ptolemaic conception, Copernicus--per- 
 haps inspired by reading Aristarchus and other early Greek 
 astronomersstarted testing a new system for the universe. 
 This was the century before the invention of the telescope, and 
 his instruments were primitive. Copernicus' conclusions, des- 
 cribed in his celebrated book, were cataclysmic. The sun was 
 the center of the universe, the earth only a planet, like Mars, 
 and it and all the planets revolved about the sun. As might be 
 expected, Copernicus left his system incomplete and inaccurate 
 at various points. His conception of the perfectly circular mo- 
 tion of celestial bodies, of a universe with very finite limita- 
 tions, and other details do not conform to present-day knowl- 
 edge. But in its essential featurethe choice of the sun as the 
 center of our planetary system Copernicus discovered funda- 
 mental truth, provided a basis for modern scientific astrono- 
 my, and shook the foundations of philosophy and religion. 
 
 Issued in the same year as Copernicus' De Revolution- 
 bus Orbium Coelestium was another monumental scientific 
 work, Andreas Vesalius 1 On the Structure of the Human Body. 
 The author's interest in anatomy began early. As a boy, he 
 dissected hundreds of small animals moles, toads, rats, pigs, 
 cats, dogs, and monkeys fascinated by their physical charac- 
 teristics. After a preliminary education at Louvain, Vesalius 
 chose to go to Paris to study anatomy. The teaching of anat- 
 omy at the time was highly formalized, a practice handed down 
 from the Middle Ages. The professor of anatomy sat on a 
 raised platform, high above the class, reading appropriate pas- 
 sages from Galen, second-century Greek physician. At his 
 feet was the body, usually of an animal, and beside it a barber 
 surgeon, who dissected the specimen in crude fashion and 
 
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pointed out the parts described by the reader. 
 
 Dissatisfied with the type of instruction he encountered 
 in Paris, Vesalius concluded that anatomy could be learned 
 only through first-hand dissection of human bodies. Cadavers, 
 however, were extremely difficult to come by. At great per- 
 sonal risk, Vesalius undertook "body- snatching" expeditions', 
 such as stealing the bodies of criminals from the gallows. As 
 professor of surgery and anatomy at Padua, Vesalius lectured 
 to overflow classes of students, personally performed all dis- 
 sections, and concluded work on the great anatomical treatise 
 which he had conceived several years earlier. 
 
 The magnificent drawings for De Humani CorporisFab- 
 rica are believed to have been done under Vesalius 1 direction 
 by Jan Stephan Van Calcar, a pupil of Titian. The Fabrica has 
 been called "more than a milestone in the history of medicine; 
 it is a great work of creative art. " Both scientific exactness 
 and artistic beauty were achieved in the woodcuts, while the 
 printing is a superb example of the typography of Oporinus of 
 Basel, where the book was produced. Vesalius may be re- 
 garded not only as the founder of a real science of anatomy; 
 along with Harvey, he was also instrumental in establishing 
 sound principles of scientific research--science based on fact 
 rather than tradition. Sir William Osier described the Fab- 
 rica as "the greatest medical book ever written- -from which 
 modern medicine starts. " 
 
 Next in the progression is an Englishman, Dr. William 
 Gilbert, personal physician to Queen Elizabeth and James I, 
 whose book On the Loadstone, Magnetic Bodies, and on the 
 Great Magnet the Earth (1600) was the first great work of 
 physical science to be published in England. All scientific 
 knowledge, Gilbert insisted, must be founded on practical ex- 
 periment and observation alone, instead of upon idle specula- 
 tion and theories evolved out of the mind. In the modern world, 
 the practice of scientific experimentation has become so com- 
 monplace that it is difficult to realize how revolutionary was 
 the concept of such evidence in 1600. 
 
 Gilbert's De Magnete described his experimental work on 
 magnetism. Here he introduced what most historians of science 
 regard as his greatest contribution: his view of the earth itself as 
 a greatmagnet. By his theory of the magnetic nature of the earth, 
 Gilbert created the science of terrestrial magnetism. Most of 
 his work is concerned with magnetism, but one section is de- 
 voted to the phenomena of electrical attraction. Gilbert was the 
 first scientist to differentiate between electrical and magnetic 
 attraction. He introduced the word "electricity" into the langu- 
 age, along with other terms now in common use. In short, Gil- 
 
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bert in his De Magnete demonstrated not merely the value and im- 
 portance of experiment, but also established magnetism and elec- 
 tricity as sciences, stimulating further investigations down to the 
 time of Michael Faraday. 
 
 The earliest prominent methodologist of scientific in- 
 quiry was Sir Francis Bacon, whose doctrines were set forth 
 in Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning (1605). 
 Bacon was no scientist, he made no great discoveries, but he 
 directly influenced scientific progress through his writings on 
 scientific methodology. Experimentation was necessary, he 
 maintained, to determine truth in nature. By accumulating a 
 sufficient quantity of observations and facts, a basis for new 
 sciences, not founded upon Aristotle or other ancient authori- 
 ties, could be provided. Bacon's principal service to science 
 was to criticize the existing bad methods, to try to formulate 
 the methods which should be substituted for them, and to paint 
 a glowing picture of the power which men might acquire by 
 such means over nature. 
 
 A fitting successor to Copernicus in a great line of as- 
 tronomers is Johannes Kepler, author of The New Astronomy 
 (1609) and Harmony of the World (1619). Based upon remark- 
 ably accurate data on planetary positions recorded by the 
 Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, Kepler discovered the laws 
 of planetary motion. Three famous laws were formulated ana 
 announced in Kepler's two books. According to the first law, 
 the planetary orbits are not circular but elliptical, i.e., a 
 flattened circle; the second records the fact that the speed of a 
 planet varies as it approaches or recedes from the sun; and 
 the third deals with the periods of time the planets take to com- 
 plete their orbital paths. 
 
 Kepler was a mystic by nature and a profound believer 
 in cosmic order and harmony. This characteristic is illus- 
 trated by an anecdote he relates. A new star had appeared in 
 1604 and a group of philosophers known as Epicureans offered 
 a theory that the star was a fortuitous concourse of atoms. 
 Kepler replied: 
 
 I will tell these disputants, my opponents, not my 
 own opinion, but my wife's. Yesterday, when weary 
 with writing, and my mind quite dusty with consid- 
 ering these atoms, I was called to supper, and a 
 salad I had asked for was set before me. 'It seems 
 then, ' said I aloud, 'that if pewter dishes, leaves 
 of lettuce, grains of salt, drops of water, vinegar, 
 and oil, and slices of egg, had been flying about in 
 the air from all eternity, it might at last happen by 
 
 - 4 - 
 
chance that there would come a salad. ' ' Yes, ' 
 says my wife, 'but not so nice and well dressed 
 as this of mine. ' 
 
 Following close on Kepler's heels is a great biologist, 
 Dr. William Harvey, author of Anatomical Exercises on the 
 Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals f 1628, a 72-page 
 book published in Frankfort, Germany, in Latin. In this trea- 
 tise was described for the first time the discovery of the circu- 
 lation of the blood. 
 
 Biological science and research at the beginning of the 
 seventeenth century were little more advanced than had been the 
 study of astronomy prior to Copernicus. For more than a thou- 
 sand years before Harvey, no substantial contribution to man's 
 knowledge of blood circulation had been made. Aristotle had 
 taught that blood originated in the liver, went from there to the 
 heart, and then through the body to the veins. Others of the 
 time taught that the arteries carried a subtle kind of air or 
 spirit. Galen in the second century, A. D. , discovered that the 
 arteries carried blood, not air, but for centuries after him 
 physicians believed that a spirit of some sort had a part in the 
 blood system, perhaps animating the heart. 
 
 For the study of medicine, Harvey went as a young man 
 to Italy, to the renowned University of Padua, where earlier 
 Andreas Vesalius had served on the faculty. Harvey's lifetime 
 interest in blood circulation was evidently aroused there, 
 studying under the guidance of an inspiring teacher, Fabricus. 
 Returning to England, he became personal physician to James I 
 and later Charles I. By nature he was more of an experimenter 
 than a practitioner of medicine. Harvey may rightly be re- 
 garded as one of the founders of the science of comparative a- 
 natomy and of laboratory methods. He dissected and watched 
 for evidences of circulation in dogs, pigs, serpents, frogs, 
 fishes, oysters, lobsters, shrimps, and even insects. Going 
 beyond superficial observation, little handicapped by supersti- 
 tions or by reverence for antiquated theories, Harvey drew up 
 hypotheses and tested them by experiments. He was the first 
 to adopt the scientific method of experiment for the solution of 
 a biological problem. All his successors of significance since 
 1628 have followed the same path. 
 
 Fourth in the procession of giants among astronomers*- - 
 after Copernicus, the Pole, Tycho Brahe, the Dane, and Kep- 
 ler, the German- -was an Italian, Galileo. An early convert to 
 Copernicus' theory of a sun-centered universe, Galileo's ex- 
 periments and demonstrations in the phenomena of movement, 
 
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of bodies in motion, proved of extraordinary importance in the 
 study of mechanics. They provided a basis also for research 
 on the far vaster problems of the movement of celestial bodies. 
 Though Galileo did not invent the telescope, he was the first 
 astronomer to use it for observing the heavenly bodies. Never 
 before had anyone viewed the skies except with the naked eye. 
 Naturally, startling new facts were uncovered, providing ir- 
 refutable proof, Galileo was convinced, for the truth of the Co- 
 pernican theory. "I am filled with infinite astonishment and 
 also infinite gratitude to God, " he wrote, "that it has pleased 
 Him to make me alone the first observer of such wonderful 
 things, which have been hidden in all past centuries. " 
 
 Prior to Galileo, Copernican ideas had made little im- 
 pact on European thought. Galileo soon changed the attitude of 
 indifference, and, for most of his career, was engaged in a 
 running fight with the Inquisition. His early writings and "all 
 books which affirmed the motion of the earth" were placed up- 
 on the Index of Prohibited Books. Nevertheless, in 1632, 
 Galileo brought out his epoch-making work, Dialogue on the 
 Two Chief Systems of the World, clearly stating the case for 
 the Copernican system against every variety of objection and 
 question. Summoned before the tribunal of the Inquisition, and 
 threatened with torture, he was forced to recant his scientific 
 beliefs. Though sentenced to prison, he was presently allowed 
 to return to his home in Florence, where he lived in technical 
 confinement until his death. Despite such trials and tribula- 
 tions, Galileo's experiments in dynamics and his astronomic 
 observations laid the foundation of modern mathematical 
 physics. 
 
 While slightly out of order chronologically, there should 
 logically be introduced here the fifth towering figure among the 
 astronomers, the Englishman Sir Isaac Newton and his Mathe- 
 matical Principles of Natural Philosophy, 1687. This monu- 
 mental treatise on physical science, in Latin, was produced in 
 a period of about seventeen months, requiring the most intense 
 and prolonged concentration on the part of the author. Newton 
 drew upon his extensive knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, 
 physics, and mathematics in the preparation of the work. As a 
 whole, the Principia deals with the motion of bodies treated 
 mathematically, in particular the application of dynamics and 
 universal gravitation to the solar system. Most famous is the 
 third section of the book, entitled "The System of the World. " 
 Here Newton deals with the motions of the planets and of the 
 satellites around the planets, methods for measuring the mas- 
 ses of the sun and planets, the density of the earth, the preces- 
 
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sion of the equinoxes, a theory of tides, orbits of the comets, 
 and the moon's motions --truly an impressive list. 
 
 Scientific discoveries in the twentieth century have 
 modified or shown inadequacies in Newton's work, especially in 
 relation to astronomy. Einstein's theory of relativity, for ex- 
 ample, maintains that space and time are not absolute, as 
 Newton taught. Nevertheless, the consensus of various author- 
 ities in science and technology is that the structure of a sky- 
 scraper, the safety of a railroad bridge, the motion of a motor 
 car, the flight of an airplane, the navigation of a ship across 
 the ocean, the measure of time, and other evidences of our 
 contemporary civilization still depend fundamentally upon New- 
 ton's laws. 
 
 Turning from macrocosms to microcosms, two names 
 stand out among pioneer micros copists: Robert Hooke, author 
 of Micro graphia (1665), and Anton van Leeuwenhoek, whose 
 several hundred letters to the Royal Society of England written 
 over a period of fifty years, were collected and published in 
 1719. 
 
 Hooke was the inventor of the first practical compound 
 microscope, an apparatus that enabled him to produce Micro - 
 graphia, the first published work dealing almost exclusively 
 with microscopical observations. The most striking feature of 
 the book is some sixty pages of microscopic objects, accurate- 
 ly and beautifully drawn, and depicting a number of fundamen- 
 tal discoveries, especially in insect life. Among them are the 
 compound eye of the fly, the foot of a fly, the sting of a bee, 
 greatly enlarged views of the flea, a silverfish and a louse, 
 the metamorphosis of the gnat larva, and development of the 
 mosquito. In the botanical kingdom, there are representations 
 of fungi, mould, moss, the sting of a nettle, pollen, seeds, 
 leaves, the awn of the wild oat, and the construction of wood 
 and cork. Proceeding to inanimate matter, Hooke was the first 
 to use a microscope to examine metals: the point of a needle, 
 the edge of a razor, the minute spheres of steel struck off by 
 a flint. Also included are rocks, snow crystals, raindrops, 
 and textiles. The one discovery that was to establish Hooke 's 
 scientific reputation most permanently was his theory of the 
 cell. The Micrographia records the first observation of the 
 cellular structure of living tissue, in a thin slice of cork. 
 
 To the Dutchman Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Hooke 's con- 
 temporary, historians have accorded such laudatory titles as 
 "father of bacteriology and protozoology, " "founder of micro- 
 scopy, " and "first of the microbe hunters. " Leeuwenhoek had 
 a passion for constructing microscopes, and he perfected mag- 
 
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nifying glasses with power as high as 270 to one. As a result, 
 he was the first human being to see protozoa, bacteria, and 
 many features of the minute structure of living organisms. He 
 demonstrated that the world is filled with a vast teeming uni- 
 verse of what he called "little animals, "or "wretched beasties." 
 The first representation of bacteria is to be found in a drawing 
 accompanying one of Leeuwenhoek's communications, pub- 
 lished by the Royal Society in 1683. One of his richest finds of 
 the "little animals" was in matter taken from the mouth of an 
 old gentleman who confessed to never having been guilty of 
 cleaning his teeth. All Leeuwenhoek's observations were faith- 
 fully reported in Dutch to the Royal Society, which regularly 
 published his letters in its Philosophical Transactions. 
 
 Carolus Linneaus occupies a peculiar position among 
 the great figures in the history of science. His name is not 
 associated with any epoch-making hypothesis, not a single im- 
 portant discovery, not one fundamental law or generalization 
 in any branch of science. His role was different. He is the 
 one scientist of first rank whose work was almost entirely of a 
 descriptive or classificatory nature. The lack of systematic 
 terminology and nomenclature in the biological sciences early 
 in the eighteenth century was a serious handicap. In his 
 Systema Naturae for animals and Species Plan ta rum for plants, 
 Linneaus presented a system of nomenclature, which with cor- 
 rections and modifications has remained in use to the present 
 day. This is the two-name or binomial method of naming or- 
 ganisms. Every plant or animal is given two scientific names 
 in Latin, one for the species and the other for the group or 
 genus within the species, e.g., homo sapiens for man. Because 
 form, system, and nomenclature are an indispensable basis for 
 science, Linneaus 1 contribution is of prime significance. 
 
 The first great chemist, Antoine Lavoisier, was also 
 vitally concerned with nomenclature. For the most part, chem- 
 ical terms had come down from the ancient days of alchemy, a 
 pseudo-science filled with barbarous and meaningless expres- 
 sions. Lavoisier and a small group led by him set out to intro- 
 duce a comprehensive revision of the language. Terminations 
 were invented to describe classes of substances, such as oxide, 
 sulphide, phosphide, corresponding to their chemical compo- 
 sition. Many of the terms invented by Lavoisier have become 
 the international vocabulary of chemists. The first modern 
 textbook of chemistry, an immensely successful work, is 
 Lavoisier's Elementary Treatise of Chemistry, 1789. His 
 ideas, methods, and terminology set down there were almost 
 universally adopted, and were instrumental in establishing 
 
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chemistry as a true science. 
 
 An odd aspect of the history of science is that man's 
 study of the earth and its physical characteristics did not, un- 
 til relatively recent times, keep pace with astronomy- -the 
 study of distant stars. The fascination of the remote and un- 
 attainable far exceeded interest in the commonplace world 
 around us. 
 
 The first important effort to establish a scientific view 
 of the operations of natural forces in the earth's geological his- 
 tory was made by a Scotsman, James Hutton. The scheme of 
 the earth as outlined by Hutton is simple and convincing. His 
 essential thesis is that the past should be interpreted in the 
 light of the present. Transformation of the earth's surface con- 
 tinues slowly but incessantly. None before Hutton had fully 
 realized the immensity of geological time. In terms of geology, 
 recorded history is only yesterday. 
 
 Such radical doctrine was too strong for most of the 
 author's contemporaries to stomach. Hutton was soon charged 
 with heresy for expounding ideas contrary to the Scriptures, 
 and damned as an enemy of religion. Nevertheless, though 
 ignored or attacked for many years, Hutton's Theory of the 
 Earth (1788) marks the beginning of modern geological science. 
 Playing a major role in championing and expanding the Hutton- 
 ian techings and gaining acceptance for them in the world of 
 science was another Scotsman, Charles Lyell. The first edi- 
 tion of Lyell's Principles of Geology appeared in the eighteen- 
 thirties, and for more than a century exercised an immeasur- 
 able influence on the development of geological science. 
 
 Following in the tradition of Vesalius and William Har- 
 vey, let us turn next to three more great figures in the history 
 of medicine, beginning with a younger contemporary of Hutton, 
 Edward Jenner, and continuing with Louis Pasteur and Joseph 
 Lister. 
 
 Of all the ancient scourges of mankind, the most dead- 
 ly and devastating was smallpox, a disease which can be traced 
 back to Egyptian mummies more than 3, 000 years ago. Only 
 leprosy, influenza, cholera, typhus fever, and bubonic plague 
 were as dreaded, and over the centuries none of these had ri- 
 valed smallpox in its dire consequences. In Europe alone, 
 sixty million people died of smallpox in the eighteenth century. 
 Victims of the disease who survived were usually marred for 
 life and frequently blinded. 
 
 Credit for relieving the human race of this awful pesti- 
 lence belongs to an English country physician, Edward Jenner. 
 A tradition among the dairy folk of the Gloucestershire country- 
 
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side led to Jenner's epochal discovery. Dairy maids who had 
 contracted cowpox when milking were believed by the farmers 
 ever afterward immune to smallpox. Jenner undertook a 
 series of experiments to test the prevailing folklore. By in- 
 oculating twenty-two persons with matter from cowpox cases, 
 and later with smallpox virus, Jenner demonstrated that vac- 
 cination with cowpox matter gave complete protection against 
 smallpox. To announce the great medical triumph, Jenner 
 published in 1798 one of the masterpieces of scientific litera- 
 ture, An Inquiry Into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae 
 Vaccinae. In succeeding generations, Jenner's original dis- 
 covery has, of course, been vastly expanded by other research 
 workers in the development of a formidable battery of toxins 
 and antitoxins, and various forms of inoculation to protect 
 humanity against many contagious diseases. 
 
 Louis Pasteur's epoch-making investigations into fer- 
 mentation began in 1854. Since the phenomenon was first ob- 
 served by man, fermentation had been surrounded by mystery 
 and superstition. Most widely accepted by scientists was the 
 theory of spontaneous generation of living creatures --a theory 
 that goes back at least to Aristotle. An Italian, Buoanni, for 
 example, taught that "a certain timberwood after rotting in the 
 sea produced worms which engendered butterflies, and these 
 butterflies became birds. " 
 
 Pasteur's experiments with beet-root alcohol, wine, 
 vinegar, and milk demonstrated that fermentation and souring 
 invariably resulted from the presence of micro-organisms. 
 Further, it was shown that such organisms are neither spon- 
 taneously nor chemically created. They are always introduced 
 from the outside, from the air or by infection. By heating 
 wine, milk, and other liquids at a relatively low temperature, 
 the method now known as pasteurization, harmful bacteria 
 could be killed. Pasteur's only researches on fermentation 
 were published in 1857 in his "Treatise on the Fermentation 
 Known as Lactic. " Pasteur's most spectacular triumph, in the 
 application of his findings, came in the perfection of a vaccine 
 for rabies or hydrophobia, a dreadful disease previously one 
 hundred per cent fatal to its victims. The genius of Pasteur 
 lay in his understanding of scientific method, acute powers of 
 observation, imagination, and limitless patience in producing 
 experimental proof. These extraordinary qualities enabled 
 him to establish bacteriology on a sound basis and to transform 
 that science into an invaluable ally of the medical world. 
 
 Among the medical men inspired by Pasteur was a 
 young Scottish surgeon, Joseph Lister. The history of medicine 
 
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and of human suffering, it has been said, will always be divided 
 into the times before and after the coming of Lister. No novel- 
 ist describing an imaginary chamber of horrors could surpass 
 in gruesome detail the actual conditions prevailing in mid- 
 nineteenth century hospitals. The death rate from operations 
 ran from twenty-five to forty per cent, and even higher for 
 amputations. Wounds invariably became infected, caused, 
 Lister suspected, by lack of sanitation. Surgical instruments 
 were cleaned only casually; silk threads used for stitches were 
 carried in the surgeon's lapel or pocket; when his hands were 
 otherwise occupied, the surgeon held the operating knife in his 
 teeth; his coat covered with stains and blood, was seldom, if 
 ever, washed; and the surgeon did not trouble to wash his hands 
 before going from one type of disease to another, or from an 
 autopsy to a living patient. Naturally, micro-organisms mul- 
 tiplied and flourished to claim their victims. 
 
 Reading Pasteur's paper on fermentation and putrefac- 
 tion, Lister was convinced that he had found a solution. The 
 germs that Pasteur discovered caused fermentation in wine 
 could perhaps contaminate wounds, causing fermentation or 
 pus formation in infections. Using a new German invention, 
 Lister began dressing wounds with pieces of lint saturated with 
 carbolic acid. The results were spectacularly successful, and 
 Lister began to use carbolic acid on everything that came into 
 contact with the patients. His experiments were reported by 
 Lister in his notable paper "On the Antiseptic Principle in the 
 Practice of Medicine" (1867). He described the successful ap- 
 plication of his methods in cases of compound fractures and 
 other severe injuries, in the antiseptic treatment of abscesses, 
 and for the improvement of hospital conditions. 
 
 Lister built the foundation for modern hygiene and pre- 
 ventive medicine. The investigations leading to the discovery 
 of the control of epidemic disease; the rapid disappearance of 
 typhoid, cholera and plague; the investigation of tropical dis- 
 eases; the establishment of blood transfusion and other remed- 
 ial measures were made possible by the methods of Listerian 
 surgery. 
 
 Backtracking a generation or so, any list of great sci- 
 entific figures could hardly omit Michael Faraday. Modern 
 civilization, based so largely upon electricity, owes more to 
 Michael Faraday and his discoveries than to any other one in- 
 dividual. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, in Fara- 
 day's youth, electricity was nothing more than a laboratory 
 toy. Faraday's brilliant researches uncovered the principles 
 of the generator and the electric motor, making it possible to 
 
 - 11 - 
 
produce electrical energy by inexpensive mechanical action 
 rather than by expensive chemical action. His experiments not 
 only showed how to generate and use electrical energy, they 
 also uncovered the principle of the transformer, whereby al- 
 ternating current can be sent efficiently over long distances. 
 Faraday's findings were reported to the Royal Society in a ser- 
 ies of twenty-nine papers, eventually brought together under 
 the title Experimental Researches in Electricity (1839-55). 
 
 We turn next to a great biologist, a younger contempor- 
 ary of Faraday, and another book that shook the world: Charles 
 Darwin's The Origin of Species. Darwin's career was pro- 
 foundly influenced by his five-year voyage as naturalist on 
 HMS Beagle, 1831-36. He came back to England full of thoughts 
 on evolution, which he had gained from a study of South Ameri- 
 can fossils, Galapagos birds, and from the general knowledge 
 of the complex inter-dependence of all living things which he 
 had picked up in his wanderings. From 1844 to 1858, when 
 Darwin began to write The Origin of Species, he read enor- 
 mously, going over whole series of periodicals, books of 
 travel, sport, general natural history, horticulture, and the 
 breeding of animals. He prepared skeletons of many kinds of 
 domesticated birds, comparing the age and weight of their 
 bones with those of the wild species. He kept tame pigeons 
 and made laborious crossing experiments. Extensive corres- 
 pondence was carried on with other scientists on the transport 
 of seed, geological questions, geographical distribution, and 
 many other unresolved points. Finally, the book came out in 
 1859, just over a century ago, in an edition of 1, 250 copies, 
 all of which were sold on the day of publication. 
 
 Darwin's thesis had an explosive effect on scientists, 
 clergy, and laymen the world over. It has had a penetrating 
 influence on our whole contemporary world, not only in the 
 biological sciences, but in nearly every other discipline, par- 
 ticularly psychology, religion, sociology, political science, 
 and education, and to a considerable degree the physical sci- 
 ences. 
 
 A few years after the appearance of Darwin's celebrat- 
 ed book, the modern science of genetics was founded b y an 
 Austrian churchman, Gregor Johann Mendel, in his paper 
 "Experiments in Plant Hybridization" (1866). As a subject for 
 his experiments, Mendel chose the ordinary edible pea. With- 
 out taking time to describe his elaborate cross -fertilization or 
 hybridization techniques, it is sufficient to state that the laws 
 established by Mendel have since been confirmed by a host of 
 research workers on sex, cytology, embryology, albinism, 
 
 - 12 - 
 
genetics, eugenics, and heredity. Mendel's demonstration, 
 that, by careful selection and observation, pure types can be 
 produced has proven of immense significance to plant and ani- 
 mal breeders. The laws of heredity are likewise applicable to 
 man. Certain human abnormalities represent dominant traits 
 and are transmitted from generation to generation. Experi- 
 ments following Mendelian principles have thrown light on hemo- 
 philia and other hereditary diseases, and on certain forms of 
 nervous disorders and feeble -mindedness. 
 
 My discussion will conclude with three twentieth-century 
 examples. First is another great biologist, Sigmund Freud, 
 founder of psychoanalysis. Freud, a Viennese, set out to be- 
 come a medical doctor and engaged for a time in the practice 
 of neurology and pediatrics. He became interested in clinical 
 psychology, especially in hypnosis as a means of treating hys- 
 teria and reviving hidden memories. Later, about 1894, he re- 
 placed hypnotism by the method of "free association, " which is 
 the core of the psychoanalytic method. He investigated various 
 types of psychoneuroses, particularly the influence of the sub- 
 conscious on consciousness, the existence and importance of 
 infantile sexuality, and repressed complexes. Freud develop- 
 ed an elaborate array of concepts, terms, and dogmas which 
 constitutes psychoanalytic theory. 
 
 One of the fruitful devices developed by Freud for prob- 
 ing into inner conflicts and emotions was the analysis of dreams. 
 His The Interpretation of Dreams (1900) remained the author's 
 favorite among his many books, for "It contains, " he said, 
 "the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good 
 fortune to make. " Practically all of his fundamental observa- 
 tions and ideas are there. 
 
 Freud's influence is difficult to weigh, but it is not too 
 much to say that he changed our whole outlook on civilization. 
 The prejudices which he had to overcome in order to spread 
 his theories were fully as intense as those met by Copernicus 
 and Darwin. Nevertheless, psychoanalytic principles are now 
 widely accepted in medicine, psychiatry, and psychology, as 
 well as by millions of the lay public, including Hollywood, the 
 novelists, and the playwrights. 
 
 Next is Albert Einstein, "the godfather of the atomic 
 age." In 1905, while serving as an obscure official in the 
 Swiss patent office, Einstein published a paper entitled "On 
 the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, " in which he set 
 forth the special theory of relativity. This theory challeng- 
 ed man's existing concepts of time and space, of matter 
 and energy. In a second paper, published the same year, 
 
 - 13 - 
 
Einstein developed a new equation for the conversion of 
 mass into energy. The equation reads: multiply a mass by 
 the speed of light and again by the speed of light, and you 
 have its enormous potential field of energy. As one 
 physicist commented, "Without that equation experimenters 
 might still have stumbled upon the fission of uranium, but it is 
 doubtful if they would have realized its significance in terms of 
 energy, or of bombs. " Influence is a weak word for the work 
 of Albert Einstein. The theories he advanced were revolution- 
 ary. In them was born the atomic age. 
 
 Lastly, we come to Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, whose long 
 career was devoted principally to exploring the physiology of 
 higher nervous activity. His aim was to understand the work- 
 ing of the human brain, but for laboratory purposes he chose 
 dogs, because of the simplicity of their mental processes. The 
 Pavlovian experiments were centered around reflex actions. 
 Reflexes were divided into two groups: natural and conditioned. 
 The ordinary inherited reflexes, sometimes referred to as 
 "instincts, " were called unconditional, and such acquired re- 
 sponses as those of the burnt child or the beaten dog conditioned 
 reflexes. On the basis of experiments with numerous dogs, 
 Pavlov found that animals varied greatly in the speed with which 
 conditioned reflexes were formed and their permanence. His 
 findings have led psychologists to extensive investigations of 
 experimental neuroses. New approaches to phenomena of men- 
 tal instability were suggested by the Pavlovian discoveries. As 
 interpreted by Pavlov, fears, phobias, hates, and other irra- 
 tional behavior are caused by reflexes conditioned by some 
 earlier happenings. 
 
 Critics of Pavlov's teachings have pointed out certain 
 sinister aftermaths of his discoveries. Since his viewpoint was 
 completely mechanistic, Pavlov concluded that even such con- 
 cepts as freedom, curiosity, and religion are conditioned re- 
 flexes of the brain. Psychologists under authoritarian regimes 
 have endeavored to apply these principles to conditioning or 
 "brain washing" masses of people. 
 
 Dr. William Sargant, London psychiatrist, writing in 
 the London Times recently, expresses as his considered opin- 
 ion that Khrushchev's pre-summit behavior over the spy-plane 
 incidentas well as past Russian moves --are all part of a 
 psychological warfare scheme based on the experiments with 
 dogs conducted by Pavlov. The technique, stated Dr. Sargant, 
 is to give anxious people a random series of positive and nega- 
 tive stimuli. Thus, we get threats of war, offset by peaceful 
 declarations, the carrot and stick, leading- -the Communists 
 
 - 14 - 
 
hopeto tension, fear, depression, and even hysteria in the 
 western world. 
 
 Any summary of the books reviewed here is difficult, 
 and perhaps meaningless. To me, the most striking single 
 feature, as one examines the list as a whole, is the continuity 
 of knowledge- -the connecting threads which tie the books to- 
 gether. Truly, as Hutchins phrased it, there is in progress 
 here "The Great Conversation. " Copernicus received inspira- 
 tion from the ancient Greek philosophers. Newton, in turn, 
 "stood on the shoulders of giants"--Copernicus, Kepler, Gali- 
 leo, and others. Without them, an Einstein might never have 
 existed. Darwin freely acknowledged his debt to a host of 
 preceding biologists, geographers, and geologists, on whose 
 work he built in developing the theory of the origin of species. 
 The experimental laboratory approach to science, as opposed 
 to the strictly philosophical, may be said to have begun with 
 Copernicus, and to have been practiced by all his great suc- 
 cessors. 
 
 My chief intention has been to demonstrate that books 
 are dynamic and powerful instruments, tools, or weapons, and 
 I trust that the examples offered have convinced you of the es- 
 sential truth of this thesis. 
 
 CLASSICS IN SCIENCE 
 
 COPERNICUS, Nicolaus (1473-1543) 
 
 De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium. Nuremberg: Johann 
 Petrus, 1543. 196 ff. The first accurate and complete edi- 
 tion was published in 1873, at Thorn (To run), Poland, by the 
 Copernicus-Verein fur Wissenschaft und Kunst. 
 
 The first written account of his theories, entitled Com- 
 mentariolus, "Little Commentary, " was circulated by Co- 
 pernicus among students of astronomy perhaps as early as 
 1510, but was not published in the author's lifetime. The 
 first printed account, Narratio Prima, written by a fervent 
 admirer, George Joachim Rheticus, appeared in 1540. 
 
 VESALIUS, Andreas (1514-1564) 
 
 De Humani Corporis Fabrica. Basel: Johannis Oporinus, 
 1543. 664pp. 
 
 The universal genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) pre 
 ceded Vesalius in scientific studies of human and animal 
 
 - 15 - 
 
anatomy and muscular movement, but Leonardo's note- 
 books containing his anatomical, physiological, and embryo - 
 logical drawings were not published until modern times, and 
 therefore may be preseumed to have had little contemporary 
 influence. 
 
 GILBERT, William (1540-1603) 
 
 De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et De Magno Mag- 
 nete Tellure; Physiologia Nova. London: P. Short, 1600. 
 240 pp. 
 
 BACON, Francis (1561-1626) 
 
 The Twoo Bookes Of the Proficience and Aduancement of 
 Learning, Diuine and Humane. London: H. Tomes, 1605. 
 2 pts. in 1 vol. 
 
 The Advancement of Learning was intended as an intro- 
 duction to Instauratio Magna, an encyclopedia of all knowl- 
 edge --a project never completed- -but the Advancem ent was 
 revised and expanded in a Latin version, De Augmentis 
 Scientia"rum (1623). In Novum Organum(1620), Bacon dis- 
 cussed the uselessness of the older philosophies, the tra- 
 ditional errors of mankind, and held out science as the hope 
 of the future. The New Atlantis, published posthumously 
 (1627), is a fragmentary sketch of a Utopian community of 
 scientists engaged in research for the betterment of mankind. 
 
 KEPLER, Johannes (1571-1630) 
 
 Astronomia Nova. Prague, 1609. 337pp. 
 Harmonices Mundi. Linz, 1619. 255pp. 
 
 Kepler's Laws were based chiefly on the mass of obser- 
 vations made over a twenty-year period by the Danish as- 
 tronomer Tycho Brahe, whose works included Astronomiae 
 Instauratae Progymnasmata (Prague, 1602-03) and Episto- 
 lae Astronomicae (Uraniborg, 1596). 
 
 HARVEY, William (1578-1657) 
 
 Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Ani- 
 malibus. Frankfort: William Fitzer, 1628. 72 pp. 
 
 Harvey had predecessors: Vesalius 1 De Huirani Corpor- 
 
 is Fabrica (1543) noted that the septum between the right 
 and left ventricles is complete; Servetus, in his Christian- 
 
 - 16 - 
 
ismi Restitutip (1553), stated his belief that the blood circu- 
 lates through the lungs, but he did not recognize the heart 
 as the pumping organ; Realdo Colombo, author of De Re 
 Anatomica (1559), anatomy professor at Rome, correctly 
 taught that blood passes from the right to the left ventricle 
 through the lungs; Fabricus of Padua, Harvey's teacher, 
 author of De Venarum Ostiolis (1603), discovered and des- 
 cribed the valves of the veins. 
 
 GALILEI, Galileo (1564-1642) 
 
 Dialogo. ..Dei Due Massimi Sistemi del Mondo Tolemaico, 
 e Copernicano. Florence: G. B. Landini, 1632. 458 pp. 
 
 Galileo's second major work, Dialoghi della Nuove 
 Scienze, "Dialogues of the New Sciences, " was issued in 
 1638, four years before his death, by the Elzevirs at Leiden. 
 Generally considered his most valuable work, the Dialogues 
 review the results of Galileo's earlier experiments and his 
 meditations on the principles of mechanics. 
 
 -DESCARTES, Rene' (1596-1650) 
 
 Discours de la Methode pour Bien Conduire sa Raison et 
 Chercher la Ve'rite' dans les Sciences. Leyde: J. Maire, 
 1637. 413 pp. 
 
 -BOYLE, Robert (1627-1691) 
 
 The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-Physical Doubts & Para- 
 doxes. London: J. Crooke, 1661. 442 pp. 
 
 HOOKE, Robert (1635-1703) 
 
 Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute 
 Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and 
 Inquiries Thereupon. London: J. Martyn and J. Allestry, 
 1665. 246 pp. 
 
 NEWTON, Issac (1642-1727) 
 
 Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. London: 
 Printed by Joseph Streater for the Royal Society, 1687. 510pp, 
 
 Newton's researches on light- -the composition of light, 
 the nature of color and of white lightwhich occupied his 
 early years, were summed up in his Qpticks (1704). 
 
 - 17 - 
 
LEEUWENHOEK, Anton Van (1632-1723) 
 
 Epistolae ad Societatem Regiam Anglicam. Leyden: J. A. 
 Langerak, 1719. 429 pp. 
 
 LINNAEUS, Carolus (1707-1778) (Swedish form: Carl Von LinneO 
 
 Systema Naturae. Leyden: T. Haak, 1735. 11 pp. Defini- 
 tive edition (10th) Stockholm: L. Salvii, 1758-59. 2 vols. 
 
 -DIDEROT, Denis (1713-1784), Editor 
 
 Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire Raisonne'des Sciences, des 
 Arts et des Metiers. Paris: Briasson[etc. ] 1751-72. 28 vols. 
 
 MUTTON, James (1726-1797) 
 
 Theory of the Earth; or An Investigation of the Laws Obser- 
 vable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration of 
 Land Upon the Globe. Edinburgh and London, 1795-1899. 
 3 vols. Original paper read 1785, and printed in Transac- 
 tions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Edinburgh, 1788, 
 vol. 1, pt. 2, pp. 209-304. 
 
 William Smith, English geologist and the founder of 
 modern stratigraphy, furnished irrefutable proof of Hutton's 
 theories on the age of the earth by his study of fossils in 
 rocks, the beginning of the science of paleontology. Smith's 
 findings were reported in Order of the Strata and Their Im- 
 bedded Organic Remains, Examined and Proved Prior to 
 1799 (1799) and in his renowned Geological Map of England 
 and Wales, with Part of Scotland (1815 ) . 
 
 LAVOISIER, Antoine Laurent (1743-1794) 
 
 Traite* El^mentaire de Chimie. Paris: Cuchet, 1789. 2 vols. 
 JENNER, Edward (1749-1823) 
 
 An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vac- 
 cinae, a Disease Discovered in Some of the Western Coun - 
 ties of England, Particularly Gloucestershire, and Known 
 by the Name of the Cow Pox. London: S. Low, 1798. 75pp. 
 
 - 18 - 
 
-LAPLACE, Pierre Simon de (1749-1827) 
 
 Traite* de Me^canique Celeste. Paris, 1798-1805. 3 vols. ; 
 supplements, 1823-25, 2 vols. 
 
 -DALTON, John (1766-1844) 
 
 A New System of Chemical Philosophy. Manchester, 1808- 
 27. v. I, pt. 1, 1808; v. I, pt. 2, 1810; v. 2, pt. 1, 1827. 
 v. 2, pt. 2 not published. 
 
 LYELL, Charles (1797-1875) 
 
 Principles of Geology, Being an Attempt to Explain the 
 Former Changes of the Earth's Surface, by Reference to 
 Causes Now in Operation. London: J. Murray, 1830-33. 
 3 vols. 
 
 FARADAY, Michael (1791-1867) 
 
 Experimental Researches in Electricity. London: R. and 
 J. E. Taylor, 1839-55. 3 vols. Reprinted from the Philo- 
 sophical Transactions, 1831-52. 
 
 James Clark Maxwell's Electricity and Magnetism (1873), 
 based on Faraday's experimentation and research, devel- 
 oped the theory of the electromagnetic field on a mathemat- 
 ical basis, and therefore made possible a greater under- 
 standing of the newly^discovered phenomena. 
 
 -AGASSIZ, Jean Louis Rodolphe (1807-1873) 
 
 Etudes sur les Glaciers. Neuchatel: Jent et Gassmann, 1840. 
 2 vols. 
 
 -HUMBOLDT, Friedrich Heinrich Alexander von (1769-1859) 
 
 Kosmos. Stuttgart and Tubingen: J. G. Cotta, 1845-62. 
 5 vols. 
 
 Humboldt shares with Karl Ritter the title of founder of 
 modern scientific geography. The latter 's monumental Die 
 Erdkunde im Verhaltnis zur Natur and zur Geschichte des 
 Menschen (IQvols. , 1822-59) emphasized the relationship 
 between man and the physical features of the earth, and the 
 influence of these features on history. The seventeenth-cen- 
 tury German geographer, Bernhardus Varenius, in his 
 
 - 19 - 
 
Geographia Generalis (1650), had paved the way for Hum- 
 boldt and Ritter, and for such later writers on geopolitics 
 as Friedrich Ratzel and Sir Halford Mackinder. 
 
 'rIELMHOLTZ, Hermann von (1821-1894) 
 
 Uber die Erhaltung der Kraft. Berlin: G. Reimer. 1847. 
 76 pp. 
 
 PASTEUR, Louis (1822-1895) 
 
 "Memoire sur la Fermentation Appelee* Lactique. " In: 
 Academie des Sciences, Comptes Rendus ( Paris, 1857), 
 v. 45, pp. 913-16. 
 
 DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) 
 
 On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or 
 the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. 
 London: J. Murray, 1859. 502 pp. 
 
 Darwin's Journal of a Naturalist (1839), later expanded 
 into A Naturalist's Voyage Round the World in H. M.S, 
 Beagle (1860), describes the beginning of his life work. The 
 theme of the Origin of Species was subsequently developed 
 in detail in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation 
 to Sex ( 1871), The Variation of Animals and Plants Under 
 Domestication (1868), Expression of the Emotions (1872), 
 The Effects of Cross and Self-Fertilization in the Vegetable 
 Kingdom (1876), The Power of Movement in Plants (1880), 
 and other specialized works. 
 
 MENDEL, Gregor Johann (1822-1884) 
 
 "Versuche uber Pflanzen-Hybriden. " In: Verhandlungen des 
 Naturforschenden Vereines in Brunn (Brunn, 1866), v. 4, 
 pp. 3-47. 
 
 LISTER, Joseph (1827-1912) 
 
 "On the Antiseptic Principle in the Practice of Surgery. " In: 
 The Lancet (London, 1867), pp. 741-745. 
 
 - 20 - 
 
'GIBBS, Josiah Willard (1939-1903) 
 
 "On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances. "In: Con- 
 necticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Transactions (New 
 Haven, 1874-78), pp. 108-248, 343-524. 
 
 -KOCH, Robert (1843-1910) 
 
 "Die Aetiologie der Tuberculose. " In: Berliner Klinische 
 Wochenschrift (Berline 1882), v. 19~PP. 221-230. 
 
 FREUD, Sigmund (1856-1939) 
 
 Die Traumdeutung. Leipzig: F. Deuticke, 1900. 375 pp. 
 
 Translated by A. A. Brill as The Interpretation of 
 Dreams. New York: Macmillan, 1913. Major complemen- 
 tary works by Freud include Studies in Hysteria (1895); 
 Psychopathology of Everyday Life (1904), Introductory Lec- 
 tures on Psychoanalysis (1909), Totem and Taboo (1913), 
 Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious (1916), and Ego and 
 the Id (1923). 
 
 EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) 
 
 Uber die Spezielle und die Allgemeine Relativitatstheorie. 
 Braunschweig: Vieweg, 1917. 70 pp. 
 
 The Special Theory of Relativity was first set forth by 
 Einstein in an article "On the Electrodynamics of Moving 
 Bodies" in Annalen Der Physik, in 1905. Shortly afterward, 
 the same journal published a second article "Does the Iner- 
 tia of a Body Depend on Its Energy?" stating the basic 
 principle for the release of atomic energy. The General 
 Theory of Relativity was presented in Einstein's Die Grund- 
 lagen der Allgemeinen Relativitatstheorie (1916). 
 
 PAVLOV, Ivan Petrovich (1849-1936) 
 
 Conditioned Reflexes; an Investigation of the Physiological 
 Activity of the Cerebral Cortex. London: Oxford University 
 Press, 1927. 430pp. First published in Russian, 1926. 
 
 Nearly a century before Pavlov's experiments, a 
 Scottish anatomist, Sir Charles Bell, had pioneered in 
 research dealing with the anatomy and physiology of the 
 nervous system. His findings were reported in New Ideas 
 of the Anatomy of the Brain (1811) and The Nervous System 
 
 - 21 - 
 
of the Human Body (1830). Bell's discoveries have been 
 compared in historical importance with those made by 
 William Harvey on the circulatory system. 
 
 - 22 - 
 
SCIENCE ON THE MARCH 
 
 Frederick Seitz 
 
 Structures of Civilization 
 
 The various civilizations of mankind known to us are 
 characterized both by remarkable similarities, stemming from 
 the common problems of humanity in all environments, and by 
 quite remarkable differences, related to differences in culture 
 and environment. The differences may be of secondary im- 
 portance, or they may be so important that they determine the 
 fate of a given civilization in a major way. 
 
 Except for a brief period of expansionism at the time of 
 the Han Dynasty, coincident with the Roman era, Chinese civi- 
 lization has been characterized by an introspective or isolation- 
 ist character. It is true that the Chinese "discovered" Persia 
 and the Mediterranean world, and probably even Australia, and 
 that they entered into extensive trade with foreign regions. It 
 is also true that China was conquered by outsiders several 
 times and, hence, was subject to outside stimulus. Neverthe- 
 less, the indigenous culture remained essentially isolationist 
 until the very recent past. This trait of Chinese civilization 
 has done much to help the people preserve unity and continuity 
 for nearly 5, 000 years. On the other hand, it has prevented 
 them from being colonizers on any major scale. One can well 
 imagine what the status of North and South America would be at 
 present if the Chinese civilization had been more extroverted 
 in the past. 
 
 The ancient civilization of the Greeks, particularly the 
 Athenian phase, placed enormous emphasis on the individual. 
 The talented and individualistic young man with a highly trained 
 body and an imaginative mind was the prototype of the ideal in 
 early Greek society. This pattern of civilization led to an al- 
 most unparalleled artistic and philosophic development. What- 
 
 Frederick Seitz is Head of the Department of 
 Physics at the University of Illinois; he was 
 scientific adviser to NATO during 1958-1960. 
 
 - 23 - 
 
ever the political weakness of the Greeks may have been, their 
 unique emphasis on the development of the individual made 
 Greek culture and, in fact, the Greek community a powerful 
 force in the Mediterranean era long after the political institu- 
 tions of Greece had decayed. 
 
 The Romans placed enormous value on organization in 
 their civilization, particularly in military, political, and legal 
 affairs. This quality of the civilization not only assisted in the 
 establishment of the Roman Empire, but brought sufficient or- 
 der to a chaotic Mediterranean world that even the conquered 
 peoples were, for the most part, willing to assist in maintain- 
 ing the Empire. Even the invaders from the north hoped to 
 preserve the Roman institutions when they conquered Italy. 
 
 Except for a very brief period of Empire, the pre- 
 Christian-Hebrew civilization was characterized by an essen- 
 tially unique emphasis on religious and spiritual matters. 
 There is scarcely a population group which has enjoyed com- 
 munication with this religious development that has not been 
 affected fairly profoundly by it. 
 
