College and Research Libraries By H E L E N M . B R O W N Conditions Contributing to the Efficient Service of Student Assistants in a Selected Group of College Libraries Miss Brown has served in various capaci- ties at the Vassar College Library and in the fall of 1943 became reference librarian there. She here summarizes the findings of a master s essay accepted by the School of Library Service at Columbia University in 194.2. TH E GENERAL PRINCIPLES of efficient student assistant service have been formulated in the standard works on col- lege and university library administration.1 T h e y may be expressed briefly as follows: T h e authority to appoint student assist- ants should be vested in the librarian or a member of the library staff. T h e librarian should have the right to select student assistants solely on the basis of their fitness to do the w o r k required. T h e librarian should have authority to discharge any incompetent student assistants. I t is most efficient to use student assistants f o r duties which do not require much train- ing or experience. T h e r e should be a comparatively small 1 C f . B r o w n , C. H., and Bousfield, H. G. Circu- lation Work in College and University Libraries. Chicago, A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y A s s o c i a t i o n , 1933, p. 53- 60. M c C r u m . B. P . An Estimate of Standards for a College Library. 2d ed. L e x i n g t o n , W a s h i n g t o n and L e e U n i v e r s i t y , 1937, p. 118-20. R a n d a l l , W . M . The College Library. Chicago, A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y Association and U n i v e r s i t y of Chicago P r e s s , 1932, p. 64-65. Randall, W . M . , and Goodrich, F . L . D . Principles of College Library Administration. 2d ed. Chicago, A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y Association and U n i v e r s i t y of Chicago P r e s s , 1941, p. 129-39. number of student assistants w o r k i n g rela- tively long hours of service rather than many students serving only a f e w hours w e e k l y . F i f t e e n hours per w e e k is a suggested stand- ard f o r most types of w o r k . N o student should be permitted to w o r k so many hours as to endanger his health or academic stand- ing. T h e r e should be a sliding scale of pay- ment, based upon duties assigned and the efficiency w i t h which they are performed. So far there is agreement among the authorities. But upon the type of work to be assigned to student assistants there is some disagreement which apparently springs from a difference in philosophy regarding the function of the college li- brary. One school of thought believes that the student should be assigned to his duties only with regard to the furtherance of the work of the library, which is to give service to its clientele. In accordance with this viewpoint, students would be as- signed to shelving, writing overdues and waiting list notices, filing cards and per- forming other clerical duties, reading shelves, working at the assigned reading desk if it is separate from the loan desk, delivering books from the stacks, and mes- senger service. T h e other theory regards the college library as an educational insti- 44 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES tution in its own right and holds that it should endeavor to develop the individual capacities of its student assistants. A c - cording to this conception of student as- sistant service, students would be used in projects which utilize their subject knowl- edge. T h e present study was made in the aca- demic year 1940-41 to bring the evidence of current practice to the consideration of the problem. It surveys the actual condi- tions governing the service of student as- sistants in a group of six college libraries at that time. T h e libraries included in the study are those of liberal arts colleges for women: Barnard, M o u n t Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley. Since the study assumes that student assist- ants should not be used for work on the professional level, the fact that the six li- braries included are able to pay sufficient salaries is important. Departmental libraries have been in- cluded in the study where they are under the jurisdiction of the central library. In addition, the art and music libraries at Vassar College, whose personnel are re- sponsible to the academic departments con- cerned, have been included. These librar- ies have each a professional librarian on their staffs. In this study the definition of student assistant has been expanded to include N . Y . A . assistants, students appointed on grants or working scholarships, and stu- dent assistants in departmental libraries paid by academic department funds. Techniques Employed T h e technique employed in this study was a combination of "information slips" and personal interviews. T h e information slips