College and Research Libraries


port, which should prove invaluable to 

future s u r v e y o r s — i n fact already has pro-

vided the basic pattern for t w o other uni-

versity library s u r v e y s . — G . Flint Purdy, 

Wayne University, Detroit. 

Reading in General Education; an Ex-

ploratory Study. W i l l i a m S. G r a y , 

ed. A m e r i c a n C o u n c i l on Education, 

W a s h i n g t o n , 1940. xii + 464pp. 

$2.50. 

T H A T reading cannot be regarded as a 
tool or facility w h i c h is acquired in 

elementary school and to w h i c h no further 

attention need be given has been empha-

sized by numerous studies in recent years. 

It n o w seems clear that the development 

of the art of reading must occupy the 

attention of elementary, high-school, and 

college teachers, and likewise of public, 

school, and college librarians. 

M a n y specific phases of the problem of 

reading are still under investigation. T h e 

present collection of eleven thorough and 

well-documented studies by both teachers 

and librarians is intended to be " a n 

intensive, critical study of the present 

status, recent trends, and current issues in 

reading, w i t h special reference to high 

schools and junior colleges, and to identify 

problems that are in urgent need of 

f u r t h e r investigation." It constitutes the 

report of the Subcommittee on R e a d i n g in 

G e n e r a l Education of the Committee on 

Measurement and G u i d a n c e of the A m e r i -

can C o u n c i l on Education. Funds w e r e 

supplied by the G e n e r a l Education Board. 

T h e individual studies are quite spe-

cialized and reflect, of course, the par-

ticular interests of the specialists w h o have 

prepared them. F o r this reason some of 

them w i l l be of greater interest to 

librarians than others, even though it 

might be difficult to select any as in-

trinsically more important or more valu-

able than others. 

A f t e r a rather general statement by 

N e a l M . Cross concerning the responsi-

bility of teachers in developing satis-

factory reading programs, entitled "Social 

C h a n g e , G e n e r a l Education, and Read-

i n g , " W i l l i a m S. G r a y analyzes the 

various interpretations of the term "read-

i n g " and the factors that influence the 

reading act. T h i s second study, " R e a d i n g 

and Factors Influencing R e a d i n g Effi-

ciency," stresses the importance of con-

tinuing the search for needed facts and 

using these facts in developing greater 

reading efficiency. 

In the third study, " R e l a t i o n of Read-

ing to O t h e r F o r m s of L e a r n i n g , " E d g a r 

D a l e considers reading in its relation to 

the various other methods of communicat-

ing experience (pictures, radio, etc.) that 

may be used in general education. L o u i s 

C . Z a h n e r , in " A p p r o a c h to R e a d i n g 

through Analysis of M e a n i n g s , " suggests 

the creation of a central institute like the 

O r t h o l o g i c a l Institute in L o n d o n to carry 

on and coordinate research in the teaching 

of reading, w h i l e Bernice E . L e a r y and 

W i l l i a m S. G r a y , in " R e a d i n g Problems 

in C o n t e n t F i e l d s , " indicate certain prac-

tices and procedures that teachers may 

f o l l o w in guiding the improvement of 

reading in any field. 

T h e sixth study, " A m e r i c a n C u l t u r e 

and the T e a c h i n g of L i t e r a t u r e , " by L o u 

L . L a B r a n t , w i l l be of general interest, 

but librarians w i l l be particularly inter-

ested in the f o l l o w i n g study, " R e a d i n g 

Interests and T a s t e s , " by H a r o l d A . A n -

derson, since it touches on the problem 

not only of stimulating interest in reading 

but of developing tastes for good reading. 

Studies eight, nine, and ten, " D i f f i -

culties in R e a d i n g M a t e r i a l , " by Bernice 

68 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



E . L e a r y , " D i a g n o s i s and Remediation," 

by R u t h Strang, and " T e c h n i q u e s of A p -

praisal," by J. W a y n e W r i g h t s t o n e , again 

concern themselves w i t h the mechanics of 

reading. F i n a l l y , the eleventh study, en-

titled " T h e L i b r a r y , " by E d w a r d A . 