 The Christian West 
 
 The civilization of the post-Christian West has been 
 characterized by two quite different and consecutive phases. 
 The first, which extended from the fall of Rome to about the 
 fourteenth century, was highly isolationist; the second, which 
 has endured since, has been nearly the opposite as it could 
 conceivably be. 
 
 The rapid rise of the Arabs, inspired by Mohammed, 
 bottled the northern Europeans in their own lands. Communica- 
 tion with the Mediterranean was essentially limited to that with 
 an equally enlocked Byzantine Empire and a greatly impover- 
 ished Italy. Communication with the remaining world became 
 almost negligible. In this phase of its history the Western 
 World turned inward and devoted most of its attention to the 
 cultivation of religion and to the more mundane issues of every- 
 day living. There were several remarkable developments. 
 Among them were the rise of the monasteries, with the attend- 
 ant scholasticism, and the evolution of an economic system 
 that did not rest upon slavery. However crude feudal society 
 may appear to us now, the feudal bondsman felt that he was an 
 integral part of the society in which he lived and that he was 
 tied to it by something other than the chains of slavery. One 
 of the most remarkable facets of this stage of the evolution of 
 Western society was the encouragement given to the invention 
 of devices and processes to increase the production of the farm 
 
 - 24 - 
 
and factory. Technology had begun to advance after the long 
 period of stagnation that had started soon after the Roman Em- 
 pire reached its peak. 
 
 Once the Arabs began to weaken in the thirteenth centu- 
 ry, and many factors contributed to their collapse, the outlook 
 in Western Europe changed quite rapidly, for opportunities for 
 exploration and expansion opened. Ultimately, the dominating 
 spirit became that which we associate with Henry the Navigator 
 rather than the recluse in the monastery. What is perhaps 
 even more remarkable, the new prototype of leader was not 
 willing to recognize any arbitrary limitation in his quest of the 
 knowable. He was prepared to explore and use all of the world 
 of mind or matter available to him. This had not happened to 
 mankind since the days of the early Greeks. The new outlook 
 was backed not only by a respect for scholarly knowledge that 
 could be traced to the scholarship of the monastery but by an 
 intense interest in practical affairs, including everyday mat- 
 ters of technology. The new quests attracted the curiosity of 
 even the most brilliant minds, which proved willing to grapple 
 with both the practical and the abstract problems which arose. 
 No detail was considered to be too menial to deserve attention. 
 This concern with inventiveness at even the mundane level soon 
 began to bear rich fruit. 
 
 In a word, the West abandoned its introspective mood 
 and began to examine and exploit the material world about us in 
 a wholesale fashion. Moreover, Western society had the com- 
 bination of intellectual and practical attributes which would 
 make it possible to develop what we now call science. 
 
 It is very important to realize that the development of 
 science required more than the philosophical or the practical 
 mind alone, but depended on a happy combination of the two. 
 At their prime the Greeks had all of the philosophical depth one 
 could hope for, but their leading minds lost interest in the 
 practical once the more routine tasks of society were turned 
 over to slaves. Conversely, the Romans had a rich apprecia- 
 tion of the practical, but lacked the philosophical interest re- 
 quired to probe for guiding theoretical principles. The unique- 
 ness of Western civilization at the height of the Renaissance lay 
 in the fact that it combined these attributes in a way that gave 
 respect to both. 
 
 During the first three centuries of the development of 
 science, say from 1500 to 1800, there is little doubt that the 
 applied or technological aspects provided a richer harvest from 
 the standpoint of practical gain than the theoretical, or funda- 
 mental, ones. It is true that the knowledge represented by the 
 
 - 25 - 
 
discovery of the laws of mechanics, the law of gravitation, and 
 the laws of optics had its uses. However, the first great value of 
 this knowledge lay in the fact that it demonstrated to the intellec- 
 tually curious that there is an underlying order and regularity 
 in nature. It seems safe to say that in the early stages of the de- 
 velopment of science the intellectual value of the knowledge 
 gained was probably much greater than its practical worth. 
 
 All of this changed in the course of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury. By the middle of the twentieth it can safely be said that 
 fundamental science is well on the road to becoming the domi- 
 nant force in determining not only the course of technology but 
 the dynamics of our society. Any group of national leaders 
 which does not appreciate this principle at the present time will 
 encounter great difficulty in dealing with the tide of events in 
 the future. 
 
 1 
 
 There are many ways of demonstrating the manner in 
 which science has gained ascendancy. The electrical commun- 
 ications networks in use today depend upon ingenious combina- 
 tions of electromagnetic radiations and atomic devices. While 
 certain indispensable aspects of these systems have developed 
 as a result of painstaking trial and error investigation requir- 
 ing the work of ingenious technicians, none would have been 
 possible were it not for discoveries made by individuals who 
 were primarily interested in understanding natural phenomena 
 for their own sake. Probably none of the individuals involved 
 were even reasonably close to guessing the practical impor- 
 tance of the world they revealed. 
 
 Several years ago when the University of Illinois was 
 applying to the Federal Communications Commission for a 
 broadcast channel with which to televise educational programs, 
 the appropriateness of the application was challenged by an 
 individual who asked by what right a mere university should be 
 awarded such a commercially valuable item. The answer was, 
 of course, clear to any scientist: the right lies in the names of 
 Coulomb, Faraday, Weber, Maxwell, and Hertz, without whom 
 radio and television would have been beyond practical concep- 
 tion. 
 
 Similarly, the controlled release of atomic energy, 
 which promises so much for good or evil in the immediate fu- 
 ture of mankind, rest primarily on discoveries which had far 
 more meaning to the inquisitive scientists than to the practical- 
 ly-minded individuals at the time they were made. 
 
 It seems safe to say that the overwhelming fraction of 
 the advances in technology which will take place between now 
 and the year 2000 will rest at their base on discoveries made 
 
 - 26 - 
 
in a quest for knowledge quite removed from immediate prac- 
 tical considerations. It should be added in haste, of course, 
 that most of the discoveries will be possible only because of 
 the timely development of equipment which depends enormous- 
 ly on the evolution of technology. Science and technology are 
 very intimately wedded now. Neither one can flourish in the 
 future without the other. 
 
 The Organization of Science 
 
 It is interesting to consider the changes in the organiza- 
 tion of science which have accompanied its growth toward major 
 importance in determining the course of affairs of the everyday 
 world. 
 
 During the earliest period of science, let us say up to 
 the beginning of the nineteenth century, scientists were few in 
 number and were exceptionally individualistic. Moreover, they 
 were tied into society in diverse ways. Many were independ- 
 ently wealthy and carried on their investigations as independent 
 gentlemen. Some were attached to courts or to special offices 
 of government. Such were the royal astronomers. Newton 
 spent the latter part of his career as Master of the Royal Mint. 
 A few were attached to universities, but such cases were al- 
 most the exception rather than the overwhelming rule. Our 
 own Benjamin Franklin, the first really distinguished American 
 scientist, was a man with a myriad of positions, but I doubt if 
 he was ever a university professor. 
 
 The university became the home of science in the last 
 century as a result of a movement which started in earnest in 
 Central Europe, particularly in Germany. Here the academic 
 institute of science with its laboratory, its library, its head 
 and his disciplined assistants, and its enthusiastic students be- 
 gan to be commonplace. This organization proved to be so 
 superior for attacking the problems of science that could be 
 solved inthe period between 1850 and World War I that it came 
 to be the dominant one in the world of science. This is not to 
 say that excellent research was not carried on outside univer- 
 sities; however, the overwhelming fraction of the most bril- 
 liant work emerged from universities after 1850. 
 
 The United States had great difficulty in establishing 
 itself as a truly scientific nation until after World War I. When 
 it did so, it introduced an important innovation into the organi- 
 zation of science, namely, the large university department of 
 science. 
 
 The reason for the long delay in maturing of science in 
 the United States provides an interesting subject of speculation 
 
 - 27 - 
 
on its own. Perhaps above all, the United States was primar- 
 ily interested in practical matters before World War I, and 
 was not willing to cater to the needs of its own scientists when 
 the practical results could be imported from Europe so easily. 
 In addition, our education tended to be slanted toward the every- 
 day problems of an undeveloped nation with a moving frontier. 
 All of this changed in the twenties and did so with remarkable 
 rapidity. The change came about, of course, only because our 
 country developed a genuine interest in science. Fortunately, 
 the basic education had always been sufficiently good that those 
 who emerged from it were not disqualified from becoming sci- 
 entists, particularly if they were willing to spend a period of 
 two years or so receiving a final polish in the best institutions 
 in Europe. 
 
 Beyond the awakening of interest, the feature which 
 made development in the United States so fast was the ability of 
 the academic structure to absorb large numbers of individuals 
 of closely comparable age and training. In order to suit the 
 needs of mass education, the American university had in the 
 nineteenth century developed the concept of the large depart- 
 ment. In this unit a number of individuals concerned with over- 
 lapping aspects of the given area of science cooperated in lec- 
 turing on the essential topics into which the field could be divid- 
 ed. While there might be a chairman who had more or less 
 distinction than his colleagues, most of the senior members of 
 the department usually enjoyed similar rank and were prepared 
 to work in relative harmony. This organizational unit was quite 
 different from the European institute, which tended to have a 
 single dominant leader who controlled it fairly completely. 
 Once the United States started to take science seriously, most 
 departments found themselves in a position to hire a number of 
 young men of comparable age who shared similar understand- 
 ing. This led to the evolution of the scientific team, which saw 
 its flowering in the 1930's. 
 
 The emphasis on teamwork in science paid enormous 
 dividends to the United States during World War II, when the 
 idea was brought to its logical climax by the formation of large 
 laboratories composed of a number of teams which worked to- 
 gether on different aspects of one or more major problems. 
 All members shared the joys and disappointments of the work 
 much like a large family shares the ups and downs of its mem- 
 bers. 
 
 It is interesting to note that the majority of the labora- 
 tories were attached to universities, probably because most of 
 the members originated in universities and were more willing 
 
 - 28 - 
 
to work in an organization which they considered to be a simple 
 variant of the normal academic pattern than in an industrial or 
 governmental laboratory. This is not to say that the industrial 
 and governmental laboratories did not play a highly important 
 role during the war, for the converse is the case. What is 
 emphasized here is that in the main the concept of teamwork in 
 science has evolved most rapidly and most effectively through 
 university channels during the past forty years. 
 
 It now seems clear that whatever defects team enter- 
 prise may have because of the de-emphasis of individualism, it 
 is far more effective in producing new results consistently than 
 the old-fashioned European institute could be at the present 
 time. It seems safe to say that the nations which value the 
 fruits of science and which desire to have productive groups 
 within their borders will have to adopt the American system or 
 a variant of it. 
 
 Western Europe obviously was left behind the United 
 States by the wartime development. Only the British had a di- 
 rect hand in the most productive research. Unfortunately, 
 their academic system was deeply entrenched in the past and 
 responded only slowly to the many new ideas developed during 
 the war. Happily, the British have now come to recognize the 
 issues at stake and are making modifications which preserve 
 the features of their own system that they value most. It is not 
 yet certain that this compromise offers as effective an organi- 
 zation for producing science, but there is no doubt that the 
 British will retain a position among the leading nations in sci- 
 ence in the next generation. 
 
 France remained rather quiescent until a few years ago, 
 relying upon inadequate traditions that dated to a period before 
 World War I. The wise leaders within the country realized 
 that there was a need for a reform: however, the rapid turn- 
 over in the national government, which has the primary respon- 
 sibility for innovations, did not permit appropriate legislation 
 to be enacted. Fortunately, the relatively stable conditions 
 which have existed since the summer of 1958 have made it pos- 
 sible for the French to make many important changes. They are 
 developing new laboratories where team work is possible and 
 are expanding the number of positions in the academic circles. 
 It will require another generation to see the fruits of these 
 changes. If all of the plans now being made actually are rea- 
 lized, France will probably emerge in another decade or so 
 with a highly expanded body of young and creative scientists and 
 assume a strong position in international science. 
 
 - 29 - 
 
There is evidence that a somewhat similar development 
 is taking place in Italy. Unfortunately, Italian industry is less 
 highly developed than that in France or England, so that there 
 is neither the wealth nor the diversity of technical enterprise to 
 support a broad development of science. 
 
 For a variety of reasons, Germany has been less will- 
 ing to accept innovation in the organization of science than any 
 of the other technically advanced western nations of comparable 
 size. The universities and related research centers still rely 
 primarily upon the institute system which developed nearly a 
 century ago. Both industrial and other nonacademic govern- 
 mental research laboratories focus attention on applied work. 
 One suspects that the years lost between 1933 and 1945 lie at 
 the heart of the difficulty. At the end of the war the academic 
 leaders, who were mainly older men, were anxious to shake 
 off the political interference that they had had to countenance 
 during the period of national socialism and, hence, turned the 
 clock backwards to the best era they had known, namely, that 
 before World War I. Neither the university leaders nor the 
 government has yet seen fit to challenge the present state of 
 affairs. Unfortunately, the present system does not permit 
 Germany to absorb its product of young scientists into positions 
 of appropriate responsibility and prestige. As a result, there 
 is a steady loss of scientists to other western countries, par- 
 ticularly the United States. 
 
 In spite of the difficulties which science faces in West- 
 ern Europe, it has one significant advantage which may com- 
 pensate for the present difficulties in the course of time. In 
 brief, specialization in science or technology is regarded as a 
 thoroughly respectable pursuit in present-day European society. 
 There may be splits between the classicists or the humanists 
 and the scientists or engineers in individual academic institutions, 
 but these are highly localized phenomena and do not affect sub- 
 stantial groups of populations or of leaders within the nations. 
 
 In contrast there are significant segments of the Amer- 
 ican population which regard the pursuit of science or engineer- 
 ing as either queer or drab, or both. One can only pray that 
 this trend is transitory and will soon vanish. Many of my 
 friends in Ivy League institutions state that substantial numbers 
 of the brilliant students who enter with the intention of having 
 careers in science or engineering are diverted by complex 
 pressures that originate in snobbery. Our country could pay a 
 heavy price for such losses. 
 
 - 30 - 
 
The Soviet Union 
 
 So much has been said about the attention being given to 
 science and engineering in the Soviet Union that it is hardly 
 necessary to dwell on the matter here. Suffice it to say that 
 there are two major careers for the intelligent and ambitious 
 person in the Soviet Union at the present time. He may become 
 an active party member and, hence, an important individual in 
 the organization of the government, or he may become a sci- 
 entist or engineer. The Soviet equivalent of the man in the gray 
 flannel suit falls in one of these two categories. At the present 
 time, the number of scientists and engineers being trained in 
 Russia is at least comparable to the number in the western 
 nations. Since the Soviet leaders are interested in mass edu- 
 cation, it is clear they hope to produce far more scientists and 
 engineers than we in the coming generation. If the quantity is 
 matched by quality, it would appear that the Soviet Union will 
 eventually take the leadership in science and technology from 
 the West. I do not believe that we can afford to let this situation 
 go unchallenged. 
 
 The Financing of Science 
 
 It may be of interest to comment briefly on the financial 
 outlay for science and technology at the present time. The Unit- 
 ed States is currently spending about 2 per cent of its gross 
 national product in the fields designated as research and de- 
 velopment. Research is concerned with the discovery of new 
 principles, whereas development is concerned with transmuting 
 these principles into practice. One needs both aspects to con- 
 vert knowledge into useful form in the ultimately practical sense. 
 
 Actually, development now takes a lion's share of this 
 expenditure. Only about 5 per cent of the total, that is about 
 0. 1 per cent of the gross national product, goes into research. 
 
 It is difficult to know to what extent the combined frac- 
 tional expenditure on research and development could be in- 
 creased. Much depends upon the state of society. Perhaps the 
 issue might be stated in the following way. Under normal cir- 
 cumstances, the average individual is willing to accept a major 
 innovation in a typical feature of his material life in a period of 
 ten or twenty years. In fact, he has come to anticipate changes 
 of this type at a rate to which he can adapt. It is true that there 
 are certain areas in which he hopes for more rapid innovation. 
 This is true, for example, in the field of medicine. However, 
 he does not want to live in housing that changes rapidly and 
 radically or to drive a radically different type of car every year 
 or two. He is satisfied with changes that represent a signifi- 
 
 - 31 - 
 
cant total once every ten or twenty years. This means that he 
 is probably prepared to pay on the average something near or 
 about 1 per cent of his total income for innovation. Five or 
 ten per cent might seem high. The facts show that he does ac- 
 cept 2 per cent at present. 
 
 Of course we must recognize that about half of this fig- 
 ure of 2 per cent is for research and development of military 
 interest. Here, as is the case for matters affecting health, the 
 citizen is probably willing to pay a much higher premium for 
 innovation than he is for matters such as communications. In 
 fact, it is clear that the nation would be willing to pay a very 
 large fraction of its gross product for innovation in the event of 
 dire peril. Values such as 20 or 30 per cent would not seem 
 preposterous in wartime, provided they would appear to assure 
 survival. 
 
 This writer is inclined to believe that the present frac- 
 tional investment of public wealth in research and development 
 for matters other than those affecting national survival prob- 
 ably is close to the upper limit which we might expect. Obvious- 
 ly, one must be cautious in making such a statement for it is 
 conceivable that advances in science might have such public ap- 
 peal because of the enhancement of national prestige or for cul- 
 tural reasons that society would be willing to make a substan- 
 tially heavier investment. 
 
 Unfortunately, our survival is now so intimately assoc- 
 iated with the over-all progress in science that it is next to im- 
 possible to assess the relative merits of any given limit of sup- 
 port in a detailed way. Under the present circumstances, the 
 western nations have no choice but to do their all-out best in 
 science. Nothing less is really practical. 
 
 It may be noted that there is no fundamental reason why 
 only 5 per cent of the national budget for research and develop- 
 ment is spent on research. Development usually is costly for 
 two reasons. First, it involves massive equipment, which is 
 naturally expensive. Secondly, it may involve costly trial and 
 error investigation made necessary for lack of precise knowl- 
 edge. There undoubtedly are many fields in which more em- 
 phasis on research would cut the cost of development by sub- 
 stantially more than the cost of the research. Usually, in such 
 instances, the waste arises not from lack of interest in re- 
 search, but from the lack of talent to carry it through compe- 
 tently. This limitation on manpower represents the greatest 
 bottleneck in our technological development at the present time 
 and is one of the reasons why the fraction of brilliant minds de- 
 voted to science and technology should grow in the future. 
 
 - 32 - 
 
It may be added that Great Britain and the Soviet Union 
 are now investing about the same fraction of their gross nation- 
 al product in research and development as the United States. It 
 is exceedingly difficult to get precise figures from the Soviet 
 Union. However, there is little doubt about the general level of 
 the support at present. The continental nations of Europe have, 
 for the most part, a substantially lower fractional support. The 
 French Government, which is undertaking a systematic survey 
 of its own scientific potential, is completely aware of the prob- 
 lem in the sense that the issue is discussed openly and intelli- 
 gently in the press. It seems likely that France will close the 
 gap within the coming generation. 
 
 What of the Future ? 
 
 Only a foolish individual .would speak dogmatically about 
 the future course of science. Nevertheless, some comments 
 are in order. It is quite likely that the very great state of in- 
 ternational tension in which we live will dictate the major 
 course of scientific investigations in the foreseeable future, 
 much as was the case during World War II. Any alternative 
 course is almost certain to have suicidal consequences if there 
 is no genuine relaxation of international tension. 
 
 Let us forget military matters for a moment and attempt 
 to regard the problem of the future of science in a more dis- 
 passionate way. As one examines the many fields of pure and 
 applied science, one sees no evidence that any given major 
 field is reaching a limit through exhaustion of the knowable. 
 Each advance in knowledge of nature serves to increase the pro- 
 foundness of the questions which can be asked about the unknown. 
 In fact, nature appears to be inherently so much more complex 
 than the body of riddles which man seems capable of solving 
 that one would gain the impression that the scientist is pursu- 
 ing the end of the rainbow if it were not the fact that the harvest 
 of information he already possesses is so exceedingly valuable. 
 
 Consider, for example, the quest of the physicist into 
 the atomic world which began toward the end of the last century. 
 Each victory has opened up another vast doorway into a world 
 that could be explored appropriately only by increasing the ef- 
 fort of exploration several fold. As matters stand at present, 
 this writer believes that it is safe to say that we are now pas- 
 sing into an era where a worldwide expenditure on the order of 
 $500, 000, 000 per year in the field of high energy physics alone 
 is warranted, if we are to explore this field at a rate which 
 makes sense from the scientists' point of view. There is no 
 reason to believe that the results of these investigations would 
 
 - 33 - 
 
close down the field because intriguing new problems would be 
 exhausted. Rather one expects that still another vast world 
 would be revealed in the process. 
 
 In this writer's opinion, the same principles are valid 
 in all of the major fields of science. We need only look at the 
 area of investigation opened up by the study of viruses or of 
 biochemistry, for example, to know that the biological sciences 
 are faced with an essentially inexhaustible universe for study. 
 
 Unfortunately, the essentially limitless opportunities 
 for valuable basic reasearch which do open up are accompanied 
 by a very steep rise in the cost of the investigations. This au- 
 thor does not feel that the restrictions that have been placed on 
 the expenditures for really basic research in the United States 
 from time to time in the past have not been founded on com- 
 pletely realistic analysis. They stem primarily from the lack 
 of universal understanding of the practical value of science to 
 modern society. You will recall that only about 0.1 per cent 
 of our national product is spent on basic research. Neverthe- 
 less, we probably shall reach a point in the not too distant fu- 
 ture when the costs in money and manpower required to explore 
 all available avenues of fundamental research will become pro- 
 hibitive. This point will probably come in about twenty years 
 if the world avoids war and returns to a less tense state. No 
 attempt will be made here to set a monetary figure on the limit- 
 ing budget for research since the factors involved are far too 
 uncertain. However, the author is guided by the fact that the 
 fractional expenditures for research are increasing with time 
 at a faster rate than our national income. 
 
 When the period of limitation is reached, research will 
 not stop. In fact, the expenditure will probably seem lavish by 
 present standards, being perhaps ten times greater in terms of 
 a fraction of the national income. Nevertheless, there will be 
 a need to appraise the areas of investigation very carefully, 
 using whatever standards society may decide to establish. View- 
 ed from the standards of our time, this appraisal will probab- 
 ly require more arbitrary and, hence, more difficult decisions 
 than any judgments which are made concerning the distribution 
 of funds for research and development at the present time. At 
 present, these judgments are based primarily on estimates of 
 the value of the ultimate applications of the work. Since the 
 amounts spent on the most fundamental work are still so small, 
 almost any reasonable program of a basic kind made by com- 
 petent individuals can expect support in the course of time. In 
 the period in the future, society will have to decide which as- 
 pect of man's innate curiosity concerning the world about him 
 
 - 34 - 
 
deserves priority. Fortunately, these are problems for an- 
 other generation which will approach them with its own terms 
 of reference. 
 
 What Relation to Library Science? 
 
 The general conclusion we may draw is that science will 
 grow for at least another generation both on an absolute scale 
 and relative to applied work whether or not the present world 
 tensions relax. The emphasis will be different in the two cases, 
 but the growth will be along a very broad frontier in either 
 event. One may anticipate that the growth in importance will be 
 appreciated in a general sense by the public. 
 
 The problems involved in correlating and disseminating 
 scientific information will become even greater during the com- 
 ing years both because of the rise in sheer quantity of material 
 and because of the higher degree of specialization of individual 
 programs in the various fields of science. Much of the product 
 of science will appear in the traditional research journals of 
 the various professions. Personally, I prefer to see these 
 grow in size rather than to see a proliferation in the number of 
 journals. Actually, it appears that both types of increase are 
 fairly inevitable because of the lack of planning. Speaking again 
 at the purely professional level, this author, for a number of 
 years, has advocated the principle that, parallel to the growth 
 of the volume of scientific literature, it is essential to expand 
 the development of review journals and books. These should be 
 written by the most competent individuals in the fields and be 
 edited with great care. This idea obviously is not new since we 
 have had good review publications for many years. It seems 
 evident, however, that the development will become increasing- 
 ly more important as science becomes of age. 
 
 The means whereby the public should be informed of the 
 course of scientific research represents a very intriguing prob- 
 lem. It seems obvious to me that the average individual can 
 at best be profitably interested only in the broader and most 
 general conclusions of science and then possibly only in the 
 most dramatic areas. This writer does not feel that the general 
 public will ever show a profound interest in the detailed prog- 
 ress of science. Speaking generally, the details can be apprec- 
 iated only by the highly trained mind which has become quite 
 expert in a given field. 
 
 Perhaps the greatest hope for providing public informa- 
 tion is that the great and articulate minds of science will devote 
 some of their time to the task of appraising the public of the 
 progress in science by both the written and the spoken word. 
 
 - 35 - 
 
SCIENCE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC 
 
 Watson Davis 
 
 In this onrushing scientific era, so inadequately char- 
 acterized as either the atomic or the space age, it is a truism 
 to contend that everyone should know about science. Everyone 
 must. The results of scientific progress in a material sense 
 are very obvious. Whether there has been a penetration into 
 the public consciousness and action of the motivations, philos- 
 ophy, and rationale of science is another question. 
 
 On the one hand, it can be argued that there has been a 
 tremendous increase in the understanding of the methods and 
 the importance of scientific knowledge. On the other hand, the 
 application of the fruits of science and technology to both the 
 motivatingly intellectual and to the materialistic, falls far 
 short of what can be accomplished. 
 
 That the hard-won knowledge of the universe is painful- 
 ly acquired through trying again and again until discovery and 
 verification brings forth truth--this process we must be con- 
 vinced is the method upon which human progress is based. We 
 must be convinced if we believe in the intellectual democratic 
 process that this truth in all the fields of human endeavor will 
 bring forth progress, and that it has, in fact, been the way in 
 which the human race has evolved and risen to its present 
 status. 
 
 That we are imperfect in our knowledge and our appli- 
 cation of acquired knowledge does not vitiate this conviction that 
 it is through the scientific method applied to everything from 
 stars and atoms to mind and motivation that has created the 
 past and can build the future. 
 
 Implicit in the idea that ours is a scientific civilization, 
 organized most effectively along democratic lines, is the tacit 
 assumption that freedom of mankind and the doctrine of equal 
 opportunity really means something. We are convinced that 
 
 Watson Davis is Director, Science 
 Service, Washington, D. C. 
 
 - 36 - 
 
all people must have the opportunity to know facts and draw 
 conclusions and that this is not the prerogative of merely a 
 chosen few. Newspapers, magazines, schools, libraries, ra- 
 dio and television, and the other manifestations of what are 
 called culture, put this into practice. Whether these institu- 
 tions and services are operated by private agencies or by 
 government, whether as public services or for profit is per- 
 tinent to their functioning but not to the fact that all of them 
 collectively perform the essential educating task of explaining 
 and interpreting knowledge. 
 
 The body of new knowledge, discovered and proved, that 
 has had the greatest influence upon the twentieth century, has 
 until recent years, at least, been the most neglected by our 
 media of communication and even our educational system. 
 Science and technology has been a powerful tool for industry, 
 for better living, and unfortunately, for the potential atomic 
 destruction of mankind. Scientists and engineers as they were 
 building our new scientific civilization were often too busy or 
 too uninterested in telling the rest of the world what was going 
 on, what it meant to them and what was likely to happen as the 
 result. The innovators, the doers, were most of them not 
 good interpreters, although it must be recognized that a few of 
 them were extremely understanding, vocal and persuasive. 
 
 The two great channels for conveying knowledge to the 
 people, the mass medium and the educational system, in the 
 early days have been at best indifferent and at worst antagonis- 
 tic to science and technology. This situation has been greatly 
 improved in recent years since the unlocking of energy from the 
 atom and the exploration of space, but there is still much to be 
 done. 
 
 There are very few newspapers, for instance, that 
 cover science and technology as adequately as they do sports. 
 There are few classrooms in which teachers are as cogent and 
 eloquent about the important and interesting rise of science 
 knowledge as they are about the exciting and colorful growth of 
 literature. Only for a couple of decades, or at the most twice 
 that time, has there been recognition by the press that science 
 is an important field for news and interpretation. 
 
 One can criticize perhaps the adequacy and the expert- 
 ness with which the daily newspaper presents the new develop- 
 ments in science and technology. Nevertheless, what happens 
 in the laboratories, the clinics and the factories is big and im- 
 portant news for the press today. There are science writers 
 and there are more of them than ever before. Many are ade- 
 quately and surprisingly competent to tell what is going on in 
 
 - 37 - 
 
the minds and the laboratories of scientists and technologists 
 and what it is likely to mean for the future. 
 
 The mass media (what an inclusive and very technical 
 phrase!), especially the daily newspaper which almost every- 
 one reads is the prime channel for the distribution of scientific 
 information, even among the specialists of science and tech- 
 nology themselves. This may be decried, but it is just a fact 
 that an important medical discovery announced, say, in the 
 Journal of the American Medical Association is very likely to 
 be brought to the attention of a physician by a patient who has 
 read about the report in his daily newspaper, even before the 
 doctor has received in the mail the copy of the journal in which 
 the report was printed. This may possibly be embarrassing to 
 the doctor, but it does represent a tremendous speeding up of 
 the distribution of information that may possibly save lives. 
 For information about the discoveries that are applicable in 
 fields other than the closely defined area in which the research 
 was done, this distribution of information to the public through 
 the press is even more important. 
 
 The newspapers, magazines, radio and television rep- 
 resent the mechanism of continuing education. Most of the 
 people who have now lived half their lives learned nothing at 
 all about the atom, or space, or many phases of medicine when 
 they went to school. The important advances in these fields 
 occurred since then. It is only through newspapers, magazines, 
 and television or radio that they keep up with these important 
 things in the world. 
 
 For this reason the adequacy of coverage of science and 
 technology by these mass media is extremely important. Who 
 writes, selects, or edits is therefore of public importance. It 
 is essential that our great press associations and syndicates 
 supplying newspapers with the news and features shall be suf- 
 ficiently understanding and motivated to give adequate and ex- 
 pert coverage of science and technology. The television and 
 radio networks with a much more limited amount of "space" 
 compared with the newspapers must have the public service 
 and educational motivation to allow serious science and tech- 
 nology to creep into the body of the broadcasting. It is not 
 enough to have science relegated to sunrise hours to be gulped 
 like an awakening cup of coffee. Magazine and book publishers 
 do their share of science distribution and interpretation when 
 sales persuade them that science is an important field for pub- 
 lishing subject matter. Perhaps a mechanism should be work- 
 ed out to convince the publishers that science is important, but 
 in the long run the play of the market place will undoubtedly be 
 
 - 38 - 
 
more persuasive. 
 
 We should be as concerned about the expertness and the 
 quality of the interpreters of science through the mass media 
 as we are of the competency and training of our teachers. Many 
 of the editors, reporters, script writers, commentators, and 
 actors are expert and knowledgeable in many fields. In general, 
 it may be said that in politics, international affairs, the drama, 
 sports, the practitioners of the mass media are often more ex- 
 pert than those who attempt to interpret science. Too often 
 those entrusted with science preseitation know little or nothing 
 about science and technology. They have had no training in 
 any of the multiplicity of scientific and technological disciplines 
 in high school or college. And very often one person is expect- 
 ed to be competent in the whole vast spectrum of scientific and 
 technological knowledge. This is a serious deficiency that can 
 be remedied if it is recognized. But those who operate the 
 mass media may need assistance from the public in realizing 
 the necessity for a change. 
 
 Schools have been a powerful educational force for 
 science and technology even in the days when science was con- 
 sidered natural philosophy and some knowledge of nature, the 
 stars, arithmetic, even a bit of chemistry and physics, did find 
 its way into the elementary school courses. In recent years 
 there has been a renaissance of science in secondary schools 
 that has extended to the elementary schools. There is a great 
 ferment of course content revision. Colleges and universities, 
 which have been the bulwark of education in the sciences and 
 engineering have been inspired to do an even more adequate 
 preparation of those who will operate our technological civili- 
 zation and provide the new explorations of the universe upon 
 which future development will rest. The new development of 
 elementary and secondary science education is giving our col- 
 legiate education in science and technology a new and substan- 
 tial underpinning. 
 
 Quite as important as the preparation for scientific and 
 technological careers that is being well-developed in our edu- 
 cational system is the viewing of science as an important facet 
 of liberal education. To a larger extent it is being recognized 
 that some basic knowledge of science is necessary to the well- 
 rounded person. The animosity of those who were fond of in- 
 sisting on a liberal education which too often meant the exclus- 
 ion of science and technology is diminishing under the impact 
 of the times. The insistence that liberal education is good ed- 
 ucational practice, and that scientists and engineers should 
 know something about literature, history, language, and other 
 
 - 39 - 
 
disciplines, is paralleled by an equally important insistence 
 that those who are going into the other professions should know 
 something about science and technology. 
 
 Science clubs, science fairs and similar science youth 
 activities on the extracurricular as well as the classroom level 
 are playing an increasingly important part in interpreting 
 science to the public. Each year some 600, 000 boys and girls 
 in our secondary schools undertake experiments and science 
 projects which they are able to present in exhibits. These are 
 shown in the schools themselves and then some of them are 
 sent to local and regional fairs, and finally a few of them are 
 recognized at the National Science Fair each year. More and 
 more of the science courses in our schools, even those in the 
 elementary grades, are being taught with some experimental 
 practice instead of just book learning and the parodying of what 
 the teacher has said. Instead of learning by rote, the students 
 get their hands dirty and their minds disturbed in order that 
 they may better understand and have some of the precious thrill 
 of discovery which is the priceless ingredient of learning. The 
 result of this science youth development is that many thousands 
 of boys and girls are becoming acquainted with science during 
 their formative years. Some in their ranks will become sci- 
 entists, technologists, and the engineers of the future. Even 
 more important is the fact that every young person who has 
 pursued science as a hobby will have a better understanding of 
 its place and power in our everyday life. They will make bet- 
 ter decisions in the other fields of work and professions in their 
 futures. 
 
 The considerable body of individuals who are interested 
 in science, not as professionals, but as hobbyists, is inevitab- 
 ly going to be augmented by the interest of today's young people 
 in science. The groundwork for an amateur science movement 
 among adults is therefore being laid more effectively than ever 
 before. To the considerable number of science amateurs -- 
 those who have their own workshops, that build telescopes, 
 botanize, study birds, etc. --the coming years will add many 
 more who have obtained their background of science in our sec- 
 ondary schools, their science clubs and their science fairs. 
 
 The future is likely to see an increase in the multiple 
 use of the plant and the equipment of schools. There is a feel- 
 ing that the considerable investment in classrooms and other 
 educational plants and equipment should more adequately be 
 utilized. During a quarter of the year, the summer, they are 
 generally idle. There will undoubtedly be a demand that more 
 generally than now the schools shall be utilized in the evening 
 
 - 40 - 
 
and over weekends by adults in the interest of continuing 
 education. 
 
 The joint use of school facilities for all sorts of educa- 
 tion, and not just for tutoring of the young, will also include a 
 better appreciation of the place of libraries in the civilization's 
 educational process. This will be on all intellectual fronts, 
 not just that of science and technology. The growth of the pa- 
 perbacks or the soft bound books and the distribution of large 
 numbers of them at relatively low cost is a development that 
 ranks with the earlier establishment and prevalence of public 
 libraries. In planning for library expansion and the integration 
 of schools and libraries, one with the other, this new phase of 
 book publishing might be taken into consideration. 
 
 There is one other major possibility that must also be 
 recognized in the consolidation of our interpretation and distri- 
 bution of scientific information through various channels. The 
 body of human knowledge, particularly in the fields of science 
 and technology, is becoming too widespread and complex to 
 contemplate having all the knowledge that one community needs 
 contained in its own institutions. The young physicist who is 
 attempting to build a radio telescope as a science fair project 
 needs facilities, from the standpoint of information and techni- 
 cal literature, far beyond the possible resources of his local 
 library or even his local college. Information sources of the 
 world should be sufficiently adequate to provide an individual 
 with the knowledge he needs regardless of how complex techni- 
 cally it may appear to be. We need what will be essentially one 
 big library for specialized literature and an information service 
 which would give access promptly and inclusively to all the 
 world's literature so that those who need it may have it. This 
 is a gigantic task, but it is one which every scientist, technol- 
 ogist, teacher, librarian, and administrator must contemplate 
 and must help to solve. With the increasing mechanisms for 
 scientific information distribution, such as microfilm and com- 
 puters, this is a problem which can now be solved or at least 
 contemplated, whereas even a few years ago, it seemed to be 
 chimerical and visionary. 
 
 The production of the written record of our civilization 
 is continuous and almost overpowering in science and technol- 
 ogy alone. Hardly a day passes that there is not a new science 
 journal established and there are many more science books pub- 
 lished than there are days of the year. Much of this plethora 
 of publication is justified by the increasing specialization of 
 science and the outpourings of research laboratories magnifi- 
 cently supported today compared with a generation ago. To the 
 
 - 41 - 
 
librarian as the conservator and distributor of recorded knowl- 
 edge, the rising flood of science and technological literature is 
 both an embarrassment and a challenge. Only the most spec- 
 ialized library collection can hope to keep up with any one field 
 in all of its details. For financial and for purely digestive rea- 
 sons, the ordinary general library can do no more than confine 
 its collections to general and popular books and magazines. As 
 has been indicated, the general library in many instances will 
 be inadequate certainly to the professional and often to the ser- 
 ious amateur. 
 
 Possibly the time has arrived when it will prove to be 
 impossible to give complete publication to everything that is 
 published in the field of science and technology. No longer will 
 it be expected that a specialized journal of limited interest and 
 field will be available at even the largest and most inclusive 
 libraries of the world. No longer will even the abstract journ- 
 als be able to note all of the literature that is published or even 
 attempt to list it as they now do. 
 
 In the attempt to make the new information of research 
 available to all who should have it, there will be need to utilize 
 such devices as auxiliary publication or "demand publication, " 
 such as was established through Science Service's efforts in 
 the 1930's. This innovation has proved quite successful in a 
 number of very large and important utilizations such as the pub- 
 lication of government reports, the enemy documents of World 
 War II, in addition to its original and continuing utilization 
 (through the American Documentation Institute) for giving dis- 
 tribution to supplementary material too specialized and too 
 voluminous to be printed in the journals themselves. This de- 
 vice of depositing a detailed manuscript and issuing it upon de- 
 mand, at reasonable cost in microfilm or photoprint form, is 
 made practical by the arrangement that the journals of original 
 publication will note the existence and availability of such docu- 
 ments in their journals. Greater utilization of this device will 
 not reduce the volume of scientific literature, but it will make 
 it more manageable, more accessible and at the same time it 
 will relieve the shelves of the libraries of material which might 
 never be required for issuance. The information resulting 
 from research will nevertheless be available for specialized in- 
 dividuals who wish it now or years in the future. 
 
 At the other end of the scientific information spectrum 
 there may be need for an inclusive scientific newspaper poten- 
 tially capable for circulation to every scientist and engineer, 
 several hundred thousands of them, in the nation. If the admin- 
 istrative organization can be achieved, the value of placing in 
 
 - 42 - 
 
the hands of all at least the essence of the whole record of sci- 
 ence might be evident. If "one big science journal" were 
 achieved, there would be an extraordinary cross -fertilization 
 between disciplines and a consequent acceleration of scientific 
 research. This one big newspaper of science would not replace 
 the broad reporting of scientific progress to the public through 
 the mass media, but it would be an application of the extraord- 
 inary mechanism of publication that American journalism has 
 developed. It would apply the economies and speed of rotary 
 presses and newsprint to the distribution of technical knowl- 
 edge. If such a gigantic effort as the translation of Russian 
 scientific literature by the National Science Foundation and as- 
 sociated scientific societies and government agencies is justi- 
 fied, and this writer feels that it is, then this utilization of new 
 techniques to spread the scientific record to more people more 
 effectively would certainly seem to be worth attempting. 
 
 With greater effectiveness of the publication of scientif- 
 ic record, there will come inevitably a better presentation of 
 the new developments to the general public through the mass 
 media and public institutions. For this reason those of us who 
 are primarily concerned with the distribution of science to the 
 public are very concerned and appreciative of the necessity for 
 improved scientific publication from the most detailed level. 
 Inevitably the record of science must become increasingly tech- 
 nical. The great task of the public, and particularly that of the 
 oncoming generations, is to recapitulate and absorb the learning 
 and knowledge of the past in order that they may understand the 
 present and prepare to continue the great adventure of exploring 
 the unknown future. 
 
 - 43 - 
 
READER INTEREST IN SCIENCE: CHILDREN 
 
 Sidney Rosen 
 
 My interest in science was first stirred by reading the 
 adventures of an extraordinary young man, who combined the 
 ingenuity of an Edison with the moral integrity of a Plato and 
 the get-up-and-go of a Horatio Alger hero. His name was Tom 
 Swift, and I read my way through his series of adventures with 
 marvelous rapidity. Such books, of course, were acquired 
 (along with Frank Merriwell and Nick Carter) by a mysterious 
 trading process; they did not sit on the shelves of my public li- 
 brary. After Tom Swift came The Lost World, by Arthur 
 Conan Doyle, and The Land That Time Forgot, by Edgar Rice 
 Burroughs, both introducing me to the realms of historical ge- 
 ology. The piece -de -resistance of that glorious period of 
 reading was Paul de Kruif's The Microbe Hunters. This work 
 did the job of convincing me (and many of my contemporaries) 
 that science was one of the most adventurous areas of man's 
 knowledge. 
 
 This notion of reader interest at a young age pointing 
 the reader toward a career is not a new one. Many of the think- 
 ers and doers in man's history were affected deeply by the 
 reading they did when young, whether they read words printed 
 on paper, inscribed on parchment, or heiroglyphics on papyrus 
 and cuneiforms stabbed into wet clay. One of the first "easy" 
 books on science, a forerunner of "do-it-yourself knowledge, " 
 was Jane Marcet's Conversations on Chemistry, published in 
 England in 1820. This book sold over half a million copies in 
 America alone, and was responsible for many young men turn- 
 ing to chemistry as a career; one famous example was Josiah 
 Cooke, the great nineteenth century Harvard professor of chem- 
 istry. 
 
 Sidney Rosen is Associate Professor of 
 Physical Science in the Division of 
 General Studies at the University of 
 Illinois. 
 
 - 44 - 
 
But what of the period in my youth before Tom Swift, 
 before I had reached the junior high school level? I began 
 reading voraciously at about the age of five, but I can remem- 
 ber virtually nothing that could have been categorized as sci- 
 ence until I came to the Tom Swift books. At that time, in the 
 elementary schools of my city, science wasto put it mildly-- 
 a peripheral subject. American elementary education was still 
 in the grip of the "nature study" cult then, and I recall vaguely 
 that my science came in minute doses from characters like 
 Peter Rabbit and the North Wind. In fact, the sharpest memory 
 I have of science during my elementary school days is the in- 
 formation gleaned from a book left behind by one of a series of 
 boarders at our house, a textbook entitled Town and City, which 
 dealt with civic hygiene. This information was that malaria 
 was carried by a variety of mosquito known as the anopheles 
 mosquito, whose distinguishing feature was that it kept its be- 
 hind up in the, air as it perched, unlike the ordinary variety, or 
 culex mosquito. Though I looked with extreme care at the be- 
 hinds of all mosquitoes before slapping, I never found an anoph- 
 eles. 
 
 But that world has passed. We are more aware of sci- 
 ence as a force in our civilization today than ever before. And 
 young children today, almost from birth, are aware of science 
 as a force in their lives. They see manifestations of what we 
 know as science in the world about them, from the falling of a 
 leaf to the shriek of a jet plane in the skies. They soon learn 
 that mother has a washing machine, and a dryer, and a dish- 
 washer, and a toaster, and an electric steam iron, and even an 
 electric hair dryer, so that she can wash her hair on a rainy 
 day without fear. She does not have to pickle or dry meat to 
 keep it from spoiling, for she has a refrigerator and a freezer. 
 And of course, we cannot omit the ubiquitous automobile or 
 television set. Children are fascinated by the subject matter of 
 science, because it concerns almost everything that seems to 
 be happening about them. 
 
 And since children are, quite fortunately, unlike adults, 
 their curiosity about nature is open and unashamed; they want to 
 know why everything happens and how it happens. One little 
 boy told me that for him, first-grade science was the most ex- 
 citing thing in the classroom because, "science means when 
 you find out!" Children are ready for an understanding of sci- 
 ence. And since they are going to be spending the rest of their 
 grown-up lives in a world endowed with the results of scientific 
 thinking, why shouldn't we tell them all they want to know about 
 science as soon as they want to know? 
 
 - 45 - 
 
There has been one revolution in elementary school 
 science teaching, inspired by Craig in the middle -thirties (too 
 late for me!). And new revolutions are brewing nowtwo right 
 on the University of Illinois campus. Professor J. Myron Atkin 
 of the College of Education is demonstrating successfully that 
 our children can meet the challenge of thinking conceptually in 
 science at high levels of sophistication. And Professor J. 
 Richard Suchman, of the same college, is investigating the na- 
 ture of inquiry about scientific phenomena by children and the 
 uses of inquiry as a teaching device in elementary school 
 science. 
 
 On the other hand, one might well ask, "why do adults 
 dislike science?" Today, too many adult Americans, regardless 
 of their intellectual status, dislike and fear science (particular- 
 ly the physical sciences). Is it the result of poor teaching dur- 
 ing their youth? Or is it the result of a fear of the unknown? 
 It does seem strange that the average American should willful- 
 ly choose to cut himself off from an understanding of this par- 
 ticular area of knowledge. And coupled with this fear of sci- 
 ence is a fear of mathematics --a fear that almost seems to be 
 passed on from father to son, from mother to daughter, as a 
 loving heritage. While this may sound like an exaggeration, we 
 know it is not; for the frightening results of the survey of te en- 
 age attitudes toward science and scientists, made by Drs. 
 Margaret Mead and Rhoda Metraux in 1957, showed that the 
 fears of and misunderstanding about science are very, very 
 real. Coupled with this fear of science and scientists are the 
 usual companions of fear: distrust and apathy. 
 
 In their study, Mead and Metraux found the real shock- 
 er: that even the positive image of the scientist was a distorted 
 one in many young minds. If their conclusion is a valid one, 
 something must be going wrong in our science education at an 
 early stage. Why shoulcj children be any more afraid of science 
 than they are of poetry, art, or history. If I remember my 
 Dobzhansky correctly, a fear of science is not contained in the 
 genes. So, it must be a learned fear. And where would a child 
 learn such a fear? The answer is obvious: from a prejudiced 
 adult. In the teen-age image of the scientist, we can see the 
 effects of the mass media: Hollywood (or the Frankenstein 
 image), the horror-fantasy magazine, radio, and television. 
 Prejudices against science are particularly harmful when they 
 affect the formal education of our children. A teacher who is 
 biased against science may spend less time teaching it in the 
 classroom; a librarian can exert her prejudices by buying only 
 those books she favors to be put on her library shelves. 
 
 - 46 - 
 
There has been much progress in the teaching of ele- 
 mentary school science since the days of nature study. In many 
 school systems, science is now being taught from the first 
 grade on. But it is still a painful fact that in the preparatory 
 curricula experienced by many of our elementary school teach- 
 ers, science is still treated as a peripheral subject. In the 
 teachers colleges and colleges of education, science methods 
 courses for prospective elementary school teachers are usual- 
 ly elective and not required. 
 