were typed three-by-five inch forms to be filled out with the following data: name of library, name of student assistant (for identification purposes), job descrip- tion, job qualifications, number of hours per week, rate of payment, paid by {e.g., library budget, N . Y . A . ) . These slips, with one sample form made out correctly, were sent to the cooperating libraries to be filled out by the staff members in charge of the student assistants' work. Enough slips were sent for one to be used for each student. T h e slips from each library were returned and examined for clarity and completeness before the personal inter- view. T h e interview was in every case with the librarian and/or the staff member in charge of student assistant work. T h e interview covered the following points: conditions of appointment and discharge of student assistants, departmental library practice, group training of student assist- ants, the conditions governing clerical assistance in the library, special appropria- tions for student assistant service, and the attitude of the library toward students in- terested in the library profession. T h e opportunity was taken during the inter- view to correct any vagueness or omission discovered in the information slips. Conditions Governing Appointment and Dismissal T h e study shows that in all but one instance, the control of the appointment and dismissal of student assistants is vested in the library. A t one college a group of five students is assigned to work in the library, in return for which they receive grants-in-aid. These students give five or six hours a week service in the library. T h e library has no part in choosing these assistants nor can it dismiss them. T h e "grant girls" are therefore given the sim- plest kind of work, unless they have some DECEMBER, 1943 8 7 T A B L E I L i b r a r i e s U s i n g Student S e r v i c e f o r the Jobs Reported and T o t a l N u m b e r of Students E m p l o y e d in E a c h J o b 1 Jobs (in o r d e r of f r e q u e n c y ) N u m b e r of students employed L i b r a r i e s S h e l v i n g 60 M H , R, V , W L o a n desk w o r k * 48 B, M H , R, S, V , W C h a r g e of d e p a r t m e n t l i b r a r y f o r time scheduled 35 V d , W d T y p i n g 22 M H , S, V , W A s s i s t a n c e at r e s e r v e desk 17 M H , R R e f e r e n c e room assistance 13 V Shelf r e a d i n g 13 V , W F i l i n g 12 M H , V , W C l e a n i n g books 8 V M a r k i n g n e w books 6 M H , V , W C o l l e c t i n g books f o r r e s e r v e 5 R P l a t i n g 5 V , W P u t t i n g pamphlets in binders 5 V d T y p i n g c a r d index f o r G r a m o p h o n e Shop M o n t h l y Record Sup- plement 5 W d B i n d i n g sheet music in p a m p h l e t b i n d e r s 4 W d W i t h d r a w i n g c a r d s f r o m c a t a l o g and s h e l f l i s t 4 S, V A s s i s t a n c e in p u t t i n g books on r e s e r v e and t a k i n g them off r e s e r v e 3 M H , S, V , W C a t a l o g i n g p h o n o g r a p h records 3 V d C h e c k i n g r e s e r v e s , books, and records in m o r n i n g 3 V d , W d C o u n t i n g c i r c u l a t i o n 3 V d , W d C u t t i n g p a g e s 3 V M e n d i n g books 3 M H , V M o u n t i n g p h o t o g r a p h s 3 V d O r d e r d e p a r t m e n t assistance 3 V P r e l i m i n a r y a r r a n g i n g of shelflist and c a t a l o g c a r d s 3 S, V A c c e s s i o n i n g 2 S, V d A s s i s t a n c e in b r o w s i n g room 2 M H , R, S C h a r g e of student assistant substitutes 2 V , V d C h e c k i n g o v e r d u e s 2 M H , V C h e c k i n g books in c a t a l o g 2 M H C o l l e c t i n g samples of b i n d i n g and labels 2 V M e n d routine assistance 2 V O p e n i n g , stamping, d i s t r i b u t i n g p e r i o d i c a l s 2 M H P a s t i n g labels on books 2 V P r i n t i n g l a b e l s f o r books 2 V R e c o r d i n g and m a r k i n g additions to series 2 S R e f e r e n c e w o r k 2 R S e a r c h i n g lost books 2 M H , V d A l p h a b e t i z i n g f o r c a t a l o g d e p a r t m e n t 1 W A s s i s t i n g w i t h e x c h a n g e list 1 M H C a r e of p r o g r a m file 1 V d C h a r g e of fines notices 1 V d C h a r g e of p e r f o r m a n c e collection in music l i b r a r y 1 V d 1 Explanation of symbols used in tables B B a r n a r d C o l l e g e L i b r a r y M H M o u n t H o l y o k e College L i b r a r y R R a d c l i f f e College L i b r a r y S S m i t h C o l l e g e L i b r a r y V V a s s a r C o l l e g e L i b r a r y W W e l l e s l e y C o l l e g e L i b r a r y d D e p a r t m e n t a l l i b r a r y * E x p l a n a t i o n g i v e n in t e x t 46 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES X Number of Jobs (in order of f r e q u e n c y ) students employed L i b r a r i e s C h a r g e of periodicals 1 Vd C h a r g e of reserve shelves 1 V d C h a r g e of student assistant