W i g h t and L e o n C a r n o v s k y , "is con-

cerned primarily w i t h considerations of 

facilitating the union between the book 

and the reader." Here are discussed such 

familiar topics as " F u n c t i o n s of the L i -

b r a r y , " " P h y s i c a l P l a n t and E q u i p m e n t , " 

" L i b r a r y C o n t e n t , " "Instruction in the 

Use of the L i b r a r y , " " S t i m u l a t i n g Use 

of the L i b r a r y , " " M e a s u r i n g U s e , " 

" P e r s o n n e l , " and " T e c h n i c a l W o r k , " 

w i t h reference, of course, to high-school 

and junior-college libraries. 

A s a treatment of reading per se the 

total effect of this series of studies is 

highly impressive. It is w e l l , however, to 

go back to M r . Anderson's study and let 

ourselves be reminded again that the art of 

reading is not an end in itself. In the 

final analysis how w e l l or how much 

people, and particularly students, read, 

must always be subordinate to w h a t they 

read and w h a t they enjoy reading. 

Perhaps even an exploratory study might 

have given more attention to the latter 

q u e s t i o n . — J o h n J. Lund, Duke Univer-

sity, Durham, N.C. 

Notes Used on Catalog Cards, a List of 

Examples. O l i v e Swain. American L i -

brary Association, 1940. viii, 11, I02p. 

$ 1 . 2 5 ( P l a n o g r a p h e d ) 

T o MOST catalogers, this c a r e f u l l y 
selected list of notes to be used on catalog 

cards w i l l be a welcome addition to the 

small body of literature in their field, very 

little of which has been w r i t t e n concerning 

notes. O n e is reminded of the earlier 

lists, compiled by Robinson Spencer and 

by the T w i n C i t y Regional G r o u p of 

Catalogers, which have been so much in 

demand through the years. O n e can 

assume that this one w i l l be even more 

generally used than the others. 

T h e title indicates a broader scope than 

is actually covered by the list, w h i c h is a 

tool for the general cataloger and not for 

the specialist, and which excludes notes 

which w o u l d be used only in serial cata-

loging. T h e usefulness of the list w o u l d 

be increased considerably if notes for 

serials w e r e included. T h e arrangement 

is an alphabetical one, by headings under 

which one might look to find notes de-

scribing features of a b o o k ; as, C o v e r - t i t l e ; 

Dedications; Dissertations, A c a d e m i c ; 

Editions, etc. U n d e r headings, a further 

alphabetic order is followed in listing the 

notes. T h e same note may be given under 

t w o or more headings, as " P a r t of thesis 

( P h . D . ) — U n i v e r s i t y of Chicago, 1 9 3 8 , " 

which appears under the headings "Disser-

tations, A c a d e m i c , " and " S o u r c e . " E x -

planatory material, especially regarding 

the limitations of the use of some notes 

(as " F o r a device that cannot be identi-

fied," " F o r a d i a r y , " " F o r an o r a t o r i o " ) 

is given below the note itself, but some-

times it is omitted w h e n it might w e l l be 

there (as in the case of the note " A u -

thority for author's n a m e : C a t a l o g u e of 

the L i b r a r y of the H a r v a r d l a w school," 

which may need, for the beginning 

cataloger and student of cataloging, some 

explanation of the limitation of its u s e ) . 

T h e compiler's explanation of the 

choice of terms, and of the use of some 

terms, as given in the preface and f o l l o w -

ing some of the notes, w i l l be invaluable 

to the beginners. In any f u t u r e revision, 

an expansion of this feature w i l l increase 

many fold the usefulness of the w o r k . 

In the list itself, the examples are good 

DECEMBER., 1940 69