 Many of our teachers who have to teach science in the 
 self-contained elementary classroom are uneasy about it. They 
 often feel that the youngsters know more about science than they 
 do. Many are ill at ease, trying to teach an area of knowledge 
 which they "had" in college (as one "has" the measles), but 
 which they never really understood. 
 
 And so, when it comes to teaching science --and we all 
 understand that these days school administrators are being 
 harrassed by requests (or demands) to step up science teaching 
 in the elementary curriculumthe elementary school teacher 
 falls back upon the one reliable crutch she learns to use in 
 cases of emergency: the textbook. The one prerequisite for the 
 teaching of science becomes not the ability to understand sci- 
 ence, but simply the ability to read. And for the children, the 
 understanding of science becomes merely their ability to recall 
 the factual material of the textbook. 
 
 What effect does the sole reliance upon a textbook have 
 upon the reading habits of children. Not a very good one,*I 
 think. Most, if not all elementary school science textbooks are 
 subject to a vocabulary regulation, predetermined by certain 
 standards which are accepted and insisted upon by educational 
 administrators and, therefore, by textbook publishers. A book 
 written, let us say, for the third grade level must use words 
 which are on the prescribed third grade vocabulary list. Such 
 lists are usually based upon pseudo-scientific formulas whose 
 validity is not above reproach. Authors of these textbooks have 
 to confine themselves as much as possible to the given vocab- 
 ularies; if they unconsciously go beyond them, the material 
 must be rewritten, or it will not be acceptable. I am reminded 
 of the story about the illustrious author of The Cat in the Hat, 
 who did marvelously well with his given word list, except that 
 it did not contain one word he had wanted to use: bird . He tried 
 to combine what was available, but the best he could come up 
 with was "wing-thing, " and he gave up. Another restraint 
 usually imposed upon authors of elementary school science text- 
 books is the use of simple sentences and short paragraphs. 
 
 - 47 - 
 
But there exists another world of writing for children-- 
 a world where the only restriction upon the author is that the 
 writing ought to make the child want to keep on reading the book. 
 I am referring, of course, to the books known as trade books, 
 the ones available in bookstores and on library shelves. Unlike 
 the textbook, the trade book offers an opportunity for a wide 
 variety of stylistic approaches to a subject, both in writing and 
 illustration. The possible number of things to write about is 
 virtually infinite. It is interesting to compare the work of such 
 a fine writing team in the field of science for young children as 
 Herman and Nina Schneider in their textbook series and their 
 many trade books. The writing in the latter is relaxed and 
 graceful, the two or three syllable words are let fall where they 
 may, the sentences are compound and elegant. In their textbook 
 series, however, the constraint under which they write is ob- 
 vious, the style now more forced and artificial. 
 
 What about the central character in all this, the child? 
 Do children like to read trade books, and do they enjoy reading 
 them more than textbooks? I think every children's librarian 
 and school librarian in the country must know the answer to 
 that question. Librarians know that, in general, children in 
 grades one through six love to read. For many young children, 
 reading is like food and drink. They have discovered a new 
 path to take them closer to an understanding of the mysterious 
 and exciting world about them. And most important, the trade 
 books are not imposed upon the children by a higher authority, 
 as are textbooks. Trade books are simply sitting there on the 
 shelves, waiting for any child to select them or not, as he 
 pleases. I am sure that cases must occur in the schools where 
 "Johnny can't read" textbooks, but can read with eagerness and 
 even ease trade books which interest and motivate him. 
 
 Here then is the situation: there are elementary school 
 science textbooks in the schools, and there are elementary 
 science trade books in the libraries. What is the responsibility 
 of the teacher in relation to these two separate worlds of writ- 
 ing for children? What is the responsiblity of the librarian? 
 The elementary school teacher, of course, is usually bound to 
 the textbooks, not only in terms of her own anxieties about 
 teaching science, but by the normal administrative restrictions 
 of the school systerri requirements. And though many elemen- 
 tary school teachers are aware of the wonderful science trade 
 books for children that exist outside the school walls, and try 
 to take advantage of these books in their teaching of science, 
 the average teacher is often too overworked, too busy with the 
 details of everyday teaching to take out time to use the books in 
 
 - 48 - 
 
the library to her advantage. Many teachers simply are un- 
 aware of the existence of these books, or have failed to keep up 
 with the new ones which appear in increasing numbers every 
 year. Many teachers cannot tell a "good" easy science book 
 from a "bad" one among the flood of juveniles coming from the 
 publishers' presses. Many teachers cannot distinguish the pub- 
 lisher who is concerned about the quality of his science books 
 for young children from the one who is jumping on the popular 
 science bandwagon to "make a fast buck. " 
 
 It is in this connection that the work of the librarian be- 
 comes very important. For the children's librarian (and the 
 school librarian) is as close to the child as the teacher. Some- 
 times, in fact, the librarian is even closer, because her work 
 with children takes place in a less formal, more permissive 
 atmosphere. The librarian who knows her business has a good 
 idea of what books children like to read. She has developed 
 criteria for the evaluation and selection of children's books in 
 general, or she has available at her fingertips critical evalua- 
 tions of such books by specialists in the the field of children's 
 literature in such journals as The Horn Book, The Children's 
 Catalog, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, School 
 Libraries, and the Wilson Library Bulletin. The librarian is 
 in a position to pass on to the elementary school teacher infor- 
 mation about books that might take the teacher a long time to 
 acquire. 
 
 Librarians, like teachers, are only human and can be 
 subject to the same biases against and anxieties about science 
 as teachers. But, like the teacher, the librarian must rid her- 
 self of these prejudices and realize that science is a most im- 
 portant area of man's knowledge which ought to be understood 
 and not feared. Pertinent to this last, perhaps, is the story of 
 the little third-grade boy who dashed into the children's room 
 of a library and quickly seized upon a book he had been waiting 
 many weeks to get his hands onthe well-known First Book of 
 Snakes^ He bore his prize proudly up to the front desk, where 
 the head librarian, a very fine, well-bred lady, with the air 
 and attitude ofwell, you know, a head librarian presided. 
 As she turned the front cover of the book, her gaze fell upon the 
 illustrations printed inside --a green mass of writhing, crawly 
 creatures she could not repress an involuntary shudder. No- 
 ticing this, the boy drew himself up to his full height and in- 
 sisted sternly, "Lady, if you wanna learn about science, you 
 gotta like snakes!" Librarians, there is a moral here some- 
 where ! 
 
 - 49 - 
 
In some large urban areas, there exist programs of co- 
 operation between children's librarians and elementary school 
 teachers. Such programs involve book reviewing for the teach- 
 ers by librarians, visits to the library by school children, and 
 visits to the schools by librarians. The ideal situation, of 
 course, would be to have a library and elementary school li- 
 brarian in every elementary school. But the position of elemen- 
 tary school librarian is too new and too sparsely filled to di- 
 minish the importance of the cooperative program mentioned 
 above. 
 
 Of course, it must be recognized that in many commun- 
 ities, particularly rural ones, even children's librarians may 
 be non-existent in public libraries. Often, in such communities, 
 the librarians, trained specifically in the care and feeding of 
 adults, either forget about, or pay little attention to the won- 
 derful new world of science books for children. And in these 
 libraries, children find too little to read that is apart from the 
 confines of the elementary school science textbook. This is 
 not to suggest that textbooks are unnecessary; indeed, they have 
 their place and their use. But textbooks alone cannot motivate 
 reader interest in science on the part of young children. 
 
 What ought to be done about the interest of children in 
 reading about science? 
 
 First, as in all cases where a problem exists, there 
 ought to be an awareness of the problem on the part of all people 
 concerned, the elementary school teacher, the librarian, the 
 school administrator. And this awareness might well be com- 
 municated to the parents of the children, so that they may share 
 with their children the discovery of new and exciting adventures 
 in reading about science. 
 
 The acquisition of a school librarian by every elemen- 
 tary school system in the United States is, for budgetary 
 reasons, a distant Utopia. But something ought to be done now 
 to bring the elementary school teachers and the public librar- 
 ians closer together. What I would like to propose, then al- 
 ready exists in communities throughout the country; but it ex- 
 ists on too small a scale. I propose a deliberate program of 
 cooperation on a national scale between all elementary schools 
 and all public libraries. Whether such a program is to be in- 
 stigated by local school systems or public libraries is a matter 
 of convenience. But in the matter of elementary school science 
 and the problem of motivating children's interest in science, 
 such a program could prove to be of inestimable value to teach- 
 ers (not to mention the step-up in library circulation so dear 
 to the hearts of all librarians). 
 
 - 50 - 
 
This kind of program might involve, for example, the 
 planning of seminars attended by teachers and librarians, 
 where discussions of mutual problems in developing the inter- 
 est of children in reading about science would take place. Li- 
 brarians could prepare monthly reviews of good children's 
 books in science to be distributed to teachers. Elementary 
 school administrators would make available to librarians an 
 opportunity to share in any special in-service courses or work- 
 shops in science being held for elementary school teachers. 
 Tied in with these activities would be the fairly regular visits 
 of the local librarian to the elementary school classrooms to 
 tell the children about the new acquisitions in science, and to 
 remind the children of how the facilities of the library can be 
 used for research. 
 
 It seems to me that such a planned program, begun in 
 every community in the United States that has at least one ele- 
 mentary school and one public library, could well provide a 
 most important stimulus toward the solution of some of the 
 problems of teaching science in the elementary school. Not 
 only do the librarian and the elementary school teacher com- 
 plement each other in education, but each has much to offer 
 the other. The librarian will be widening the horizons of her 
 influence. The teacher will find herself relying less and less 
 upon the elementary school science textbook as the only means 
 of instruction. 
 
 And the children- -most important of all, the children- - 
 will find in all the fine books about science for young people a 
 new and strong motivation toward an understanding and apprec- 
 iation of man's universe. 
 
 - 51 - 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY 
 
READER INTEREST IN SCIENCE: YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 Herbert Zim 
 
 In considering young people's interest in science, I in- 
 tend to include people from the sixth grade level to senility. 
 The matter of definition of children, young people, and adults 
 is not too much of a problem because the whole concept of age 
 level and grade placement of materials has had a severe shock 
 during the past ten years. A few years ago you could pick up a 
 book and find clearly stated on the jacket that this was for seven 
 year olds, or this was for fourth grade children. Today you 
 will find that the designators have disappeared and it is diffi- 
 cult to find out for whom a book is intended and why. 
 
 When you examine the interests of adults you find that 
 they have basic problems that occupy their attention, e.g., the 
 matter of earning a living, of adult responsibility, concern for 
 the future, and the like. When it comes to a curiosity and gen- 
 eral interest in the world around, the knowing of things for 
 their own sake, the subjects that interest adults are not the 
 kinds of things that press upon them for economic or other rea- 
 sons. The differences between adult interests and young 
 people's interests are very small. The same kind of curiosity 
 that makes an adult read something that Watson Davis 1 editors 
 get in the newspaper is about the same level of curiosity that 
 makes young people do the same thing. Once at the level where 
 vocabulary is not difficult, roughly about the fourth, fifth, or 
 sixth grade or thereabouts, the interest picture irons itself out 
 pretty much between adults and younger people. I found, for 
 example on my own books, when a book intended for eight and 
 nine -year-olds was borrowed from the library by Johnny and 
 Mary, their Mother with her usual curiosity would look at the 
 
 Herbert Zim is Editor in Chief of Our 
 Wonderful World Encyclopedia and the 
 author of a number of books on scientific 
 subjects. This paper is an edited version of 
 the tape recorded presentation at the institute. 
 
 - 52 - 
 
book and then in a short time read it. Mother learned all she 
 wanted to know about whales, ostriches, or comets atabout the 
 same level as her children and enjoyed it very much. We found 
 a considerable amount of evidence that adults who would never 
 think of going to an encyclopedia, or any other reference book, 
 for information on some of the topics about which they were 
 vaguely curious would be very happy to read a children's book 
 when they could do so without being conspicuous. I have ad- 
 vised teachers for years to read what their students were read- 
 ing and not try to understand a science book that belonged at 
 the college level. A few of them have followed my advice and 
 have enjoyed science. The rest would not, and, as Sidney Rosen 
 has pointed out, have been very unhappy. 
 
 We found, for example, that one of the publishers, who, 
 for a number of reasons, abridged certain books and put them 
 out in children's editions, created a book that was more inter- 
 esting to the adult in many cases than the original book. I re- 
 fer to such works as the young people's edition of Rachel Car- 
 son's book on the sea. It is in many ways a more attractive 
 book for general adult readers than the original book. Life's 
 first scientific effort, a description of the world around us, 
 was a very heavy thing, but when it was reduced and brought 
 out for young people it became a fairly good book for the adult 
 reader. Now Winston Churchill's book, World War II, has been 
 brought out in a children's edition and I think it will probably 
 turn out to be an attractive adult book as well. An encyclopedia 
 which ten or fifteen years ago advertized itself as a children's 
 and young people's work now considers itself a family encyclo- 
 pedia because the adults use it as well as the children. More 
 examples of this kind can be cited where general information is 
 involved. There may be differences of degree where the gen- 
 eral reader is involved, but there are no clear cut differences 
 of comment. In the area of science informational books, much 
 of the material available for young people has real potential for 
 the adult reader also. This should be quite a challenge to li- 
 brarians. Librarians can be of great assistance to women, who 
 are especially apprehensive of sciences. Mothers who are 
 anxious to be able to converse with their own children about 
 scientific subjects can be steered toward some of these books 
 which are interesting, attractive, and well-written, but not aimed 
 at the adult reader. 
 
 I would like to say a few words about books in the field 
 of science then return to the interest of the reader. The term 
 "science" is not easy to define. I suspect at least those of us 
 who have a speaking acquaintance with the area would settle in 
 
 - 53 - 
 
terms of a basic methodology or a group of methods rather than 
 on any specific content definitions. In these methods, which 
 could collectively be called scientific methods, there is an as- 
 pect of communication which is an essential part. In other 
 words there cannot be science without broad communication. By 
 and large this communication is the printed word. In science 
 the fundamental aim is to discover facts which can be used in 
 the solution of problems. In order to take a problem, localize 
 it, particularize it, formalize it, so that it can be worked on 
 scientifically, a background in the literature of science is need- 
 ed. Science is inconceivable without books. The fact that they 
 belong together must be clearly recognized if we are going to 
 work with science and young people. Books are the sources 
 that provide much of the techniques and procedures. Every 
 book on science is technically a "how to" book because science 
 fundamentally is concerned with the question of "how, " whether 
 it is how to make a cyclotron, or how to tell a blue bird from a 
 black bird. The "how" question is not, as young people some- 
 times think, the "why" question. When you analyze what young 
 people really mean by "why, " it tends to mean the word "how. " 
 And so the "how to" approach in science from technical re- 
 ports down to popularizations is exceedingly important. All of 
 the guide books that we have are in a sense "how to books. " 
 And they are a very important kind of book, because they give 
 people a chance not only to understand but to participate very 
 early and very simply in the scientific process. Then, finally, 
 we come to the books that deal with understanding science, the 
 appreciation of science. 
 
 This matter of books about science, rather than books 
 that are a part of science, is a rather interesting thing to ex- 
 plore. The books that are about science are the books that are 
 designed for general reading. They give a picture as to what 
 it is all about, which is the primary concern in these times when 
 science is moving ahead so rapidly. In this area the kinds of 
 interests are pretty much the same for young and old and are 
 strongly socially conditioned. Strong sex differences and de- 
 grees of interest are involved in this social conditioning. The 
 range of interests is far greater than most people suspect. Li- 
 brarians seem quite concerned in having a nice, general book 
 that has the answers in it. Young people are concered with just 
 the opposite. Their interests are quite specific. If Johnny 
 comes in and wants a book on goldfish, he does not want a book 
 on zoology. He wants a book on goldfish. Later on he may pro- 
 ceed from a book on goldfish to a book on other fish until he 
 finally gets up into the animal kingdom. Young people's interests 
 
 - 54 - 
 
can be quite specific, and if we can visualize these specific 
 interests, which cover a tremendous range, we have a chance 
 to see some of the great educational potentials in the picture. 
 There are many books dealing with a wide range of subjects now 
 available for young people because of the appreciation of their 
 specificity of interest. 
 
 And finally in these general books there comes a ques- 
 tion which is most difficult to answer, the question of accuracy. 
 I don't know quite how to answer it. I have been working all 
 week with a world famous ornithologist and we still seem to 
 differ. I would suggest at this point that accuracy has to be 
 commensurate with a purpose and unless the purpose is clear 
 you cannot set up absolute criteria of accuracy. A book which 
 a top physicist would regard as grossly inaccurate, may be ex- 
 ceedingly accurate and useful for ten-year-olds. This does not 
 mean that you include deliberate errors. This does not mean 
 that you condone careless writing or misstatement of facts, but 
 it means that understanding has to be commensurate with back- 
 ground and so does purpose and accuracy also. This is impor- 
 tant for librarians who are constantly being asked "how do we 
 know this book is accurate ?". If librarians turn for an evalua- 
 tion to their colleagues in the science departments of universi- 
 ties they tend to get misled because the colleague looks at the 
 book in his own terms rather than in the terms of its intended read- 
 er. You have to watch out when you go to a professor of physics 
 or chemistry and ask if this is a good book to put on the shelf 
 for housewives and young people. When writing for these aud- 
 iences the question should be: Are the facts understandable and 
 clear on their level? All books relating to science ought to 
 make some contribution to the person who is reading them. 
 They could not make any better contribution than to lead the 
 reader to a stage where he or she would act scientifically in an 
 appropriate situation. I would like to emphasize that everybody 
 from the kindergarten up can act scientifically in an appropriate 
 situation. These situations have to be defined in the terms of 
 the individual and complexity of the things involved. But science 
 is not something you can read about now and act on ten years 
 later. You can read science at any age level and if the reading 
 is appropriate, if it moves in the right direction, you can act 
 scientifically. Lots of people act scientifically and they do not 
 know it. Acting scientifically involves discovering things for 
 yourself, discovering things through a very simple process, 
 mainly the process of observation. This is the fundamental 
 technique of science. You open your eyes and look. You may 
 look through a microscope or a telescope, or use a ruler to 
 
 - 55 - 
 
help you measure more carefully. Experiments are merely 
 devices that help one make better observations because the sit- 
 uation is controlled. Some very excellent experimenters were 
 never scientists, never thought of themselves as scientists, 
 and never wanted to be considered scientists. For example, 
 women get into the kitchen, they look at a recipe, they try a 
 little bit more of this, or a little bit less of that, and see what 
 happens. That's experimenting, isn't it? They are trying 
 something out to see what happens. They are discovering some- 
 thing new. That's acting scientifically in an appropriate situa- 
 tion and there are millions of appropriate situations in which 
 young people and adults can act scientifically. Reading in the 
 general area of science can move in that direction, but unless 
 the reader begins to get some degree of this participation then 
 I don't think the reading has been successful. In short, the 
 purpose of reading in science is not more intellectual under- 
 standing but it is something which moves the reader into an ac- 
 tion program to some degree. 
 
 Having finished my digression let me get back to the 
 areas of interest as far as young people are concerned. Here I 
 must fall back on some research which I did twenty years ago. 
 I was fortunate a long time ago to get a grant to investigate 
 scientific interests of young people. I have not had a chance to 
 reinvestigate the problem thoroughly since the Atomic Age 
 dawned on us, but I have had a chance to check enough to believe 
 that some of the facts that I uncovered twenty years ago still 
 hold true today. 
 
 First of all I don't think there is such a thing as an inter- 
 est in "science. " Science is too broad, too general. As Mr. 
 Rosen pointed out, this fear or this misunderstanding of science 
 is far more common than an interest in science. Young people 
 are interested in themselves physically and in their health: boys 
 in strength and muscle building and girls in their appearance. 
 Young people are interested in food and nutrition and hy- 
 giene. And they go to the shelves and find book after book filled 
 with fable rather than fact in many of these important areas. 
 They are interested in physiology and anatomy, i. e. the mechan- 
 ism of their bodies and how it operates. They are interested in 
 their brain, their nervous system, digestive system, and all 
 the like. They ar& concerned even more with growth and with 
 the fundamental concept of normality. They hate to think of 
 themselves as deviating in even the slightest kind of a way. Sci- 
 ience can point out the great range of individual variation, the 
 great range of normality and help reassure adolescents in prob- 
 lems that involve them very much. Of course, they are inter- 
 
 - 56 - 
 
ested in sex, endocrinology, and heredity. They want to know 
 about mental growth, IQ, talent, their own abilities, this vague 
 thing called personality, behavior, and their emotional life and 
 development. From this core of self-centeredness young people 
 move out to seek information about the family, their siblings, 
 their parents, and their grandparents. 
 
 They are concerned with social and group behavior and 
 in a vague way with vocations and jobs. Some of these subjects 
 have a great deal to do with science, others have nothing to do 
 with science. And in nearly every case, facts alone are not 
 the whole story. There are facts plus values that are involved. 
 This means a responsibility on the part of the teacher or li- 
 brarian to supply the kind of material which will put the two 
 together, if that kind of material is available, and unfortunately 
 it rarely is. Going out from this bull's eye of the target there 
 are other interests of course. Young people are interested in 
 the whole world of life, and in fairness I should say that part of 
 the interest in the world of life is really a sublimation of the 
 interest in themselves. Some parts of this are hard to under- 
 stand and others are fairly obvious. For example their interest 
 in animals is greater than in plants, yet certain phases of this 
 escapes. There is more than a general interest in animals be- 
 cause animals are more like humans than plants. There are 
 specific interests, identification interests. Even in the simple 
 participation in science in which young people, and old, are in- 
 volved these are emotional experiences which should not be un- 
 derestimated. I imagine that the simplest kind of emotional 
 scientific experience a young person can get is to look at a bird 
 on a branch and then look at a picture in a book and say "They 
 are the same aren't they?". This is not at a high-intellectual 
 level but the number of people who get satisfaction from exactly 
 this kind of thing, from simple identification, putting a name 
 on something they have discovered by themselves, is enormous. 
 Three million copies of my own bird^book have sold for this 
 reason. The satisfaction of starting off and discovering for 
 themselves the identification of natural objects is a very inter- 
 esting place to begin and a very important one to young people. 
 Both boys and girls are interested in living things. Girls tend 
 to be more interested in living things and less interested in non- 
 living things than are boys. 
 
 Now let me drop from this living world to the non-living 
 world. The science that we hear about today, the science that 
 has us competing with the Russians is primarily the science of 
 the non-living world. Here in terms of interests we have over- 
 lays that are of particular importance. There isn't any doubt 
 
 - 57 - 
 
the word "space" produces emotional reactions now that it 
 could not have produced ten years ago. There are strong con- 
 cerns that are built up because of the currency of topics. There 
 is interest in the universe, the stars, and the planets and space 
 around us. There is geology which involves the past and fossils 
 and dinosaurs which have a peculiar attraction for the young. 
 There is less interest in the weather, except the extremes, 
 such as storms, tornadoes, and the like. When you start deal- 
 ing with the fundamental areas of physical science, with energy 
 and power, atoms and sub-atomic particles, the interest of the 
 boys is exceedingly high and the interest of the girls is decide - 
 ly less. And here is an intangible area which is exceedingly 
 difficult to understand. And so when it comes to writing it is 
 not surprising that the number of books which do a good job in 
 this area are much fewer and harder to get than the books that 
 deal with the living world. Machines, planets, rockets, auto- 
 mobiles, and ships, the whole area of mass transportation has 
 a special appeal to boys. The element of speed is something 
 that seems to have caught the fancy of young people. The con- 
 cept of computers and how they work, machine tools, automa- 
 tion devices, whole areas of physics, like solid state physics, 
 have to be made clear to general readers. I have been looking 
 at these problems for a long time, and as an editor I have been 
 looking for authors to work with them. It is so much easier to 
 work with the simpler areas of biological science, with the 
 identification, than it is to work with the fundamental areas of 
 physical science that it seems almost a difficulty that can not 
 be bridged. Yet, I insist that we must face the problem. We 
 must get the scientists and writers and illustrators together. 
 We must have these areas explained clearly and simply on 
 several levels of understanding because they are too important 
 to pass by. 
 
 Because the range of stimuli available to young people 
 is so wide, interests cover a tremendous number of things. It 
 is almost impossible to find an area of knowledge in which 
 young people are not interested. 
 
 Now to come back to libraries and science. Science is 
 a matter of action and a matter of doing. It is not the job of a 
 library to create science. Yet libraries can make important 
 contributions. I have already indicated the importance of the 
 fundamental sources of information, communication through the 
 printed word, both in setting up and defining problems. Com- 
 municating information so that it can be checked and verified 
 are essential parts of the process of science. Without commun- 
 ication you cannot get the dissemination which is essential for 
 
 - 58 - 
 
verification. Without verification you cannot establish facts. 
 Without this you don't begin to get the variation and modifica- 
 tion of ideas which lead to new discoveries. It seems to me, 
 therefore, in broad aspect, that science and communication 
 must go hand in hand. Science and secrecy just don't belong 
 together. Books, and I state this with a bit of timidity, do not 
 in and of themselves create an interest in science. I have found 
 very few cases where people have said I got interested in sci- 
 ence because I read it in a book. There tends to be behind 
 young people's interest in science some actual experience, 
 something they have done, something they have seen, something 
 that has given them a positive emotional slant. And then they 
 read a book on the subject and went on from there. 
 
 But to start off with a book does not seem to me an im- 
 portant place to begin. Yet when the young person has an in- 
 terest, no matter how slight, if he has only identified one bird, 
 collected one stone, or learned one little thing about electricity 
 and wants to learn more, books can immediately nurture that 
 interest and nurture it with great rapidity. The intellectual 
 calories that a young person can get out of books are beyond 
 counting, and so the books take on an immediate function of 
 re-enforcing and building up interests. Even more than that, 
 the young person usually comes around with a clear specific 
 interest and this is due to the fact that his knowledge is limited. 
 He has a goldfish and he wants to know what it will eat. He has 
 watched some piece of machinery and he has seen some specific 
 thing he wants to know about. He starts reading at the point of 
 specific interest and begins to broaden this immediately.He sees 
 the relationship to other things and in that you get what is funda- 
 mentally education: a broadening process, an inter- relationship 
 that comes into the picture. At the same time this creates new 
 problems, it raises new questions, and it creates the kind of 
 situation that is characteristic of science, a thing that is going 
 on and on, an endless frontier. 
 
 Now, what can librarians do? First of all they can pro- 
 vide rich and varied book resources. Thank heaven they are 
 available. When I went to the library as a child, there was a 
 little children's shelf in the corner and it was about 98 per cent 
 fiction and the number of books of the non-fictional, informa- 
 tional type available were very few. Now we are swamped with 
 them. I think on the whole that this is good, but there are so 
 many now that discretion is needed. But you can provide a rich 
 and varied book resource for younger readers. You can at 
 last provide resource information on several different levels. 
 The chances of picking up the specific interests of young people 
 
 - 59 - 
 
when they occur by providing the information to help them get 
 started, enable them to move on, is very important. We should 
 not have the tremendous gaps that we now have because certain 
 areas in science have not been tackled and worked out at ap- 
 propriate levels. 
 
 Next, I think it is important to provide attractive books. 
 We all enjoy a well-designed, well-illustrated, and well-made 
 book. Young people have short interest spans, dealing with 
 interests that are competing with all kinds of other interests, 
 all kinds of other demands on their time, so that attractive books 
 become quite important. Again there are a good many very 
 attractive informational and scientific books for young people 
 and I urge you to locate and use them, making certain they are 
 accurate in terms of the purpose. 
 
 And then most important of all, as Mr. Rosen has 
 pointed out, is the personal relationship between the librarian 
 and the consumer. Librarians have redefined their role in the 
 past ten years. School librarians consider themselves as sort 
 of resource persons. They not only 'know the books on the 
 shelves, but they know other places to get materials. They go 
 out of their way to find people who know; they find pictures; they 
 find phonograph records; they find all kinds of resource materi- 
 als which will help young people learn. This role of helping 
 each young person become a learner is the role in which li- 
 brarians can make their greatest contribution. We haven't 
 enough librarians, we haven't enough learners. I think the 
 problems that were touched on by Frederick Seitz earlier in 
 relationship to science in the future are problems that are solv- 
 able in the very fundamental term of making science informa- 
 tion available and usable for everyone, to enable everyone to 
 act scientifically in the appropriate situations, and to make 
 everyone who can read, a person who wants to learn. 
 
 - 60 - 
 
READER INTEREST IN SCIENCE: ADULTS 
 
 John T. Thackery, Jr. 
 
 A comprehensive discussion of what adult readers read, 
 and why they read, in the area of the sciences would take much 
 more time than the limits of this portion of the symposium af- 
 ford. This consideration therefore proposes to indicate some 
 conclusions based on observations and reading- -observations 
 which it is hoped will be helpful, both as an aid in meeting cur- 
 rent problems and as a stimulant to further discussion. 
 
 Katherine Prescott concludes her study* of the interests 
 of people who used the Norwood Branch of the Cleveland Public 
 Library by indicating that the prime function of this particular 
 branch was to "help people meet the problems of everyday liv- 
 ing. " Reading for entertainment came second, and highly in- 
 tellectual reading was a very poor third. 
 
 This study was undertaken as an aid in shaping book 
 selection policy, and as such it is useful to us in furnishing the 
 above mentioned clue as to why people read. The characteris- 
 tics of a library's service area determine both quantity and 
 quality in what is read, and therefore the specific conclusions 
 certainly do not apply to each and every library because the 
 physical, economic, and social factors vary from community 
 to community. 
 
 When it comes to the sciences, the problem becomes 
 extremely complicated, since we are dealing with an area of 
 literature which has exploded beyond the comprehension of any 
 one man. Here there is need for a trained pilot to steer be- 
 tween the Scylla of the practical and often elementary and the 
 Charybdis of the purely theoretical and highly technical. I hope 
 that this subject will be discussed in one of the future sessions. 
 
 When it comes to periodicals, the study^ of Nigel Calder 
 has some interesting conclusions, which by observation are 
 
 John T. Thackery, Jr. is Head of the Adult 
 Services at the Dayton and Montgomery 
 County Public Library in Dayton, Ohio. 
 
 - 61 - 
 
valid for us here as well as in England. In this detailed study 
 of the use 1,082 technolgists made of technical periodicals two 
 conclusions stand out among all others, all of which are inter- 
 esting: 
 
 "Making good use of technical literature is one of the 
 marks of a well-trained and active technologist. " 
 
 "Technologists read for the news and stimulation rather 
 than for assistance in their work. " 
 
 This study indicates that, contrary to librarians' hopes and 
 wishes, the technologist does not depend on the library as much 
 for specific information on a specific problem as he does for 
 informative material to keep him abreast of the times in his 
 field, even this type of reading is not as extensive as might be 
 hoped. 
 
 It is possible for any library to clutter its shelves with, 
 and expend precious funds on, runs of periodicals and fine tech- 
 nical books and pamphlets which "might" be needed only to find 
 that if and when the "might" becomes a surety the material is 
 either too old or available in newer and better forms. 
 
 Actually aside from the usual science area periodicals 
 indexed in Reader's Guide, the small public library is in no 
 position to branch out into the special fields, unless particular 
 community conditions warrant it. 
 
 The use of reference books is not reflected in circula- 
 tion statistics, of course, and a special word should be said 
 about them. In the middle of the year the Dayton staff wrote 
 down every question handled for a week. An analysis of them 
 disclosed that the science area questions, quite naturally, in- 
 dicated specific problems. For example: diagrams of televis- 
 ion or radio sets from Rider's; consumer questions from Con- 
 sumers Reports or Consumers Bulletin, for which a special in- 
 dex is kept; physics, engineering, or chemical questions which 
 are answered usually from the various handbooks; and informa- 
 tion from telephone and industrial directories of various kinds. 
 
 As a starting point in the discussion of material which 
 patrons take home, it is thought that a person reads in a sub- 
 ject to the degree that it touches him in real life experience or 
 interest. This may be bold and many may find faults and ex- 
 ceptions to it, but let's start here. If a library has its collec- 
 tion firmly based on this principle, coupled with a knowledge of 
 the community and its resources, it is not likely to be open to 
 what a colleague calls a "the chicken or the egg" type of critic- 
 ism, i.e., that people don't read in a particular subject be- 
 
 - 62 - 
 
cause the library does not have the material. 
 
 But what do people read in the sciences ? The Dayton 
 and Montgomery County Public Library uses Brodac charging 
 for adult books, and it was a simple matter to take the charge 
 slips and analyze them for this paper. Some attention has been 
 paid to experiences resulting from direct patron contacts, and 
 to the types of materials which patrons reserve. To illustrate, 
 during a week in February I960, the total circulation was 7,120. 
 An average of 17 per cent of the daily circulation fell in the 
 science area. As an aid in the evaluation of science interest, it 
 should be made clear that separate statistics in fiction and non- 
 fiction are not kept, and high school students use the complete 
 resources of the library system. 
 
 Class by class, the following topics were found to be 
 among the many which have more than special interest, and 
 may be considered to have general appeal. In mathematics, 
 all kinds of elementary and advanced presentations are in de- 
 mand since the subject is basic to science and business alike. 
 
 An actual patron's problem a few years ago might serve 
 as a good example. A young man's employer told him to brush 
 up on his math or face the loss of his job. The librarians help- 
 ed him by guiding him to the best remedial math books on the 
 shelves, and by answering many of his questions. The fellow 
 wants information on computers and computer techniques and 
 Boolean algebra is following the beaten path of others for the 
 same material. 
 
 With the launching of the first Sputnik a little over three 
 years ago, public interest in astronomy experienced a greater 
 impetus. There isn't a public librarian, who has not been 
 pressed for astronomy books, and asked for material on tele- 
 scope building. This question, involving elements of optics 
 and light, can become quite involved. It is well to have avail- 
 able several good books on the subject. 
 
 The subject of calendar reform is always with us, and 
 one or two books should fill the need in most libraries. 
 
 Textbooks are often the only source of good material 
 and the field of physics is no exception. A selection of current 
 elementary, intermediate, and college level texts is quite use- 
 ful.) The voracious appetite of high school and college students 
 for information in the area of nuclear physics is almost beyond 
 the comprehension of many librarians. 
 
 Space travel involves the use of many special subjects 
 in the sciences. Interest in gyroscopes, heat transfer, heat 
 barriers, ceramics and algae all bear eloquent testimony that 
 man's eyes are on the heavens. 
 
 - 63 - 
 
In this connection, Einstein and relativity are still 
 steady popular subjects with patrons. One or two books are 
 good "over the long haul. " Even the small library will need 
 these. Some basic books on electricity and magnetism might be 
 necessary, although most interest is in the applications rather 
 than the pure theory. 
 
 Chemistry is no different in its appeal to readers from 
 physics. Here, too, good basic texts on various levels are in 
 demand. The crossing of field limits in such interrelated sub- 
 divisions as biochemistry, biophysics and a new one which has 
 come to my attention, bionics, pose problems, but the average 
 library can await demand. There is a demand for laboratory 
 manuals in many of the sciences, usually by the high school or 
 college student with a special project, or by the harassed par- 
 ent of said student. 
 
 The search for uranium is not as popular as it used to 
 be, but other geological subjects such as water, water conser- 
 vation, and engineering geology are important in some commun- 
 ities. Weather and earthquakes come in for their share of in- 
 terest, but not to the same extent as the search for and identi- 
 fication of gems and minerals, including information on how to 
 polish and mount them. 
 
 Just a brief mention is all that is required of the enor- 
 mous interest in fossils and prehistoric animals. Lucky is the 
 patron who finds more than two titles on a library shelf at one 
 time. 
 
 In a like manner, early man and the so-called "lost 
 continents" of Mu and Atlantis are perennial subjects for inves- 
 tigation of young and old alike. 
 
 Man has always been interested in his contemporary 
 natural surrounding, and present-day man is no exception. 
 Some requests are motivated by student assignments, but there 
 is still a non-student use of books on trees, flowers, animals, 
 shells, snakes, birds and bird houses, and the like. 
 
 In the 600 's, there are some requests for books and 
 pamphlets on vocations by adults, but most use is by high school 
 and college students. The 610 area is one full of subjects which 
 present problems in selection and preservation. Here are the 
 books on anatomy and nursing which both students of registered 
 and practical nursing require. Here also are such titles as 
 Folk Medicine by Jarvis, Body, Mind and Sugar by Abrahamson, 
 and Arthritis and Common Sense by Alexander. 
 
 Here, too, are those harrowing accounts of bouts with 
 various diseases. Throughout this area there are good popular- 
 ly styled books, and the selection problem frequently centers 
 
 - 64 - 
 
around the need for reviews honestly written. When there is 
 doubt about adding a title, the advice of one or more members 
 of the medical profession might be sought. 
 
 Usually titles by the prolific Fishbein and others of the 
 "home doctor book" type, if up to date, are useful, as are pam- 
 phlets put out by the various insurance companies and associa- 
 tions. Hygiene textbooks at high school and college levels are 
 needed. Marriage and sex manuals, from both Protestant and 
 Catholic viewpoints, and chosen for various age groups, are a 
 must. 
 
 There is almost always a new book on smoking or alco- 
 holism on the market. There is comparatively little use of 
 these by adults who wish to do extensive reading on the subject. 
 High school and college student papers account for continued 
 demands for material on these subjects. A good current collec- 
 tion should be available if your community has a need. 
 
 Some of the heaviest use for a science collection comes 
 in the engineering area. In Dayton, with its large concentra- 
 tion of tool, automotive, and aeronautical industries, books in 
 both electrical and mechanical engineering are used extensive- 
 ly. There is also a demand for practical shop subjects such as 
 shop mathematics and machine shop operation. There are fre- 
 quent calls for the care and repair of A. C. and D. C. electrical 
 machines, diesel engines, and, of course, automobiles. The 
 various trade publications on automotive repair are very good, 
 but the comparatively inexpensive collection of service manuals 
 issued by the manufacturers receives the most concentrated 
 use of all. Every library should consider some of these for 
 purchase. Interest in special subjects such as sports cars, 
 antique cars, and trailers also require some resources. 
 
 Amateur radio, including construction, licensing, and 
 broadcasting is a popular area,and good material is easily and 
 cheaply obtained. Television repair, transistors, and the new- 
 est developments in the communication field are topics not 
 slighted by the public. 
 
 Missiles and rocketry compete with interest in muskets, 
 pistols, and other hand weapons. 
 
 Many of the patrons have taken to the air in fact or 
 dreams, but many more have taken to the water. The upsurge 
 of interest in boating has been met with many new books, on 
 boat building in your back yard, basement or living room, navi- 
 gation for the amateur, and even housekeeping afloat. 
 
 There are also stay-at-homes who ask for a few books on 
 the operation of stationary boilers, bulldozers, clam shells, 
 and other heavy equipment. All this is, of course, brought 
 
 - 65 - 
 
about by the increased complexity of the construction and oper- 
 ation of new buildings. 
 
 The agricultural subjects even in the large urban library 
 have a good following. Sometimes it is the urban armchair 
 farmer or the "back to the country" city dweller, on rare oc- 
 casions it is the real plain dirt farmer. Little needs to be said 
 about interest in the many phases of gardening. 
 
 Interests in pets range through the whole gamut of the 
 animal kingdom. Dogs, man's best friend, are the most popu- 
 lar, followed by the feline contingent. Horses and horsemanship, 
 bees and beekeeping, fur farming and tropical fish all have wide 
 folio wings and a fairly good body of literature. 
 
 Early in this paper, it was mentioned that interest in a 
 subject seems to be in proportion to the importance it has to 
 man. Few other subjects can be closer than food and family 
 living. Cooks have a choice of books on foods of many lands, 
 books on particular types of cooking, and books on the many 
 ways to use a particular food. There is also an interest in 
 quantity cooking expressed by commercial establishments and 
 by schools and churches. Nutrition and diets of various kinds 
 are also important subjects in the area. The "do-it-yourself" 
 element is also evident here in the books on how to repair that 
 automatic washer or toaster a la Cluny Brown. Many titles such 
 as those written by Spock and Gilbreth on family problems are 
 in demand. Lastly we must not forget the sewing, tailoring, 
 knitting, slip covers, and drapery requests. 
 
 The various industries and their histories find a small 
 amount of interest on the part of the reader. Here demand is 
 very closely allied to the community. If there is a rubber in- 
 dustry, books will be needed on rubber; paper, books on paper; 
 ceramics, books on ceramics; etc. The past several years 
 have seen a great development in the plastic industry. The 
 large demand for books on the subject has now slowed down to a 
 steady pace in most libraries. 
 
 Concern with the various techniques of metal working, 
 and welding in particular, keep constant drain on some library 
 collections. Much good and inexpensive material is available. 
 The newest development in the field, inert gas welding, is still 
 awaiting the satisfactory treatment in publications which librar- 
 ies need. 
 
 There is no library represented at this institute that 
 does not have a constant drain on its resources to supply books 
 on the various crafts and techniques required in home building. 
 New books are needed on designing one's own home, but there 
 is much good material in print on the crafts involved. 
 
 - 66 - 
 
Works on the construction of hi-fi sets, repair of watch- 
 es, clocks, locks and guns, and the refinishing and upholster- 
 ing of furniture, together with the "how to make a soap box out 
 of that old chest of drawers" type of book complete this quick 
 survey of adult public interest in the science area. 
 
 To summarize ^Adults read in the sciences because of a 
 an interest aroused by a particular quest for a specific fact or 
 facts. ^Student papers, or help on a particular problem at borne 
 or at work fall jTfjEis^ area.) Adults also read for self-improve- 
 ment, and for hobby and avocational interests^ 
 
 Libraries must have book selection policies based on a 
 total knowledge of their separate and individual communities. 
 Many libraries may find themselves oriented more towards the 
 intellectual reader from force of habit and/or because of the 
 comparative ease in selection in the intellectual area. Actually, 
 upon a re -examination of the service area, it might be found 
 that the intellectual reader, type 1900, is almost as scarce as 
 hen's teeth or in the same class with the dodo. Perhaps a total 
 reappraisal of book selection policies is indicated. 
 
 References 
 
 1. Prescott, Katherine. A Study of the Interests of 
 Adult Readers Norwood Branch Cleveland Public Library, F e b 
 ruary 1954. Cleveland, School of Library Science, Western 
 Reserve University, 1959, p. 39. 
 
 2. Calder, Nigel. What They Read and Why. London, 
 Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1959, p. 20. 
 
 - 67- 
 
SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE THROUGH AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS 
 
 Joseph E. Dickman 
 
 It would be presumptious for me to tell librarians the 
 advantages of the printed word in communication, but in case 
 there are any audio-visual enthusiasts present, let me review 
 some of the advantages of the printed word in communications. 
 
 Even in this modern age of television, radio, telephone, 
 and motion pictures, the printed word is still the backbone of 
 our communication and education. This is not only so because 
 the printed word as a mass media came first, but because of 
 its economy and compactness. Examples of its economy are 
 evident in the 10 cent newspaper, the 25 cent weekly news mag- 
 azine, the $1.00 paperback classics, and even the Great Books 
 of the Western World for a few hundred dollars, including the 
 Syntopican. Examples of the compactness and transportability 
 of the printed word are everywhere about us, from the yearly 
 statistics of the postal service to the five foot shelf encompass- 
 ing all knowledge in an encyclopedia. 
 
 But, since the audience present consists largely of li- 
 brarians who are in a centuries -old and established field, and 
 I am in the new and struggling field of communication, I would 
 like your indulgence in considering some of the advantages of 
 this field of picture communication and then specifically relate 
 it to the field of knowledge in the rapidly expanding field of sci- 
 ence. 
 
 The written word, basically, is a means of communica- 
 tion which uses the little black marks to stand for sounds which 
 stand for things or ideas. Hence, the written word is a couple 
 of steps removed from direct communication. It is difficult to 
 learn to translate the printed word into communication, as wit- 
 ness the hundreds of millions of dollars we spend annually just 
 to teach the art of reading. This, plus the long and painful pro- 
 Joseph E. Dickman is Manager of Special 
 Projects at Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, 
 Inc. 
 
 - 68 - 
 
cess involved in mastering" the sister-art of writing, makes us 
 aware that literacy is not a simple thing to master. In the past 
 literacy was almost synonomous with education and prerequis- 
 ite to it. This is not quite so true today, in this age of picture 
 language via television and the motion picture, and the spoken 
 language via radio and the telephone. 
 
 Some picture language enthusiasts have maintained that 
 if photography had been invented before the printing press that 
 the printed word would have had quite a struggle in establishing 
 itself in competition with the motion picture and television. 
 However, it would be silly to argue in favor of one medium of 
 communication over another, in view of the fact that we des- 
 perately need all the avenues of communication in this rapidly 
 moving modern world. 
 
 I The point I wish to make is that we must use the most 
 appropriate communication device in each situation, and spec- 
 ially, I want to describe how audio-visual materials supplement 
 the printed word, particularly in fields of scienceV 
 
 I am, at present, working on some very interesting proj- 
 ects in this very field. You may be somewhat familiar with the 
 Harvey White course on Physics, as it appeared on the Conti- 
 nental Classroom in the wee hours of the morning, and the 
 course in Chemistry by John Baxter, which followed it. These 
 courses on Continental Classroom were designed largely to 
 bring teachers of physics and chemistry up to date, especially 
 in the areas of the newer atomic and nuclear physics, and in 
 the areas of the newer Valence, or combining, concepts in 
 chemistry. While the audience for these subjects at the incon- 
 venient hour of 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. was estimated at 400,000 
 people, many besides teachers, including taxi drivers and many 
 eager students, yet it was found far more convenient to have 
 this material on motion pictures so that the teachers and stu- 
 dents could use these courses at a more convenient time. Our 
 company has sold over two hundred of these Physics courses 
 and over one hundred Chemistry on film courses and they serve 
 an average of five or six high schools each, so that thousands 
 of students are now having the advantage of seeing and hearing 
 modern physics and chemistry, as demonstrated with thousands 
 of dollars of equipment and close-up photography for the best 
 possible view and understanding. 
 
 What have been the implications of these filmed courses 
 on the field of textbooks for example? In the field of physics, 
 something revolutionary has happened. Instead of making films 
 as we have for the last thirty years to correlate with existing 
 textbooks, Mr. White wrote an excellent and up-to-date text- 
 
 - 69 - 
 
book in high school physics based upon the filmed courses. No 
 longer does the physics teacher have the problem of trying to 
 find a film to correlate with his textbooks and course of study, 
 but actually the film course and the textbook reinforce each 
 other perfectly. The teacher training value of these filmed 
 courses is enormous. In fact, the Fund for the Advancement 
 of Education financed these courses largely for the purpose of 
 teacher training, since teachers who may have been away from 
 their college courses in physics and chemistry for some years, 
 could see the latest techniques and understand the up-to-date 
 subject matter in the field far better than they could, for exam- 
 ple, from the mere printed word plus the excellent illustrations 
 of a textbook. In the case of films some of the unique contribu- 
 tions of the motion picture to the teaching of science could be 
 employed. For example, animation, the ability of the motion 
 picture to make drawings move, is the only way the invisible 
 atoms and molecules, magnetic lines of force, etc. , can be 
 communicated. Time lapse photography can be used to show the 
 growth of crystal structure in evaporating solution. Slow mo- 
 tion photography can be used to show the path of a projectile. 
 Even the printed word can be superimposed on the motion pic- 
 ture so that the view of the object is reinforced with both the 
 spoken and the printed word to make it not only understandable 
 but likewise providing a better background for understanding 
 with the spoken and printed word. 
 