accounts x V d C h a r g e of supplies 1 V d C h a r g e of whole library in evening 1 R C l a s s i f y i n g stereopticon slides 1 V d Collecting p r o g r a m s of college events 1 V F i l i n g c a t a l o g cards 1 V d Filing, marking, mounting letters and news clippings 1 R H a r v a r d messenger 1 R H e l p i n g with college catalogs 1 M H Indexing N a g e l ' s Musikarchiv 1 W d Lettering 1 V d M a i l 1 M H M a k i n g and labeling microfilm slides 1 W d Messenger service to department libraries 1 s Posting symphony programs and a r r a n g i n g reserves of appro- priate scores and records 1 W d P r e l i m i n a r y filing of shelf lists 1 S P r i n t i n g slide labels 1 V d Putting a w a y phonograph records 1 V d Putting department libraries in order 1 s Recording and filing extra copies of college publications 1 V Slide mending 1 Vd Sorting and filing photographs 1 V d Sorting slides into categories 1 Vd Sunday doorkeeping 1 V T r e a t i n g leather books 1 Vd T y p i n g labels for phonograph record envelopes 1 W d W i t h d r a w i n g books from l i b r a r y collection 1 V W o r k i n g with reference librarian, checking indices, etc. 1 W W r a p p i n g and labeling newspapers in packages 1 V special skill such as typing or prove to have other particular qualifications. Librarians cooperating in the study tend to appoint student assistants on the basis of their qualifications for the work to be as- signed, but in several situations the factor of financial need must be regarded first. Wellesley College Library makes use of student assistants who are recipients of co- operative scholarships. T h e y give a defi- nite number of hours' service to the library in return for a scholarship. Students w h o are eligible for the awards are sent to the library from the dean's office. T h e librari- an selects from among the applicants on the basis of their qualifications for the jobs available. A t M o u n t Holyoke College Library financial need is a requirement for ap- pointment unless the student is interested in library work as a profession. In the appointment of part of its stu- dent assistants, the Vassar library must as- sume the teaching function or lose control of a considerable annual income for the employment of student service. In 1928 DECEMBER, 1943 8 7 the Class of 1 9 1 2 of Vassar College es- tablished the Class of 1 9 1 2 S e l f - H e l p F u n d w i t h the purpose of "Provision for remuneration to students for work of some educational value." Since November 1928 the income has been voted to the library. A l l the libraries concerned show special consideration for applicants interested in library w o r k as a possible career. Work Performed T h e findings of this study in regard to the work performed by student assistants in the selected group of college libraries are presented in the form of a frequency table ( T a b l e I ) . A n analysis of the job descriptions given on the information slips shows that the grouping of student assist- ant duties follows no set pattern. A t R a d - cliffe College Library a student assistant collects books for reserve; at Vassar li- brary a student assigned to loan desk work collects books for reserve, files cards, and does odd j o b s ; at W e l l e s l e y a student vworks with the reference librarian check- ing indices and bibliographies; at Vassar a reference room assistant checks bibliog- raphies and shelves reference collection books. T h e table is obviously thrown out by the occurrence of such overlapping terms. W h i l e loan desk work is the one type of work common to student assistants in all the libraries included in the study, it makes a great difference whether the stu- dent assistant is assigned to public service work or is employed at the desk only to relieve the regular staff members of routine duties such as filing cards, looking up call numbers in the files, sending notices, and various other odd jobs. T h e situation is further affected if the library maintains a separate reference department or if refer- T A B L E I I Qualifications Required for Student Assistant W o r k in O r d e r of Frequency of Mention Qualification Frequency of mention A c c u r a c y 68 A v a i l a b i l i t y at i r r e g u l a r hours 54 Good health and eyesight 35 Need 28 A b i l i t y to type 26 A b i l i t y to use card c a t a l o g 21 Neatness 21 A b i l i t y to take responsibility 20 Experience 15 Quickness 10 M a n u a l dexterity 9 A v a i l a b i l i t y d u r i n g vacations 8 Good printing 8 K n o w l e d g e of music 8 Punctuality 8 C a r e f u l attention to detail w o r k 7 Interest 6 K n o w l e d g e of art 6 Judgment 5 K n o w l e d g e of botany 5 K n o w l e d g e of French 5 K n o w l e d g e of zoology 5 G e n e r a l promise 4 Good h a n d w r i t i n g 4 K n o w l e d g e of G e r m a n 4 K n o w l e d g e of the classification 4 