 In the field of chemistry, for example, very few of the 
 high school textbooks in current use in the schools are up to 
 date in the very basic area of explaining how matter combines 
 to form compounds. This is not the fault of the printed word, 
 of course, but it is a problem with the mechanics of books clut- 
 tered up by the long time it takes for the red tape of the adop- 
 tion of newer textbooks in the schools, and the hesitancy be- 
 cause of the fairly large price of textbooks to discard the obso- 
 lete. Some of the sacredness of the Bible seems to have rubbed 
 off into the textbook field so that they clutter our shelves long 
 after they have become obsolete and actually downright harmful 
 to the progress of new knowledge. 
 
 Let me give you an example of the way in which the 
 printed word and the picture language reinforce each other in 
 the area of science in which I am now working. I give you this 
 reprint of the article on Valence from the current issue of the 
 Encyclopaedia Britannica. This article deals with the very 
 heart of modern chemistry, explaining the ways in which atoms 
 combine. The language of the article is somewhat technical and 
 not too easily understood by the layman. Of course, it has the 
 
 - 70 - 
 
addition of illustrations to help clarify the somewhat complicat- 
 ed subject of Valence. If you were forced to read this article, 
 it might prove not only uninteresting but a quiz on it might re- 
 veal some deficiency in mastering the subject matter. The arti- 
 cle has the advantage of being compact and the latest word from 
 an outstanding authority on a very important subject in chemis- 
 try. However, I want to illustrate at this point a way in which 
 the picture language of the filmstrip can get much of this sub- 
 ject matter across even to the layman. 
 
 (Filmstrip on "Ionic and Convalent Binding" is shown. ) 
 
 You have noticed that the picture language carries the 
 burden of the communication, but reinforced by the spoken word 
 appealing to the ear while the eye is absorbed by the picture 
 language. The printed word is superimposed to put the knowl- 
 edge into another easily translatable and transportable form. In 
 this filmstrip device the picture language, complemented by the 
 spoken and printed word, serves as a triple avenue of commun- 
 ication. You will find after this filmstrip experience on the 
 subject of Valence that you are now far better prepared to enjoy 
 and profit from this reading on Valence. 
 
 In the same way students become far better customers 
 of the library after an audio -visual contact with subject matter. 
 
 I wish we had the time to illustrate the even more ad- 
 vanced step in communication involved in the use of a motion 
 picture in such a science communication. In the motion picture 
 the static picture of the filmstrip becomes a live experience 
 with the subject matter in motion where necessary. I mention- 
 ed such things as animation, time lapse photography, slow mo- 
 tion photography, the annihilation of time and space as in the 
 case of the dramatization of history, or the transportation of 
 the world into the classroom in geography, plus the magnified 
 or the microscopic view and plus even the super-imposing of 
 the printed word over the motion picture screen where neces- 
 sary. 
 
 Again, just as the movie house has had its impact on the 
 field of books and vice versa, so has the educational sound film 
 had a tremendous impact on increased interest in and need for 
 the textbook and the reference book. 
 
 Our filmed courses in Physics and Chemistry have not 
 only brought about a revision in the textbook fields in the subj- 
 ect of high school chemistry and physics, but they have shown 
 the absolute necessity of the complementary value of the text- 
 book, the laboratory manual and the printed word in general in 
 
 - 71 - 
 
the field of instruction. 
 
 I know I do not have to plead with librarians to make the 
 library a fountain of knowledge, rather than a reservoir. I know 
 that modern librarians no longer consider themselves book- 
 minders and book-binders, but rather concentrate on the more 
 important task of disseminating knowledge and perhaps enjoy- 
 ment. I hope you will agree that the cellulose acetate film has 
 almost as much right in the library as the cellulose book. 
 
 - 72 - 
 
PUBLISHING OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE 
 
 Joseph C. Shipman 
 
 The book in one form or another has always played an 
 essential role in the development of the sciences, and only a 
 slightly less significant part in the story of technology. Scien- 
 tific knowledge and accomplishment are cumulative, and most 
 creative scientists will agree with Newton, who said, "I stood 
 upon the shoulders of those who went before me. " Greek sci- 
 ence, and particularly Alexandrian science and mathematics, 
 owed their survival to the manuscripts preserved and copied 
 through more than 1,000 years in Byzantium and in Islam. The 
 modern scientific rebirth which began in the sixteenth century, 
 and reached its first peak in the seventeenth century, was trans- 
 mitted by personal correspondence, by books, and finally by 
 the journals --which were born in the seventeenth century, and 
 which were eventually to become the most effective vehicle for 
 scientific communication ever devised. 
 
 The arts and crafts involved in technology owed more to 
 oral tradition and to carefully guarded trade secrets, handed 
 down from generation to generation, than did the sciences. How- 
 ever, once science and technology were wedded, and became 
 increasingly interdependent, then the printed book and the journ- 
 al became almost as important to technology. Almost, but not 
 quite. There is still a realm of trade secrets, --a shadowy 
 realm which is increasingly short-lived, because of the accel- 
 erated pace of new developments which tend to make such trade 
 secrets obsolete in a short time. There are still restricted and 
 classified materials made necessary, or thought to be neces- 
 sary, in terms of national security. In the long run, publica- 
 tion of the results of research in both pure and applied science 
 become absolutely essential for continued progress. 
 
 Withholding publication in the name of trade secrets, or 
 for other reasons, now represents only a minor portion of the 
 
 Joseph C. Shipman is Librarian of Linda 
 Hall Library in Kansas City, Missouri. 
 
 - 73 - 
 
total hazard. The present magnitude of the scientific and tech- 
 nical literature, in itself, presents a far more significant dan- 
 ger to the future steady development of both science and tech- 
 nology. It has been estimated that in I960 this literature will 
 amount to more than sixty million pages in more than 21/4 
 million articles, written in all of the twenty or more major lan- 
 guages. Here, as in population growth, we seem to be "chas- 
 ing an exponential curve" toward absurdity or destruction. As 
 an indication of the present state of affairs, an American sci- 
 entist has stated that in many cases, in which the estimated 
 cost of the research for a particular project is less than 
 $100, 000, it is more economical to proceed directly to the lab- 
 oratory, rather than to first search the literature to determine 
 if such work already has been done. 
 
 Since the publishing of science literature is to be con- 
 sidered in terms of collecting for general reading, it should be 
 pointed out at this time that the bulk of the scientific literature 
 does not readily fit into a pattern labeled "for general reading." 
 For instance, in chemistry, it is estimated that about 93 per 
 cent of everything published on this subject throughout the world, 
 appears in journals rather than in books, and that physics, the 
 biological sciences, and mathematics are not too far behind in 
 the proportion of published materials in serials. This is borne 
 out if you look at the collections of the large scientific librar- 
 ies. The Science Museum Library in Great Britain has about 
 80 per cent of its total holdings in serial publications and almost 
 any large scientific research library or collection in this coun- 
 try will show a comparable proportion, ranging upwards from 
 65 per cent. 
 
 Another factor which must be remembered in looking at 
 the total literature of the sciences is the large amount of for- 
 eign language material which will be encountered. That this is 
 not purely an academic question may be appreciated if we ex- 
 amine two lists of best books in meteorology of the last decade, 
 which appeared in I960 issues of Meteorological and Geoastro- 
 physical Abstracts. The first list! was concerned with out- 
 standing reference works. Selected by American editors and 
 observers, this bibliography of best books included 38 Ameri- 
 can publications (of which 11 were government documents), 22 
 Russian books, 15 German books, 10 British books, 3 Japanese 
 works, and 15 other works from 15 other countries around the 
 world, including China, India, Israel, Brazil, Argentina, Bul- 
 garia, Sweden, Australia, and others. 
 
 The second list^ covered the outstanding texts and tech- 
 nical books in meteorology of the past decade. It included 160 
 
 - 74 - 
 
books from 22 countries. Forty-eight of these titles were pub- 
 lished in the U.S.S. R. , 43 in the U.S.A. , 25 in the United 
 Kingdom, and 23 in West and East Germany. The remaining 
 titles were once again scattered among many countries and 
 many languages. 
 
 A third list is scheduled for a later issue of Meteorolog- 
 ical and Geoastrophysical Abstracts, and will consider some 
 200-300 best popular books in meteorology. While the propor- 
 tion of foreign titles will be less impressive, it is my guess 
 that this forthcoming list will once more include a fair number 
 of such titles. 
 
 It is interesting to note that the book which received the 
 most enthusiastic appraisal in either of the first two lists was 
 a reference work- -a marine atlas. This was a Russian work, 
 the Morskoi Atlas, which the reviewer says is by far the best 
 thing in its field. The only other atlas which might be compar- 
 able is the Bartholomew's Atlas, now fifty years old, and, ac- 
 cording to the reviewer, the Morskoi is much more elaborate 
 and effective in its coverage and treatment. Any library in a 
 position to add a marine atlas to its reference collection has no 
 choice but to add a Russian work. Since it is an atlas the lan- 
 guage barrier is not what it might be in most other instances. 
 
 Another point which must be kept in mind when thinking 
 about publishing in the sciences is the enormous complexity of 
 contemporary science and engineering, and the ever-increasing 
 emphasis upon the theoretical and the abstract. The engineer 
 of a generation ago could work effectively with some drafting 
 skill, a knowledge of trigonometry and elementary calculus. 
 Today there is hardly any advanced mathematical apparatus that 
 is not used in solving engineering problems. As a result, 
 drafting, shop work, and even shops and testing laboratories 
 become less and less important in the training of engineers, and 
 abstruse theoretical concepts and highly advanced mathematical 
 ideas and techniques ever more important. The published lit- 
 erature today reflects this shift in emphasis, and the how-to- 
 do-it text has been largely replaced by general theoretical 
 treatises in many fields. 
 
 E. T. Bell in his The Queen of the Sciences has said that 
 "without a good working knowledge of the differential and inte- 
 gral calculus created by Newton and Leibnitz in the seventeenth 
 century, it is impossible even to read serious works on the 
 physical sciences, and their applications, much less to take a 
 step ahead. "3 He goes on to stress the importance of reading 
 a few pages as they come from the pen of the master, which 
 can be more "illuminating than all the pretty elegance of the 
 
 - 75 - 
 
standard texts which have been won at the cost of perhaps cen- 
 turies of finicky polishing. " He points out, too, that it is rare- 
 ly feasible for beginners to attempt the mastery of the more 
 recent work. He is speaking of mathematics specifically, but 
 this point would hold true for the sciences generally. The new 
 work is primarily in the journals, and scattered in many for- 
 eign languages. 
 
 An occasional reading list for people on the freshman 
 college level, or for the general reader with a liberal education, 
 will list Newton's Principia of 1687, or the original Einstein 
 papers on General and Special Relativity. The absurdity of such 
 a recommendation is obvious, even if the often repeated state- 
 ment of thirty years ago that only twelve men in the world could 
 understand Einstein's paper had missed the mark completely- - 
 and the true figure were one thousand times twelve. 
 
 C. P. Snow points out inhis Two Cultures that perhaps 
 the most revolutionary scientific accomplishment of our day 
 was the overthrow of the principle of conservation of parity, by 
 Yang and Lee, a few years ago. How many well educated read- 
 ers have heard of this work, or are able to understand the na- 
 ture of this accomplishment, or to appreciate its implications 
 for the future ? The difficulties confronting the reader who 
 hopes to keep himself even dimly aware of the new ideas in the 
 realm of science are quite apparent. Some would say that the 
 implications for our educational system are equally apparent. 
 
 In an article on "The Needs of the Humanities, " D. J. 
 Urquhart points out some of the differences between the sci- 
 ences and the humanities --"To begin with, I think we should 
 realize there is a world of difference between the sciences and 
 \J the humanities. They are not just different subjects with dif- 
 ferent Dewey numbers. [The methods of thinking, and the na- 
 ture of their concepts, are different. A proton is the same in 
 Peking, Washington, and London. Science is quite internation- 
 al, but in the humanities you often cannot obtain any agreement 
 even about fundamental concepts --just try asking two professors 
 of economics to tell you what are the advantages and disadvan- 
 tages of the present taxation system/] 
 
 "But this does not mean that the literature of the human- 
 ities is less important. If we lost everything Shakespeare said 
 that would be serious. If we lost what Einstein said it would 
 hardly matter now, for the results of his work have been re- 
 corded by others. ... In general, in the humanities most people 
 can at least understand something of all books in -.their native 
 tongue, ... In the sciences this is not so, for scientific research 
 is devising its own peculiar special languages. Often, partic- 
 
 - 76 - 
 
ularly in the sciences which use mathematics, a publication at 
 the research level is incomprehensible to somebody who has 
 not studied the subject. This situation has led to the suggestion 
 that the National Lending Library for Science and Technology 
 could do its selection work in some fields by employing staff 
 untrained in the sciences, and merely telling them to obtain 
 everything they did not understand. . . . 
 
 "The differences in nature and tempo between the liter- 
 ature in the humanities and in the sciences are reflected in a 
 difference in format of publications. A recent study has shown 
 that more than 80 per cent of the items borrowed by university 
 libraries [in Great Britain] in the sciences were serial publica- 
 tions, whilst in the humanities only one-third were serials. "5 
 
 Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt in his study of early American 
 book publishing, gives a subject breakdown of books published 
 from 1639-1763, which shows that 37 per cent of these books 
 were concerned with theology, 19. 5 per cent with law, and 19. 5 
 per cent with literature, with the balance distributed among the 
 other disciplines. Only 1.5 per cent of the total were science 
 books and another 1 per cent were applied science and arts. 
 For a hundred years after Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, theol 
 was still the Queen of the Sciences in colonial America. Such 
 technical books as there were were practical guides for the 
 young merchant, for the trader, for the housewife, for the 
 farmer and the farrier, or for all these audiences combined- - 
 as was the case with Ben Franklin's American Instructor, pub- 
 lished in 1748. The publisher was in most cases the bookseller, 
 who was to be found in every sizable town from North to South. 
 At first he imported European books, and a little later on he 
 acted as agent for European publishers. Still later the book- 
 seller added cancel title-pages, bearing his own imprint, to the 
 sheets which he imported from abroad--a device still used in a 
 vigorous two-way traffic between Great Britain and the United 
 States. 
 
 The picture changed somewhat after the Revolution. 
 Nathaniel Bowditch's Practical American Navigator provides a 
 good example. A book called the Practical Navigator by John 
 Hamilton Moore had been published in England in a number of 
 editions between 1770 and the turn of the century. As a young 
 seaman, Nathaniel Bowditch took the book to sea and found more 
 than 8, 000 errors in it. A Newburyport bookseller by the name 
 of Edmund Blunt encouraged Bowditch to incorporate these cor- 
 rections in a revision of Moore's book which he proceeded to 
 publish and sell. In 1802, Blunt issued the work as Bowditch's 
 own, and this book, after 158 years, and a great number of 
 
 - 77 - 
 
revisions, is still a standard work for the navigator. 
 
 This same Bowditch went on to publish in 1829-39 one of 
 the first scientific efforts of major significance in America, a 
 translation of Laplace's Mechanique Celeste --after Newton's 
 Principia and Lagrange's Mechanique perhaps the most influen- 
 tial scientific book of its day. This work in four volumes, 
 Bowditch and his heirs published themselves. The translation 
 (as well as the original book) was an achievement of great so- 
 phistication, and marked America's growing maturity in things 
 scientific. 
 
 Max Meisel, in his Bibliography of American Natural 
 History, says that the "five chief and most effective agencies 
 instrumental in the promotion and diffusion of" scientific knowl- 
 edge were: (1 )Scientific Societies; (Z)Scientific journals; (3) 
 State geological and natural history surveys; (4)Natural history 
 museums and botanic gardens; and (S)Federal exploring exped- 
 itions and surveys. " If we add to these the Patent Act in 1790; 
 the establishment of West Point in 1802; the founding of Rens- 
 salaer Polytechnic Institute in 1824; the establishment of Frank- 
 lin Institute also in 1824; and finally the widening impact of the 
 Industrial Revolution in Western Europe, we can appreciate 
 that the environment was favorable for an increase in the num- 
 ber of scientific and technical books in the early nineteenth cen- 
 tury. At first many worth-while books, and even a few classic 
 titles, were privately published or sold by subscription. Alex- 
 ander Wilson's American Ornithology was a subscription book, 
 and Audubon had to travel to the British Isles for subscribers 
 and even a printer for his mammoth Birds of America. William 
 Beaumont published his classic work on the chemistry of di- 
 gestion privately; and Say's American Entomology was published 
 by Samuel L. Mitchell --himself a distinguished scientist, ap- 
 parently with the means to underwrite Say's important work. 
 
 It was at this time that one of the great names of modern 
 American scientific publishing produced some of its first sci- 
 entific books. In 1817 the house of Wiley produced the Florula 
 Ludoviciana, or Flora of the State of Louisiana by C.F. Rafin- 
 esque that erratic genius of American botany; and in 1819 Wiley 
 published H. R. Schoolcraft's View of the Lead Mines of Miss- 
 ouri. Wiley also published a pioneer engineering work in D.H. 
 Mahan's Civil Engineering in 1837, and launched one of the 
 classics of mineralogyDana's System of Mine ralogy in 1837. 
 Other distinguished names on early Wiley lists included John 
 Torrey and Asa Gray. Though modern chemistry had been ush- 
 ered in with the publication of Lavoisier's Traite in 1787, and 
 though Matthew Carey issued a translation called Lavoisier's 
 
 - 78 - 
 
Elements of Chemistry in Philadelphia in 1 799, American chem- 
 ists remained devoted to practical applications rather than to 
 theoretical developments. Wiley's first book in chemistry was 
 the Englishman George Fownes' Chemistry, as exemplifying the 
 wisdom and beneficence of God, and this was folio wed by a trans- 
 lation of the practical manual of a great German theoretician, 
 Justus von Liebig's Principles of Agricultural Chemistry in 1855. 
 
 Ralph Shaw in 1933 issued a study of Engineering Books 
 Available in America Prior to 1830 ' which counted 223 Ameri- 
 can publications in this subject area, as compared with 440 
 English and French titles. French mathematics, physics, and 
 engineering were dominant in the first quarter of the nineteenth 
 century, and prevailing French and English chemistry gave way 
 to German chemistry about the middle of the century. Ameri- 
 can publications reflected this domination in the large propor- 
 tion of translations from French and German, and in the num- 
 ber of books based upon French and German models, which ap- 
 peared in the first five or six decades of the century. 
 
 During a century in which a great continent was explor- 
 ed, settled and surveyed to Mexico, Canada, and the Pacific, 
 perhaps the most typical American scientific publications stem- 
 med from expeditions sponsored by the federal government, and 
 the surveys of the flora and fauna, rocks and mineral resources, 
 undertaken by the several states. These included reports on the 
 Sibley Expedition to the Red River (1803); the Lewis and Clark 
 Expedition (1804); the Pike Expedition (1805); the Long Exped- 
 ition to the Rockies (1819); and Schoolcraft Expedition to the 
 Indian country (1831); and the Fremont Oregon and California 
 Expedition (1843). The first geological survey at public expense 
 began in North Carolina in 1823, followed by South Carolina in 
 1824 and Massachusetts in 1830. Between 1836 and 1839, 
 Georgia, Maine, New York, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, 
 New Hampshire, and Rhode Island all followed suit. Eleven 
 more states would undertake surveys before 1865. The scien- 
 tific publications which resulted from these surveys were of in- 
 estimable value to a country rich in hidden resources, scatter- 
 ed throughout a vast area. 
 
 Many of the reports of the U.S. Topographical Corps 
 were written by "sophisticated men who worked closely with the 
 foremost scholars in American and European centers of learn- 
 ing, " and some had quite a literary flavor. Before 1839 these 
 reports were incorporated in the Annual Reports of the Chief of 
 Engineers, and between 1839 and 1861 in the Annual Reports of 
 the Secretary of War. One of the notable contributions was the 
 thirteen volume series of Pacific Railroad Reports, 1853-55, 
 
 - 79 - 
 
and another was the Mexican Boundary Surveys, 1857-59. A 
 paper of classic proportions was the "Report upon the Physics 
 and Hydraulics of the Mississippi River, " 1861, by A. A. 
 Humphreys and Henry L. Abbott. 
 
 For the rest of the century, government agencies, in- 
 dependent publishers, the authors themselves, and the scien- 
 tific societies produced a number of American classics in sci- 
 ence. 
 
 Matthew Maury's Wind Current Charts of the North At- 
 lantic and his Sailing Directions were government publications 
 which had an immense influence around the world. Maury's 
 work reduced sailing time for merchant ships and passenger 
 vessels, and on the trip from England to Australia saved forty 
 days. Maury's classic Physical Geography of the Sea was pub- 
 lished by Harper in 1855. 
 
 Michaux's North American Sylva 1817-19 was printed in 
 France and sold in Philadelphia by T. Dobson. Dobson later 
 had a revision printed by the New Harmony Press in Indiana, 
 and issued his own edition of the Sylva. 
 
 Joseph Henry of Albany, who discovered the principle of 
 electromagnetic induction independently of Michael Faraday, 
 published his work in Silliman's American Journal of Science in 
 July 1832, two months after Faraday had published his classic 
 paper in the Annals of Philosophy. Henry was an inventor as 
 well as a scientist and came to the help of Samuel Morse in his 
 work on the telegraph. Morse's work and the work of many 
 distinguished inventors who followed him were recorded chief- 
 ly in the patent literature, but Joseph Henry always refused to 
 patent any of his work, saying, "I did not consider it compatible 
 with the dignity of science to confine the benefits which might be 
 derived from it to the exclusive use of any individual. " 
 
 Agassiz published his Contributions to the Natural His- 
 tory of the United States as a subscription book, handled by 
 Little and Brown of Boston, 1857-62. Van Nostrand published 
 Silas Casey's Infantry Tactics in 1862--a book used by both 
 sides in the Civil War. This house also published Luce's Sea- 
 manship which became Knight's Modern Seamanship- -a well 
 known book even today. In I860 Appleton published an Ameri- 
 can edition of Darwin's Origin of Species early in January and 
 sold more than 5, 000 copies before the end of the month and 
 500 copies more in both February and March. This paralleled 
 the English experience in November of 1859 when all copies of 
 the first printing were sold out before the end of the week. The 
 importance of one of the most significant books of the nineteenth 
 century was therefore as quickly recognized in America as Europ< 
 
 - 80 - 
 
Perhaps the most important publication in the whole 
 record of American science was a 140 page article which ap- 
 peared in Volume 3 of the Transactions of the Connecticut Acad- 
 emy of Arts and Sciences, for 1874-78. This article was en- 
 titled "Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances, " and nobody 
 understood it. However, its author, Willard Gibbs, was pro- 
 fessor of mathematical physics at a great university (Yale), so 
 money was collected to print the paper in the Transactions. By 
 virtue of this publication, Gibbs ' name now ranks among the 
 world's ten most influential physical scientists who lived in the 
 eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. 
 
 Scribner's later published Gibbs' Elementary Principles 
 of Statistical Mechanics in 1901. This work has been called a 
 "monument in the history of physics, which marks the separa- 
 tion between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. " 
 
 Two wars have had a great effect on American science 
 and American publishing in the sciences. World War I left 
 much of our chemical industry high and dry, with the result 
 that our scientific publishers moved into the breach, and pro- 
 vided the reference works, the handbooks, the textbooks and 
 many general treatises in chemistry and the related sciences, 
 which were as good as anything published elsewhere in the 
 worldwith few exceptions. Between the wars, the excellence 
 of our practical engineering publications was widely recognized. 
 Our books were much in demand in Germany, Japan, and Rus- 
 sia. With the outbreak of World War II, the publishers once 
 again provided a magnificent service in publishing the training 
 manuals, and the scientific and technical books which became 
 increasingly essential in a war which was to be decided largely 
 on the basis of technological strength and know-how. 
 
 The current book publishing trade in this country, where 
 total sales of books run to something more than one billion dol- 
 lars annually, is not one of our huge industries. It has been 
 pointed out, somewhat facetiously, that in contrast to the value 
 of the book trade, Americans spent in 1959 more than $9 billion 
 on liquor; $335 million on chewing gum; more money for dog 
 food than for textbooks, and more for caskets than for trade 
 books. In 1959 there were also more than 50 million prescrip- 
 tions for tranquilizers, probably grossing a tenth as much as 
 the book trade. To those who comment that $1 billion "is not 
 hay, " the statistics indicate that our hay crop is valued at more 
 than $2 billion annually. 
 
 Publisher's Weekly provided its first table of the year's 
 output of books in 1897. In that 110, or less than 2 per cent of 
 
 the total number of books published, were scientific and tech- 
 
 - 81 - 
 
nical. In 1959 the total number of books published in science, 
 in agriculture and gardening, in medicine and hygiene, and in 
 technical and military subjects amounted to 2,488. The total 
 number of titles published in all fields was 14, 876, so that sci- 
 entific and technical output has become better than 20 per cent 
 of all new books published. 
 
 It may be estimated that 75 per cent of all the science 
 titles published in 1959 were produced by McGraw-Hill, John 
 Wiley, Prentice -Hall, Lippincott, C.C. Thomas, Academic 
 Pres,s, Interscience, Reinhold, Van Nostrand, Williams and 
 Wilkins, Mosby, Saunders, and Pergamon. Harper, Macmil- 
 lan, Oxford, Harvard University, L/ittle, Brown, Scribner, 
 among the thirty-two publishing houses which issued one hun- 
 dred or more titles in 1959, also contributed to the total of 1959 
 science books. 
 
 Since scientists must give some attention to foreign 
 books, it may be of some interest to take a look at comparable 
 production figures for scientific and technical books in other 
 countries. The United Nations publishes such figures, but 
 Robert W. Frase in his paper in Library T:r ends in July 1958 
 points out a danger, in that the totals in the U. N. Statistical 
 Yearbooks may represent something quite different in each case. 
 In Great Britain, for instance, a book is a publication priced at 
 sixpence, whereas in this country Publisher's Weekly now de- 
 fines a book as any non-periodical publication of not less than 
 forty-nine pages, exclusive of the covers. In some countries 
 pamphlets and government documents are counted, while they 
 do not appear in our Publisher's Weekly statistics. Most com- 
 parative statistics of world publication of books are therefore 
 somewhat distorted. 
 
 Remembering, then, that such inconsistencies undoubt- 
 edly play a part in the picture, we may still find it helpful to 
 look at the productivity of foreign publishing in the sciences. 
 (Strangely enough, a year ago the Indiana University Press pro- 
 duced a study of Publishing in the USSR, "which is far more de- 
 tailed and far more comprehensive than any study of American 
 publishing which has ever come to my attention. ) When the Pure 
 Sciences and Applied Sciences are combined, the U.S.S.R- 
 leads the list in 1958 with more than 34, 000 titles; -the United 
 Kingdom was second with more than 5,000 titles; followed by 
 ~3p.pan with about 4, 500 titles, W'est Germany with more than 
 5, 800 titles, and then the United States with 2, 774 titles. 
 France, India, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and 
 East Germany are not far behind. 
 
 - 82 - 
 
The only comparative figures I could find which listed 
 the total number of copies of scientific and technical books 
 manufactured, estimated that we issued in' 1954 about twenty 
 million copies, compared to more than 340 milion copies of 
 technical books manufactured in Russia. The Russian total of 
 scientific books represented more than one-third of all the 
 books printed in the U.S.S.R., while copies of American scien- 
 tific and technical books represented only about 3 per cent of 
 all the books produced in this country. 
 
 Since our U.S. government publications are not record- 
 ed in the Publisher's Weekly breakdown, we probably should 
 consider the figures which appeared in the U.S. Printing Office 
 Report to the U.S. Budget Bureau in the "Budget of the U.S. 
 for 1960-1961." Over forty-nine million U.S. government pub- 
 lications were sold, more than sixty-three million were dis- 
 tributed to government agencies and more than five million were 
 sent to depositories. This makes an impressive total of more 
 than 117 million copies of government publications, and a fair 
 percentage of this total would be scientific or technical in na- 
 ture. However, even if fifty million copies were added to the 
 scientific books produced in the U.S. , we would not approach 
 the UlS.S. R. figure of more than 1/3 billion copies of such 
 books which were distributed there as early as 1955. 
 
 As the pace of scientific and technological discovery ac- 
 celerates, and the literature multiplies, several old forms of 
 publishing have become increasingly important and numerous. 
 The first is the "Annual Review, " or "Report of Progress" 
 which reports on recent developments in various aspects of the 
 sciences. Publishers such as Academic Press, Interscience, 
 Yearbook Publishers, Annual Reviews, Inc. are involved in 
 many of these, but so are various scientific societies such as 
 the American Chemical Society and the Chemical Society (Lon- 
 don). Most of the "Annual Reviews" are written for the spec- 
 ialist, but because of the survey approach used, they may serve 
 to orient the non- specialist, and provide him with an up-to-the- 
 minute bibliography of recent developments. 
 
 The American technical and engineering handbooks, 
 which have long performed a useful service in technical librar- 
 ies in the fields of chemistry, civil, mechanical, and electrical 
 engineering, grow better, larger and more numerous. McGraw- 
 Hill and Wiley have been joined by a number of other publishers, 
 including society publishers such as the American Physical So- 
 ciety, the American Welding Society, the National Research 
 Council, and many others, to broaden the subject coverage of 
 these "Handbooks." They are written for the professional, but 
 
 - 83 - 
 
inevitably contain an enormous amount of data and information 
 which is otherwise extremely difficult to run down, and which 
 may be of considerable interest to the non-specialist looking 
 for an isolated bit of information. Many are arranged accord- 
 ing to a classified scheme and almost all have thorough and ex- 
 pertly-made indexes. Dictionary definitions, bibliographical 
 leads, tables, graphs, and concise summaries make capsule 
 encyclopedias out of such handbooks. 
 
 Since the War the "Symposium" has grown in signifi- 
 cance, in number and in the size of the printed product. The 
 Symposia are sponsored by scientific societies, by industrial 
 organizations, by universities, by international organizations, 
 by foundations, by various governments or government agencies, 
 and may be published by any or all of the sponsors, or by com- 
 mercial publishers, or by various journals --as supplements or 
 separates. Because they now represent such a formidable por- 
 tion of the current scientific literature, the trade is now assum- 
 ing more responsibility for the publication of these Symposia- - 
 giving us generally a much improved product, which is also 
 much easier to identify, and easier to secure through the regu- 
 lar channels. 
 
 The bulk of these Symposia are written for the specialist, 
 but there are a number which now seem to be addressed to the 
 intelligent reader, or to the scientist trained in another field. 
 Examples would be the Symposia published by the American As- 
 sociation for the Advancement of Science, the Ciba Foundation 
 and the Josiah C. Macy Foundation- -devoted largely to biolog- 
 ical subjects. 
 
 The Dover reprints of noteworthy and classic books in 
 science (later available in paperbacks) and the "College Outline" 
 series gave a spur about fifteen years ago to paperback works 
 in science. Such books are now being prepared directly for the 
 paperback trade, and this trend will undoubtedly continue to 
 grow. The regular publishers of paperbacks such as Pelican, 
 Mentor, Anchor, Dell, Everyman, Penguin, Dial, etc. , have 
 been joined in some instances by Harper, Prentice-Hall, Simon 
 and Schuster, Oxford, Addison-Wesley, Cambridge, and even 
 Unesco, to produce science paperbacks. There is now a quart- 
 erly list, Paperbound Books in Print (R.R.Bowker Co., $6.00 
 per year) which is a useful tool for any librarian wishing to 
 keep up with the promise of books in this form. 
 
 Now available in a fourth edition- -since its first appear- 
 ance in 1957- -is the list An Inexpensive Science Library, cov- 
 ering paperbound science books, published by the American As- 
 sociation for the Advancement of Science and the National Sci- 
 
 - 84 - 
 
ence Foundation. The books listed here are graded (I) to (IV)-- 
 ranging from the comparatively simple book which can be read 
 by students in upper elementary school to books suitable for 
 the senior high school students; then to books which will appeal 
 to gifted senior high school students and the college undergrad- 
 uate, and finally to the professional specialist. 
 
 Included in Group I are books such as Heyerdahl's Kon- 
 tiki and Paul de Kruif's Microbe Hunters. In Group II are books 
 like Ruth Benedict's Patterns of Culture and V. Gordon Childe's 
 Man Makes Himself. Of the more than five hundred books list- 
 ed, only about forty fall into Group I, and only about 125 in 
 Group II. Well over three hundred of the five hundred titles 
 would, by the editor's definition, appeal only to the person with 
 some college training, or its equivalent, or to the professional 
 specialist. Of the 61 books in General Science, 48 out of 61 
 would be in the top two levels of difficulty, and in Mathematics, 
 55 out of 68, and in Physics, 56 out of 63, are above the high 
 school level. While classifications of this kind, based upon 
 arbitrary levels of difficulty, are bound to be tenuous, a list 
 such as the An Inexpensive Science Library might bear out the 
 contention that there are few easy roads for the general reader 
 seeking an understanding of science. 
 
 The university presses were among the first to publish 
 science books for the layman. The Nature of the World and 
 Man, issued by the University of Chicago Press in 1926, sold 
 more than seventy thousand copies. 
 
 About 15 per cent of the books issued by the university 
 presses fall into the physical and the biological sciences * 
 Presses with special interest in the sciences include Chicago, 
 Columbia, Cornell, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Princeton. 
 The Yale University Press has indicated that it will increase its 
 list of science books and other university presses show signs of 
 following suit. 
 
 According to Chester Kerr, about 11 per cent of all uni- 
 versity press sales in 1955 were achieved outside the United 
 States. While less than 10 per cent of the total American pub- 
 lisher's output in dollar value goes to libraries, university 
 presses have sold as much as 53 per cent of their output to li- 
 braries. 
 
 Curtis G. Benjamin in his contribution to What Happens 
 in Book Publishing (1957) points out that "technical book publi- 
 cation from beginning to end is a costly process. Royalty and 
 editorial expenses are high; composition of technical matter is 
 very costly; illustrations of expensive nature must be plentiful- 
 ly used; only the best of paper, printing, and binding are accept- 
 
 - 85 - 
 
able. All this adds up to a large initial investment in each new 
 book, and usually this investment goes into a small initial print- 
 ing. (Even today, . . . first printings of most technical books 
 only range from 2, 000 to 5, 000 copies. . . . the cost of produc- 
 ing a new technical book is from two to ten times greater than 
 the cost of producing a trade book of the same size. "9 It takes 
 one year's sale to regain the manufacturing costs and another 
 year's sale to recover other costs. If the book sells steadily, 
 the profit margin then is large. However, relatively few tech- 
 nical books become best sellers, and without frequent and ex- 
 tensive revisions, amounting in many cases to a totally new 
 book with the same title, technical books become obsolete or 
 obsolescent in a few years. 
 
 The scientific writer is a scientist, a teacher or a tech- 
 nician, who in most cases is sought out by the publisherand 
 he is quite far removed from the professional writer. He sel- 
 dom expects to make a living writing, or even to add much to 
 his income from his own professional work. The technical book 
 editor also differs considerably from his colleague in other pub- 
 lishing fields, for he "rarely if ever does any substantive edit- 
 ing of manuscripts, and he usually does little or no copy edit- 
 ing. " His chief function is to search for possible publication, 
 to organize and to push publication. The real editing is done by 
 highly skilled copy editors who work over the technical manu- 
 scripts, to an extent seldom paralleled in the publication of an 
 ordinary trade book. The publishers owe a great debt to pro- 
 fessional societies, to educational institutions and to individual 
 specialists for advice and counsel regarding the need for new 
 work, and for recommendations regarding potential authors and 
 editors. As a result of "team efforts in research," sometimes 
 on the grand scale, whole series of technical books now become 
 available to publishers, backed and guaranteed by the reputation 
 of M. I. T. , the Bell Laboratories, the A. E.G., etc. 
 
 The actual printing and manufacture of technical books 
 are also more complicated and expensive than they are for other 
 books. Monotype is often used rather than linotype, and much 
 of the literature must be hand- set. Mr. Benjamin points out 
 that though the cost of type metal, paper and binding mate rial is 
 only 20 per cent of the total manufacturing cost, the labor costs 
 may constitute "80 per cent of the total manufacturing cost of 
 the first printing of a new technical book. " 
 
 When it comes to marketing, the technical book publish- 
 er is generally in a much better position than the trade publish- 
 er. Since scientists, engineers, and medical men aye almost 
 certain to be members of their professional societies, member- 
 
 - 86 - 
 
ship lists tell the publisher something about the likely size of an 
 audience for a book on a particular subject, and his own house 
 lists of purchasers of earlier titles provide him with still more 
 ammunition to maximize the results of his direct mail adver- 
 tising. Some publishing houses, such as McGraw-Hill, publish 
 professional journals, or trade journals regularly consulted by 
 professional scientists and engineers, so that advertising of 
 books in these journals can reach a sizable number of people 
 likely to have a professional interest in the books. 
 
 Because discounts to retail bookstores are discouraging- 
 ly small for technical books, there are few booksellers who 
 carry a large, or even representative collection of such books. 
 
 Technical books have more than doubled in price, on the 
 average, in the last twenty years. Ten dollars might be close 
 to the average price of such books, at the present time. Refer- 
 ence books, and comprehensive treatises may range from $20 
 to $150. The German publishers of essential reference and re- 
 search tools such as Gmelin and Beilstein are able to change 
 prices in this upper range, without apparent damage to their 
 basic market. The last volume of Beilstein in about 1, 200 pages 
 cost $169, for an average page cost of more than fourteen cents. 
 
 George E. Sadler, Chief of the Technical Aids Branch 
 of the International Cooperation Administration, points out that 
 there is "a desperate shortage of technical literature in almost 
 all of the developing lands.... Unfortunately, the U.S. books 
 needed for basic educational, scientific, technical, research, 
 and other training and developmental activities are available 
 not at all, or in insufficient quantities in many countries. . .un- 
 able to buy the number and type of U.S. books they need. " 
 
 To help meet this growing emergency, I. C.A. has de- 
 veloped a series of nine "little libraries. " All are paperback; 
 all except one deal with some aspect of industrial or technologi- 
 cal developments. Such a program has beenpossible only in the 
 past two years, with the appearance of a growing number of 
 technical books in paperback editions. 
 
 This may be a good sign for the future. More attention 
 to cheaper reprints will also benefit American libraries, which 
 now back away from many scientific and technical books, re- 
 pelled both by the specialization and the price. The increasing 
 importance of the paperback market, and the need to upgrade 
 scientific and technical collections in small and medium-sized 
 libraries, and the need of the intelligent reader for suitable 
 scientific and technical material at modest prices, may encour- 
 age publishers to meet these needs. Since obsolescence must 
 be considered in selecting titles for reprint and cheaper edi- 
 
 - 87 - 
 
tions, the scientific and technical works eventually produced in 
 this fashion will likely have a reasonable term of usefulness, 
 and could represent the best material available. 
 
 More reprints and translations of classic books and pa- 
 pers in science are badly needed. Many good titles are avail- 
 able but the selection has been haphazard. Nothing comparable 
 to the German series, Ostwald's Klassiker der Exakten Wissen- 
 schaften, is now available in the publishing market- -and indeed 
 the Klassiker series has never been brought up to date. We 
 have the "Alembic Club Reprints, " Dr. Conant's "Case Histor- 
 ies, " Bell's "Classics of Scientific Method, " and the McGraw- 
 Hill "Source-Books, " but some are long out-of-print, and some, 
 like the "Source -Books, " may be too fragmentary and too se- 
 lective. It may well be that the best approach to an understand- 
 ing of scientific developments for the general reader is through 
 the classic books and papersprogressing from the old to the 
 new. These classic contributions have not been superseded, at 
 least for the purposes of the non-specialist. Mr. Benjamin 
 says about the new Encyclopedia of Science and Technology re- 
 cently issued by McGraw-Hill, that this is a "work of, .not about, 
 science and technology. "H The user will extract from it only 
 what he is equipped to extract. The classics present the same 
 hazard, and the same challenge, for they too are works of sci- 
 ence and technology and not about science and technology. 
 
 In the forty years directly ahead, the population of the 
 United States will move toward three hundred million, and 
 China's population by 1985 may total more than a billion people. 
 Africa with more than 230 million, and South and Central Amer- 
 ica also with more than two hundred million population- -regard- 
 less of other revolutionary changes which will take place in 
 these continents - -will certainly move toward universal literacy, 
 and will attempt to achieve the level of scientific and technical 
 competence which is essential for national survival and inde- 
 pendence, in the kind of world we now live in, and will continue 
 to live in, barring the disaster of war. For all book publishers, 
 and for the publishers of the scientific and technical literature 
 in particular, this looks like an unlimited future, in which the 
 wares they handle will be clamored for on every side. 
 
 References 
 
 1. Bibliography of Outstanding Reference Works of the 
 Past Decade. Meteorological and Geoastrophysical Abstracts, 
 11:101-143, Jan. I960. 
 
 - 88 - 
 
2. Bibliography of Outstanding Text and Technical 
 Books of the Past Decade. Meteorological and Geoastrophysi- 
 cal Abstracts, 11:265-319, Feb. I960." 
 
 3. Bell, E. T. : The Queen of the Sciences. Baltimore, 
 Williams and Wilkins, 1931, p. 9. 
 
 4. Snow, C.P. : The Two Cultures and the Scientific 
 Revolution. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1959. 
 
 5. Urquhart, D. J. : The Needs of the Humanities. 
 Journal of Documentation, 16:121-131, Sept. I960. 
 
 6. Meisel, M. : A Bibliography of American Natural 
 History. New York, Premier Publishing Company, 1924, Vol.1, 
 p. 9. 
 
 7. Shaw, R. R., comp. : Engineering Books Available 
 in America Prior to 1830. New York, New York Public Li- 
 brary, 1933. 
 
 8. Gorokhoff, B. I. : Publishing in the U.S.S.R. Bloom- 
 ington, Indiana University Press, 1959. 
 
 9. Grannis, C. B. , ed. : What Happens in Book Publish- 
 ing. New York, Columbia University Press, 1957, p. 346. 
 
 10. Sadler, G. E. : Technology in Paperbacks. Library 
 Journal, 85:3027, Sept. 15, I960. 
 
 1 1 . McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technol- 
 ogy. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1960,~T5~v. Vol. I, Preface. 
 
 - 89 - 
 
THE AIDS OF SELECTION 
 
 George S. Bonn 
 
 In my own thinking and, indeed, teaching, about book 
 and periodical selection for any puipose whatsover it is conven- 
 ient to consider the problem as a series of a half-dozen separ- 
 ate but closely related decisions or judgments that have to be 
 made, each one more specific and more personal than the one 
 before it. Any aids, therefore, in selecting books and periodi- 
 cals (or other materials) for a particular library should be aids 
 to help the librarian make these decisions. 
 
 The value of such help is, of course, dependent to a 
 large extent on how intelligently, or how professionally, if you 
 will, the librarian exploits the aids available to him. Intelligent 
 exploitation is in turn dependent to a large extent on how well 
 the librarian understands what the aids can and can not do to 
 help him, and on how well the aids themselves fulfill their own 
 avowed purposes. Aids all by themselves simply can not make 
 decisions. 
 
 This paper will attempt to bring together and to describe 
 in some detail representative and outstanding currently available 
 aids which should be helpful to librarians in making the neces- 
 sary decisions involved in selecting science literature for gen- 
 eral reading, rather broadly conceived. 
 
 First, briefly, here are the half-dozen decisions or 
 judgments to be made that may be thought of as the consecutive 
 segments of book or periodical selection: 
 
 1. What books or periodicals are being (or have been) 
 published? 
 
 2. Of all these, which ones are in fact obtainable? (i.e. , 
 are in print; or are not restricted by, e. g. , laws, publishers, 
 quotas, rarity, security, etc. ) 
 
 3. Of all those that are obtainable, which ones are 
 really worth-while? 
 
 George S. Bonn is Chief of the Science and 
 Technology Division of the New York Public Library. 
 
 - 90 - 
 
4. Among those that are worth-while, which ones are 
 most suitable for the kind of library or the kind of reader under 
 consideration ? 
 
 5. Among the most suitable ones, which are definitely 
 best for the needs of the particular library or the particular 
 reader involved? 
 
 6. Then, of the best obtainable for that library, which 
 can that library actually afford to buy? 
 
 (Of course a final, resolute decision still has to be made 
 to buy a specific title at a given time even after it has been duly 
 selected! ) 
 
 There probably are other and better ways of expressing 
 in a few words what constitutes book selection in a library, and 
 it may be that the first two items are not, strictly speaking, 
 decisions, but for our purposes here, these six elements will 
 do. Besides, they divide nicely into three distinct groups, dis- 
 tinctive in the degreee of personal involvement required to make 
 each decision, and distinctive in the kind of aids available to 
 help make each decision. 
 
 For example, the final group of judgments in determin- 
 ing what is best for your particular library, what you can af- 
 ford, and what you do in fact buy, require all the professional, 
 fiscal, and perhaps spiritual help you can muster. These de- 
 cisions are about as personal as they come. As a matter of 
 fact, you are on your own at this point. Your best aids are a 
 degree from a good library school, a sound knowledge of your 
 community, and lots of experience; and /or wealthy friends or 
 an unlimited budget. But these aids are not in the scope of this 
 paper. 
 
 On the other hand, the first group of basic problems of 
 finding out what all is published and, of this, what is obtainable, 
 is the least personal of the lot in that the librarian has little or 
 no control over what is being published or whether any of it is 
 readily obtainable in a particular community. Furthermore, 
 the several standard and well-established aids now being pub- 
 lished to supply these data are themselves compiled in so effic- 
 ient and routine a manner as to leave little personal involvement 
 even in their production other than an occasional reminder or 
 follow-up to a tardy or delinquent publisher or other supplier of 
 information. In addition, most of these aids simply list the ma- 
 terial without comment or description or perhaps with just a 
 brief annotation supplied by the publisher of the item. A number 
 of these important current detection aids which cover American 
 publications appear in Appendix A to this paper: Books^ in Print, 
 Cumulative Book Index, Library Journal, Publishers' Weekly, 
 
 - 91 - 
 
Monthly Catalog, New Serial Titles, Ulrich's Periodicals Di- 
 rectory, etc. 
 
 These aids are not being dismissed lightly: they form 
 an essential part of our national bibliography and serve all li- 
 braries as the basic identification and detection sources. They 
 are, however, general in scope and they tend to be useful as 
 selection aids only to larger libraries. Most libraries, pre- 
 sumably, get one or more of them, so most libraries should be 
 well enough informed on what is available in the United States 
 in all fields, including, of course, all the sciences. 
 
 It is in making that middle group of decisions, it seems 
 to me, that most of us need the most trustworthy help: of all 
 the books and periodicals and pamphlets and documents and 
 films and other materials obtainable, which ones are really 
 worth-while, and, of these worth-while ones, which ones are 
 most suitable for my kind of library and my readers ? Or put 
 another way more in line with today's theme: of all the science 
 literature and other materials obtainable, what is really worth- 
 while, and, of that which is worth-while, what is most suitable 
 for general reading? It is with these evaluation questions that 
 the rest of this paper will be concerned. 
 
 Aids in Evaluation 
 
 At the outset it must be noted that there are a great 
 many more aids available to help select science literature for 
 scientific or technical research and reference use than there 
 are to help select science literature for general reading. But 
 these more technical and more specialized guides should not be 
 overlooked by persons seeking material for general reading be- 
 cause many of them do include less technical material on occa- 
 sion. Several of these will be included in the discussion of the 
 general reading aids that follows. 
 
 The various selection aids which help in evaluating sci- 
 ence materials for the library fall pretty much into four general 
 groups: (l)j>ublished basic annotated bibliographies, guides to 
 the literature, and special purpose compilations; (2) current 
 periodicals which carry book reviews, pamphlet listings, or 
 vertical file suggestions; (3) lists such as the ones prepared es- 
 pecially for, from, or in this conference; and (4) people. The 
 common factor among all these is personal evaluation, presum- 
 ably by someone who, as my old physical-chemistry professor 
 used to describe such a person, "has a right to his opinion. " 
 
 Let's discuss these in ordera somewhat scrambled 
 order, however, for convenience. 
 
 People, first. Almost every community has a number 
 
 - 92 - 
 
of persons who have expert knowledge in science fields and who 
 would not mind an occasional request for new book suggestions 
 or for evaluation of a particular book or periodical: physicians, 
 county or city highway engineers, city water supply or electric 
 power engineers, high school science teachers, amateur astron- 
 omers, garden club experts, local industrial plant managers, 
 and so on. Then there may be a nearby college or university, 
 or an experiment station, or a science museum, or a scientific 
 or technical agency of the state, or the state library, or another 
 large library, etc. , all of which employ specialists who would 
 not mind an occasional request for technical help in book selec- 
 tion. These very personal aids should not be passed over. 
 
 Basic bibliographies, guides, and compilations. All the 
 standard general library guides and bibliographies include scien- 
 tific works and information about scientific works: Winchell, Shores, 
 the Standard Catalogs (public library, high school library, fiction, 
 children's), Basic Book Collections (for elementary grades, for 
 junior high schools, for high schools), Boyd and Rips' U.S. Gov- 
 ernment Publications, Wilcox's Manual on the Use of State Pub- 
 lications, Growing Up with Books, Best Books for Children, 
 Books for Junior Colleges, Good^ Reading, Educational Film 
 Guide, Filmstrip Guide, periodicals lists (Martin for school li- 
 braries, Lyle for college libraries, A.L.A. for small and 
 medium-sized libraries^ and so on. To these older stand-bys 
 should be added these four brand new general library guides: 
 
 Dalgliesch, Alice, and Annis Duff. Aids to Choosing Books for 
 Your Children. New York, The Children's Book Coun- 
 cil (50 W. 53rd St. , 19), I960. $.05. (Comments on re- 
 viewing media; bibliographies of booklists and of books 
 about children's books. ) 
 
 Hoffman, Hester R., ed . Reader's Adviser and Bookman's 
 
 Manual. New York, Bowker, I960. $15. (Actually, the 
 9th edition of the library-celebrated Bookman's Manual, 
 revised and enlarged. ) 
 
 Pepe, Thomas J. Free and Inexpensive Educational Aids. New 
 York, Dover, I960. 269pp., paperbound. $1.35. 
 (Books, films, posters, pamphlets, slides, etc., for 
 use in formal or personal education as well as in verti- 
 cal file collections, in circulating collections, and in 
 general reference collections.) 
 
 "Aids in Selection of Materials for Children and Young People, " 
 Read, See, and Hear, Oct. 31, I960, published by De- 
 partment of Libraries and Audio-Visual Education, 
 Board of- Education, Newark, New Jersey. 
 
 - 93 - 
 
These all are useful evaluative aids in selecting mate- 
 rials covering all the subject fields in a library, but by the very 
 nature of their general coverage they are perforce limited in 
 any one relatively narrow subject field. Don't ignore them, 
 though, in developing a basic core collection of science materi- 
 als in a general library. 
 
 There must be several hundreds of lists, guides, and 
 compilations dealing with the more technical and specialized 
 aspects of science literature. A 1958 bibliography lists 654 of 
 them/ and there have been dozens more published since that one 
 was. While most of these guides are designed to aid selection 
 (and use) of research collections, some of them do include ma- 
 terial of general enough interest and treatment to be eligible for 
 our collection of science literature for general reading espec- 
 ially in the areas of science history, science biography, intro- 
 ductory science texts, and, in some cases, popular works. 
 
 A number of these rather specialized guides which can 
 still be helpful in selecting older published science works for 
 general reading are listed more fully in Appendix B to this pa- 
 per: Blanchard and Ostvold, Crane and Patterson, Hawkins, 
 Jenkins, Parke, Pearl, Sarton, Smith, Whitford, etc. 
 
 Fortunately, within the past few years there has been an 
 awakening in the United States to the real need that has existed 
 for author itiative basic lists of worth-while science books for 
 the general reader in or out of school. Most active, perhaps, 
 in stimulating the development of such basic lists has been, 
 appropriately, the American Association for the Advancement 
 of Science which with the National Science Foundation has been 
 publishing annotated and graded bibliographies more or less an- 
 nually: The AAAS Science Book List, 1959, (high school level), 
 ($1.00); The Science Book List for Children, I960, (elementary 
 school level), ($1.00); The Traveling High School Science Li- 
 brary, 1959, ($.25); The Traveling Elementary School Science 
 Library, 1959, ($. 25); An Inexpensive Science Library, I960, 
 (paperbacks), ($.25). The first two book lists each double star 
 one hundred titles recommended for first purchase by a library 
 and single star over two hundred more as being of second pri- 
 ority. The books listed are quite suitable for adults, too, since 
 many of them seem to be a bit underestimated as to grade level. 
 
 The R. R. Bowker Company also has been (and also, ap- 
 propriately) active in developing inexpensive basic science book 
 lists. Its Growing Up with Science Books, for example, is an 
 annual, annotated, and graded (ages 3 to 15 and up) bibliography 
 available at $. 10 (+a stamped, self-addressed envelope) apiece 
 (or $3. 35 a hundred for P.T.A. groups and bookstores as well 
 
 - 94 - 
 
as libraries. 
 
 Many of the book publishers themselves put out graded 
 science book lists, frequently keyed to one or more of the stand- 
 ard aids already mentioned; but such lists are made up largely 
 of their own titles. 
 
 A number of similarly-oriented (i.e., to the general 
 reader of any age) lists of books have been appearing recently 
 in various science subject fields, too. Mark Pangborn's Earth 
 for the Layman (Washington, American Geological Institute, 
 1957, $1.00) is a very good example. Others appear from time 
 to time in certain ones of the science periodicals, especially as 
 annual compilations of outstanding books in the field or as rec- 
 ommended lists for Christmas giving. Libraries, too, publish 
 both basic science lists and science subject lists often just to 
 whet readers' appetites, but these can be used as checklists. 
 Many, however, are quite substantial and can be regarded as 
 aids to building up a solid science collection. The New York 
 Public Library's "Catching Up with Science, " Branch Library 
 Book News, April 1958, is (rather, was, since it has been out 
 of print for some time now) a good example of the check list 
 type, while the recent Basic Collection of Science and Technol- 
 ogy Books (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, $1.00), an annotat- 
 ed, graded list of books for students and non-specialists, seems 
 to be more on the order of the solid-collection selection aid. 
 Additional science "recommended" book lists appear in Appen- 
 dix C. 
 
 Most of these basic bibliographies, guides, and compila- 
 tions emphasize books, usually works that are available through 
 the normal trade channels. But there is a large group of very 
 important publishers, rather specialized and comparatively un- 
 commercial, whose output normally does not get into the reg- 
 ular trade channels yet whose publications certainly should be 
 considered in building a collection of science literature for gen- 
 eral reading. For want of a better all-inclusive name, these are 
 referred to here as "public technical agencies. " 
 
 These include science museums, zoos, botanical gar- 
 dens, planetariums, natural history societies, flower societies, 
 bird societies, national scientific and technical associations, 
 state academies of science, state agricultural extension bureaus, 
 state engineering experiment stations, and numerous state and 
 federal government agencies dealing with forests, parks, public 
 health, soil conservation, wildlife conservation, geological sur- 
 veys, mines and minerals, and weights and measures, to men- 
 tion a few. All of these publish pamphlets (often in serial form), 
 books, and periodicals of varying degrees of scientific complex- 
 
 - 95 - 
 
ity from the very scholarly to the frankly popular, many of 
 which are eminently suitable for a science collection of what- 
 ever level or degree of specialization. 
 
 Lists of their publications are usually available from the 
 organizations themselves and many of their publications are 
 noted in one or another of the special directories which cover 
 these organizations. For example, The Directory of American 
 Horticulture for 1958 lists horticultural organizations (all levels ), 
 arboretums and botanical gardens, garden centers, and colleges 
 and universities with agricultural experiment stations, and it 
 records the titles of journals published by the organizations. In 
 addition there is a seven-page bibliography of important publica- 
 tions in horticulture (all levels). Since the U.S.D.A. Library's 
 "Library List" No. 16 and No. 17 are no longer published, this 
 directory is about the only one in the field. It is available from 
 The American Horticultural Council, The Arnold Arboretum, 
 Jamaica Plain 30, Massachusetts, for $1.50. (The Council, 
 incidentally, has recently merged with the American Horticul- 
 ural Society. ) 
 
 Another group of these organizations, at present almost 
 impossible to sort out, will be covered by a Museums Directory 
 presently being compiled by the American Association of Muse- 
 ums for expected publication by January 1961. According to 
 the September I960 issue of Museum News the volume will give 
 complete directory information on some 4, 500 institutions in- 
 cluding the types of publications each one puts out (not always 
 the titles, though). And there will be an index by subject and 
 type of museum: science, art, history, and college and univer- 
 sity museums; planetariums, zoos, aquariums, and botanical 
 gardens; and so on, as well as libraries with special collections. 
 
 State academies of science are covered quite well in one 
 of the University of Illinois Library School Occasional Papers, 
 Harry R. Skallerup's 1 American State Academy of Science Pub- 
 lications, " No. 50, August 1957. Many of these academy pub- 
 lications, it should be noted, are highly technical and scholarly, 
 but since they tend to be rather local in their subject coverage 
 they may have more topical interest and value in certain parts 
 of a state even though they are not exactly "general reading. " 
 
 The United States Government Organization Manual takes 
 care of federal agencies which may be of interest here, giving 
 considerable directory information about them as well as in- 
 formation about their publications, if any. Many state "blue 
 books" do the same for state agencies; Illinois' does, for in- 
 stance. Scientific and Technical Societies of the United States 
 and Canada and the Encyclopedia of American Associations can 
 
 - 96 - 
 
be consulted for whatever else has been missed. These direc- 
 tory-manuals are, of course, detection aids but they can be 
 used profitably as sample-copy selection aids for serials and 
 periodicals. The Pepe book mentioned earlier describes and 
 evaluates many publications of these national technical, scien- 
 tific, and trade associations. 
 
 Many of the current publications of these organizations 
 and other current pamphlet materials are listed regularly in the 
 Vertical File Index, the Agricultural Index, the Monthly Catalog 
 of United States Government Publications, individual state cur- 
 rent publication lists (see Jerome Wilcox's Manual on the Use 
 of State Publications and supplemental articles and bibliograph- 
 ies for clues), Publishers' Weekly ("Pamphlet Listings"), Wil- 
 son Library Bulletin ("Write for These"), and Library Journal 
 ("Items of Interest" and "You May Want to See"), among the 
 important detection aids. In addition, almost every technical 
 and trade journal has some sort of industrial literature column 
 which often includes free manufacturers' brochures and pam- 
 phlets quite eligible for a general science and technology collec- 
 tion; many of the larger public- relations -department equipped 
 companies (General Electric, Westinghouse, Bell Telephone, 
 General Motors, DuPont, Monsanto, and dozens of others) pro- 
 duce excellent semi -technical publications which would enhance 
 any science collection which could make use of them. 
 
 It is this author's feeling that a great many excellent and 
 inexpensive science pamphlets and serials (and books, too, for 
 that matter) are being missed by not paying more attention to 
 these very important public technical agencies, institutions, 
 and associations of the kinds just considered. But, pamphlets 
 and other material just for a vertical file should be acquired 
 judiciously, and not indiscriminately wholesale. Larger and 
 more important booklets ought to be cataloged and treated as 
 part of the lending or reference collections unless they are su- 
 perseded at too frequent intervals. This whole pamphlet mate- 
 rial area, especially in pure and applied science subjects, needs 
 to be studied more thoroughly by public and academic libraries 
 of all sizes: they may be missing out on a Good Thing. 
 
 Aids to Current Acquisitions 
 
 Catching up with science literature is one thing; there is 
 just so much of what has been published and evaluated that can 
 be considered basic or indispensable for any given library situ- 
 ation. But keeping up with science literature is quite another 
 matter; there is no predictable end to it, no foreseeable point 
 in time where any librarian can state for certain that his collec- 
 
 - 97 - 
 
tion is now complete or even up-to-date. Yet he is limited by 
 both space and funds from acquiring very much of what is being 
 published in such boundless profusion. He simply has to make 
 sure he gets the best for his needs and for his money. So he 
 listens to the advice of specialists, he extrapolates from basic 
 bibliographies, and he follows the new book reviews. 
 
 An authoritative review in a reputable journal is fre- 
 quently the best aid (sometimes the only aid) one has in evaluat- 
 ing a new publication for possible selection and purchase for a 
 library collection. Even personal examination of a new work in 
 an unfamiliar field is not always as satisfactory. There is no 
 need here for a discussion of the elements of a good book re- 
 view or the obvious shortcomings of any book review since there 
 are so many outstanding articles on book reviewing already in 
 print. But librarians should read carefully at least these three: 
 
 McClelland, E.H. Selecting Books for a Technical Department. 
 In: Wilson, L.R., ed. The Practice of Book Selection. 
 Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1940, pp. 138- 
 168, nb. pp. 157-161. 
 
 Sarton, George. Notes on the Reviewing of Learned Books. 
 Science, April 22, I960, pp. 1182-1187. 
 
 Schutze, Gertrude. Time Interval Between Book Publication 
 
 and Review. Special Libraries, November 1947, pp. 297- 
 299. 
 
 (And if you can find a copy, read Harwood Frost's Good Engi- 
 neering Literature. Chicago, 1911, especially the sec- 
 tion on "The Book Review, " pp. 348-358. 
 
 There is, however, one time-honored generalization 
 about book reviews that this author must take exception to, par- 
 ticularly because of the completely unscientific way of arriving 
 at the general statement, by making a quality evaluation from a 
 simple enumeration or statistical tally of events. This general- 
 ization has been most recently stated as the reviewer's "pro- 
 pensity to praise" and it was irrefutably corroborated (to the 
 convincement of that author, any how) by statistically rating 
 reviews that appeared in the 1957 volume of Book Review Di- 
 gest. The aggregate reviewer index of 2. 75 (on a O-to-3 scale 
 where is completely unfavorable and 3 is completely favorable), 
 according to the author, "suggests quite strongly how close cur- 
 rent reviewing is to complete acceptance and unquestioning 
 praise. " A forthright statement, indeed, and, both convincing 
 and confirmatory to anybody who has read very many book re- 
 views in the past, well, fifty years. As a matter of fact an 
 
 - 98 - 
 
earlier study on "The Pattern of Modern Book Reviewing" which 
 seems to have touched off this statistical study does quote sim- 
 ilar opinion of some fifty years ago. 3 
 
 Technical book reviewers were included, too. Mr. Haw- 
 kins, for example, who had 110 reviews excerpted that year in 
 Book Review Digest was rated 2. 98. New Technical Books with 
 fifty-nine reviews digested was rated 2. 93. 
 
 Looking at this rating for New Technical Books in the 
 light of what it has been purposely and deliberately trying to do 
 over the years, it became clear what has been the matter with 
 studies of, and prevailing opinions about, book reviews. No- 
 body seems to take into account what the book reviewer and, 
 particularly, what the journal which publishes the book review 
 are, together, intentionally striving to do in the face of the per- 
 sistent flood of new books, the natural editorial space limit to 
 what can be published, and ever-rising costs. And, apparently, 
 nobody has bothered to find out from either one, up to now, at 
 any rate. 
 
 In an endeavor to evaluate more realistically the possi- 
 ble usefulness of book reviews and of the periodicals which reg- 
 ularly carry book reviews as library selection aids to the cur- 
 rent acquisition of science literature for general reading, let- 
 ters were sent to the editors of fifty journals selected from all 
 fields of science asking them nine specific questions about their 
 book reviewing policies and activities. The questions naturally 
 reflect this writer's ideas as to which criteria are important in 
 evaluating reviewing media, but they are both reasonable and 
 realistic. Here are the questions: 
 
 1. Do publishers regularly automatically send you re- 
 view copies of books in your field as they are published, or how 
 else do you know about and get books to be reviewed? 
 
 2. Do you review all books you receive or only certain 
 ones, and, if so, how do you decide which ones to review? 
 
 3. Do you aim at descriptive reviews or discriminative 
 (critical) reviews, and do your reviews ever severely criticize 
 a book for technical errors, unsafe practices, unsupported con- 
 clusions, poor writing, or anything else you feel should be 
 noted? 
 
 4. Do you give all books the same treatment (length of 
 review, point of view, etc. ) or do you vary the treatment from 
 book to book, and, if so, on what basis? 
 
 5. Do you select or assign reviewers on the basis of 
 availability, interest, subject competence, or what, or do you 
 edit publisher-prepared reviews or other contributed reviews 
 for your columns ? 
 
 - 99 - 
 
6. What level or kind of reader do you have in mind 
 when you prepare and publish your reviews ? Would the books 
 you review be suitable in your opinion for general public and 
 academic library collections, for example? 
 
 7. About what time lag would you say there is between 
 a book's publication date and the date a review of it is published 
 in your columns ? 
 
 8. About how many science books for the general read- 
 er would you say you review in your columns each year? 
 
 9. Do you expect to continue to review books as you 
 have been? 
 
 In addition each editor was asked to send a copy of any 
 issue of his publication which he felt did a particularly good job 
 of reviewing "science literature for general reading" so that it 
 could be exhibited at the conference. 
 
 The response was excellent. The editors were receptive, 
 interested, cooperative, and most generous with their time and 
 the demonstration copies of their journals. A title -by- title re- 
 sume' of their answers follows this brief discussion of the over- 
 all results and a statement of how and why the particular title 
 was selected. 
 
 1. By and large the well-established journals receive 
 review copies of all new books in their fields quite automatical- 
 ly as they are published. The editors also watch publishers' 
 announcements, new book lists, and other review media for 
 titles to write for that may otherwise be missed, and readers 
 and staff members occasionally suggest titles that should be re- 
 viewed. In general, then, it seems that a surprisingly thorough 
 effort is made both by the publishers and by the reviewing jour- 
 nals to insure a new book's availability for review. 
 
 2. Only a few journals attempt to review all the books 
 they receive, although a number make an effort to list those 
 not reviewed if they are in the subject field. Titles to be re- 
 viewed are selected somewhat on the following premise: the 
 journal's primary responsibility is to its readers who look to 
 the journal for information and for advice; books reviewed, 
 therefore, should be of interest to the reader and at his level, 
 they should be in the journal's subject field and they should be 
 worth-while (or have merit, or be accurate, or be important, 
 or be by an authoritative writer, as this idea was variously ex- 
 pressed) in the opinion of the editor, the reviewer, or some 
 other expert. Space available for reviews and consideration of 
 the typical reader's budget (a small library's., for example) fur- 
 ther dictates in many journals that only the best books for the 
 
 money are ever reviewed. On the other hand, most journals 
 will review a very bad book by a very good author or publisher 
 
 - 100 - 
 
or a bad book that is too zealously advertised, to advise against 
 buying it; but nobody knows how much good this does in the long 
 run. In other words, book reviews, simply by elimination, 
 tend to be favorable. 
 
 3, 4. In almost every case, the kind of review and the 
 treatment the book gets depend on the reviewer, on the book, 
 and on the space available, if it is to be reviewed in the first 
 place. Most journals will note the shortcomings of even a well 
 recommended book, but if a book is mediocre it probably won't 
 be reviewed at all. (Back in 1911 Harwood Frost wrote, "The 
 ideal review for an inefficient or harmful book, is silence, " so 
 it would seem that the silent treatment is of rather long stand- 
 ing in spite of librarians 1 plaints. ) 
 
 5. In every journal covered, reviewers are selected on 
 the basis of competence first, then interest and availability, and 
 no publisher-prepared or other contributed reviews are ever 
 used. In a number of instances the editor or some other jour- 
 nal staff member does the reviews, and in others the librarian 
 or a staff member of an institute does the reviews; but all these 
 would be considered competent in the field. 
 
 6. The level or kind of reader the editor of each journal 
 has in mind plainly would vary from journal to journal, from a 
 homogeneous society membership to a diverse group of inter- 
 ested, informed layman from 9 to 90. In most cases, though, 
 the reviews clearly identify the persons for whom the books 
 would be most suited, thus implying (and sometimes noting) the 
 kind of library which would find them most suitable. 
 
 7. Time lag, too, varies from journal to journal depend- 
 ing largely on publication frequency. Two to three months 
 seems to be average, although one or two journals make no ef- 
 fort to be speedy and at least one publishes reviews one to six 
 weeks before the book is published. 
 
 8. The average number of science books reviewed by 
 each of these journals is around fifty to sixty per year, but it 
 varies from one year to the next for most of them. There was 
 a total of 3, 515 reviews in the forty- seven journals analyzed. 
 
 9. All of them expect to continue to review books as 
 they have been. 
 
 And all of them sent sample copies. 
 
 Now, what are the journals that are included in this sur- 
 vey? 
 
 First, there are the library periodicals that carry re- 
 views of science books: Booklist and Subscription Books Bulle- 
 tin, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Horn Book, 
 Junior Libraries, Library Journal, and New Technical Books. 
 
 - 101 - 
 
Then there are twelve of the science periodicals indexed 
 by the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature which usually in- 
 clude substantial review sections: Audubon Magazine, Bulletin 
 of the Atomic Scientists, Electronics World, Flower Grower, 
 Flying, Natural History, Popular Photography, Science, Sci- 
 ence News Letter, Scientific American, and Sky and Telescope. 
 
 A group of seven periodicals published by natural sci- 
 ence museums, institutes, and a club: Animal Kingdom (New 
 York Zoological Society), Bulletin (Horticultural Society of New 
 York), Bulletin of the Garden Club of America, Frontiers 
 (Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia), Garden Journal 
 (New York Botanical Garden), New Bulletin (Staten Island In- 
 stitute of Arts and Sciences), Sea Frontiers (International 
 Oceanographic Foundation, Miami). 
 
 A group of eight society journals which customarily in- 
 clude reviews of science books for general reading: Astronau- 
 tics (American Rocket Society), Geographical Review (Ameri- 
 can Geographical Society of New York), GeoTimes_ 
 American Geological Institute), Journal of Wildlife Management 
 (Wildlife Society), National Horticultural Magazine (American 
 Horticultural Society), Physics Today (American Institute of 
 Physics), STWP Review (Society of Technical Writers and Pub- 
 lishers), United States Naval Institute Proceedings. 
 
 A group of ten journals for the advanced amateur, the 
 science hobbyist, the technician: Aquarium, Desert, Earth Sci- 
 ence Magazine, Gems and Minerals, North Dakota Outdoors, 
 Popular Electronics, Popular Gardening, R adio- electronics, 
 Road and Track, Rocks and Minerals. (These represent subject 
 areas of great reader interest but apparently of limited collec- 
 tion in the average library.) 
 
 Two local Audubon society journals: Atlantic Naturalist 
 (Washington, D. C. ) and Massachusetts Audubon. A list of four- 
 teen more is in Appendix D. Three science /technology history 
 journals: Air Power Historian (Air Force Historical Founda- 
 tion), Isis (History of Science Society), and Technology and 
 Culture (Society for the History of Technology). Eleven more 
 are listed in Appendix E. Analog j>cience Fact/Fiction, and 
 Fantasy and Science Fiction were included also. 
 
 These were selected from Ulrich's Periodicals Direc- 
 tory primarily on the basis of whether or not they usually carry 
 reviews of science books which would be suitable for general 
 reading. Many others of these same kinds include reviews, too, 
 but most of the others are much more specialized; for that mat- 
 ter, a few of the ones included may be on balance, too special- 
 ized also. 
 
 - 102 - 
 
The title-by-title report follows: 
 
 AIR POWER HISTORIAN. The Air Force Historical Foundation, 
 
 Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. 
 
 Building No. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 Treatment: 
 Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. 
 8. 
 9. 
 
 Time lag: 
 Number: 
 Continue : 
 
 830, 
 
 automatic in general; others requested, 
 those that contribute "significantly to com- 
 prehension and knowledge"; "We reserve 
 the right to pass up those that do not." 
 "critical or analytic"; "We expose the flaws 
 that critical reading discloses"; "We en- 
 deavor to serve the potential reader. " 
 depends on content. 
 
 "subject competence and freedom from 
 bias." 
 
 most "college graduate level"; assume "all 
 have the equivalent of a high school educa- 
 tion"; "We evaluate in terms of subject ap- 
 peal to a layman's mind. " 
 "one to three months. " 
 eight, 
 "on a modestly expanding basis. " 
 
 ANALOG SCIENCE FACT /FICTION. 575 Madison Avenue, New 
 
 New York 22, New York 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. 
 7. 
 
 8. 
 
 9. 
 
 Readers: 
 Time lag: 
 
 Number: 
 Continue : 
 
 usually automatic; editors and readers 
 help, also. 
 
 only those definitely science fiction, 
 usually descriptive; covers both science 
 aspects and story. 
 
 varies with book; anthologies require spec- 
 ial approach. 
 
 scientist in scientific instruments company 
 and amateur anthropologist, a science fic- 
 tion writer himself; one person does re- 
 views. 
 
 fans of all ages. 
 
 quite long; magazine printed far ahead of 
 publication date. 
 
 around 80 science fiction books a year, 
 yes. 
 
 ANIMAL KINGDOM. New York Zoological Society, The Zoologi- 
 cal Park, 185th Street & Southern Blvd., New York 60, 
 New York. 
 
 1. Review copies: largely regularly and automatically. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: "only certain books"; others "rejected be- 
 
 - 103 - 
 
3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 Time lag: 
 Number: 
 Continue : 
 
 cause they are too specialized or techni- 
 cal" or "because, after inspection by mem- 
 bers of the scientific staff [of the N. Y. 
 Zoological Society], they are not considered 
 accurate or reliable"; also "limited space 
 and too many books". 
 
 "descriptive"; "If a book requires severe 
 criticism. . .we simply ignore it"; aimed at 
 general reader, not scholarly or technical 
 people. 
 
 "give me 'TB'words" but "may get anything 
 from 75 to 300". 
 
 "staff people in mammals, birds, reptiles, 
 fishes". 
 
 "members of the Zoological Society, who 
 are everything from specialists in oligo- 
 chaetology to --well, just plain citizens who 
 like animals. Books "better suited to a 
 general library than an academic collection. " 
 "2 to 4 months, as a rule". 
 15 in 1958, 26 in 1959, 18 in I960 so far. 
 Plans to give very brief --2 or 3 lines of 
 type --to the general run of books, trying 
 to indicate what they're about, in order to 
 call more books about animals to members' 
 attention. "Except that if they're bad, we 
 still won't bother with them. " 
 
 AQUARIUM. The Aquarium Publishing Company, Curren Ar- 
 cade Bldg. , 51 East Main St. , Norristown, Pa. 
 
 notified by publishers of available review 
 copies which are then requested if of pos- 
 sible interest to readers. 
 
 if of interest to readers; otherwise returned, 
 "look for the most attractive aspects and 
 list them; and then we mention its short- 
 comings. Technical errors and unsupport- 
 ed conclusions are usually noted. " 
 if a book "has something new to offer our 
 readers and is especially important to our 
 field, we give it special treatment", 
 staff. 
 
 "people who are interested in fish culture" 
 or perhaps in aquatic plants, "a phase of 
 the aquarists 1 hobby". 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 Books reviewed: 
 Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 Reviewers 
 Readers: 
 
 - 104 - 
 
7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 usually "in the next issue" after receipt, 
 varies; "We review every book we receive 
 that is published for aquarists. " 
 "a permanent activity for our magazine. " 
 
 ASTRONAUTICS. (A publication of The American Rocket Society, 
 Inc. ) 500 Fifth Ave., New York 36, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. 
 5. 
 6. 
 
 7. 
 8. 
 9. 
 
 Treatment: 
 Reviewers: 
 Readers: 
 
 Time lag: 
 Numbe r : 
 Continue; 
 
 automatically as published; keep abreast 
 "by reading most of the publications in our 
 field" and request books that are missed, 
 not all; selection made on basis of reader 
 interest, highly technical and research-de- 
 velopment books going to ARS Journal; if of 
 considerable interest book gets full scale 
 review, if not it may only be listed, 
 critical; point at anything "we think is wrong 
 wrong", 
 varies. 
 
 "experts in the field concerned" or staff, 
 astronautical and rocket engineers and sci- 
 entists, but "books for the most part would 
 be suitable for general public and academic 
 library collections. " 
 two to three months. 
 50 to 60 books annually. 
 Yes. 
 
 ATLANTIC NATURALIST. Audubon Naturalist Society of the 
 
 Central Atlantic States, Inc. (Formerly Audubon Society 
 of the District of Columbia, Inc. ) Box 202, Benjamin 
 Franklin Station, Washington 4, D. C. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 Treatment: 
 Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 many automatic; editors survey other re- 
 view and book media; readers "help keep 
 us informed of new books in their lines", 
 wide range of merit and interest; run-of- 
 the-mill work does not get full treatment; 
 try to note all books in our field of interest, 
 critical analysis; responsibility is to our 
 readers and "we try to get the most objec- 
 tive reviews possible", 
 varies according to book, 
 "try to get the most expert reviewers in 
 the field". 
 
 "children, intelligent amateurs, and pro- 
 fessionals"; aim at "person of general, but 
 
 - 105 - 
 
7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 informed interest in the field"; try to re- 
 view "books which should be in any good 
 public or academic library collection", 
 pretty long because journal is quarterly. 
 55 in I960, 70 in 1959, 65 in 1958. 
 yes; "section is one of the most important 
 parts of the magazine". 
 
 AUDUBON MAGAZINE. 
 
 Ave. , 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 National Audubon Society, 1130 Fifth 
 
 New~York 28, N. Y. 
 
 Number: 
 Continue: 
 
 regularly and automatically sent by pub- 
 lishers. 
 
 only certain ones; with "subject matter that 
 is of interest to our readers and written 
 with what we are sure is scientific author- 
 ity"; editor is a field biologist, 
 both descriptive and "honestly critical", 
 in accordance with importance of book and 
 its author, so varies. 
 
 have list of "specialists in the various fields 
 of natural sciences" who have agreed to do 
 reviews for us. 
 
 "anyone, from, say, age 12 to 90"; all 
 books excepting very popular ones suited 
 to academic library collections, 90 per 
 cent are for general public, 
 bi-monthly journal so lag may be two to 
 twelve months. 
 60 
 
 yes, review section "is one of the most 
 popular departments". 
 
 BOOKLIST AND SUBSCRIPTION BOOKS BULLETIN. American 
 
 Library Association, 50 E. Huron St. , Chicago, 111. 
 
 Review copies: 
 Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 automatically. 
 
 certain ones only; selected by staff and li- 
 brarian-consultants ("voters, " + or - on 
 list of books received); decided on basis of 
 probable usefulness to small and medium - 
 sized library or branch; ones reviewed be- 
 come "recommended. " 
 
 primarily descriptive, since appearing in 
 Booklist is itself evaluative (i.e., recom- 
 mended for libraries). 
 
 - 106 - 
 
4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 depends on book; annotations run 100-110 
 words. 
 
 staff; technical books done outside by sub- 
 ject specialist. 
 
 librarians; books cover all age levels, 
 up to four to six weeks, some earlier; 
 none after 3 months. 
 
 250-260 in all age groups, plus a few in 
 series lists, 
 yes. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 Books reviewed: 
 Kind of review: 
 
 BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTISTS, Educational Founda- 
 tion for Nuclear Science, Inc., 1100E. 58th St. , 
 Chicago 37, Illinois. 
 
 partly automatic; partly from other journ- 
 als, N. Y. Times, etc. 
 
 no technical books; editor selects others, 
 both descriptive and critical, and do se- 
 verely criticize on occasion, 
 varies "according to relevance and impor- 
 tance to us. " 
 
 availability, interest, subject competence, 
 "intelligent layman with interest in science 
 and public affairs, with some accent on 
 atomic energy and its implications. " 
 6 months to a year. 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 Reviewers 
 Readers: 
 
 Time lag: 
 
 Number: 
 
 Continue: 
 
 to improve with notes and brief mention. 
 
 BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS, Uni- 
 versity of Chicago Graduate Library School, Chicago, 111. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 Treatment: 
 Reviewers : 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 automati cally . 
 
 try to cover all received; current timely, 
 better ones given priority, 
 descriptive and critical; synopsis, evalua- 
 tion, comparison with others, curricular 
 use if any, etc. ; do point out errors, 
 all get same treatment. 
 
 editor; second opinion if desirable from sub- 
 ject specialist, from panel, or from actual 
 "use". 
 
 reviews are for librarians, parents, and 
 teachers; books are for children, pre- 
 school through high school. 
 
 - 107 - 
 
7. Time lag: one to three or four months, depending 
 
 partly on timeliness of book. 
 
 8. Number: about 100. 
 
 9. Continue: yes. 
 
 10. Additional information: each issue includes a "Reading list": 
 
 bibliographies, Reading for Librarians, 
 Reading for Parents, Reading for Teachers, 
 
 DESERT, Desert Magazine, Inc., Palm Desert, California. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8 . Numbe r : 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 mostly automatically; 10 per cent "we 
 spot" and write for. 
 
 only certain ones; no "preposterous 'vanity 1 
 jobs"; stick to "Desert Southwest" or top 
 non-fiction on other world deserts, 
 descriptive, rarely criticism; handle (in 
 own retail store) and retail "only those 
 books which we consider accurate and good 
 reading. " 
 
 "the better the book, the longer the review, 
 publisher or editor. 
 
 general, "from Cal Tech professors to 
 near-illiterate prospectors. " 
 two months, 
 "a dozen. " 
 yes.- 
 
 EARTH SCIENCE MAGAZINE, Rockhounds 1 National Magazine, 
 
 Box 1357, Chicago 90, Dl . 
 
 Review copies: some publishers send automatically, 
 only certain ones, 
 critical, 
 varies: 
 
 subject competence, availability, interest, 
 general, 
 varies. 
 30 to 40. 
 yes. 
 
 Books reviewed: 
 
 Kind of review: 
 
 Treatment: 
 
 Reviewers: 
 
 Readers: 
 
 Time lag: 
 
 Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 ELECTRONICS WORLD, One Park Ave. , New York 16, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: regularly from publishers, also receive 
 
 announcements and write for book. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: all "within our level and field." 
 
 3. Kind of review: descriptive; list bibliographical data and 
 
 "brief paragraph evaluating the technical 
 level and scope of the coverage. " 
 
 - 108 - 
 
4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 generally same, as above, 
 staff. 
 
 audiophile, professional service technician, 
 radio amateur, experimenter; "some books 
 are at a low enough technical level to be of 
 interest to the general public with an inter- 
 est in technical subjects. " 
 one or two months with "quickie" review 
 technique. 
 125-150. 
 yes, because of high rate of book production. 
 
 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, 580 Fifth Ave., New York 
 
 36, N. Y. 
 1. Review copies : 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8 . Numbe r : 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 FLOWER GROWER, 
 Avenue, New 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 Usually automatically, but watch reviews 
 
 for others. 
 
 "the most worth-while ones, generally." 
 
 "reviewing tone, as opposed to critical. " 
 
 depends on "interest and importance of 
 
 book. " 
 
 staff reviewer. 
 
 "intelligent, though not specialist, general 
 
 public. " 
 
 one to four or five months. 
 
 around 12. 
 
 yes. 
 
 The Home Gardens Magazine, One Park 
 
 York 16, N. Y. 
 
 publishers send automatically, 
 "priority to American books, to gardening 
 how-to. " 
 
 both descriptive and critical, 
 depends on interest. 
 
 try to get specialists, senior editors, 
 upper level of general readers; suitable for 
 general public and academic collections, 
 up to three months. 
 
 four or five science books plus one or two 
 encyclopedias, plus gardening books, 
 yes. 
 
 FLYING, One Park Avenue, New York 16, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: automatically. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: only certain ones; read them first. 
 
 - 109 - 
 
3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. 
 
 5. 
 6. 
 7. 
 8. 
 9. 
 
 Treatment: 
 Reviewers : 
 Readers: 
 Time lag: 
 Number: 
 Continue : 
 
 descriptive only; "if a book is not sound, it 
 
 is not reviewed. " 
 
 "proportionate to importance. " 
 
 staff reviewer. 
 
 suitable for general library 
 
 month. 
 
 24 
 
 yes. 
 
 FRONTIERS, Academy of Natural Sciences, 19th Street and the 
 Parkway, Philadelphia 3, Pa. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 Time lag: 
 
 Number: 
 
 Continue: 
 
 "books just arrive"; librarian or staff mem' 
 ber may request title for review, 
 most of those received having to do with 
 natural history. 
 
 discriminative, and so pan on occasion, 
 more important ones get fuller treatment; 
 depends on reader appeal, age group, pop- 
 ular or scientific. 
 
 editor does about half; others by staff of 
 Academy. 
 
 "general public not excluding children"; if 
 book is too scientific for general library, 
 it is so noted in review, 
 varies. 
 25 to 50. 
 
 yes; will try to use more outside specialist 
 reviewers. 
 
 BULLETIN OF THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA, 3110 Elm 
 Avenue, Baltimore 11, Maryland. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind or review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. 
 6. 
 
 Reviewers: 
 Readers: 
 
 automatically; editor, and readers, catch 
 others. 
 
 all are reviewed: 
 
 "brief descriptions with a critical opinion"; 
 maybe severely criticized for dull, pedan- 
 tic, amateurish presentation; errors are 
 noted; aim is smooth, readable, entertain- 
 ing column. 
 
 important or profound get more serious and 
 fuller treatment. 
 
 competent, or intensely interested, 
 members, "well-informed about arrange- 
 ment, garden design, horticulture, conser- 
 vation, etc., and interested in the whole 
 
 - 110 - 
 
world of nature"; gardening and related 
 subjects interesting to many so books 
 should be popular in most general libraries, 
 
 7. Time lag: column published three times a year, so 
 
 may be lag. 
 
 8. Number: 75 to 90. 
 
 9. Continue: yes. 
 
 . Park, 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of reviews: 
 
 GARDEN JOURNAL, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx 
 New York 58, N. Y. 
 
 number of publishers send automatically, 
 but others noted are written for. 
 only "desirable ones" in fields of botany, 
 horticulture, nature study, and kindred 
 subjects. 
 
 noteworthy book gets more space; "policy 
 is to give a fair review" noting if outstand- 
 ing or if book falls short, 
 varies depending on content, 
 scientific books by staff members of Botan- 
 ical Garden; gardening, flower arrange- 
 ment, etc. , by librarian, 
 intelligent laymen. 
 
 try to be prompt, and are if reviews are 
 staff written. 
 
 Treatment: 
 Reviewers: 
 
 Readers: 
 Time lag: 
 
 8. 
 9. 
 
 Number: 
 Continue : 
 
 yes, 
 
 GEMS AND MINERALS, Gemac Corporation, P.O. Box 808, 
 1797 Capri Avenue, Mentone, California. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of reviews: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number : 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 regularly, in the field, 
 mention all pertinent to the field, 
 descriptive if pertinent, critical evalua- 
 tion if specifically useful to readers noting 
 good and bad points, 
 depends on book's value to readers, 
 mostly staff, or other expert in the field, 
 "primarily laymen interested in the earth 
 sciences or anthropology, " not profession- 
 als, so books are suitable for such readers, 
 month or so. 
 
 12 to 18 significant hardbound books a year; 
 also review California Mines and U.S.G.S. 
 reports, 
 yes. 
 
 - Ill - 
 
2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW, American Geographical Society, 
 Broadway at 156th St. , New York 32, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: automatically; also request titles noted 
 elsewhere. 
 
 selective, based primarily "upon the in- 
 trinsic interest of the book in its subject 
 or regional content and the value of the 
 book to geographers or scientists in tangent 
 fields." 
 
 depends on reviewer, and may be highly 
 critical. 
 
 again, depends on reviewer, but request 
 800-900 words. 
 
 availability, subject competence, and/or 
 foreign language skills, 
 membership; professional geographers, 
 physical and social scientists, profession- 
 al men, persons in business or govern- 
 ment, etc. ; books should be suitable for 
 public or academic collections, 
 quarterly, so may be long. 
 50 (plus 10-15 in foreign languages), 
 yes. 
 
 10. Additional information: Journal also includes section of 
 
 "notes" in the form of review essays cov- 
 ering current literature other than books; 
 also includes "review articles" combining 
 several recent similar works in a discus- 
 sion article. 
 
 GEO TIMES, American Geological Institute, 2101 Constitution 
 Ave.,N. W., Washington 25, B.C. 
 
 1. Review copies: automatic from some publishers; editor 
 
 requests title noted elsewhere. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: restricted to better books because of space; 
 
 but may "scorch" a poor book (pretentious 
 or misleading); books by geologists are 
 usually listed, good or bad. 
 
 3. Kind of reviews: brief, descriptive and/or critical; contents, 
 
 audience, style and readability, accuracy, 
 format, illustrations, etc. ; may list sev- 
 eral together for contrast. 
 
 4. Treatment: varies, depending on need for amplification 
 
 of title, on importance, on need for praise 
 or criticism, or on need to compare or 
 
 Time lag: 
 
 Number: 
 
 Continue: 
 
 - 112 - 
 
5. Reviewers; 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. 
 8. 
 
 9. 
 10, 
 
 Time lag: 
 Numbe r : 
 
 Continue : 
 
 contrast with similar works, 
 regular reviewer; geologist and librarian 
 (Univ. of 111. ). 
 
 younger children (8-12) through senior high 
 and "uninitiated adults, " to scholarly 
 adults, "serious students, " and advanced 
 amateurs; both "armchair" and "field" 
 type; all books suitable for public and aca- 
 demic libraries, 
 two months up. 
 
 75 to 100, half for youngsters and half for 
 adult laymen, 
 yes. 
 
 Additional information: Suggests need for subject training 
 and for knowledge of existing popular lit- 
 erature in order to do good job of review- 
 ing; some reviews in library journals are 
 quite undependable. 
 
 HORN BOOK, The Horn Book, Inc., 585 Boylston St. , Boston 
 16, Mass. 
 
 1. Review copies: regularly, automatically. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: only certain ones, "most accurate or most 
 
 interesting, and which do not repeat mate- 
 rial already available, unless the approach 
 is fresh and unusual. " 
 
 discriminative, some descriptive, mostly 
 critical; no "space to review a book unless 
 it is fundamentally good. " 
 
 depends on importance of book, on content, 
 on approach to subject, 
 subject competence. 
 
 "reviews are prepared for adultsparents, 
 children's librarians, and other persons 
 interested in the preparation and selection 
 of books for children; the books reviewed 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 are children's books, ranging from the 
 
 elementary grades through high school, and 
 
 would be suitable in homes and in school 
 
 and public libraries. " 
 
 none to five months. 
 
 65 to 70 
 
 yes. 
 
 - 113 - 
 
Books reviewed: 
 Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 BULLETIN. The Horticultural Society of New York, Inc., The 
 
 Essex House, 155 West 58th St. , New York 19, N. Y. 
 1. Review copies: on most publishers' lists but write for "un- 
 expected ones. " 
 
 try to review all received. 
 
 critical, appraising; do point out short 
 
 comings. 
 
 try to give all same treatment, but more 
 
 important books get more space. 
 
 experts in field, those especially interested. 
 
 members, professionals, good amateurs, 
 
 rank beginners; level identified in review. 
 
 aim at speed but depends on numbers of 
 
 reviews. 
 
 75, a few technical. 
 
 yes, hope to increase length of column. 
 
 Reviewers 
 Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 Number: 
 Continue : 
 
 10. Additional information: "Guide for the book reviewer"; re- 
 view should be critical to be of value; re- 
 viewer should clearly indicate for whom the 
 book was written (level, e. g. ); adverse 
 criticism "can be stated with tact and fair 
 appraisal. " 
 
 ISIS, An international review devoted to the History of Science 
 and its cultural influences. History of Science Society, 
 University of Washington, Seattle 5, Wash. 
 
 1. Review copies: many automatically, others requested as 
 
 noted. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: "We review only those books that give evi- 
 
 dence of solid scholarly intent and prepara- 
 tion. This does not automatically exclude 
 good popularizations of the history of sci- 
 ence but does cut out mere compilations 
 from secondary sources and books written 
 for children. Books that are not reviewed 
 in our regular issues often merit short 
 critical comments in our annual Critical 
 Bibliography, which includes all books in 
 the field that we have received. " 
 
 3. Kind of review: prefer critical; allow reviewer free hand; 
 
 are descriptive as may be necessary. 
 
 4. Treatment: depends on importance or significance; but 
 
 "A misleading but widely publicized book 
 obviously needs a long review to handle the 
 various criticisms to be levelled at it, even 
 
 - 114 - 
 
though its intrinsic importance may be less 
 than that of another much less controversial 
 book. " 
 
 5. Reviewers: knowledge of field covered; occasional con- 
 
 tributed reviews are published if up to 
 standards set. 
 
 6. Readers: "scholar in the history of science in mind"; 
 
 certain books too highly specialized for 
 general reader, but large majority of re- 
 views (and books) seem to be comprehensi- 
 ble to the educated general reader. 
 
 7. Time lag: about a year. 
 
 8. Number: about 40-50 (of total 100 reviewed). 
 
 9. Continue: yes. 
 
 10. Additional information: Compiling these answers "forced 
 
 us to think hard about our reviewing poli- 
 cies that had just grown over the years. " 
 [other journal editors, too, perhaps?]. 
 
 JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, Wildlife Society, 
 Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. 
 
 1. Review copies: a few automatically, but most solicited. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: all reviewed if appropriate to journal. 
 
 3. Kind of review: discriminative; severely criticized when 
 
 deserving. 
 
 4. Treatment: depends on reviewer. 
 
 5. Reviewers: interest and competence. 
 
 6. Readers: members; suitable for general and academ- 
 
 ic libraries. 
 
 7. Time lag: varies, may be long because of tardy re- 
 
 viewer. 
 
 8. Number: 25 
 
 9. Continue: yes. 
 
 10. Additional information: "Notice to authors of reviews, " 
 
 "Mere description of the content of a pub- 
 lication does not constitute a complete re- 
 view. Accurate, positive criticisms and 
 personal interpretations are essential 
 parts of a review. " 
 
 LIBRARY JOURNAL, 62 West 45th St. , New York 36, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: at least 95 per cent of all books in this 
 
 field as a matter of course. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: each book has a reading, excepting those 
 
 "that have gone into several editions and 
 
 - 115 - 
 
3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 Reviewers: 
 Readers: 
 
 are therefore well known to libraries, and 
 those that obviously have no potential use 
 in libraries". 
 
 reviewer is asked to "cover the subject 
 matter, and also to give some opinion on 
 the accuracy, author's competence, style, 
 etc. " 
 
 try to hold to 150 words, but may double 
 that "if the importance of the book warrants 
 such coverage. " 
 subject competence. 
 
 "informed general reader in public and 
 academic libraries. " 
 
 varies: "one to six weeks ahead of publica- 
 tion" (if book is in galleys) to "one to three 
 months after publication"; depends further 
 on where and who reviewer is. 
 of 2,114 sci-tech-med books announced for 
 I960, an estimated 10 to 15 per cent come 
 under new review policy, 
 since September I960, yes. 
 10. Additional information: "While books in all adult subject 
 areas are reviewed in this section, the 
 orientation is toward the general, informed 
 reader in public and academic libraries, 
 rather than toward the highly specialized 
 scholar. For advance descriptive informa- 
 tion about all forthcoming adult books, in- 
 cluding the most scholarly, scientific and 
 technical, we refer the reader to our sea- 
 sonal annotated, subject classified, pre- 
 publication indexes of new books, textbooks, 
 new editions and reprints which appear in 
 our issues of Feb. 1, June 1 and Oct. 1 
 (general and fiction hard cover); Mar. 1, 
 July, and Nov. 1 (scientific and technical 
 hard cover); and Jan. 15, May 15 and Sept. 
 15 (all subject fields paperbound). These 
 advance listings are reprinted with com- 
 plete author and title indexes in "books to 
 come." --The Journal. 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 - 116 - 
 
2. Books reviewed: 
 
 JUNIOR LIBRARIES, (also section of Library Journal issues on 
 15th of the month) 
 
 1. Review copies: majority automatically, any books missed 
 are requested. 
 
 all sent for appraisal, excepting "those 
 that seem to have no value for libraries, " 
 e.g., very sketchy, poorly bound, or 
 "clearly produced for supermarket trade"; 
 reviews printed "of all books that seem of 
 importance, " i. e. , "by authors new to the 
 science field who have made a real contri- 
 bution, and any other good books"; run-of- 
 the-mill titles, titles typical of well-known 
 authors, poor books by new or less-repu- 
 table publishers are usually excluded; poor 
 books by established author or publisher 
 are reviewed to caution libraries against 
 purchase. 
 
 aim at critical reviews, and do criticize 
 for shortcomings "when we are sure of our 
 ground. " 
 
 all supposed to follow journal's "Review- 
 er's checklist, " but more space allowed 
 for comparison or critical treatment if 
 needed. 
 
 subject competence or interest, 
 "children's, young adults and school li- 
 brarians in medium- sized and small school 
 and public libraries. Most of the books 
 would be suitable for general public and 
 school library collections. " 
 two weeks to two months; delay may be 
 caused by need to evaluate illustrations, or 
 need for second opinion; "all reviews are 
 considered by a committee of children's 
 and school librarians. " 
 
 157 recommended last year, plus a number 
 not recommended, 
 yes, but may eliminate some series books 
 
 3. Kind of reviews: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 Reviewers 
 Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 or books "typical of an author or series. " 
 
 10. Additional information: "This section aims to review all 
 new books for children and young people 
 deemed likely to be of interest to librarians 
 or parents. The appraising is done by 
 practicing school and public librarians 
 
 - 117 - 
 
selected for their special knowledge of the 
 types of books they evaluate. They try to 
 give for each book full information on scope 
 or background, age or grade level (disting- 
 uishing between interest level and reading 
 level, if necessary), authenticity, unique- 
 ness or relative standing among other books 
 on the subject, curriculum applications, 
 suitability of format, serviceability of pub- 
 lisher's binding, etc. Especially recom- 
 mended books are marked (*) or (**), the 
 double star being reserved for books that 
 even the smallest collections will want to 
 purchase. Books that cannot be 'recom- 
 mended 1 are, nevertheless, often reviewed, 
 rather than ignored, especially if they fall 
 below the usual standard of an author or a 
 series. "--The Journal. 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON, Ipswich River Sanctuary, Tops- 
 field, Mass. 
 
 1. Review copies: some regularly, others solicited after 
 
 noting elsewhere. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: only selected ones. 
 
 3. Kind of review: "service to our members" not professional 
 
 definitive evaluation; should offer critical 
 judgment as aid in deciding to read and/or 
 buy; reviewer must say so if book is bad; 
 critical evaluation of children's books par- 
 ticularly important. 
 
 4. Treatment: depends on book. 
 
 5. Reviewers: all have considerable interest in subject. 
 
 6. Readers: "very general readership," should be suit- 
 
 ed for libraries. 
 
 7. Time lag: two to four months. 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: yes. 
 
 NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE, 1600 Bladensburg 
 Rd.,N. E., Washington 2, D.C. 
 
 1. Review copies: most major publishers send copies; mem- 
 
 bers also note new titles. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: all; "service to our members" 
 
 3. Kind of review: descriptive and discriminative; "criticism 
 
 is always given" 
 
 - 118 - 
 
varies according to book. 
 
 "books are farmed out to authorities in the 
 
 subject. " 
 
 "all levels of intelligence"; cover "entire 
 
 field of horticulture. " 
 
 depends on book and on reviewer; popular, 
 
 3 months; scientific, perhaps 6 months, e.g. 
 
 "around one hundred. " 
 
 "yes, with even more enthusiasm because 
 
 the market is flooded at this point and we 
 
 must help members select what is best for 
 
 their understanding!" 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. The American Museum of Natural History, 
 Central Park West at 79th St. , New York 24, N. Y. 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8 . Numbe r : 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 Time lag: 
 Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 regularly. 
 
 only certain ones, based on book's merit, 
 both descriptive and critical; reviews do 
 criticize severely. 
 
 most given short notice of one /two para- 
 graphs; others, 1000-1500 word, and a 
 very few, 3000-3500 word essay, depend- 
 ing on book's excellence and on importance 
 (new approach, e.g. ) or on topicality, 
 short reviews by general naturalists, 
 others by competent specialists often on 
 museum staff. 
 
 "from serious high school students to in- 
 telligent adults to scientific people in the 
 natural science field"; some reviews are 
 general, some technical; many books suit- 
 able for both general and university li- 
 braries, some for either one or the other, 
 no effort to be immediate. 
 
 60-70 adult, 30 children's books; December 
 survey of children's books by panel of 
 specialists, 
 yes. 
 
 NEW BULLETIN, Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, 
 Museum, 75 Stuyvesant Place, Staten Island 1, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: only a few (those who publish Staten Island 
 authors); other suggested by curator of mu- 
 seum and its scientists. 
 
 - 119 - 
 
2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 certain ones, partly on advice of curator 
 and staff. 
 
 descriptive; "so little room for reviews, 
 we choose only those books considered 
 worthy of consideration by our members 
 and other readers. " 
 
 depends on reviewer, within wordage limit, 
 knowledge of subject, general scholarly 
 qualifications . 
 
 housewife to recognized scientist, leaning 
 now towards the lay reader; too diversified 
 a readership contributed toward discontin- 
 uance of a semi-annual publication in which 
 most reviews formerly were published, 
 space available is limited, so time lag may 
 be long. 
 12. 
 yes, but hopes for better days. 
 
 NEW TECHNICAL BOOKS, The New York Public Library, 
 Ave. & 42nd St., New York 18, N.Y. 
 
 5th 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 Reviewers 
 Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 all standard publishers regularly send 
 either review copies or monthly publication 
 sheets from which titles are selected in our 
 fields (pure and applied physical sciences, 
 mathematics, engineering, industrial tech- 
 nology). 
 
 outstanding new books are exhibited monthly 
 ("Technical Books of the Month") and sub- 
 sequently reviewed. 
 
 -descriptive only, including complete 
 (usually) table of contents, 
 reviews of books in series now refer to 
 earlier issues for descriptive note on pre- 
 vious volumes. 
 
 staff, by interest and experience, 
 intelligent librarian, or interested scientist 
 or engineer; many books are quite special- 
 ized, but a number are general enough for 
 smaller public or academic library collec- 
 tions. 
 
 bi-monthly periodical, plus one month ex- 
 hibit, can cause delay; currently four 
 months lag. 
 of 400 all told, perhaps 50. 
 
 - 120 - 
 
9. Continue: 
 
 hope to increase number and spread. 
 
 NORTH DAKOTA OUTDOORS, "State Game and Fish Dept. ", 
 
 1. 
 2. 
 3. 
 4. 
 5. 
 6. 
 7. 
 8. 
 9. 
 
 Bismarck, N. D. 
 
 Review copies: occasionally; others from listings. 
 Books reviewed: all in wildlife field. 
 
 descriptive. 
 
 depends on book. 
 
 competence, availability, interest. 
 
 average public. 
 
 about 2 months. 
 
 20-30 per year. 
 
 yes. 
 
 Kind of review: 
 
 Treatment: 
 
 Reviewers: 
 
 Readers: 
 
 Time lag: 
 
 Number: 
 
 Continue : 
 
 PHYSICS TODAY, 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 335 E. 45th St. , New York 17, N. Y. 
 
 usually automatically; others requested 
 
 after noting elsewhere. 
 : about half; 30 per cent not in field, rest 
 
 "not worth reviewing" or can't get anyone 
 
 to review them. 
 
 critical, primarily. 
 
 depends on reviewer and on book; aim at 
 
 around 400 words. 
 
 panel of 100 + *physics-area specialists who 
 
 have free rein. 
 
 professional society members primarily; 
 
 most reviews probably at graduate student 
 
 level, some higher, some lower; emphasis 
 
 not on popular wo rks, but a number are in- 
 cluded. 
 
 average of six months. 
 
 20 or 25 for the general reader (of 170 
 
 re vie wed /year). 
 
 yes. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 POPULAR ELECTRONICS, One Park Avenue, New York 16, N. Y, 
 1. Review copies: mostly automatically; rest requested after 
 noting elsewhere. 
 
 all reviewed if within editorial domain of 
 magazine, excepting advanced technical 
 works or grade/high school level, 
 critical; shortcomings noted, 
 depends on "honest evaluation of the worth 
 of the book to our particular readership. " 
 
 Kind of review: 
 Treatment: 
 
 - 121 - 
 
5. Reviewers 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8 . Numbe r : 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 staff members, depending on background 
 
 or subject competence. 
 
 general reader, essentially hobbyists and 
 
 experimenters. 
 
 varies. 
 
 20-24. 
 
 yes. 
 
 POPULAR GARDENING, 530 Fifth A ve. , New York 36, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. 
 8. 
 
 9. 
 
 Time lag: 
 Number: 
 Continue : 
 
 most publishers regularly send copies; 
 editor also scans Publishers' Weekly and 
 writes publishers for books, 
 only some; some too technical or too spec- 
 ialized for readers. 
 
 descriptive; "if a book has the faults listed 
 in your question -3, we do not mention it. " 
 varies, depending on kind and importance 
 of book. 
 
 all reviews by book review editor on basis 
 of evaluation of book by editors: horticul- 
 tural, indoor gardening, etc. 
 most readers are amateur gardeners, some 
 beginners, some quite experienced; also 
 have professional and commercial horti- 
 culturists among subscribers; "give space 
 to outstanding technical and scientific books 
 which could form the basis of a reference 
 library. " 
 
 most within 6 months, 
 varies, 
 yes, but hopes for better days. 
 
 POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY, One Park Ave. , New York 16, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 most automatically, others requested as 
 
 noted. 
 
 priority to those of maximum interest to 
 
 amateur photographers; review as many as 
 
 possible, but not one "which deserves a 
 
 downright bad review. " 
 
 critical if need be. 
 
 depends on importance of book, but usually 
 
 short. 
 
 staff, or qualified columnists (of magazine). 
 
 - 122 - 
 
6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 amateur photographers; pictures or history, 
 suitable for general public; more technical 
 books for academic library, 
 three months. 
 
 yes, and more and longer. 
 
 RADIO-ELECTRONICS, Gernsback Publications, Inc. 
 New York 11, New York. 
 
 154 W. 
 
 14th St. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 Treatment: 
 Reviewers : 
 Readers: 
 
 Time lag: 
 Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 automatically; occasionally on request if 
 noted elsewhere. 
 
 certain ones only, omitting those "wide of 
 our field" or those "we do not feel worth 
 reviewing"; priority given to important ones, 
 brief, descriptive; occasionally criticize 
 well-known or "strongly promoted" book if 
 necessary; "since the main purpose of our 
 reviews is to call books to the attention of 
 our readers, there is little purpose in 
 calling books they would not otherwise be 
 likely to purchase to their attention only to 
 condemn them. " 
 depends on book. 
 
 staff, in areas of their specialties, 
 "electronic technicians or persons inter- 
 ested in radio, television and electronics 
 whose knowledge is about at the level of the 
 electronic technician"; all should be able 
 to read schematic diagrams and to under- 
 stand electronics terms; mathematics and 
 expositions are kept below engineering level, 
 three months. 
 
 100-120, about half science, half applica- 
 tion, 
 yes. 
 
 ROAD AND TRACK, 834 Production Place, Newport Beach, 
 Calif. 
 
 1. Review copies: usually automatically. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: certain ones, within field of interest if they 
 
 have merit. 
 
 3. Kind of review: critical, noting errors, etc. 
 
 4. Treatment: depends on importance or "meatiness" of 
 
 book. 
 
 5. Reviewers: staff with subject specialities. 
 
 - 123 - 
 
6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 persons interested in automotive science 
 
 and technology, car performance; fairly 
 
 technical level, but many are suitable for 
 
 general collection. 
 
 one to six months. 
 
 20. 
 
 yes. 
 
 ROCKS AND MINERALS, Official Journal Rocks & Minerals 
 
 Association, 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 Box 29, Peekskill, N. Y. 
 
 usually automatically. 
 
 try to review all. 
 
 descriptive only. 
 
 depends on book and on space. 
 
 staff. 
 
 general public interested in mineralogy, 
 
 geology, lapidary. 
 
 two months. 
 
 24. 
 
 yes. 
 
 STWP REVIEW, Journal of the Society of Technical Writers am 
 
 Publishers, 
 bus 14, O. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 P.O. Box 3706, Beechwold Station, Colum- 
 
 usually automatically. 
 
 certain ones selected by editor. 
 
 critical, noting shortcomings if necessary. 
 
 depends on "value of book. " 
 
 subject competence, interest, availability. 
 
 general public and academic library, 
 
 perhaps. 
 
 six months. 
 
 20. 
 
 yes. 
 
 SCIENCE, American Association for the Advancement of Sci- 
 ence, 1515 Massachusetts Ave. N. W., Washington 5, 
 D.C. 
 
 1. Review copies: about half automatically; rest requested in 
 
 advance from publishers' lists, personal 
 contacts, advanced lists. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: only certain ones, "of interest to readers 
 
 and books which are considered suitable foi 
 the journal. " 
 
 - 124 - 
 
3. Kind of review: descriptive and critical, depending on book 
 and reviewer. 
 
 lead reviews longer: "general or current 
 interest, outstanding books, good science 
 writing for the layman. " 
 
 "competence first always "; no review if no 
 suitable reviewer. 
 
 lead reviews for general reader; others 
 for specialists. 
 
 one month or less up to six, average four, 
 about half of total (500) reviewed, 
 yes, but hope to increase number by short- 
 ening reviews. 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 SCIENCE NEWS LETTER, Science Service, 1 719 N St. , N. W. , 
 Washington 6, D.C. 
 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 Reviewers 
 Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 Number: 
 Continue : 
 
 some automatically; most requested from 
 CBI, Books to Come, PW, publishers' cat- 
 alogs and announcements, 
 practically all science and technology and 
 nature study from reputable publishers, 
 descriptive only (space and time limited) 
 to indicate probable reader-group interest, 
 full bibliographic listing, plus one or two 
 descriptive sentences. 
 
 librarian usually, occasionally by specialist, 
 range from "scientists in specialized fields 
 to grade school teachers and parents"; 
 emphasis is on science books for the in 
 telligent, inquiring layman, student and 
 child. " 
 
 majority within the week or as close to 
 publication date as possible, 
 about 1,000 thus listed, 
 yes. 
 
 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, 415 Madison Ave. , New York 17, N. Y. 
 
 1. Review copies: many automatic, but many are solicited 
 
 after noting them elsewhere. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: only some; space is limited; "readers look- 
 
 ing for dependable evaluations of scientific 
 books. " 
 
 3. Kind of review: critical and evaluative, noting defects; some 
 
 books given brief notices intended 
 only to signal their appearance. 
 
 - 125 - 
 
4. Treatment: depends on reviewer's and book editor's 
 
 "judgment as to its importance and its 
 interest to our readers. " 
 
 5. Reviewers: competence only; no publisher-prepared or 
 
 voluntarily contributed material used. 
 
 6. Readers: "general cultivated audience of Scientific 
 
 American"; usually suited to general public 
 and academic library collections. 
 
 7. Time lag: depends partly on importance of book or 
 
 interest; as space is limited may be six 
 months or more, but usually less. 
 
 8. Number: 150 to 200 science books a year of the 400 
 
 all told that are covered. 
 
 9. Continue: yes. 
 
 SEA FRONTIERS, The International Oceanographic Foundation 
 for the Advancement of Scientific Research and Knowl- 
 edge of the Ocean. 1 Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia 
 Key, Miami 49, Fla. 
 
 1. Review copies: regularly from publishers, plus others 
 
 staff notes. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: unable to review all; hold back less impor- 
 
 tant ones. 
 
 3. Kind of review: critical and sufficiently descriptive to aid 
 
 reader in determining if book suits his neei 
 
 4. Treatment: depends on estimate of importance of the 
 
 subject and authoritativeness of book. 
 
 5. Reviewers: subject competence. 
 
 6. Readers: "General reading" reviews for general pub 
 
 lie; "Technical reading" reviews are for 
 specialists; books would thus be suitable 
 for general and academic libraries; all re- 
 lated to the marine sciences. 
 
 7. Time lag: up to six months. 
 
 8. Number: 16. 
 
 9. Continue: yes, but hope to expand review section and 
 
 to cover every pertinent publication. 
 
 SKY AND TELESCOPE, Sky Publishing Corporation, Harvard 
 College Observatory, Cambridge 38, Mass. 
 
 1. Review copies: automatically , usually. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: only certain ones; pertinent to astronomy 
 
 and its allied fields. 
 
 3. Kind of review: depends on reviewer. 
 
 - 126 - 
 
4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8 . Numbe r : 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 depends on reviewer and on importance of 
 book. 
 
 subject competence. 
 
 determined by book; many of general pub- 
 lic interest, 
 two months. 
 36. 
 yes. 
 
 TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE, The Society for the History of 
 
 Technology, 
 Technology, 
 1. Review copies: 
 
 2. Books reviewed: 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 6. Readers: 
 
 7. Time lag: 
 
 8. Number: 
 
 9. Continue: 
 
 Room 311, Main Building, Case Institute of 
 Cleveland 6, O. 
 
 some automatically, but journal is still 
 new; others requested as noted largely in 
 N. Y. Times for U.S. books, 
 only those "which bear some relationship to 
 the development of technology and its re- 
 lations with society and culture" and which 
 are worth reviewing. 
 
 descriptive, "what the book is about in gen- 
 eral" and "where it fits into the existing 
 literature on the subject"; critical evalua- 
 tion sought within 750-1500 words, [from 
 suggestions sheet sent to reviewers], 
 depends on book and on reviewer, 
 subject competence, specialist in field, 
 both scholarly academician and interested 
 layman; many books suitable for general 
 public and academic libraries, 
 about nine months; new journal, so catching 
 up on backlog, 
 about 20. 
 yes. 
 
 UNITED STATES NAVAL INSTITUTE PROCEEDINGS, United 
 States Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland. 
 
 1. Review copies: many automatically, others written for. 
 
 2. Books reviewed: only about one-sixth of books received, 
 
 based on their interest to professional na- 
 val officers. 
 
 depends on reviewer; both descriptive and 
 critical, and may be fairly severe, 
 depends on reviewer; average review 400 
 words, 
 subject competence. 
 
 3. Kind of review: 
 
 4. Treatment: 
 
 5. Reviewers: 
 
 - 127 - 
 
6. Readers: "book reviews are written for the profes- 
 
 sional naval officer. Most of the books we 
 review would be interesting to any general 
 reader with an interest in naval affairs, 
 however. " 
 
 7. Time lag: five months. 
 
 8. Number: dozen. 
 
 9. Continue: yes. 
 
 Two other review journals should be mentioned here be- 
 cause of their importance as selection aids for larger and per- 
 haps more technical collections: Book Review Digest which now 
 includes ten technical reviewing journals in its coverage and 
 Technical Book Review Index which aims to cover all the im- 
 portant technical reviewing journals. Both of these, on occas- 
 ion, do include science books suitable for general reading. Both, 
 too, aim at a balanced evaluation in their review excerpts. 
 
 Lists. While it is perfectly true that unadorned lists are 
 not ideal as selection aids for a library, specially prepared 
 subject lists of periodicals can be helpful as aids to selection of 
 titles to write for as samples for possible acquisition. It was 
 with this latter idea in mind that a few lists are appended to 
 this paper; 
 
 "Representative Local Audubon Society Publications" in 
 Appendix D includes some of the country's finest bird journals, 
 any one of which would be suitable for a general library's col- 
 lection. A number of them regularly review books, too, so a 
 library would get that much more value from them. Two of 
 these are represented in our survey. (The list, incidentally, 
 was prepared by the librarian of the National Audubon Society. ) 
 
 "Science /Technology History Journals which Contain 
 Book Reviews' 1 (Appendix E) is another representative group 
 which should be looked into, since science history does have 
 considerable .general appeal. The issues of these periodicals 
 that were examined did have reviews in them, and it is assumed 
 they will continue to have. Three of these are in our survey, 
 also. 
 
 "Science /Technology Education Journals" (Appendix F) 
 are a little more specialized, perhaps, but the general academ- 
 ic library could find some of them useful and any library which 
 needs elementary or introductory works or which serves a cur- 
 riculum in education or in one of the subjects covered should have 
 one or more of them. One strong feature of this group is their 
 emphasis on reviews of textbooks in their fields; however, since 
 
 - 128 - 
 
only certain libraries would be interested in this feature none 
 of these journals were contacted directly, but they do contain 
 book reviews. 
 
 Still another group of interesting, authoritative, and 
 well illustrated periodicals are those published by state game 
 and fish or conservation agencies. Only a few of these review 
 books, however, and no response was received from those 
 queried, so none are included in this survey. A list of them is 
 in Ulrich under "Conservation. " 
 
 A list of the science periodicals indexed by the Reader's 
 Guide would be helpful to a general library in the same manner 
 as these others, but any library can make its own list. The 
 twelve that were surveyed may have additional interest, though, 
 since they all contain book reviews. 
 
 Of course, virtually any one of the journals surveyed 
 for this paper would be eligible for consideration by almost 
 any kind of library having any general science coverage, so in 
 a sense this list of journals surveyed may be thought of as a 
 selection aid. 
 
 Before closing let us take a quick look at two fairly re- 
 cent phenomena of the science book field that may have some 
 pertinence: one is the book club, and the other is the radio 
 book review. Book clubs, as you know, have become big factors 
 in the publishing world and, whatever one may think about them, 
 they seem to be here to stay since, obviously, they are serving 
 a purpose. Maybe they could serve libraries, too. In fact a 
 number of libraries may already be members of one or more 
 of the dozens of existing clubs. 
 
 There are several in the subject fields we have been 
 discussing and each one was asked about how they make their 
 selections and how they prepare their announcement reviews. 
 The answers are interesting from the point of view of consider- 
 ing the book club as a possible selection aid to libraries: 
 
 1. In most cases selections for the club are made by a 
 panel of, or with the advice of, science subject specialists or 
 persons who are at least science-oriented. 
 
 2. Almost all the selections are offered either some time 
 before or simultaneously with the regular publisher's edition. 
 
 3. Announcement reviews of forthcoming selections are 
 written by persons selected for their competence in the field, 
 either outsiders or staff members. 
 
 4. Reviews are aimed at the composite member of the 
 club, the average, interested, intelligent layman. 
 
 5. Each club publishes or offers one or two books a 
 month. 
 
 -129 - 
 
Here are the clubs that answered: 
 American Garden Guild Book Club, 575 Madison Ave., New 
 
 York 22, N. Y. 
 Gernsback Audio Book Club and Gernsback Technician's Book 
 
 Club, 154 West 14th St. , New York 11, N. Y. (Distribute 
 own books, largely technical for hobbyists and electron- 
 ics technicians; paperback editions available in regular 
 channels. ) 
 
 Library of Science, Library of Science- Young Adults Division, 
 Natural History Book Club, Science Book Club, 59 
 Fourth Ave. , New York 3, N. Y. 
 Science Fiction Book Club, Garden City, New York. 
 
 Perhaps a more thorough investigation should be made 
 of the possibility of using a book club as a selection aid in a li- 
 brary, for there does seem to be some merit in the idea at first 
 glance. Besides there is a sizable price discount plus free 
 bonus books every so often. 
 
 The possibility of using radio book reviews as selection 
 aids is a bit more ethereal, but not without considerable advan- 
 tage if the reviews are prepared by competent subject special- 
 ists, or librarians, or library school professors and if the re- 
 views are broadcast at a conveniently scheduled time for maxi- 
 mum library listener participation. Perhaps already arranged 
 book review programs could be adapted to library interests and 
 needs, with a nod toward the intelligent layman who might be 
 listening. Education by radio and television has come a long 
 way; why shouldn't libraries reap benefits from the airwaves, 
 too? The University of Illinois has its own radio station, it 
 houses the National Association of Educational Broadcasters in 
 Gregory Hall, and it has a progressive library school, a most 
 fortuitous combination. 
 
 The author wishes to thank all those who contributed to 
 this paper in any way: the editors and publishers of the journals 
 who kindly answered questionnaires and sent sample copies of 
 their handiwork; the directors of the book clubs who responded; 
 the librarians in several libraries which the author personally 
 visited: American Museum of Natural History, Horticultural 
 Society of New York, New York Public Library's Government 
 Documents Collection and Periodicals Division; the librarian of 
 the National Audubon Society who prepared the list of local Aud- 
 ubon society journals; the R.R. Bowker Company, and the Li- 
 brary Journal staff for their special help and the extra copies of 
 their publications; and the American Association for the Advanc< 
 ment of Science, the Children's Book Council, and Dover Pub- 
 lications for copies of their bibliographies. 
 
 - 130 - 
 
A. - UUKKiiilN 1 U, 1 JL.C, 1 1UJN AIDS 
 
 General 
 
 BOOKS IN PRINT 
 
 N. Y., Bowker, annual; author, title entries. 
 BOOKS TO COME 
 
 N. Y., Bowker, bi-monthly; 3 general, 3 technical 
 
 issues, taken from announcement issues of Library 
 
 Journal. 
 CUMULATIVE BOOK INDEX 
 
 N. Y., Wilson, monthly; all books in English over 
 
 100 p. or $1.00. 
 LIBRARY JOURNAL 
 
 N. Y., Bowker, 22/year; 3 technical announcement 
 
 issues /year. 
 N. W. AYER AND SONS DIRECTORY 
 
 Philadelphia, Ayer, annual; periodicals, newspapers; 
 
 state/city, subject entries. 
 NEW SERIAL TITLES 
 
 Washington, Library of Congress, monthly. 
 PUBLISHERS' WEEKLY 
 
 N. Y., Bowker, weekly; "Weekly record," "Pamphlet 
 
 listings. " 
 SUBJECT GUIDE TO BOOKS IN PRINT 
 
 N. Y., Bowker, annual. 
 
 Specialized 
 
 AGRICULTURAL INDEX 
 
 N. Y., Wilson, monthly; includes USDA and state experi- 
 ment stations and selected extension services, natural 
 history publications, etc. 
 
 BIOGRAPHY INDEX 
 
 N. Y., Wilson, quarterly; name, occupation/profession 
 entries. 
 
 MONTHLY CATALOG OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 
 
 PUBLICATIONS 
 
 Washington, G. P.O., monthly. 
 
 MONTHLY CHECKLIST OF STATE PUBLICATIONS 
 Washington, Library of Congress, monthly. 
 
 PRICE LISTS 
 
 Washington, G. P. O. , revised frequently; subject lists 
 of government publications in active stock on current 
 topics. 
 
 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION MANUAL 
 Washington, G.P.O., annual. 
 
 - 131 - 
 
VERTICAL FILE INDEX 
 
 N.Y., Wilson, 11/year; title, subject entries; pamph- 
 lets, booklets, leaflets. 
 
 Other Basic Detection Aids 
 
 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS 
 
 Detroit, Yale Research, 1959. 
 
 SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SOCIETIES OF THE UNITED 
 STATES AND CANADA 
 
 Washington, National Academy of Sciences --National 
 
 Research Council, 1955. 
 ULRICH'S PERIODICALS DIRECTORY 
 
 N. Y., Bowker, 1959. 
 
 APPENDIX B. A SELECTION OF SPECIALIZED SCIENCE 
 TECHNOLOGY LITERATURE GUIDES 
 
 Blanchard, J.R., and Ha raid Ost void. Literature of Agricul- 
 tural Research. Berkeley, University of California, 1958 
 
 Crane, E.J., Austin M. Patterson, and Eleanor B. Marr. A_ 
 Guide to the Literature of Chemistry. New York, 
 Wiley, 1957. 
 
 Hawkins, R.R. Scientific, Medical, and Technical Books Pub- 
 lished in the United States of America. New York, 
 Bowker, 1958. 
 
 Jenkins, F. B. Science Reference Sources. Champaign, Illini 
 Union Bookstore, 1958. 
 
 Medical Library Association. Handbook of Medical Library 
 
 Practice. Chicago, American Library Association, 1956 
 
 Parke, N. G. Guide to the Literature of Mathematics and Physic 
 Including Related Works on Engineering Science. New 
 York, Dover, 1958. 
 
 Pearl, Richa'rd M. Guide to Geologic Literature. New York, 
 McGraw-Hill, 1951. 
 
 Sarton, George. A Guide to the History of Science. Waltham, 
 Mass., Chronica Botanica, 1952. 
 
 Smith, R.C. Guide to the Literature of the Zoological Sciences. 
 Minneapolis, Burgess, 1952. 
 
 "Technical Books of 19--". Libra ry Journal, March 1, annual. 
 
 Whitford, Robert H. Physics Literature. Washington, Scare- 
 crow, 1954. 
 
 - 132 - 
 
MASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON SOCIETY. A Guide Sheet to Na- 
 ture Study. Boston: The Society (155 Newbury St. , 16), 
 no date. (Nature study books, program aids; graded; 
 adult, secondary, intermediate [4-5-6], primary [l -2-3]; 
 titles essential in a nature library are starred; includes 
 recommended periodicals. ) 
 
 SPECIAL LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION. Military librarians divi- 
 sion. Aeronautics: Ten Titles for the Small Library, 
 Bibliography No. 1, 1956. Aeronautics: Twenty -five 
 Titles for the College or Public Library, Bibliography 
 No. 12, 1956. Aeronautics: One Hundred Titles for the 
 Large Public or Academic Library, Bibliography No. 3, 
 1956." 
 
 AMERICAN MUSEUM OF ATOMIC ENERGY. P.O. Box 117, 
 Oak Ridge, Tenn. Free and Inexpensive Literature 
 Relating to Atomic Energy Radioisotopes. 
 
 NATIONAL AVIATION EDUCATION COUNCIL. 1025 Connecti- 
 cut Ave., N. W. , Washington 6, D. C. Bibliography of 
 Recent Books about Jets, Rockets, and Space Explora- 
 Tion, 1959. 
 
 BULLETIN OF THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA. November 
 issue, "Christmas bookshelf". 
 
 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. December issue, children's books. 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. December. Children's book survey. 
 
 DESERT MAGAZINE. Each issue. 
 
 SCIENCE. Annual book issue, April. 
 
 APPENDIX D. - REPRESENTATIVE LOCAL AUDUBON 
 SOCIETY PUBLICATIONS 
 
 Source: National Audubon Society Library 
 
 (No mimeographed or professional ornithologists' publications 
 are included. ) 
 
 ATLANTIC NATURALIST 
 
 Atlantic Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States, 
 
 Box 202, Benjamin Franklin Station, Washington 4, D.C. 
 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
 
 Illinois Audubon Society, Roosevelt Rd. & Lake Shore 
 
 Drive, Chicago, 111. 
 THE BLUEBIRD 
 
 Audubon Society of Missouri, c/o Alberta Bolinger, 
 
 5079 Waterman, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 - 133 - 
 
TH.bJ CHAT 
 
 Carolina Bird Club, c/o North Carolina State Museum, 
 
 Box 228, Raleigh, N. C. 
 CLEVELAND AUDUBON SOCIETY BULLETIN 
 
 Cleveland Audubon Society, Room 309, Frederick Build- 
 ing, 2063 E. 4th St., Cleveland 15, Ohio. 
 FLORIDA NATURALIST 
 
 Florida Audubon Society, Box 821, Maitland, Fla. 
 THE GULL 
 
 Golden Gate Audubon Society, P.O. 103, Berkeley, Calif. 
 JACK-PINE WARBLER 
 
 Michigan Audubon Society, c/o Kalamazoo College, Kala- 
 
 mazoo, Mich. 
 THE KINGBIRD 
 
 Federation of New York State Bird Clubs, 42 Continental 
 
 Ave., Cohoes, N. Y. 
 MAINE FIELD NATURALIST 
 
 Maine Audubon Society, 22 Elm St., Portland, Me. 
 MASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON 
 
 Massachusetts Audubon Society, South Great Rd. , South 
 
 Lincoln, Mass. 
 NARRAGANSETT NATURALIST 
 
 Audubon Society of Rhode Island, 40 Bowen St. , Provi- 
 dence 3, R.I. 
 NEW HAMPSHIRE BIRD NEWS 
 
 Audubon Society of New Hampshire, 18 School St., Con- 
 cord, N. H. 
 NEW JERSEY NATURE NEWS 
 
 New Jersey Audubon Society, Franklin Lakes, N. J. 
 THE ORIOLE 
 
 Georgia Ornithological Society, c/o Milton Hopkins, 
 
 202 W. Roanoke, Fitzgerald, Ga. 
 ST. LOUIS AUDUBON BULLETIN 
 
 St. Louis Audubon Society, 5079 Waterman, St. Louis, 
 
 Mo. 
 
 APPENDIX E. - SCIENCE /TECHNOLOGY HISTORY JOURNALS 
 WHICH CONTAIN BOOK REVIEWS 
 
 AGRICULTURAL HISTORY 
 
 Agricultural history society. Rm. 214, David Kinley 
 Hall, University of Illinois, Urbana, 111. 
 
 - 134 - 
 
Air Force Historical Foundation, Maxwell Air Force 
 Base, Montgomery, Ala. 
 
 AMERICAN NEPTUNE 
 
 Journal of Maritime History. American Neptune, c/o 
 Peabody Museum, East India Marine Hall, Salem, Mass. 
 
 BOTTOMING OUT 
 
 An informal record of study and exploration (Canal 
 Society of New York State) 311 Montgomery St., Syra- 
 cuse 2, N. Y. 
 
 BULLETIN OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE 
 
 Johns Hopkins Institute of the History of Medicine. Johns 
 Hopkins Press, Baltimore 18, Ohio 
 
 BUSINESS HISTORY REVIEW 
 
 214-16 Baker Library, Graduate School of Business Ad- 
 ministration, Harvard University, Boston, Mass. 
 
 ISIS 
 
 International review devoted to the history of science 
 and its cultural influences. History of science society, 
 University of Washington, Seattle 5, Wash. 
 
 JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND ALLIED 
 SCIENCES 
 Yale University, New Haven, Conn. 
 
 NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. BULLETIN 
 
 A. G. Hunn, 5713 N. Camac St. , Philadelphia 41, Pa. 
 
 NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL 
 
 Nautical Research Guild, J.W. Harbin, Jr., Secretary, 
 4110 Beall St., Lanover Hills, Md. 
 
 PACIFIC RAILWAY JOURNAL 
 
 A historical quarterly. Pacific Railroad Publications, 
 Inc., 2304 Melville Drive, San Marino, Calif. 
 
 RAILWAY AND LOCOMOTIVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 
 BULLETIN. 
 Baker Library, Harvard Business School, Boston, Mass. 
 
 STEAMBOAT BILL 
 
 Relating primarily to North American steam and other 
 power vessels, past and present. Steamship Historical 
 Society of America, Inc., Box 52, Chalfont, Pa. 
 
 TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE 
 
 Devoted to the study of the development of technology 
 and its relations with society and culture. Society for 
 the History of Technology. Case Institute of Technology, 
 Room 311, Main Building, Cleveland 6, Ohio. 
 
 - 135 - 
 
APPENDIX F. - SCIENCE /TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION 
 JOURNALS 
 
 AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION MAGAZINE 
 
 American Vocational Association, Agricultural Section, 
 Interstate Printers & Publishers, 1 9 N. Jackson St., 
 Danville, HI. 
 
 AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER 
 
 National Association of Biology Teachers, p. Webster, 
 Bryan City School, Bryan, Ohio. 
 
 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICS 
 
 American Association of Physics Teachers, American 
 Institute of Physics, Inc., 335 E. 45th St., New York 
 17, N. Y. 
 
 ARITHMETIC TEACHER 
 
 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1201 Six- 
 teenth St. , N.W., Washington 6, D.C. 
 
 JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION 
 
 American Chemical Society, Division of Chemical Edu- 
 cation, 20th & Northampton Sts. , Easton, Pa. 
 
 JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION 
 
 American Society for Engineering Education, University 
 of Illinois, Urbana, 111. 
 
 MATHEMATICS TEACHER 
 
 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1201 Six- 
 teenth St. , N.W., Washington 6, D.C. 
 
 SCHOOL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS 
 
 Journal for all science and mathematics teachers, 
 P.O. Box 408, Oak Park, 111. 
 
 SCIENCE EDUCATION 
 
 National Association for Research in Science Teaching, 
 University of Tampa, Fla. 
 
 SCIENCE TEACHER 
 
 National Science Teachers Association, 1201 Sixteenth 
 St., N. W., Washington 6, D.C. 
 
 See also: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL EDU- 
 CATION; JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION; and 
 JOURNAL OF MEDICAL EDUCATION. 
 
 (Source: Education Index) 
 
 - 136 - 
 
References 
 
 1. Schutze, Gertrude. Bibliography of Guides to the 
 S-T-M Literature. New York, the author, 1958. (out of print) 
 
 2. Marco, Guy A.: An Appraisal of Favorability in 
 Current Book Reviewing. University of Illinois Library School 
 Occasional Papers, No. 57, Dec. 1957. 
 
 3. Merritt, L. C. : The Pattern of Modern Book Re- 
 viewing. In: Reviews in Book Selection by L. C. Merritt, et al. 
 Detroit, Wayne State University Press, 1958. 
 
 - 137 - 
 
PROBLEMS OF SELECTION IN SCIENCE 
 
 William S. Budington 
 
 Identifying the problems of selection in science has 
 something in common with trying to decide how to vote for the 
 next president. You can go just by the picture on your televis- 
 ion screen, or you can review his existence back to the time 
 when his father first smiled at his mother. Book selection can 
 be considered a simple, daisy-picking game of love-you, love- 
 you-not, or you can bring into the picture the entire world of 
 publishing, selling and readingand the lives of humankind, our 
 readers. In this discussion, a selection will be made from the 
 general as well as the particular, from aspects of library ad- 
 ministration as well as the peculiarities of science literature. 
 Problems there are many, of solutions there are some. 
 
 Many of the problems attributed to the selection of sci- 
 ence materials are common to selecting in any field. Indeed, 
 one may say that there is no special problem with the science 
 books; the real problem is with the librarian who is trying to do 
 the selection. When dealing with fiction or family life or poli- 
 tics or history, the librarian wades right in (sometimes with his 
 useful aids, of course), winnowing the harvest. Science, how- 
 ever, carries the stigma of a mysterious and impenetrable re- 
 gion, which only the initiated dare enter. The barrier is pri- 
 marily one of terminology; the words are esoteric and meaning- 
 less, by themselves or together in a sentence. In the social 
 sciences, we hear no complaints of trouble, even where words, 
 perhaps meaningful when alone, are strung together in incom- 
 prehensible titles. There, we cope; with science, we give up. 
 The basic fear, then, is that because we do not understand sci- 
 ence, we cannot even begin to select materials on it. None of 
 us is an expert in all the other fields of knowledge, yet we do 
 select in them. There is no overwhelming reason to get fluttery 
 or hysterical about science. 
 
 William S. Budington is Associate Librarian of 
 The John Crerar Library in Chicago, Illinois. 
 
 - 138 - 
 
When we consider scientific book selection in the broad 
 picture, we immediately find the basic problems being shared 
 with all subject fields. Our first problem, of course, is the 
 study and analysis of the community we are serving. The tech- 
 niques for doing this are not within the province of this paper. 
 Only through such an identification process, however, will we 
 know to what extent science and technology should be empha- 
 sized in the over-all program. The suburban, the rural, the 
 business, the manufacturing communities will present their 
 varied patterns of interests. While, ideally, we hope to satisfy 
 any inquiry, whatever the subject, we know that gardening, 
 polymer chemistry, bird books, steel casting, amateur radio, 
 and food preparation may have more or less popularity depend- 
 ing on the location of the library. Population characteristics 
 also provide useful guidelines. The distribution of age groups, 
 economic and educational levels, and occupational specialties 
 are among the elements having influence on the direction of our 
 buying activities. Neither should we overlook the cultural and 
 learning opportunities generally available. In an academic or 
 special library, the community to be surveyed is of different 
 nature, of course. Knowledge of community characteristics in 
 any situation is as essential to good book selection in science as 
 it is to that in any subject area. 
 
 The types of library service being provided must also be 
 considered. One needs to weigh the requirements for recrea- 
 tional reading, to decide whether research needs are to be satis- 
 fied, to estimate the volume of calls for quick reference an- 
 swers by telephone or in person. Our conference chairman has 
 nicely categorized the varieties of users of scientific material. 
 We have the intelligent layman, keeping up with the progress of 
 science on a broad front. There is the amateur practitioner, 
 making quite a thing out of his particular phase of science. Stu- 
 dents carry on their studies at various levelsand never under- 
 estimate the upper or lower limits of their interest. Scientists 
 and technicians are concerned with applications to practical 
 ends, and the research worker of scholarly bent may deal with 
 the basic and theoretical investigation and report. Again, we 
 find, as with other subject areas, that collections in science are 
 built to accord with the pattern of service and the range of users 
 in the respective library situation. 
 
 Speaking of users, one should note a characteristic some 
 times thought typical of the scientist and technician. He does 
 not tend to be a great user of books. Thus, one group whom we 
 intend to serve may not make his needs known. Chemists are 
 said to be aware of the importance of keeping abreast of the lit- 
 
 - 139 - 
 
erature and of looking up information. Engineers, on the other 
 hand, are among that greater number who rely on common 
 sense, innate ability, and personal contact to solve their prob- 
 lems. Their world of ideas is centered on the laboratory and 
 shop, and the answers are felt to lie in practical trial and ex- 
 periment. This approach contrasts with that of the humanist or 
 political scientist, whose expressive outlet is in the printed 
 word and who is therefore more accustomed to this medium of 
 inquiry. To some extent, then, we are handicapped in identify- 
 ing subject areas and needed materials for an important seg- 
 ment of our community. We are also challenged to provide just 
 the right thing when this group needs it, that they may be con- 
 verted from skeptics to supporters of the library. 
 
 Maintenance of proper balance in the acquisitions pro- 
 gram is another of our so-called problems in which all subject 
 areas are equally implicated. When related to the sciences, it 
 is sometimes considered critical, for reasons not wholly clear. 
 Possibly the ravening horde of science-stimulated students, the 
 daily announcements of break-throughs, and other demand-creat- 
 ing factors are expected to pressure our careful plans awry. It 
 is true that this nuclear age develops needs unexpected and 
 previously unknown. But what was considered "balance" twenty 
 years ago cannot be so considered today. Even as we recognize 
 the desirability of representing new schools of political and 
 economic thought and new literary and visual arts, so should we 
 admit the new sciences and technologies. And from library to 
 library the balance changes, so that this maintenance problem 
 must be considered relative to time and place. Proper control 
 of acquisitions is only achieved through continuing sensitivity, 
 to community needs, to developments in man's knowledge, to 
 the output of appropriate materials, and other elements so well 
 discussed by previous speakers. Also useful are records of li- 
 brary growth and use. A classified tabulation of accessions will 
 reveal sudden or even long-term changes of emphasis on a sub- 
 ject. Similarly classified figures on circulation provide some 
 idea of demand. One recognizes, of course, the danger hereof 
 closed-loop deductions --collection strength to use to acquisition 
 to collection strength. Maintenance of balance must be achieved 
 through watchful administration. Pressures from science are 
 to be taken in stride with pressures from existentialism. If, for a 
 particular community, a thoughtfully planned collection contains 
 90 per cent or 2 per cent science, so be it; it is still balanced, 
 on its own individual center of gravity. 
 
 In evaluating the place of science in a library's program, 
 note may be taken of many other factors not unique to any sub- 
 
 - 140 - 
 
ject field but certainly capable of affecting decisions on scien- 
 tific collecting. Regional responsibility may be assigned in a 
 scientific area as surely as in the historical. The presence of 
 The John Crerar Library has affected the collecting policies of 
 libraries throughout the midwest. Cooperation among libraries, 
 in planned acquisitions programs and in liberal loan policies, 
 will have a bearing on decisions to buy or not to buy. Photo- 
 copying services, too, aid in satisfying inquirer's needs. A few 
 judiciously selected union lists and guides to regional and na- 
 tional resources open up facilities far beyond the single library's 
 power to acquire. Last but far from least, in selecting in sci- 
 ence or any other field one must know one's own collection. The 
 lack of anything on a subject, the presence of old or outdated 
 or recent materials, the quality of holdings --these add to the 
 context essential to good decisions on purchases. 
 
 Nearly all of the foregoing discussion points to the neces- 
 sity of a definite acquisitions policy. Always recognized as de- 
 sirable, policies are far too often insufficiently spelled out in 
 thought, let alone set down in black and white. A number of the 
 larger libraries have developed written statements, especially 
 since their selection processes are the work of many minds. 
 If we consider that building collections in science and technology 
 is a worrisome thing, then how desirable it is to set policy, and 
 have it available for consultation by staff and readers alike. 
 When the problem of intellectual freedom raised its rocky obs- 
 tacles, we studied them carefully and set our course, in bold 
 statements; perhaps one of the problems with science (or any 
 other "tough" subject) is that we have not constructed such 
 guides. 
 
 And so to the selection process itself. As noted earlier, 
 the biggest problem facing most librarians is the fear of the un- 
 known. We could be trite, quoting that "there is nothing to fear 
 but fear itself. " Recall, if you will, the endless controversy 
 over library science vs. subject training. We say that a well- 
 trained librarian, versed in the bibliographic tools of many 
 fields, can move easily about, picking up sufficient subject 
 knowledge en route to meet the requirements of each occasion. 
 Wherefore do we say now that, though we can learn to understand 
 an inquirer's question and answer it, we cannot learn to recog- 
 nize the books containing the answers ? The reply, of course, 
 is that we can learn about science, in the same manner that our 
 readers do. 
 
 Keeping up with current publishing activity in science is 
 indeed a problem, as it is with any active discipline nowadays. 
 There is an urgency about science that perhaps is not felt about 
 
 - 141 - 
 
religion or philosophy or economics; this is one of the many 
 legacies of the wars and the sputniks. To the student of any 
 subject, his present need is urgent. But, somehow, the word 
 "latest" is attached more frequently to science books, and we 
 therefore feel we must not miss a trick. Here is one of our 
 problems: finding out what is coming out now- -not six or ten 
 months ago. George S. Bonn has reviewed for us many of the 
 aids in selecting science materials; his own contributions here 
 are considerable. In brief, we use many of the same types of 
 sources for our information as do selectors in other fields. We 
 'scan book reviews, hoping to find that ideal presentation des- 
 cribed by l&cClelland: a citation with complete and exact biblio- 
 graphic information; the place of this book and its subject in the 
 over-all "art" of the day; an^evaluation of its dependability; 
 comparison with other similar works; the style of treatment 
 and requirement of reader background; the qualifications of the 
 author. In other words, an objective, competent examination 
 and judgment according to correct criteria --what we wish we 
 could do ourselves, the same qualities of good reviewing, in 
 fact, needed in any subject field. Too often, however, we find 
 the review hardly adequate for our need. It quotes from the 
 jacket, the preface or the publisher's blurb. It often passes no 
 judgment. And judgments, when given, are more frequently 
 favorable than our skeptical minds will entertain as believable. 
 Some reviewing media we do find helpful. However, prepara- 
 tion of the truly helpful review may well require a time beyond 
 
 the period of maximum usefulness^ 
 
 * Publisher's releases and advertising^ are usually our 
 mos.t up-to-the-minute sourcewhen they give publication date. 
 Omission of date, on the other hand, can trap the unwary into 
 buying up old stock under false impression of recency. With 
 advertisements, too, one has little on which to base judgment, 
 except publisher's and author's reputations and recognition of 
 topical currency. Availability of review copies enables the se- 
 lector to satisfy himself on the title's worth, assuming his good 
 judgment; it also presents the temptation of keeping more books 
 than are really needed, the bird-in-hand being a powerful argu- 
 ment. Suggestion by users is another conventional source, tak- 
 en at face value. One survey found that while 44 per cent of the 
 replying librarians used patrons' suggestions, 35.2 per cent of 
 them did so with discretion. 3 
 
 Calling on specialists to assist in book selection is com- 
 monly done, sometimes informally when "X"happens by, some- 
 times through establishment of panels. The small or isolated 
 library may have few if any specialists available. Academic 
 
 - 142 - 
 
and special libraries normally consult faculty or staff members 
 for advice; occasionally, approval by such personnel is requir- 
 ed, which solves the librarian's problem nicely by taking the 
 reins out of his hands. The specialist, having understanding of 
 the subject is presumed also to have judgment. Where the two 
 qualities occur together, happy is the librarian. To some spec- 
 ialists, however, all books are good books, and the more avail- 
 able in their fields, the better. One then has a brand new prob- 
 lemgetting rid of the specialists. Competence in mechanical 
 engineering, moreover, ensures no surety in electrical engi- 
 neering, though both are "engineering." Scientific specialists 
 are truly that; their scope is likely to be quite circumscribed 
 and, for the admiring librarian, their little knowledge may in- 
 deed become a dangerous thing. One writer has, with womanly 
 intuition, pointed out a subsidiary benefit that men like to be 
 asked for advice, and may thus be conjured into becoming inter- 
 ested and frequent users of the library. ^ 
 
 Lacking a science degree or a dependable specialist, how 
 may a librarian evaluate materials for acquisition? In many 
 respects, again by the same criteria used in other fields. The 
 wise teachings of Helen Haines may be studied in this area as in 
 others. -* Certain publishers are known to produce generally 
 high-class works. Others have a good one now and then but 
 must be watched. A few should be approached warily in all 
 cases. The qualifications of the author are generally stated- - 
 at least, his business or academic connections or training and 
 experience or, in some cases, the specialist who aided him if 
 the writer is a non-specialist. The purpose and scope of the 
 book may be considered in relation to the library's needs for 
 general or professional treatment, complete or partial cover- 
 age, original research or secondary reporting, critical review, 
 summarization, or dogmatic expounding. 
 
 [Examination of the book will note any obvious errors in 
 grammar, tabulation, and even mathematics. The logic ajid 
 precision of expression can often be inferred, and if the work 
 is a popularization, any tendency to sloppiness, writing-down, 
 or exaggeration may be noted. Indexing and bibliographic 
 features are standard clues to quality, where appropriate; ac- 
 curate references and further readings are recognizable vir- 
 tues. In scientific and technical works, illustrative material is 
 often important. Half-tone pictures are valuable for some pur- 
 poses; frequently, line drawings and cut-away views are more 
 useful in explanation. In textbooks and manuals, worked -out 
 examples and step-by-step instructions are invaluable to the 
 student or apprentice. The intrinsic worth of a book may not be 
 
 - 143 - 
 
completely judged in any of these ways, of course; this does 
 require understanding of the content. But the librarian surely 
 should not feel wholly lost; a book is still a book, and is per se 
 subject to some evaluative measurement. Elimination of a pros- 
 pective title is a positive act contributing to the selection pro- 
 cess just as surely as approval. This type of so-called "nega- 
 tive selection" can be developed into a fine art, fortunately for 
 the world of librarianship. 
 
 Note should be made here of the popularization; this is 
 a form of science literature mentioned in previous papers at 
 this meeting. Generally, [criteria for selection are the obvious 
 ones of authority, clarity, readability, timeliness, etc^J The 
 problem arises as to what proportion of the science collection 
 is proper for this type of writing. It has been said that the ma- 
 jor problem in selecting science books is finding sound popular- 
 izations. Aids in this process are poor, and the non-specialist 
 librarian, as a typical "general" reader, is possibly his own 
 best adviser. Others decry the influence of popularizations on 
 selection trends, feeling the long view calls for purchase of 
 materials of more permanent value. ' 
 
 The rapidly changing profile of scientific knowledge has 
 been vividly shown to us. Another characteristic is unique to 
 the sciences and, as has been pointed out, to the literature; this 
 is the factor of continuity. Rather than disparity and opposi- 
 tion, we find growth and the building upon what has gone before. 
 In the literature, this results in rapid obsolescence and frequent 
 new editions. We are faced with new books which may be better 
 than old books, and new editions which should, perhaps, replace 
 previous editions. In both instances, judgment requires us to 
 have some conception of the characteristics of the subject field 
 --how rapidly is it changing, what new developments have taken 
 place, to what extent are older practices still valid, does the 
 new show signs of supplanting the old or is it likely to be of on- 
 ly academic interest? A new edition may offer thoroughly re- 
 vised and rewritten content, with up-dated tabulation and illus- 
 tration, recent citations in bibliographies, and changes in em- 
 phasis. On the other hand, revision may consist of only a few 
 paragraphs added to the end of a chapter or two, or possibly a 
 new chapter whose content is already represented in the library's 
 collections. Edition changes must be weighed in the light of sub- 
 ject requirements and cost of volumes. 
 
 The factor of obsolescence is related not only to the need 
 for acquiring new materials but to the desirability of discarding 
 the old. "Weeding" we call it, with twinges of conscience that 
 not as much of it is done as should be. Our so-called "negative" 
 
 - 144 - 
 
selection operates here as well as in rejection of materials for 
 purchase. The same criteria must be applied to books in the 
 collection which are susceptible to discard as operate in choice 
 of acquisitions. One new factor must be consideredwhether 
 the library includes historical research among the interests 
 which it wishes to satisfy. Few libraries willor should 
 deem it necessary to retain superseded editions or early trea- 
 tises for this reason; they may wish to keep old editions of ref- 
 erence works for lending copies, but only if this status relative 
 to later editions is clear to the reader. 
 
 Some studies have been made of the relative rates of 
 obsolescence of library materials. One study has shown that, 
 in the liberal arts, perhaps 8 or 9 per cent of the collection an- 
 nually becomes obsolete. ' A supplemental study found that en- 
 gineering works, by contrast, have an obsolescence rate of 
 about 16 per cent; that is, one sixth of a consistently growing 
 engineering collection becomes obsolete in a given year. 10 
 These figures have some interest in revealing how much weed- 
 ing may be appropriate. Obviously, they do not answer the jack- 
 pot question- -which books do we discard. This, alas, must be 
 answered the hard way, by examination and evaluation of indi- 
 vidual titles. Date alone, while a leading clue, cannot be the 
 only measure; informed judgment must play the major role in 
 decision making. 
 
 We have heard our previous speakers describe the dif- 
 ferent forms in which the literature of science appears. We 
 have seen how rapidity of change and sequential progression 
 from one man's work to the next make necessary the prompt re- 
 porting of information. Periodicals, with their capability of 
 recency in coverage, are thus not only desirable in the library's 
 collection (as with other subjects), they are absolutely essen- 
 tial to knowlege and understanding in science. The hard-cover 
 book provides our foundation stone of theory and general prac- 
 tice; it may also summarize and review developments of the 
 past year or two. Only the periodical, journal, bulletin, or re- 
 port can bring us news of this month, today, and next year. Thus, 
 the problems in selection of the science collection are not lim- 
 ited to books but extend also to other forms, most important 
 being the periodical. 
 
 Here again, some of our criteria of physical excellence 
 may be applied.' Reputation of publisher; status of authors, 
 care in editing, 'inclusion and quality of illustrative material are 
 reasonably identifiable in making selections for subscription. 
 Affecting our over-all decisions is the fact that acquisition of a 
 serial publication is not a one-shot operation as with a book. A 
 
 - 145 - 
 
subscription has to be paid each year. We have to process 4 
 or 12 or 24 or 52 or even 365 pieces a year instead of one. Our 
 shelf space is progressively occupied. We must decide on re- 
 tention. We must somehow box or package or bind. None of 
 These housekeeping operations relate to basic worth, but one or 
 all of them may influence our decision in selection. 
 
 Some brighter aspects of this picture may be pointed out. 
 One is not compelled to continue a subscription; if our decision 
 left something to be desired, or if the quality of the periodical 
 deteriorates, a cancellation can be made. Sometimes, presence 
 of a back file may recommend continuance of subscription- -a 
 curious influence, when you examine it, which should usually be 
 disregarded. Storage problems can be minimized through the 
 use of microforms, as we have done with newspapers. Over 
 60 per cent of the titles covered in Applied Science and Technol- 
 ogy Index are available on microfilm from University Micro- 
 films, of Ann Arbor, Michigan. To purchase films at the end 
 of the year, one must have been a subscriber; instead of bind- 
 ing, however, one eventually discards issues and the binding 
 money covers the cost of the film. With a combination film 
 reader and enlargement-printer, most users are adequately and 
 happily served. 
 
 Full utilization of periodicals selected also requires 
 more than conventional cataloging of titles. As with general 
 subject fields, we must have the appropriate indexing services 
 available. To the Applied Science and Technology Index already 
 mentioned, we may add more specialized services as the size, 
 scope, and acquisition and service policies may require. Their 
 cost is often not small and must be viewed in the same context 
 with cost of the journals themselves. 
 
 Cost may indeed be a primary problem to many libraries 
 wishing to acquire scientific publications. Science literature is 
 expensive, and has been getting increasingly more so. Basis of 
 this differential is undoubtedly due to production factors. The 
 illustrations and diagrams, cited as being desirable in science 
 books and magazines, are not produced on a linotype machine; 
 they require expensive art work, photographic processes, and 
 special printing media. Tables, mathematical expressions and 
 chemical formulae must be hand set for letter press, or special 
 care taken in offset printing preparation. According to recent 
 figures, art books are the most expensive category, averaging 
 $11. 35 per volume. Next in line come science at $9. 16 and tech- 
 nology at $8. 09 per volume. For the nine subject areas consid- 
 ered, the over-all average is probably between $6.00 and $7.00. 
 The per cent of increase since the base period 1947/49 has also 
 
 - 146 - 
 
ranked high for these groups. Top subject here was business 
 at 69. 1 per cent, with technology second at 66. 5 per cent and 
 science third at 65. 9 percent. * * 
 
 For periodicals, the differential in subscription rates is 
 equally impressive. For nineteen subject categories, the over- 
 all average is probably in the order of $5.00 or $6. 00. The top 
 four subjects are as follows: chemistry and physics, $10.40; 
 psychology, $8.97; zoology, $8.65; mathematics, botany, geol- 
 ogy, and general science, $6.43. In per cent of increase since 
 1947/49, the majority of subject categories range from 25 to 
 40 per cent. The figure for chemistry was 163.3 per cent, for 
 zoology nearly 60 per cent. ^ 
 
 Unfortunately, the problem of cost is one about which we 
 cannot do very much; provision of necessary funds is its only 
 solution, from whatever source. Costs do, however, influence 
 our book selection practices. They underline the necessity for 
 developing some skills in building our science collections, of 
 making sure that what we buy is really needed, and that it is the 
 best we can afford. When faced with book prices higher than we 
 pay for many subjects, .it is tempting to go for the easy bargains, 
 We may buy all popularized books and no textbooks or mono- 
 graphs; we may depend on Popular Science and Science Digest 
 to see us through. Since science books cost a lot and are hard 
 to choose, just forget about them. No thinking librarian adopts 
 this attitude, of course, but he should worry about it. 
 
 Of other non-book forms of literature, science also has 
 its share. Awareness of vertical file materials must be main- 
 tained; government documents must be considered, and the ex- 
 istence of dissertations and audio-visual materials recognized. 
 Certain types of publications are primarily scientific and tech- 
 nical in nature and decisions must be made on selecting and ac- 
 quiring them. Trade literature and manufacturer's catalogs is 
 one category. Easy to obtain, this group presents many prob- 
 lems in indexing, filing, storage and weeding, not to speak of 
 how selection is to be made of the millions of pieces available. 
 Patent gazettes and specifications are generally found only in 
 the larger libraries, but all technical librarians must under- 
 stand their place and availability. Standards and codes are is- 
 sued by government agencies and professional and trade assoc- 
 iations; here again, decision must be made on need and repre- 
 sentation to be provided. Although considered tools of other 
 fields also, maps constitute important sources of geological, 
 agricultural, and other scientific and technical data;establishing 
 their existence and housing them when acquired are problems of 
 some proportion. 
 
 - 147 - 
 
It is in science, too, that some of our touchy areas are 
 found. We may consider that the department of family living is 
 supervising materials on birth control and sex education. But 
 in collections of any size, the acquisition of works in medical 
 science requires nice judgment, as does the handling of medi- 
 cally oriented inquiries. Some areas in psychology can cause 
 the librarian anxious moments, too; remember Bridey Murphy 
 and the protests against buying of works on abnormalities. Even 
 the purchase of works on locksmithing, firearms, and printing 
 may be questioned; who knows what burglars, murderers, and 
 counterfeiters are thus assisted in their evil works? 
 
 In summary, then, we find that many of the problems of 
 selecting materials in science are also encountered in other 
 subject fields. Their solutions have much in common with tech- 
 niques employed in these other fields. One must know the com- 
 munity and the library's present holdings in order to choose 
 wisely among the flood of materials available. One must devel- 
 op a program of service and a logically constructed acquisitions 
 policy. One must locate the appropriate sources of information 
 on new materials. One must exercise judgment to the fullest 
 extent of one's abilities, whether it be from full knowledge of 
 the subject or from knowledge of books as media. The collec- 
 tions should be recognized as subject to rapid obsolescence and 
 replacement, and containing a large proportion of serial publi- 
 cations. And the obstacle of high costs of science books looms 
 large in the acquisitions picture. Above all, in many minds, is 
 the mystery of science, the complexity of technology, the sup- 
 posedly impossible task of knowing anything at all about the sub- 
 jects and the books on them. Here is truly a problem, but only 
 if one insists that it is and evermore shall be one. As persons 
 of high cultural standards and ingenious abilities, we will dis- 
 cover that the solution to this problem is to practice what we 
 preach- -to wake up and read. 
 
 References 
 
 1. Jenkins, Frances B. : Acquisition of Scientific and 
 Technological Material. Library Trends, 3;414-422, April 1955, 
 
 2. McClelland, E. H. : Reviewing of Technical Books-- 
 The Minimum Requirements. Journal of Chemical Education, 
 25:380-382, 1948. 
 
 - 148 - 
 
3. Zimmerman, W. E. : Technical Book Selection and 
 Survey of Practice in Public Libraries; A Bibliographic Essay 
 and Survey. M.S.L.S. Thesis prepared at Western Reserve 
 University, 1957. 
 
 4. Bedinger, M. : A Technical Library Should Penetrate 
 the Community. Library Journal, 67:195, Mar. 1, 1942. 
 (Quoted in Zimmerman, ibid. ) 
 
 5. Haines, Helen E. : Living with Books. 2nd ed. New 
 York, Columbia University Press, 1950. 
 
 6. Carter, Mary D. , and Bonk, W. J. : Building Li- 
 brary Collections. New York, Scarecrow Press, 1959, 
 
 pp. 100-101. 
 
 7. Weinstein, F. D. : Book Selection in the Sciences. 
 A.L.A. Bulletin, 52:509-513, July 1958. 
 
 8. Ibid. 
 
 9. Gosnell, C. F. : Rate of Obsolescence in College Li- 
 brary Book Collections. Ph. D. Thesis prepared at New York 
 University, 1943. 
 
 10. Budington, W.S. : Obsolescence of Engineering Books. 
 M.S. Thesis prepared at Columbia University, 1951. 
 
 11. Kurth, W. H. : U.S. Book and Periodical Prices- -A 
 Preliminary Report. Library Journal, 85:54-57, Jan. 1, I960. 
 
 12. Welch, Helen M. : Cost Indexes for U.S. Periodicals: 
 A Progress Report. Library Resources and Technical Services, 
 4:150-157, Spring I960. 
 
 - 149 - 
 
THE COMPONENTS OF THE SCIENCE COLLECTION 
 
 Irene Strieby 
 
 Previous papers have discussed the various aspects of 
 science literature for general reading so presumably all pre- 
 vious steps already have been taken into consideration when the 
 basic ingredients of the collection- -or components, as the term 
 appears in the title of this paper are analyzed. This phrase, 
 somewhat anticlimatic, lands the author somewhere on the cir- 
 cumference of a circle --perhaps that vicious one containing the 
 chicken and the egg. Or to put it another way, some may feel 
 that we had the "cart before the horse "--that, for example, one 
 does not select until he knows what to select for whom, why, 
 when, how, and where. 
 
 Much time could be wasted on the question of priorities 
 but, since this is the last discussion in the second series, we 
 cannot turn back and start all over again. Let us proceed, 
 therefore, to think about the composition of the collection, built 
 or re-built, in the light of what the reading public wants, where 
 to get it and how, as well as of other types of materials the gen- 
 eral reader might use to advantage once he becomes aware of 
 their existence. In this paper some suggestions may, of neces- 
 sity, emphasize those made by previous speakers; in fact, they 
 may be repetitive in spots. On the other hand there may be 
 some difference of opinion. By this time one gathers that the 
 general reader is a person of ordinary intelligence who has not 
 had recent training nor, up to now, specific knowledge of the 
 subject in which he has indicated an interest. 
 
 In order for us to be thinking about the same types of 
 materials which form the components of the science collection, 
 it is wise to formulate a definition of science for the purposes 
 of this discussion. The word "science" may have different 
 meaning for different people. It covers everything known in the 
 
 Mrs. Strieby is Librarian Emerita. of the 
 Eli Lilly Company Library in Indianapolis, 
 Indiana. 
 
 - 150 - 
 
past about nature as well as the new facts constantly supple- 
 mented by scientists. It could be the knowledge of heavenly 
 bodies, of chemical compounds, of minerals, of plant life, and 
 all other phenomena which make up the world in which we live 
 --any phase of pure science. Then there are the practical uses 
 in which discoveries are used by man. These affect our daily 
 existence in one way or anotherjet planes, stronger metals, 
 maps of the Arctic regions, insecticides, and perhaps a new 
 drug to fight a hitherto unconquerable disease such as poliomye- 
 litis. In other words, the term covers both the pure and applied 
 sciences. The definition can be broadened sufficiently to in- 
 clude career information in scientific fields which ordinarily 
 might be classed with education. It may also include some hob- 
 by and how-to-do-it information although no particular stress 
 will be placed on these categories in which there is great read- 
 er interest as was pointed out earlier by John T. Thackery. 
 
 The components are a composite of many conditions and 
 many pressures and the resulting collection represents the ne- 
 gotiation of many roadblocks. Before breaking down the collec- 
 tion into categories to be considered for various types of libra- 
 riesschool, college, and public--it may be helpful to review 
 some of these roadblocks to achieving a balanced collection. 
 Some may have been touched upon in earlier papers and not all 
 are applicable to all three types of libraries. 
 
 Let us begin with the librarian rather than the clientele. 
 Mary L. Bundy and Hilda Womack* set out to collect informa- 
 tion which would form the basis of a discussion of the signifi- 
 cance of the reading done by public librarians. They felt that 
 librarians conduct and sometimes use studies of the reading in- 
 terests of the clientele they serve but little is known about what 
 is read by the librarians themselves. In the 63 per cent usable 
 response to a written questionnaire they found that only 6 per 
 cent read often in the fields of science and technology. When 
 fiction and nonfiction are put together and all subject fields 
 ranked in decreasing order, according to the amount of reading 
 reported, neither science nor business is found among the top 
 ten. 
 
 If the librarians who answered the questionnaire are 
 typical, as a group they are readers of books, but their reading 
 tastes undoubtedly continue a pattern begun early in life. This 
 background can limit their usefulness in building a well-rounded 
 collection to help the reading public "keep up with a technologi- 
 cal, industrialized, crowded, complex, and constantly changing, 
 shifting society" for which they will need a special sense of di- 
 rection. The study concludes with the observation that librar- 
 
 - 151 - 
 
ians are not consciously using books to give themselves this 
 special sense of direction so that they, in turn, can help their 
 fellow citizens, both separately and together, to orient them- 
 selves to changing conditions. 
 
 In our larger academic institutions, C.H. Brown^ said 
 some have been found in which every professional member of 
 the library staff had majored in the humanities thus the admin- 
 istration of these libraries is determined more by an approach 
 to the humanities than to the sciences. He feels that "an under- 
 standing of the sciences, even if superficial, seems necessary 
 for every librarian, since he may be called upon not only to as- 
 sist research scientists, but also to give information to the 
 many concerned with scientific advances, as well as to scholars 
 in many fields of the humanities who are affected by recent sci- 
 entific discoveries. " 
 
 Another roadblock is the problem of communicating sci- 
 ence to the layman. Perhaps we have far too few scientists 
 writing good books. Each branch of science has developed its 
 own terminology so it is difficult to translate it into words which 
 can be understood by the general reader. There is the amusing 
 story, for example, of the man who received a gift book by 
 Einstein on the theory of relativity but confessed to the donor 
 that, although he could identify all the words, as he tried to read 
 he could not understand any of the sentences. Then too, due to 
 the splintering of science, it is becoming increasingly difficult 
 for one scientist to understand another. Here we need only to 
 be reminded of President Hutchins 1 complaint about the anato- 
 mists teaching at the University of Chicago who were so spec- 
 ialized they could not speak intelligently to one another unless 
 they were working on the same parts of the body. On the other 
 hand, scientists are becoming more and more aware of the in- 
 terdependence of the sciences and they never know when a dis- 
 covery in one field might affect the result in what they are try- 
 ing to accomplish in an entirely different one, so it behooves 
 them to read widely for information just as it does the layman. 
 Turning the tables, perhaps you have heard the story bandied 
 around among physicians who complain that they cannot under- 
 stand what disease the patients think they have until they check 
 the most recent issue of the Readers' Digest which has sent the 
 patients to them. 
 
 A third roadblock may lie in the negative attitudes in the 
 minds of readers which steer them away from science. The 
 forty-fifth survey of a series called the Purdue Opinion Panel, 
 conducted by the University's Division of Educational Ref- 
 erence, 3 was given by high schools to approximately 15, 000 
 
 - 152 - 
 
students who recorded their answers anonymously, then the 
 data were tabulated on IBM machines. This survey dealt with 
 physical science aptitudes and attitudes toward various occupa- 
 tions ranging from sales clerk to atomic scientist. A sample 
 of 2, 500 replies was drawn, and, when occupations were con- 
 sidered as social institutions, housewife and physician tied for 
 first place; psychologist and storekeeper for eighth. Last place 
 was delegated to the atomic scientist which may reflect a poor 
 understanding of the scientist and his work. As a possible vo- 
 cation, the atomic scientist tied with the psychologist for fifth 
 place. Questions phrased in the stereotypes of scientists drew 
 replies which were not encouraging such as: 14 per cent thought 
 there was something evil about scientists; 28 per cent did not 
 believe scientists have time to enjoy life; 35 per cent felt it 
 necessary to be a genius to become a scientist; 25 per cent 
 thought scientists, as a group, are more than a little bit "odd"; 
 and 27 per cent were convinced that scientists are willing to 
 sacrifice the welfare of others to further their own interests. If 
 parent attitude is reflected in student opinion, it is little won- 
 der that libraries are not deluged with demands for material on 
 pure science and the situation can hardly fail to influence the 
 supply of technically-trained graduates. From this comes the 
 realization that science training must begin in the elementary 
 school. 
 
 On the other hand, a recent news release from Lehigh 
 University 4 indicated that books on pure science, which had the 
 highest circulation the previous year, were second in popular- 
 ity during the 1959-60 academic year with 13, 998 on loan. This 
 field led in acquisitions with 2, 089 titles added. Among public 
 libraries there is little documentation to indicate reader inter- 
 est in science although, in talking informally with librarians, 
 one receives the impression that demands have increased in 
 specific areas. An examination of statistics usually indicates 
 that circulation of science items is buried among nonfiction 
 items which, in proportion to the fiction statistic of approximate 
 ly 65 per cent reported by B. R. Berelson^ over a decade ago, 
 probably has not changed materially as much to date as it will 
 in the future. From one member of the American Library As- 
 sociation's Library Community Project came word that his li- 
 brary had increased its science book circulation figure 50 per 
 cent in comparing figures for 1959 with those for 1957. 
 
 If librarians wish to learn about reader interest in sci- 
 ence from an objective viewpoint, a report of a survey made for 
 the National Association of Science Writers is a source. ^ Dur- 
 ing the spring of 1957, 1, 919 American adults, selected to rep- 
 
 - 153 - 
 
resent a cross section of the public, were questioned at length 
 about their habits, attitudes, and opinions. Results showed that 
 those interviewed got their science news primarily through news 
 papers; television and magazines rated close as the next most 
 popular medium while radio was mentioned by only 4 per cent. 
 A special question asked about the use of books, including pa- 
 perbacks, as a source of information, showed that 8 per cent 
 of adults read at least one book during the past year that in- 
 cluded some science reporting. Books were cited as a source 
 of useful science information by approximately one person in 
 every one hundred. This is not so discouraging as it first 
 sounds because this survey was concerned with science news 
 when it is news rather than with retrospective science informa- 
 tion. It is also well to keep in mind that science writers must 
 sell their stories to editors. One such writer explained that it 
 would be easier to sell an editor a story about his kidneys than 
 about archeology unless the Indian arrowheads were unearthed 
 in the editor's own back yard. 
 
 Although there are many other deterrents to a major in- 
 crease in the demand for science materials at present, there 
 is only one more roadblock which will be mentioned here- -that 
 of the need for selective, annotated lists of books by authors 
 particularly successful in conveying factual knowledge to their 
 readers such as Lancelot Hogben's books on mathematics. To 
 this end, the Special Projects Committee of A.L..A. 's Adults 
 Services Division has been working on a proposal for a series 
 of reading guidance booklets which came out of an inquiry from 
 the Carnegie Corppration. ^ At least three of the six proposed 
 are to be done in the science fieldall in the style of the old 
 "Reading With a Purpose" series, to be available for distribu- 
 tion to individual readers. This project, when carried to com- 
 pletion, should aid the reader in choosing books which will help 
 him understand our age in which political, economic, and social 
 decisions are tied to scientific progresswhen our very lives 
 are dominated by science. Just one year ago our vision of 
 Thanksgiving turkey was clouded by the uproar over cranberries 
 which were suspect. Scientists devise new textiles so they in- 
 fluence what we eat as well as what we wear. As for what we 
 drink, we still read of local controversies regarding the fluori- 
 dation of drinking water. People do wonder where to go to get 
 the facts about what they read in the newspaper and see on tele- 
 vision. They also wonder about the future and would like to 
 know of logical developments such as those discussed in Sir 
 George Thomson's The Foreseeable Future along the line of 
 communication, power supply, and food- -even to the possibility 
 
 - 154 - 
 
of using trained monkeys for repetitive jobs in industry. The 
 general reader needs to know of this author, for example, and 
 that his book requires no previous scientific knowledge for un- 
 derstanding. 
 
 Books 
 
 Because books traditionally come to mind first when one 
 thinks of the library's holdings, they compose the first category 
 to be discussed and, of them, this writer considers reference 
 books the most important. Every library should have on its 
 shelves some basic reference tools in science, the type and 
 quantity depending on the usual factors of need and budget. These 
 may include books ranging all the way from the finest and most 
 expensive domestic tool in all the sciences --Chemical Abstracts 
 (which can also be classed with periodicals or bibliographies) -- 
 to single dictionaries and handbooks. These tools have been re- 
 viewed thoroughly by Joseph C. Shipman, supplemented with a 
 classified list of titles discussed, each accompanied by purchase 
 information. Because of this excellent summary, no better 
 brief consideration of this subject can be recommended. It needs 
 only to be updated by important reference items published since 
 his paper was given at an Allerton Park Institute three years ago. 
 
 In their recent book on Building Library Collections, 
 Mary D. Carter and W. J. Bonk9 point out, that in an age of sci- 
 ence, it is appropriate that the general collection of a public li- 
 brary contain books which explain to the lay reader the general 
 nature of science and the scientific method, as well as central 
 aspects of the various fields of science. These authors believe 
 the two major problems are (1) keeping the collection up-to-date 
 with new material or replacements of outmoded books and (2) the 
 selection of sound popularizations of science done with accuracy 
 and appeal in presentation. (Incidentally, Voltaire is said to have 
 been responsible for interpreting Newton's discovery to the 
 world. It is unfortunate that there is not greater recognition for 
 books of this type today, for example, some kind of national 
 award. ) They report that a check was made of the tools used 
 by public libraries to guide their buying in the field of cosmo- 
 gony during the year when Russia put her first Sputnik into or- 
 bit and it seemed to the investigator that the librarian who wish- 
 ed to promote reading of material about the universe would not 
 have been given substantial help by his selection tools. This 
 finding takes us back to the question of selection which has pre- 
 viously been discussed but is one which certainly influences the 
 building of the collection. 
 
 - 155 - 
 
In a current article, L. Deuel makes a plea for wide 
 accessibility of scientific landmarks. He mentions a British 
 collection, Bell's Classics of Scientific Method, begun in 1922, 
 which shows great concern with interpreting scientific thought 
 to the layman but states there is no comparable collection of 
 master texts produced in the United States. He comments that 
 "perhaps the distinctly American contribution of scientific re- 
 print publishing lies in the so-called source books. A host of 
 such anthologies (including an inevitable one on atomic energy) 
 has done an excellent encyclopedic job in assembling selected 
 short pieces to produce a smooth reader or a reference work on 
 a special field. " In the meantime one can acquire, as they ap- 
 pear, either republished singly or in collections, the classics 
 for, as he says, no matter what advances are being made they 
 will never be entirely superseded. 
 
 Margery Bedinger, H as Chief of the Science and Engi- 
 neering Department of the Denver Public Library, wrote an 
 excellent and practical article fifteen years ago reviewing what 
 subjects to cover and what types of books to buy for use in the 
 small library. The principles set forth are valid if followed 
 today such as the yardsticks recommended applicable to the 
 problem of obsolescence. The general types of science books 
 are suggested for each of the Dewey classes. For example, 
 her suggestions in regard to geology are typical of her analysis 
 of needs: 
 
 For the great out-of-doors is one's laboratory here 
 and your local countryside will determine your choice 
 of books. Again, as in the case of physics and chem- 
 istry, you will need elementary basic texts. You will 
 also need the publications of the U.S. Geological Sur- 
 vey that deal specifically with your region, including 
 the topographic maps and atlases. . . . But the books 
 in geology that will delight your heart are the attrac- 
 tive popularizations. Both in the broad subdivisions 
 and in more specialized topics there are good books for 
 the layman, well illustrated. You will want to get all 
 you can, but certainly if yours is a mountain region or 
 one on the seaside, you will find your readers demand- 
 ing the popular books that deal with volcanoes, caves, 
 mountains, the ocean, whichever it is that they find 
 near them. You will want a book on economic geology, 
 of which there are a-number to choose from. 
 
 She continues this category with a discussion of mineralogy. 
 
 - 156 - 
 
When Alexander Marshack^ undertook to write The 
 World in Space he had the problem of making the full Interna- 
 tional Geophysical Year understandable and exciting. He told of 
 making a check of library collections, both for youth and adult, 
 finding no book had ever been written for the public explaining 
 such difficult aspects of geophysics as geomagnetism and grav- 
 ity. He said the subjects were taught rarely in universities yet 
 these phenomena were central to an understanding of the IGY; 
 they would be among the key branches of science in the age of 
 satellites and space research. He solved his problem by making 
 gravity and geomagnetism part of the story of the exploration 
 and conquest of the earth, relating them to the advance of civi- 
 lization, the problems of technology, and the drama of war. He 
 says that this job of giving meaning and relevance to the new 
 science of the day is the writer's hard task but an effort that 
 will fall equally to the librarian and the teacher. 
 
 This same author also said: "We never argued about the 
 facts in a textbook. Like medicine, they were simply taken. . .. 
 I remember not one chemical law or formula and hardly a hand- 
 ful of dates in European history. But I know the psychology 
 that the lion uses in hunting and the reason deep-sea divers get 
 the bends. " He feels that books should have an emotional appeal 
 and that the library is the open school of the mind where one can 
 browse and learn with a sense of excitement. For example, it 
 was only after he experienced the drama of test tubes, epidem- 
 ics, and bravery of the scientist in books such as Microbe Hunt- 
 ers, Arrowsmith, Men in White, and Yellow Jack that he went 
 into biology classes to learn and to question. This is in contrast 
 with the statement made in one of the earlier papers that moti- 
 vation for a career in science does not come from reading. 
 
 A new twist in stimulating high school interests in sci- 
 ence are the Traveling High School Science Library, initiated 
 in 1955, which provided an experimental collection of two hun- 
 dred books to approximately 1, 700 high schools in 1959-60, and 
 the Traveling Elementary School Science Library, which opera- 
 ted for the first time this past school year by providing a collec- 
 tion of 160 books for eight hundred schools. The Foreword of 
 the descriptive booklet^ states that "an actual statistical study 
 of the collections in nearly 1,000 libraries of high schools that 
 participated in the program in 1958-59 disclosed that on the 
 average only 5.2 per cent of the books available were in the sci- 
 ences and mathematics." The recommendation is made that not 
 less than 20 per cent should deal with these subjects. These 
 programs have been instituted by the American Association for 
 Advancement of Science and the books are loaned for one year 
 
 - 15? - 
 
on a rotating arrangement. From this group a librarian can 
 make a listing of the more popular books and purchase copies 
 for the library's permanent collection. Although not eligible to 
 participate in the program, public librarians, in surveying 
 their own collections, can use the A. A. A.S. annotated classi- 
 fied science book list, which is a basic guide to reference books 
 and to recreational and collateral reading with one hundred 
 books marked with a double asterisk to indicate their indispen- 
 sability. Many of the books were selected because of their po- 
 tential interest to the general reader who has a limited back- 
 ground in the sciences. 
 
 Nolan Lushington, 14 i n hi s analysis of selection aids for 
 science books, concludes there is a great lack of books intended 
 to interest the high school student without either writing down 
 to him or presenting basically non- scientific or biographical 
 material which, although interesting and perhaps inspiring, 
 teaches little about the nature of science. From an examination 
 of the A. A. A. S. list, previously mentioned, the author states 
 it may be inferred that most of the titles intended for the junior 
 reader are not as useful for high school students as are the pop- 
 ularly written books intended for the intelligent layman. If this 
 situation continues, he feels the lack of books for a particular 
 age group may constitute a gap in libraries of all types. 
 
 G. O. Slough* 5 sounds a more encouraging note when he 
 states that "each year more school systems are improving their 
 offerings in science for children." He also feels that publishers 
 are giving serious consideration to needs. Children find much 
 satisfactory information in such books as Gallant's Exploring 
 Mars; Hyde's Atoms Today and Tomorrow; and Benedick's 
 Electronics for Young People. Their use of books sometimes 
 calls for an unusual approach such as the "Show-Share-Do-and- 
 Tell" period in schools. For example, two cocoons produced 
 by a fourth grader raised interesting questions which called for 
 Hussey and Pessino's Collecting Cocoons while the emerging 
 moths led to other titles. 
 
 As an introduction to building the science collection, the 
 A. A. A.S. distributed a reprint of an article by the Coordinator 
 of Young Adult Services of the New York Public Library*" in 
 which she discusses the budget, book selection, physical facil- 
 ities, services, the young adult, and finally the librarian of 
 whom she says: "We start with ourselves. . .because we know we 
 must be, so far as possible, well-rounded human beings with 
 standards and values we can express and with patience and 
 courtesy toward all points of view. We know we must encourage 
 discussion by young adults of their likes and dislikes; we must 
 
 - 158 - 
 
encourage the development of such judgment that they may make 
 their own best choices among books, people, and ideas. " In the 
 small one-man operation, she recognized that the librarian 
 works with all ages but has a special understanding of the dif- 
 ferences in the young adult and does not expect too much of them 
 too soon. 
 
 Before leaving the category of books, paperbounds must 
 not be dismissed lightly. Even though they are expendable, 
 budget advantages are obvious. If you missed A. L.A. 's Top of 
 the News for December 1957 but wish to experiment, this issue 
 contains a good discussion by two public and two high school li- 
 brarians. While paperbounds may need to be replaced more 
 often then clothbound booksthat is, if circulated --the problem 
 of obsolescence helps to take care of itself. The Scientific 
 American series will serve as one example of what is available 
 in the science fields. Probably the most carefully selected list 
 of science paperbounds is the I960 list issued for A. A. A.S. 1? 
 containing over five hundred titles representing sixty-five pub- 
 lishers. It contains reprints of popular trade books, some out 
 of print in the cloth edition and others still in print, reprints of 
 classics long unavailable in any edition, and books prepared 
 especially for the trade. The number increases annually. All 
 of the major basic sciences are represented and, among the ap- 
 plied sciences, medicine and engineering. Technicians' hand- 
 books and books for the amateur hobbyist are excluded. A brief 
 descriptive note for each book and the classification of each title 
 as to degree of difficulty will assist the prospective reader or 
 purchaser. 
 
 Government Documents 
 
 A potentially large category of materials for libraries 
 are those issued by federal, state, and local governments as 
 well as by an increasing number of international agencies. They 
 follow a broad spectrum of subject matter and appear in many 
 forms ranging from books and periodicals to pamphlets and pic- 
 tures; hence precede the discussion of nonbook materials. The 
 majority of these publications can be classed as reference ma- 
 terial and a large proportion is concerned with science, .such as 
 "A Selected Bibliography of Research and Development and Its 
 Impact on the Economy, " issued in 1958 by the National Science 
 Foundation. On the other hand, many of the publications are in- 
 tended for popular use such as the yearbooks of the U.S. De- 
 partment of Agriculture which are in reality monographs on sub- 
 jects in demand such as "Soil, " "Crops, " "Gardening, " "In- 
 sects, " and "Plant Diseases. " Many of these titles are free or 
 
 - 159 - 
 
sold at extremely low prices so it is not low book budgets which 
 account for their absence on the shelves of nondepository li- 
 braries; it is probably due to lack of vision in seeing how they 
 supplement the library's holdings or lack of time in which to 
 check various listings, order documents, and care for them. 
 
 Pe riodicals 
 
 Every serious worker in the sciences knows the impor- 
 tance of periodicals as the best authentic source of new discov- 
 eries and developments. He turns to them first for informa- 
 tion. As a specialist he is likely to have a personal subscrip- 
 tion to at least one authoritative journal in his own field- -one 
 which publishes original articles and possibly brief abstracts of 
 some appearing in other journals as well as news notes. If the 
 scientist is a chemist he receives Chemical and Engineering 
 News with his membership in the American Chemical Society 
 which keeps him abreast of developments in chemistry, both 
 pure and applied, although he turns to other journals for orig- 
 inal articles. Subscriptions to scientific journals are expensive 
 when compared to the cost of popular magazines. Nor are they 
 requested as often as the latter. Furthermore the articles ap- 
 pearing in professional journals are written primarily for other 
 scientists rather than for the laity. Therefore, the small pub- 
 lic library is in no position to branch out into special fields un- 
 less particular community conditions warrant it; otherwise it 
 should limit itself to the usual science area periodicals indexed 
 in Reader's Guide. The availability of Wilson's Science and 
 Technology Index is important whether or not the periodicals 
 are in the library. 
 
 Such an exception has been noted in a library which 
 serves the population of an industrial community. The industries 
 there are based on the physical rather than the chemical sci- 
 ences so the library receives calls from individual engineers 
 and physicists as well as from the local industries for original 
 journal articles and its holdings are strong in the areas needed. 
 There is also a technical college in the community whose stu- 
 dents and faculty members make frequent use of the public li- 
 brary. The latter takes great pride in having adapted its poli- 
 cies to fit this local situation and has purchased periodicals 
 and other materials, as well as employed staff, to serve these 
 special needs. 
 
 In the large college or university the situation is usually 
 different, especially if research is in progress; hence periodi- 
 cals are available both for current and future use, for the stu- 
 dent, as general reader of today, may be the specialist of to- 
 
 - 160 - 
 
morrow. A scientist may come to the public library for gener- 
 al reading material and he may need information in a field un- 
 related to his own. If his needs cannot be met within the li- 
 brary's holdings, there is always the possibility of suggesting 
 interlibrary loan or the purchase of a copy duplicated by micro- 
 film or photoprint. In any event, periodical literature should 
 not be neglected as a source of information; librarians should 
 
 be alert to it and not afraid of it. 
 
 1 ft 
 In a paper condensed from a thesis, D.C. Orlich a 
 
 teacher in the Butte, Montana, Junior High School, concludes it 
 is possible to include the library in the science program with 
 more work and planning and little money. He queried one sci- 
 ence teacher from each of the 195 public and private high 
 schools in the state on the number of science -related books in 
 the school library, finding that at least 28 per cent were inade- 
 quately stocked. Their top ten periodicals were listed, with the 
 per cent subscribing ranging from 17-80 per cent. He com- 
 ments: "An interesting side light was that, with all the fuss and 
 commotion over space, no high school reported taking Sky and 
 Telescope. " Short accounts of current science events in the 
 periodic Science Supplement of My Weekly Reader (American 
 Education Publications, Columbus, Ohio), have become helpful 
 in teaching science to younger children who are stimulated to 
 read more, ask more, and to experiment for themselves. 
 Science News Letter has proved itself a useful reporting medium 
 for any type of library or individual. 
 
 A great many industries, depending on science for their 
 progress, publish and distribute periodicals which not only are 
 designed to promote their products in an unobtrusive manner, 
 but contain articles of general scientific interest. This type of 
 periodical literature is referred to as a house organ and lists of 
 them are available. The articles are, as a rule, authoritative 
 in content, often accompanied by bibliographies, and particular- 
 ly well illustrated. Not many libraries can afford to give shelf 
 space indefinitely to this type of literature but they may find it 
 quite worth-while to be placed on the mailing list for some titles. 
 Issues which are monographic in type may prove to be the best 
 brief review of a scientific discovery, hence grist for the sub- 
 ject file. 
 
 Nonbook materials 
 
 In wondering how much emphasis one dared place on 
 other nonbook materials, the author visited an elaborate ma- 
 terials center occupying the most strategic location in a new 
 city high school. Then, in the September, I960, issue of 
 
 - 161 - 
 
Illinois Libraries, K.I. Taylor* ^described West Leyden's Cen- 
 ter for Instructional Materials, illustrated with pictures of the 
 Browsing Room, the Contemporary Life Reading Room, Man's 
 Heritage Room, Investigation and Invention Reading Room, and 
 Records of the Past Reading Room. There no longer was any 
 doubt that nonbook materials are a part of the life of today's 
 student and therefore, in the future, we must not plan solely for 
 a book-oriented clientele. In this connection one cannot help 
 but wonder if libraries will be called information centers. In the 
 present discussion little space can be given to each of the vari- 
 ous forms of nonbook materials. A recent book by D. Mason ^ 
 attempts to bring together discussions and references on many 
 types. Eleanor Fair^l has written Chapter 8 of the Handbook of 
 Medical Library Practice in which she describes the handling of 
 miscellany of various sorts and includes an excellent list of 
 sources. 
 
 Pamphlets 
 
 The pamphlet collection affords the means of keeping a- 
 breast of science material (1) sometimes before it is available 
 in book form; (2) occasionally because a pamphlet is the only 
 source of information; (3) often because some subjects can be 
 covered by free and /or inexpensive, material at a time when 
 the budget cannot be stretched; and (4) rarely when one wants to 
 have "more and more about less and less. " Although one would 
 not lay claim to this last as a library objective, actually pam- 
 phlets fill a need in many cases where the general reader seeks 
 specific information more quickly than if he tried to find it 
 buried in a book or failed to understand it if indeed it could be 
 found. In any library the pamphlet collection is a reservoir of 
 current material limited in its potential by the time element 
 available for weeding, checking sources, and acquiring materi- 
 al. 
 
 Bibliographies 
 
 In rounding out the science collection, bibliographies are 
 indisp'ensable even though the reader may need some guidance 
 in their use. First of all, study of a bibliography may suggest 
 the use of material in the library and, as such, it becomes a 
 key to what might otherwise be overlooked in sources not ob- 
 bious from a mere scanning of titles in the card catalog or upon 
 the shelves. Bibliographies are particularly useful in supple- 
 menting the library's holdings; they suggest material which can 
 be borrowed for the reader or perhaps items he will want to 
 purchase for himself. The bibliography of science books pub- 
 
 - 162 - 
 
lished by the New York Public Library should be in every col- 
 lection. Business and Technology Sources, the bulletin of the 
 Business and Technology Department of the Cleveland Public 
 Library, is an excellent source of bibliographies on special 
 subjects. Each issue serves as a checklist for the librarian 
 and contains brief annotations and buying information for books, 
 special reports, and documents. 
 
 Among the many other useful types of bibliographies, in 
 addition to those appearing in encyclopedias and other reference 
 books, are those appearing in periodicals or in booklets, and 
 which cover a single subject or subject area. Two important 
 ones that come to mind are those on earth satellites, guided 
 missiles, rockets and space flight by Mildred Benton. 22, 23 Li_ 
 brarians probably have preserved these because of their cur- 
 rent interest. But what of topics representing new fields of en- 
 deavor not yet covered by bibliographies such as energy con- 
 version which is receiving a good deal of attention now? Libra- 
 rians should be on the alert for these if and when they do appear. 
 
 Reports 
 
 A new form of scientific and technical literature arose 
 during World War II--that of the so-called "Reports. " Our in- 
 dustrial laboratories, universities, and research institutions 
 publish these reports of work done, generally on contract with 
 governmental agencies, and they number an estimated 100,000 
 each year. Nonclassified reports contain what was once re- 
 stricted and confidential information often available in only one 
 copy. They are now taking their place along with the older con- 
 ventional forms of science literature available for research. 
 This form of literature grew haphazardly with no centralized 
 coordination; hence it has been both confusing and frustrating to 
 the librarian as well as to the user. Little was known about its 
 acquisition so several methods of retrieval are necessary to ac- 
 quire and use it. Reports are not intended for general reading 
 so fortunately do not present a problem to many libraries. In 
 addition to the unclassified reports some libraries act as de- 
 positories for classified information where facilities are pro- 
 vided for searching by those persons who obtain clearance as 
 determined by their "need to know. " D. R. Pfoutz 24 has re- 
 cently presented a guide to their use and briefly discussed their 
 permanent reference value. 
 
 Patents 
 
 Patent literature is another vital tool for research which 
 does not come within the category of materials necessary for 
 
 - 163 - 
 
the general reader although information on patents is probably 
 requested more often than on reports. Some of our largest li- 
 braries are depositories for copies of U.S. Patents but, as a 
 rule, the inventor employs a patent attorney to have a search 
 made for what is termed "prior art. " All libraries may want 
 copies of a new pamphlet, Patents and Inventions, an Informa- 
 tion Aid for Inventors, compiled by the U.S. Patent Office to 
 give to those asking how to go about securing a patent. This 
 twenty-five page booklet is addressed to the independent invent- 
 or. So eager is the Patent Office for its wide distribution in the 
 interest of saving heartaches and headaches that they may be 
 purchased from the Superintendent of Documents at $11.25 per 
 hundred or 15 cents each. 
 
 Manuscripts 
 
 E. B. Barnes^S points out that a university library is 
 limited no less than other types of libraries by the interests of 
 the group it serves and by the support it receives. He says: 
 The resources of manuscript and printed materials 
 needed by the students of a university are, and must 
 be, without end. Scholarship represents the accumu- 
 lated store of the past, and each student must have re- 
 course to his particular segment of that store. There 
 is no substitute for the actual presence of needed books 
 and serials in the library. Interlibrary loans represent 
 a form of charity that can be used only sparingly. Mi- 
 crofilm copies are troublesome to use and cannot be 
 considered more than poor imitations of the actual 
 titles. An extensive use of either of these mediums im- 
 plies that the students should go elsewhere to do their 
 work. All the services which a library can offer are 
 of little importance if the. resources are not present. . . . 
 
 Original manuscripts in the form of doctoral dissertations and 
 master's theses are an important part of scholarly scientific 
 literature. However, libraries may also acquire some results 
 of research listed in Library Research in Progress solely for 
 their professional collections. It is not likely that manuscripts 
 will form an integral part of the science collection intended for 
 the general reader in any type of library, however necessary 
 they may be in a university library. Many of these are even- 
 tually published and may then find a wider audience than that for 
 which they were originally designed. 
 
 - 164 - 
 
Trade Catalogs and Other Materials 
 
 Many other forms of nonbook materials may come to mind 
 in reviewing this list. Obviously every type cannot be included 
 but the publications of trade associations and other organiza- 
 tions supported by industry are worth investigating. For exam- 
 ple, Facts About Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals, published by 
 the Health News Institute located in New York City, gives a 
 comprehensive picture of pharmacy and pharmaceutical manu- 
 facturing. Trade catalogs are useful tools too for the general 
 reader who knows they are available. To illustrate, the De- 
 noyer-Geppert catalog listing supplies of biological specimens 
 and anatomical charts, is informative as well as useful. A 
 search of library literature revealed no report of studies made 
 of the relative use by the general readers of the various cate- 
 gories of materials in the science collection. Such information 
 would be pertinent to this discussion. 
 
 Audio -Visual Materials 
 
 The materials so far discussed, even those not thought 
 of as traditional library materials, are products of the press-- 
 they are in print or near-print form. Less than one generation 
 has made new types of materials available --so much so that 
 some libraries have added professional staff members to handle 
 them. It was with hesitancy that this subject was considered 
 applicable to the smaller library but an examination of the 1959 
 report of Indiana's 246 public libraries, ^6 half of which are in 
 communities of less than 5, 000 population, dispelled any notion 
 that libraries could not or did not have audio- visual equipment. 
 More than half of the 246 libraries had such items as motion 
 picture projectors, screens, slide or filmstrip projectors, 
 record players, tape recorders, microfilm readers, and other 
 equipment to use the materials in their collections. The atten- 
 dance at film showings was reported as over one million per- 
 sons and the total circulation of audio-visual materials as 
 475, 540 items. 
 
 Recordings 
 
 There has been a tremendous increase in the production 
 of nonmusical recordings during the past decade although sci- 
 ence as a subject for recording is decidedly in the minority. 
 There are several record reviewing magazines and several peri- 
 odicals, such as The Saturday Review, which include reviews of 
 nonmusical records. Library Journal includes reviews written 
 by specialists for the librarians' consideration and from the li- 
 brary's point of view; thus there is no lack of ways to learn of 
 
 - 165 - 
 
their availability. It remains the task of the librarian to seize 
 the various opportunities to tie in recordings with books on sci- 
 ence and other components of the collection and to handle imag- 
 inatively these new tools which help to interpret developments 
 to groups as well as to individuals. Two of these, for example, 
 might be Edward Teller's recordings of The Theory of Relativ- 
 ity and The Size and Nature of the Universe. 
 
 Films and Filmstrips 
 
 In the recently adopted standards for school libraries^ 
 
 one reads: 
 
 Films and filmstrips are without peer for conveying 
 many types of information and creative expressions. 
 Although a school may rent or borrow many films, it 
 will still need to ownsome films. This principle of 
 ownership applies to filmstrips in even greater degree, 
 since the costs involved are not so high. Effective 
 use of these materials is made in the classroom and 
 also in the library or audio-visual center, where in- 
 dividual students have the opportunity to make inde- 
 pendent use of films and filmstrips in their prepara- 
 tion of assignments or for other worthwhile purposes. . . 
 
 Offerings of free films put out by the public relations de- 
 partments of modern industry range from trips to Williamsburg, 
 Virginia,and dramas from Our American Heritage television 
 series (without the commercials) to how to grow a more luxur- 
 ious lawn. A recent addition to the library is a series of ca- 
 reer reports for senior high school classes. These, of course, 
 are a supplement to the components of the collection rather than 
 a permanent addition to it because they are obtained on loan. 
 
 Realia 
 
 In the Standards for the School Library Programs men- 
 tioned above, this author was introduced to the term realia 
 used to cover such materials as three-dimensional objects, 
 museum materials, dioramas, models, and samples. Such ob- 
 jects represent a unique and vital source of information and ap- 
 preciation for students as well as being primary sources for 
 teaching and learning. Such equipment in colleges probably is 
 retained in individual departments where it is used. Public li- 
 braries will have this type of material only if their policies 
 dictate its acquisition. 
 
 - 166 - 
 
Pictures and Prints 
 
 One of the most useful and economical types of audio- 
 visual materials are the vertical files of prints and pictures of 
 people, of objects, of scenes, and of events, classified by sub- 
 ject matter. The general reader often makes use of these for 
 talks, for displays, or for illustrating, provided he knows of 
 their existence. It is not generally realized how much is avail- 
 able in the field of pure and applied science. Many firms, ei- 
 ther individually or through their trade associations, are only 
 too glad of an opportunity to furnish booklets, illustrations, and 
 sometimes films which deal with products but emphasize the 
 educational factors involved. The school librarian has the add- 
 ed advantage of working closely with the instructor in acquiring 
 and planning specificially for displays of books and other ma- 
 terials relating to a central theme in conjunction with classroom 
 instruction. Pictures may also prove helpful to the student in 
 planning exhibits at science fairs. 
 
 Services of libraries per se are without the scope of this 
 discussion but the component of one science collection leads to 
 mention of a service which has much significance in the com- 
 munity where it is located. A union list of the holdings of sci- 
 entific and technical periodicals in the libraries of the area has 
 been maintained for the past decade by a committee of special 
 librarians working with the Head of the Science and Technology 
 Department of the Indianapolis Public Library. Questions as to 
 where specific periodicals can be located in the area covered by 
 members of the Indiana Chapter of the Special Libraries Assoc- 
 iation are answered by the librarian in charge of the Science 
 and Technology Department since the file is permanently housed 
 in the Public Library. 
 
 Related to this question of interlibrary cooperation is 
 one of seeking help from special librarians on questions per- 
 tinent to their own areas of interest. In fact, a great deal re- 
 mains to be done in articulating relationships between special 
 and public libraries, even with college libraries to a lesser de- 
 gree. To be sure, the special librarian has no time to fill the 
 request of a student who asks for "everything about antibiotics" 
 --truly a large order. Suppose a more modest request comes 
 from a public library, the chances are good that the special li- 
 brarian will make every effort to send usable material which 
 can be added to the public library's vertical file- -so glad is he 
 to repay the favor of loans made to him by the public library up- 
 on whom he leans heavily for borrowed items. 
 
 - 167 - 
 
More and more students now going through high school 
 and college, with many of them choosing careers in science, 
 will create a market for science literature that will expand 
 tremendously in coming years. Librarians must be prepared to 
 meet their share of this demand. There will be no dearth of 
 problems which will challenge them such as availability of titles, 
 budgets, physical facilities, adequate selection aids, availabil- 
 ity of books on approval, personnel with science backgrounds, 
 and ways and means to publicize their holdings --all of which in- 
 fluence the components of the collection. C.P. Snow^S speaks 
 of the great no man's land between two cultural groups--the 
 intellectual and the scientific. The gap must be closed if we 
 are to survive, he says. 
 
 But when all is said and done, the fact remains that the 
 clientele of any type of library has a right of easy access to as 
 adequate a collection of science literature as the library can af- 
 ford. 
 
 References 
 
 1. Bundy, Mary L. and Womack, Hilda: Librarians as 
 Readers. Illinois Libraries, 42:427-435, Sept. I960. 
 
 2. Brown, C. H. : Librarianship and the Sciences. In: 
 Challenges to Librarianship. (Florida State University Studies, 
 no. 12) 1953, p. 72. 
 
 3. Impressions of a Scientist. Chemical and Engineer- 
 ing News, 34:5258, Oct. 29, 1956. 
 
 4. Lehigh University Adds 11,397 Volumes to Library 
 Shelves. News release, Office of Public Information, Lehigh 
 University, Sept. 17, I960. 
 
 5. Berelson, B.R.: The Library's Public. New York, 
 Columbia University Press, 1949, pp. 57-61. 
 
 6. Science, Who Gets What Science News; the News, 
 Where They Get It; and What They Think about It, the Public. 
 In: Report of the National Association of Science Writers, New 
 York, New York University Press, 1958. 
 
 7. Personal communication. 
 
 - 168 - 
 
8. Shipman, J. C. : Scientific and Technical Reference 
 Works Since 1950. Inj Phelps, Rose B. , and Phillips, Janet C. , 
 eds. : The Library As a Community Information Center. (Aller- 
 ton Park Institute Series, no. 4) Urbana, University of Illinois 
 Graduate School of Library Science, 1959. 
 
 9. Carter, Mary D. , and Bonk, W. J. : Building Li- 
 brary Collections. New York, Scarecrow Press, 1959. 
 
 10. Deuel, L. : The Classics of Science. Library Journal, 
 85:2529-2532, July I960. 
 
 11. Bedinger, Margery: Science Book Selection in the 
 Small Library. Wilson Library Bulletin, 20:283-285, Dec. 1945. 
 
 12. Marshack, Alexander: How Kids Get Interested in 
 Science. Library Journal, 83:1253-1255, April 15, 1958. 
 
 13. Deason, H. J. : The Traveling High School Science 
 Library. 5th ed. Washington, D.C., American Association for 
 the Advancement of Science, 1959. (25^) 
 
 14. Lushington, Nolan: Science Books: An Analysis of 
 Selection Aids. Library Journal, 83:617-619, Feb. 15,1958. 
 
 15. Blough, G.O. : Science --Springboard to Further 
 Reading. Library Journal, 83:620-622, Feb. 15, 1958. 
 
 16. Scoggin, Margaret C. : "First Catch Your Hare": Li- 
 brary Service to Youth. A. L.A. Bulletin, 53:55-60, Jan. 1959. 
 
 17. Deason, H. J. , and Lynn, R. W. : An Inexpensive Sci- 
 ence Library: A Selected List of Paperbound Science Books. 
 4th ed. Washington, D.C., American'Association for the Ad- 
 vancement of Science and National Science Foundation, I960. 
 
 18. Orlich, D.C.: Is It Possible To Include the Library 
 in the Science Program? Montana Library Quarterly, 5:5-7, 
 Jan. I960. 
 
 19. Taylor, K. I.: West Leyden's Center for Instruction- 
 al Materials. Illinois Libraries, 42:436-444, Sept. I960. 
 
 - 1 69 - 
 
20. Mason, D. : A Primer of Non-Book Materials in 
 Libraries. London, Association of Assistant Librarians, 1958. 
 
 21. Fair, Eleanor: Non-book Materials. In: Medical 
 Library Association. Handbook of Medical Library Practice. 
 2nd ed. Chicago, American Library Association, 1956, pp. 189- 
 212. 
 
 22. Benton, Mildred: Earth Satellites, Guided Missiles, 
 Rockets, and Space Flight. A Bibliography of Books and Peri- 
 odical Articles. Wilson Library Bulletin, 32:412-419, Fib. 1958. 
 
 23. Benton, Mildred: Earth Satellites, Guided Missiles, 
 Rockets, and Space Flight. Books, Reference Tools, Bibliog- 
 raphies. Supplement. Wilson Library Bulletin, 34:215-220, 
 Nov. 1959. 
 
 24. Pfoutz, D.R. : Guide to Report Literature. Library 
 Journal, 84:3363-3366, Nov. 1, 1959. 
 
 25. Barnes, E. B. : The University Library- -Services 
 or Resources ? Library Quarterly, 22:177-179, July 1952. 
 
 26. Indiana State Library. Statistics of Indiana Librar- 
 ies, 1959. Prepared for the Yearbook of the State of Indiana. 
 (Publication suspended) pp. 34-36. 
 
 27. American Association of School Librarians. Stand- 
 ards for School Library Programs. Chicago, American Library 
 Association, I960, p. 80. 
 
 28. Snow, C. P. : The Two Cultures and the Scientific 
 Revolution. Library Journal, 85:2523-2528, July I960. 
 
 - 170 - 
 
THE STATUS OF SCIENCE FICTION AS LITERATURE 
 
 Adrian Janes 
 
 In this discussion I want to say something about where 
 science fiction has been and where it is now and then comment 
 on where I think it stands in relation to what we ordinarily call 
 "good" literature. But as in all discussions ot science fiction, 
 it is necessary to start with some definition so you will know 
 what I am talking about. 
 
 Definitions vary widely, and any one if taken literally 
 will lead to some contradiction. Some go so far as to include 
 Arrowsmith, ghost stories, or the Book of Revelation. I don't 
 include any of these. My definition is pretty standard: fiction 
 that has in it some reasonably logical extrapolation of the sci- 
 ence of the time, usually coupled with intent. For example, I 
 would exclude Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, even though it has 
 some scientific trapping, because Stevenson intended to present 
 an allegory, and I would also exclude Gulliver's Travels. But I 
 would include Bishop Godwin's The Man in the Moone; a Dis- 
 course of a Voyage Thither, which was published in 1638, be- 
 cause it is an account of space travel even though highly imprac- 
 tical. 
 
 In general, I am opposed to the habit of some science 
 fiction fans of claiming a great deal of imaginative literature as 
 science fiction, even though the stories bear little resemblance 
 to what we ordinarily think of as science fiction. For example, 
 it is commonplace among many who discuss science fiction to 
 call the 1800-year-old stories of Lucian, The Loftie Traveller 
 and The True History, as about the first science fiction. In my 
 judgment these are not science fiction stories nor are many 
 others that are mentioned by such historians as J.O. Bailey, 
 whose book Pilgrims Through Sjaace and Time is still probably 
 the best general review. 
 
 Adrian Janes is Editor of Publications 
 in the College of Agriculture at the 
 University of Illinois. 
 
 - 171 - 
 
You can find odds and ends of things that some people 
 would call science fiction for several centuries back. During 
 the nineteenth century, it became surprisingly widespread in 
 a reasonably recognizable form, especially in the second half. 
 I think the first modern science fiction story, and still good 
 reading, was Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The Unparalleled Ad- 
 ventures of One Hans Pfall, " which appeared about 120 years 
 ago. (The story is marred some by a hint at the end that it was 
 all a joke. ) Notice what Poe said about other stories of voyages 
 to the moon, and how closely his design approaches that of mod- 
 ern science fiction: "In none (of the former stories) is there any 
 effort at plausibility in the details of the voyage itself. . . In 
 Hans Pfall the design is original as regards an attempt at veri- 
 similitude in the application of scientific principles to the actual 
 passage between the earth and the moon. " 
 
 Later in the century came Jules Verne, the first giant 
 in the field, and almost at the end of the century the even great- 
 er H. G. Wells. But in between and round about there was a 
 fair amount of science fiction. I am not scholar enough, or in- 
 terested enough, to make a thorough search, but more or less 
 by chance I have run across numerous examples of it in out-of- 
 the-way places. Let me mention just a few in the magazines of 
 the time to show that it was in the air. 
 
 In 1873, Scribners-' carried a mathematical science fic- 
 tion story called "The Tachypomp. " In 1882, Harpers' maga- 
 zine carried a story, "How Aluminium Won the Grand Prix, " 
 which told of the invention of a mechanical horse that won a 
 horserace. 
 
 In 1897, a humorous magazine called "The Yellow Book" 
 (not the literary Yellow Book, but a magazine named after the 
 comic character the Yellow Kid) carried a little throw-away 
 story called "A Boon to Humanity. " This was an account of the 
 bad state of the world in 1997 as a result of the development of 
 the X-ray. It was of course intended to capitalize on the inter- 
 est in 1897 in the new X-ray. 
 
 In 1891, a weekly called Harpers' Young People ran a 
 two-part story called "A Cruise in a Soap Bubble. " It simpli- 
 fies the idea of dimension; the first part takes place in a one- 
 dimension land and the second part in a two-dimension land-- 
 and this was in a magazine for children. The story was prob- 
 ably derived from E. A. Abbott's classic Flatland, which came 
 out in 1884. 
 
 I'm not really surprised at the dimension story being 
 written for children, since science fiction for almost the last 
 hundred years has had a strong juvenile section. In fact the 
 
 - 172 - 
 
most widely read science fiction stories in the nineteenth cent- 
 tury were juveniles. These were in the Frank Reade series of 
 dime novels, which were written by Lu Senarens and probably 
 by various other people on occasion. Frank Reade, whose ad- 
 ventures started in 1881, was a great young inventor, inventing 
 a steam man, an electric airplane, an electric tricycle, a 
 steam horse, and many other devices in perhaps fifty different 
 stories. Another series followed that dealt with Frank Reade, 
 Jr., and later there was one about Young Frank Reade, the 
 grandchild. The stories are mostly adventure stories built 
 around one gadget that Frank invented- -really not too unlike 
 much of our poorer present science fiction. Frank in his various 
 reincarnations was not alone in the science fiction area of the 
 dime novels. Among others, there was a series about another 
 inventor called Jack Wright, and a surprisingly good story 
 about space travel called Two Boys Trip to an Unknown Planet, 
 which appeared in 1889. 
 
 Frank Reade was of course a direct forerunner of Tom 
 Swift, whose stories were published from 1910 to 1941, and of 
 the present series about a crew-cut smart aleck, Tom Swift, 
 Jr. I think the stories have declined all along the way, but I 
 admit that the science, which was poorly handled in the older 
 stories, is slickly done in the modern Tom Swift, Jr. And, of 
 course, many modern juveniles --Heinlein's and othersare 
 pretty solid stuff. 
 
 I think two points are clear about science fiction in the 
 nineteenth century. One is that the genre was pretty active by 
 the end of the century. The other is that practically none of it 
 deserves consideration as literature. The material ranges 
 from the crudest of sub -literature in the dime novels to stories 
 by Wells that just about break into the lowest ranks of true lit- 
 erature. A real science fiction fan will find much of it enter- 
 taining and even well done as science fiction--but it doesn't 
 have it as far as literature is concerned. By the same time, 
 the detective story had already developed the incomparable 
 Sherlock Holmes, in stories that are real literature by a mas- 
 ter writer. 
 
 The growth in the twentieth century is too well known for 
 me to comment much on it. I do want to remind you that a great 
 deal was written before World War II. One of the important 
 books, although I think it is very poor reading, was Hugo Gerns- 
 back's Ralph 124C41+ , which was published in 1911, a half 
 century ago. Gernsback started Amazing Stories magazine in 
 1926, and many others were started soon after. And a great 
 deal of high-quality science fiction was published in the thirties, 
 
 - 173 - 
 
including Olaf Stapledon's monumental works. After the war, 
 the number of books and the number of magazines both increas- 
 ed rapidly. At present about one hundred books are published 
 a year; they are about equally divided between hard cover and 
 paperbacks and between new books and new editions. We have 
 movies, television series, and comic books that deal with sci- 
 ence fiction. It is definitely here. 
 
 Although the field was well developed before World War 
 II, it didn't achieve general respectability until after the war. 
 A major reason for the change, of course, was the shocking 
 fact of the atomic bomb, and the realization by many people that 
 these stories were not such wild-eyed improbabilities as they 
 had believed. The fantastic outdating of many standard science 
 fiction stories by the events of the last fifteen years has con- 
 tinued to bring respectability to the field. 
 
 Senasationalisms in the magazines has declined. I can 
 remember when I was literally embarrassed to buy and carry 
 through the streets on the way home some of the early maga- 
 zines with such names as Amazing, Weird, Wonder, or Astound 
 ing. The covers were garish and often sexy, with pictures of 
 large -bosomed unclothed young women being hooked up to elab- 
 orate scientific apparatus by a mad scientist or being on the 
 verge of rape by ugly monsters in strange landscapes. The im- 
 plication of sex was grossly unfair of course, since science 
 fiction has always been known for its lack of interest in the sub- 
 ject. The inside paper of the magazines was coarse and the 
 drawings were crude. One read the magazines in private, as 
 though they were indecent. 
 
 Before World War II it was a little embarrassing to try 
 to get such books from the libraries. Wells and Verne had age 
 in their favor, so they were acceptable to librarians. But when 
 one found some of the others (and they were hard to find be- 
 cause many libraries ignored such sensational writing), one 
 took them up to the charge -out desk almost apologetically, as 
 one did Rabelais and Boccaccio. After the war this changed, as 
 you know well. 
 
 As it became more respectable to read such books, so 
 it became more respectable to write them. The greater ac- 
 ceptability attracted a broader audience, and a broader aud- 
 ience permitted more variety in development. Consequently 
 some better writers were attracted to the field, and many of 
 the stories were more serious and more complicated than they 
 had been. Standard space operas and bug-eyed monsters 
 (BEM's as they are affectionately called by the real fans) grad- 
 ually vanished. Not as many of the current stories are simply 
 
 - 174 - 
 
adventure stories with a scientific basis. Many stories now 
 are concerned with sociology as the science rather than with 
 one of the physical sciences. 
 
 Along with the respectability has come the development 
 of literary criticism of science fiction. I find much of the cri- 
 ticism uninteresting and unreadable, but some of it is pretty 
 good. I think it is a point of considerable interest that the Mod- 
 ern Language Association now has a sectional meeting on sci- 
 ence fiction at its annual meeting. It is now publishing a semi- 
 annual newsletter called Extrapolation, edited by two professors 
 of English, which will be indexed in the PMLA. 
 
 Many of the articles unfriendly to science fiction have 
 been written by people who seem not to have known the subject 
 very well. Gilbert Highet, for example, in one of his essays 
 writes: "Most of us rather despise science fiction. In fact, 
 most of it is despicable. Why are nearly all science fiction 
 books so childish?" He decides that it is because they lack 
 moral and intellectual content. But the books he discusses are 
 books that many of us do not consider science fiction, such as 
 C. S. Lewis's Perelandra. 
 
 Some of the criticism and comment strikes me as pomp- 
 ous. An article in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists^ in 1953 
 said that science fiction expresses an "essentially metaphysical 
 symbolism. " Another article in the Bulletin in 1957 said that 
 scientists read science fiction for three reasons: It glamorizes 
 them; it expresses their protest against the use of knowledge 
 for anti-human ends; and it reaffirms the basic humanistic val- 
 ues of the scientists' creed. Notice that there is no suggestion 
 here that the stories might be written for the pleasure of telling 
 an entertaining story, or that scientists might read them for 
 the fun of it, as most of us do. 
 
 Some of the criticism is written by science fiction writ- 
 ers or editors in a glib sort of way, without much profound 
 thinking. It often shows a lack of checking of details, and some- 
 times reflects some pretty casual reading. 
 
 Women have gradually entered science fiction, both as 
 authors and as characters in the stories. I haven't decided 
 whether this is good or bad or perhaps immaterial. It is a fact 
 though that there are several competent women writers in the 
 field right now, whereas I imagine that there were none in the 
 earlier days of science fiction. The stories reflect this; some 
 are concerned more with ordinary family life under extraordin- 
 ary conditions than they are with the science that caused the 
 extraordinary conditions. The stories are usually well written, 
 but they don't seem to be quite as exciting as the science fic- 
 
 - 175 - 
 
tion I used to know. 
 
 The writing has become more self conscious. As sci- 
 ence fiction has become more respectable, some of the prac- 
 titioners have decided that it has a special serious purpose, 
 that it must become adult, and that it can be good literature just 
 as well as anything else- -so let's write it that way. The princi- 
 ple is probably all right, but literature isn't written by saying, 
 "Now I am an adult and I will write as an adult and not as I did." 
 The change must grow naturally and inevitably out of the au- 
 thor's abilities. In my opinion this self-consciousness has tak- 
 en away a lot of the charm of the old stories. The result has 
 been to put the science in the background, and sometimes to go 
 so far as hardly to describe it. This is a little like detective 
 stories being printed without a crime in them; that is all right 
 in itself, but then they aren't detective stories. 
 
 The things that first made science fiction popular were 
 space ships, other worlds, alien monsters (BEMS if you wish), 
 mad scientists, dangerous extrapolations of scientific knowl- 
 edge, that sort of thing. Perhaps these things were used too 
 widely, but our authors are almost afraid to include an alien 
 monster that looks scary; they think they will be convicted of 
 being naive. It is not good form to have much excitement. The 
 mad scientist, a delightful character really, is as dead as a 
 doornail. Even our old friend Astounding Science Fiction chang- 
 ed its name recently to Analog Science Fact and Fiction. Noth- 
 ing flamboyant about that title. 
 
 In their belief that the genre is something special with 
 a real special message, some science fiction writers and edit- 
 ors have made some silly statements. H.L. Gold about ten 
 years ago in Galaxy said: "Few things reveal so sharply as sci- 
 ence fiction the wishes, hopes, fears, inner stresses, and ten- 
 sions of an era or define its limitations with such exactness. " 
 It seems obvious to me that a really good history or a good 
 straight novel will do it better. Editors are fond of pointing out 
 that science fiction is the only literary field now where social 
 criticism is permitted. There is some justification for their 
 statement, though not as much as they claim, but the social 
 criticism is likely to be expressed as petulant indignation rather 
 than as reasoned criticism. Others are always claiming for 
 science fiction the gift of prophecy. One of the best of the pres- 
 ent science fiction writers, Robert Heinlein, points out that 
 much that has been claimed to be prophecy has been no more 
 than the ability of a scientist-writer to see how a particular ex- 
 periment might come out, when the conditions are already set 
 up, or his ability to comment on something that he knows about 
 
 - 176 - 
 
because it is right under his nose but which an outsider might 
 not know about. I think if you go back and examine science fic- 
 tion stories, you will find that after you exclude those prophec- 
 ies that are simply logical extensions of information at hand and 
 consider only those that require intuition and vision, the proph- 
 ecies of science fiction writers are no better than those that you 
 or I might make. 
 
 The self-consciousness of present science fiction (and 
 there are fortunately a great many exceptions) has resulted in 
 approaches to writing that the hero of The Catcher in the Rye 
 would immediately recognize as "phonies." They avoid expla- 
 nations; they assume that exciting adventure is bad taste, they 
 ascribe the same precision to research in sociology, psycho- 
 logy, and other imprecise sciences, as they do to research in 
 chemistry, for example; they develop mannerisms, such as in- 
 sisting that the author's name always be written in lower case. 
 In literature as in all the arts, I am annoyed at those who are 
 not forthrightly honest and at those who hesitate to do the natur- 
 al thing because someone may think them unsophisticated. 
 
 In spite of my enjoyment from reading the stories and in 
 spite of the development that has taken place since the war, I 
 have come to the conclusion that science fiction, generally 
 speaking, is not going to achieve the status of good literature, 
 as we usually consider the term. Of course, some stories le- 
 gitimately claimed as science fiction are also good literature-- 
 such as The War With the Newts by Capek, Brave New World 
 by Huxley, and The Lost World by Doyle --but these are excep- 
 tions. But why not? Is it the fault of the authors, the public, 
 or the subject matter? I think the answer is yes to all three. 
 
 To consider the author first, I think we might note what 
 Robert Heinlein, a good practitioner , has to say. He says 
 that good speculative fiction calls for both intensive scientific 
 training and intensive literary training, and that unfortunately 
 most of the scientists who write it (and the best is written by 
 scientists) are self-taught in writing and the teaching shows. 
 The clever hacks who have tried science fiction have usually 
 done badly. Almost any competent writer can do a story with a 
 bit of science in it, but such stories don't fool the real fans. 
 Real science fiction has real science in it. 
 
 Of course, not all science fiction is badly written, but 
 compared with works of real literary skill little of it measures 
 up. Dialogue is likely to be either choppy and breezy or pomp- 
 ous and long-winded. Emphasis is obtained by shouting, rather 
 than by careful word-by-word development of an effect. Gram- 
 mar is frequently shaky, and the writing is often cliche-ridden. 
 
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Few, if any, of the real writers of science fiction are skilled 
 enough in their writing to rank even moderately high in litera- 
 ture, setting aside the scientific background of the work. 
 
 One reason that science fiction fans praise Ray Brad- 
 bury so highly is that he writes like a writer, achieving his ef- 
 fects with economy and creating moods that are convincing. But 
 I don't think he is a real science fiction writer, since he is will- 
 ing to ride brutally over scientific fact if it interferes with the 
 effect he wants to make. However, I too like to read Bradbury, 
 and I keep him on the shelf with the other science fiction books. 
 
 As to the public, those of us who read science fiction 
 regularly certainly must share any blame for its low rank among 
 literary works. Unfortunately we don't go to science fiction for 
 slow and careful plot development, brilliantly considered char- 
 acters, beautifully constructed paragraphs and sentences, and 
 words chosen with wonderful precision. It is not that we would 
 not like these also, but we go to it primarily for excitement, 
 for escape, if you want to use the term. We read it for the ac- 
 tion and for the author's ingenuity in working out the scientific 
 details. We want most of the story to be directly related to the 
 science in it. Until science fiction fans change their ideas of- 
 what they want, the stories aren't going to change much. Of 
 course, there is no particular reason why the stories should 
 change, if the fans like what they are getting. 
 
 But the major reason why science fiction will probably 
 never achieve the status of good literature lies in the fact that 
 it is science fiction. To be good literature it must have charac- 
 ters that come alive and in which the reader can find something 
 of himself; the plot must move naturally yet inevitably; the set- 
 ting must be clearly and economically delineated; the writer 
 must have a fine s"ense of the right word and the right phrase, 
 and the work must show the touch of the artist; the theme and 
 events of the story must have universality; and the story should 
 be subject to being read at more than one level. 
 
 Science fiction writing suffers from the hard fact that 
 there is something else it has to do--it must bring in the science 
 and it must make it a major part of the work. Consequently 
 other considerations get jostled aside. Let's consider just a 
 few of the ways this fact interferes with the novel as an art 
 form. 
 
 In most great novels we feel that the action moves for- 
 ward naturally, inevitably, and yet unpredictably, as life itself 
 does. But you can predict'that the science fiction novel will be 
 scientific throughout, and although you may not be able to pre- 
 dict the precise way the story will end, you know that the docu- 
 
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nouement will turn on the science. Otherwise, by definition, it 
 is no longer a science fiction novel. 
 
 Characters in science fiction stories are definitely sub- 
 ordinate to the action, and probably for this reason most of 
 them are two-dimensional. As Kingsley Amis says in New 
 Maps of Hell: A Survey of Science Fiction the characters are 
 usually representative of the species rather than the individual, 
 and the idea is the hero. In a great many of the stories we find 
 an individual hero in battle with the big brass of the enemy; we 
 can not identify ourselves with him because the situation is so 
 unlikely for us. Donald Adams in the New York Times once 
 said that the chief weakness of science fiction is character 
 creation. When compared with the detective story, science fic- 
 tion has nothing to balance Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Lord 
 Peter Wimsey, or Monsieur Dupin. 
 
 The settings in most science fiction stories are not of 
 our world here and now; consequently the author has to spend 
 a part of his space and effort in making us familiar with an un- 
 familiar world. This is not a natural thing to do in fiction. In 
 conventional fiction, the author knows that there are many 
 things he can mention that require no particular space to bring 
 to our understanding --Chicago, elephants, a state university, 
 Highway 66. 
 
 Plot development is often strained and mechanical, again 
 because of the restrictions imposed. Regardless of how one's 
 literary judgment says the story should go, he finds that the 
 requirements of science fiction mean that everything must turn 
 on the scientific points. 
 
 I admit that a great writer could work under these and 
 other limitations and still produce great literature. But he does 
 not need to do so. It is surely much more rewarding to turn his 
 talents toward the creation of three-dimensional characters in 
 a real world in a story of universal truths. About the only time 
 that the best writers turn to science fiction is when they want to 
 use it as a vehicle for social criticism or satire. If naturally 
 gifted writers do not turn to writing good science fiction, the 
 question then is whether competent writers will arise in the 
 genre itself. No one knows, of course, but I think it doubtful. 
 Frankly, I don't think many of the present writers believe they 
 are writing literature. 
 
 By this time perhaps I have -given you the impression 
 that I don't think much of science fiction. If so, I have misled 
 you. I don't think it is particularly to the discredit of science 
 fiction that it may not gain high rank as literature. It has an- 
 other job to do, which it does very well for the most part. It 
 
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tells exciting stories that are fun to read. I have read science 
 fiction off and on for thirty years and still find myself admiring 
 the ingenuity of the authors and still can be absorbed in the 
 stories, wondering how things are going to work out. 
 
 Science fiction has much more to offer to readers than 
 westerns or detective stories, yet there is no comparison in the 
 number of books in each class that libraries offer to their read- 
 ers. As a minimum I think a library should have several of 
 the anthologies, of which there are many, a solid supply of the 
 novels, three or four of the current standard magazines, and 
 a few of the critical reviews or histories of science fiction. 
 
 I think that librarians should encourage people of all 
 ages to read science fiction, but its greatest appeal, because 
 of its imagination and its science, is probably to the young 
 readers. It won't hurt them and may do them some good. They 
 will learn a little sciencenot much maybe, but a little--and 
 they will see man's imagination taking flight. 
 
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SUMMARY 
 
 Harold Lancour 
 
 Three score and five hours ago we met together for the 
 first time, more or less strangers to each other. Since that 
 time we have talked, gossiped, mildly flirted, consumed 2, 000 
 cups of coffee, walked through the lovely gardens, and before 
 dinner have enjoyed a drink together. Out of this has come 
 group identification that is at once transitory and durable. Mem- 
 ory of specific things will be fleeting but the enrichment that is 
 the residue of the experience will be long lasting. 
 
 We have been engaged in an educational enterprise. Ed- 
 ucation has a dynamic and organic quality which means that 
 what happens is more or less unpredictable. We can make some 
 guesses and have some hopes as to what will transpire here but 
 we can never be sure as to precisely what will happen. So in a 
 way summaries are devised to look back and see what the di- 
 mension and the character of the educational experience has 
 been. 
 
 Looking back over the past three days it seems to me 
 that we have learned anew, or had confirmed, certain facts and 
 notions. The first of these is that scientific knowledge is rapid- 
 ly expanding, and that each new discovery opens up ever wider 
 paths of discovery. We might call this Sietz's Law of the In- 
 evitability of Scientific Expansion. What is to come in the fu- 
 ture is unforeseeable, but that it is coming is inevitable. Mean- 
 while, along with scientific knowledge, scientific information is 
 increasing at the same pace and in the same way. We also had 
 confirmed the belief that science is actually impossible without 
 printed records for scientific knowledge is cumulative, building 
 on what has gone before. 
 
 During the past three days we were reminded again of 
 the great and marvelously exciting pageant of western culture, 
 
 Harold Lancour is Associate Director of 
 the University of Illinois Graduate School 
 of Library Science. 
 
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whereby we have been brought by cumulative steps to our pres- 
 ent state of development. We took a retrospective glance over 
 the great, undying landmark books through which scientific 
 knowledge has accumulated bit by bit. While not all of them are 
 suitable for the general reader of today several are as stimulat- 
 ing and instructive now as when they first burst into man's con- 
 sciousness . 
 
 A look at modern scientific publishing showed how vast 
 and disorderly, how complex and expensive this process is. We 
 had a number of statistics given to us but I was particularly 
 struck by one from Mr. Shipman--next year 21/4 million arti- 
 cles will appear, on 11 billion pages, in a fantastic number of 
 journals, and in more than twenty languages. We also learned 
 that Russia has emerged as one of the principle producers of 
 scientific information, at least equal, and in some instances, 
 surpassing the United States. 
 
 Then we considered who uses or wants to use this sci- 
 entific information. First, we know, there is the scientist him- 
 self, but this group has been outside the context of our meeting. 
 Our concern was with the so-called general reader defined as 
 the person of good intelligence and developed reading interests 
 and skills who does not have specific training in, in this case, 
 science or technology. As we looked at the general reader a 
 little more carefully we discovered that actually age does not 
 have a great deal to do with reader interest in science. The 
 child, the teenager, the young adult, and the adult may differ 
 slightly in their immediate motivation and their reading level, 
 but their interests are basically the same. We learned too that 
 the general reader is apparently not interested in theoretical 
 science, as such. Indeed we had confirmed some of our sus- 
 picions that people are a little fearful of Science, experiencing 
 those apprehensions whichmaybe the basis of superstition--the 
 fear of the mysteriously unknown. On the other hand nearly all 
 people are concerned, sometime, with some phenomenon of 
 life or the world about us, and it is this which leads to an inter- 
 est in science. Such mundane matters as constipation, the 
 stars, why eyes are blue, animal pets, what a goldfish eats, 
 and how to identify a bird, rock, or a tree are questions which 
 arouse our curiosity at some stage in life. Knowledge about 
 such matters we know comes from science, and the answers are 
 are found in science. 
 
 There are others who wish to know about or to see a 
 little more clearly what is happening as the scientist achieves 
 ever greater mastery over our environment. Readers of this 
 kind are genuinely interested in the latest findings in oceanog- 
 
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raphy, or nuclear physics, or aerodynamics. Unable to study 
 the matter himself such a reader still has the curiosity, the 
 interest, and the desire to know what progress has been made, 
 how much has been learned. These people, however, cannot 
 hope to comprehend the detailed technical language of reports 
 and papers. Therefore they must turn to the popularizer, so 
 called, who plays an increasingly important role in the inter- 
 pretation and the reporting of scientific information. 
 
 Finally, there is a growing body of thoughtful readers 
 concerned with one of the truly disturbing questions of our time 
 --how do we bring our religious beliefs into adjustment with 
 scientific findings. It is often that these two are seemingly in- 
 compatible. Scientists themselves as well as humanists, psy- 
 chologists, theologians, and philosophers are earnestly reflect- 
 ing upon this fundamental human problem. The result is an ex- 
 tensive literature, an integral part of the scientific corpus. 
 
 During the conference sharp attention was paid to in- 
 formation sources. We learned about the efforts that are being 
 made to improve the quality of science reporting and the methods 
 for the dissemination of scientific information. We reviewed 
 the broad range of informational materials that are available 
 for the reporting of science from books at one end to, in one 
 speaker's word, the realia at the other. We examined their 
 characteristics, their dimensions, and their usefulness under 
 particular circumstances. The demonstrations of some of the 
 newer uses of audio-visual materials as the means of reporting 
 science were especially exciting in their possibilities. All of it 
 lead to the inevitable conclusion that the average library is go- 
 ing to have to buy more, and to have more difficult selection 
 problems of acquisition in respect to, science materials. 
 
 At this stage in the proceedings we took a look at the 
 really basic problem of our conference- -how can we develop 
 effective methods of selection of these new materials. Someone 
 mentioned Shipman's Doctrine of Unintelligibility as one of the 
 major revelations of this institute. Certainly his doctrine was 
 comforting to all of us in its implication that is is not necessary 
 to understand the material in science ourselves in order to be 
 able to select it for our readers. Even scientists, apparently, 
 do not always understand each other. 
 
 Building a collection of science materials does not call 
 for special skills. Here as in other subject areas we need only 
 to apply the basic principles of selection that are customarily 
 used in our professional work, identifying the needs and require- 
 ments of the community, establishing the purposes of the partic- 
 ular library, and upon these constructing a method of selection. 
 
 - 183 - 
 
A singularly useful approach was suggested in Bonn's Six De- 
 cision Method of Selection. This calls for decisions to be made 
 on six questions: a) what has been published, b) which of the 
 things that have been published are available, c) which of those 
 available are worth-while, d) which of those that are worth- 
 while are most suitable, e) which of those most suitable are 
 best for our specific library, and f) which of those that are best 
 for our specific library should be purchased out of a limited 
 budget. These are essential decisions and are the basis of any 
 discriminating selection procedure. 
 
 There seems little question in view of the Shipman Doc- 
 trine that librarians must rely on other people for help in the 
 selection of science material. Use of subject experts, of course, 
 for long has been an accepted procedure but it was underscored 
 that its usefulness increases in direct proportion to any librar- 
 ian's specific familiarity with and ability to evaluate material 
 in science. Members of local scientific societies are the kind 
 of knowledgeable people in the community whose advice on the 
 selection of books can be exceedingly valuable. 
 
 Another way to get the advice of experts is through the 
 reviewing media and we had a most interesting discussion, and 
 presentation of the characteristics, of the reviewing media in 
 the science field. It is clear that these media are general re- 
 liable and that it is likely that they will get more so as the years 
 go on. While they will also increase in number there undoubt- 
 edly will be amalgamation, reorganization, and reorienting of 
 these reviewing periodicals as the years proceed. 
 
 Expert's reviews are especially useful in making gross 
 elimination of the items that are poor or are of such a nature 
 as to be undesirable for use in a library. Discussion also 
 brought out that the various reviewing journals can be used ef- 
 fectively only with practice. An exposure meter in photography 
 gives a foot-candle reading but the photographer must interpret 
 what the reading means as far as his particular camera, the 
 particular light situation, and the particular film is concerned; 
 something of the same applies in using reviewing media. 
 
 Now to sum up the summary, during the past three days 
 it was conclusively established that, more and more, books in 
 science will be added to all library collections. This is definite, 
 clear, and no longer the occasion for speculation. Science is 
 here to stay and its bibliography will increase apace. 
 
 Librarians must face up to the fact that the addition of 
 science materials is going to cost money. One of the obligations 
 that we have to our users is proving to those who control li- 
 brary finances that more money will be needed to round out any 
 
 - 184 - 
 
library's collections with the inclusion of scientific materials. 
 The answer is not, even temporarily, in lowering or changing 
 selection policies in the non-scientific areas. Science material 
 by its very nature is expensive and this is going to have to be 
 realized by all of those who are concerned with the support of 
 our libraries. Librarians will need to drive this point home to 
 those upon whom they rely for support. 
 
 It was no small comfort to discover that the same prin- 
 ciples of selection apply to science as apply to any other sub- 
 ject field; that it is not something we are going to have to do 
 differently. The principles are precisely the same, only the 
 interpretation of them slightly different. 
 
 Most librarians, there can be little doubt, must rely on 
 reviewing aids to a considerably greater extent in selecting sci- 
 ence books than for almost any other subject. They must make 
 a definite effort to know what their media are and how to use 
 them effectively. A long step toward learning about them was 
 made during this institute but that was only the beginning. The 
 most important thing learned here is that the reviewing period- 
 icals in science can be relied upon for accuracy, currency, and 
 authority. 
 
 Finally, the paramount and permanent change that this 
 meeting may have brought about in each of us is the contribution 
 it gave toward the development of a new outlook and a new phi- 
 losophy: science belongs in every library. There has been on 
 the part of all too many a feeling that maybe science, especially 
 as addressed to the general reader, was not really needed in the 
 public library or the college library or university library. But 
 that ghost, it seems to me, has been well disposed of. Further- 
 more, librarians will need, in the immediate years ahead, to 
 inform themselves as never before about the world of science. 
 In that connection the real words of wisdom came from the 
 youngster described by one of the speakers: "Lady, if you're 
 going to learn something about science, you gotta like snakes. " 
 
 - 185 - 
 
PAPERS OF THE ALLERTON PARK INSTITUTES 
 
 Number One 
 
 Number Two 
 
 Number Three 
 
 Number Four 
 
 Number Five 
 
 Number Six 
 
 Number Seven 
 
 October 1954 
 
 The School Library Supervisor. Chicago, 
 
 American Library Association, 1956. $1. 75. 
 
 September 1955 
 
 Developing the Library's Personnel Pro- 
 gram. (Not published). 
 
 November 1956 
 
 The Nature and Development of the Library 
 Collection. Champaign, 111. , The Illini 
 Union Bookstore, 1957. $1.75. 
 
 September-October 1957 
 The Library as a Community Information 
 Center. Champaign, 111. , The Illini Union 
 Bookstore, 1958. $2.00. 
 
 November 1958 
 
 Public Library Service to the Young Adult. 
 (To be published by The Illini Union Book- 
 store. ) 
 
 November 1959 
 
 The Role of Classification in the Modern 
 American Library. Champaign, 111., The 
 Illini Union Bookstore, I960. $2.00.* 
 
 November I960 
 
 Collecting Science Literature for General 
 Reading. Champaign, 111. , The Illini Union 
 Bookstore, 1961. $2.00. 
 
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