Dependability 3 P l e a s i n g personality 3 G o o d at h a n d l i n g student requests 2 Initiative 2 K n o w l e d g e of Italian 2 K n o w l e d g e of Spanish 2 T h o r o u g h n e s s 2 A b i l i t y to get along with people A b i l i t y to center "by e y e " B i b l i o g r a p h i c a l aptitude Contact with student life Executive ability F a m i l i a r i t y with collection P l e a s i n g appearance Sense of o r g a n i z a t i o n W i l l i n g n e s s to cooperate ence and circulation work are combined at one desk. A t the Vassar and W e l l e s l e y libraries students work at the loan desk as assistants to regular staff members. T h e r e is a sepa- 48 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES rate, p r o f e s s i o n a l r e f e r e n c e service. A t M o u n t H o l y o k e l i b r a r y , w h e r e there is no separate r e f e r e n c e d e p a r t m e n t , a s t u d e n t assistant does service w o r k at the m a i n desk d u r i n g the busy h o u r s u n d e r the su- pervision of a staff m e m b e r . A t M o u n t H o l y o k e and S m i t h l i b r a r i e s a s t u d e n t is l e f t in c h a r g e of the l o a n desk d u r i n g m e a l hours. A t R a d c l i f f e and B a r n a r d l i b r a r - ies s t u d e n t assistants do r e f e r e n c e and cir- c u l a t i o n d u t y at the m a i n desk. F o r types of w o r k p e r f o r m e d by s t u d e n t assistants in one l i b r a r y o n l y , the w o r d i n g of the j o b d e s c r i p t i o n as g i v e n in the in- f o r m a t i o n slip has been p r e s e r v e d . T h e one type of w o r k in w h i c h s t u d e n t assistants are e n g a g e d in a l l the l i b r a r i e s s t u d i e d is l o a n desk w o r k . F o u r l i b r a r i e s use s t u d e n t s in s h e l v i n g , t y p i n g , a n d put- t i n g books on reserve and r e m o v i n g them f r o m reserve. T h e l a r g e s t n u m b e r of stu- dents is e n g a g e d in shelf w o r k , a l t h o u g h t w o libraries, B a r n a r d and S m i t h , use p a g e boys f o r this service. Qualifications Required in Relation to Spe- cial Abilities T h e q u a l i f i c a t i o n s r e p o r t e d by t h e coop- e r a t i n g l i b r a r i e s as r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r stu- d e n t assistant j o b s are presented in T a b l e I I in o r d e r of f r e q u e n c y of m e n t i o n . A n a n a l y s i s of the t a b l e suggests t h a t the q u a l i f i c a t i o n s m a y be r o u g h l y g r o u p e d into seven c a t e g o r i e s : 1. Personality traits such as intelligence, ability to get along with people 2. Work traits such as accuracy, careful attention to detail work 3. Skills, such as ability to type, good printing 4. Experience 5. Health 6. Need 7. Other qualifications: subject knowl- edge, availability at irregular hours, ability to use card catalog, knowledge of the classi- fication, familiarity with the collection, and contact with student life. I t is e v i d e n t t h a t the s e v e n t h c a t e g o r y comprises q u a l i f i c a t i o n s p a r t i c u l a r l y r e l a t e d to the abilities or c o n d i t i o n s of c o l l e g e students. Since the i n f o r m a t i o n slips re- c o r d e d both j o b descriptions a n d j o b q u a l - ifications, it w a s possible f r o m t h e m to ascertain f o r w h a t w o r k these special abilities or c o n d i t i o n s w e r e r e q u i r e d . T a b l e I I I presents a list of the j o b s as- signed to s t u d e n t assistants in the selected g r o u p of c o l l e g e libraries, based u p o n these q u a l i f i c a t i o n s . Since it m a y be assumed t h a t it is de- sirable to use s t u d e n t assistants f o r w o r k w h i c h is p a r t i c u l a r l y r e l a t e d to their spe- cial abilities, the f o r e g o i n g analysis w i l l suggest to c o l l e g e l i b r a r i a n s situations in w h i c h s t u d e n t service m a y be s u c c e s s f u l l y e m p l o y e d . H o w e v e r , it m u s t be r e m e m - bered t h a t the t a b l e represents c u r r e n t p r a c t i c e and c a n n o t be accepted as a satis- f a c t o r y s t a n d a r d . T h e use of s t u d e n t as- sistants f o r reference^ w o r k , f o r instance, m a y be c r i t i c i z e d on the g r o u n d s t h a t such w o r k is e n t i r e l y on the p r o f e s s i o n a l l e v e l . Factors Governing Cost T h e cost of s t u d e n t assistant service de- pends both u p o n r a t e of p a y m e n t and u p o n the e x p e n d i t u r e in staff t i m e . A l l the li- braries in the g r o u p m a k e use of a g r a d u - ated scale of p a y m e n t . T h e m e d i a n r a t e of p a y m e n t in the l i b r a r i e s s t u d i e d r a n g e s f r o m t h i r t y t o f i f t y cents an h o u r . F a c - tors d e t e r m i n i n g the r a t e of p a y m e n t in- c l u d e : type of w o r k a s s i g n e d ; t y p e of w o r k assigned considered w i t h the indi- v i d u a l s t u d e n t ' s p r o f i c i e n c y , experience, and h o u r s ; l e n g t h of s e r v i c e ; u n d e s i r a b l e h o u r s . I t w a s impossible w i t h i n the scope of DECEMBER, 1943 8 7 T A B L E I I I Jobs A s s i g n e d to Student A s s i s t a n t s f o r W h i c h Q u a l i f i c a t i o n s P a r t i c u l a r l y R e l a t e d to the Special A b i l i t i e s or Conditions of C o l l e g e Students are R e q u i r e d Q u a l i f i c a t i o n s F r e q u e n c y of mention of qualifications W o r k assigned A v a i l a b i l i t y at i r r e g u l a r hours Subject k n o w l e d g e K n o w l e d g e of music 54 37 K n o w l e d g e of French K n o w l e d g e of G e r m a n K n o w l e d g e of Spanish K n o w l e d g e of I t a l i a n K n o w l e d g e of art K n o w l e d g e of botany K n o w l e d g e of z o o l o g y A b i l i t y to use c a r d c a t a l o g 5 5 21 K n o w l e d g e of the classification C o n t a c t w i t h student l i f e F a m i l i a r i t y w i t h collection C h a r g e of department l i b r a r y L o a n desk w o r k R e f e r e n c e room assistant S h e l v i n g books f r o m loan desk A r r a n g i n g r e s e r v e s of scores and records f o r symphony p r o g r a m s C a t a l o g i n g p h o n o g r a p h records C h a r g e of d e p a r t m e n t l i b r a r y C h a r g e of p e r f o r m a n c e collec- tion C l a s s i f y i n g stereopticon slides I n d e x i n g N a g e l ' s Musikarchiv T y p i n g c a r d index f o r G r a m o - phone Shop M o n t h l y R e c o r d Supplement H a r v a r d messenger w o r k I n d e x i n g N a g e l ' s Musikarchiv O r d e r d e p a r t m e n t assistance H a r v a r d messenger w o r k I n d e x i n g N a g e l ' s Musikarchiv O r d e r d e p a r t m e n t assistance O r d e r d e p a r t m e n t assistance I n d e x i n g N a g e l ' s Musikarchiv O r d e r d e p a r t m e n t assistance C h a r g e of d e p a r t m e n t l i b r a r y S o r t i n g slides into c a t e g o r i e s C h a r g e of d e p a r t m e n t l i b r a r y C h a r g e of d e p a r t m e n t l i b r a r y A d d i n g call numbers to lists C o l l e c t i n g books f o r r e s e r v e H a r v a r d m e s s e n g e r w o r k L o a n desk w o r k M e n d routine assistance O r d e r d e p a r t m e n t assistance R e f e r e n c e and circulation w o r k at m a i n desk R e f e r e n c e and c i r c u l a t i o n w o r k in r e s e r v e book room ' W o r k i n g w i t h r e f e r e n c e l i b r a r - ian, c h e c k i n g indices, etc. S h e l v i n g C o l l e c t i n g p r o g r a m s of college events C i r c u l a t i o n and r e f e r e n c e w o r k in r e s e r v e book room 50 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES the study to chart the amount of staff time required for the training and supervision of student assistants over a definite period. It may be assumed, however, that on a given volume of work, the smaller the number of student assistants and the greater the number of hours each student serves, the more economical will be their training and supervision. T h e median number of hours worked weekly by stu- dent assistants in the selected group of college libraries ranges from 5.03 to 10 hours. It thus appears that there is a marked tendency for student assistants in these libraries to work fewer hours than is recommended. T h i s may be due to a number of causes. Since the colleges in the group are predominantly undergradu- ate, with the majority of students carry- ing the equivalent of four courses, the average student has not much time to devote to self-help work. Since the col- leges have comparatively generous scholar- ship endowments, there may not be the financial necessity among the student body which exists elsewhere. Also there seems to be a general care among the college administrations concerned that no student sacrifice her health, scholastic achieve- ment, or normal social life to too much self-help activity. T o reduce the high cost in staff time for training and supervision, several libraries use methods of group instruction. These include personal instruction to sev- eral new students at one time whenever possible, the use of mimeographed instruc- tion sheets, the distribution of a booklet of general directions, and the calling of stu- dent assistant staff meetings. T h i s last practice is valued as promoting a feeling of "belonging" to the library which does much to heighten morale and is reflected in more efficient work. Another means of cutting the cost of student assistant service is the systematic rating of each student's work to determine whether she is performing work of the quantity and quality to be expected. T h e rating will furnish definite, impersonal criticism to aid the unsatisfactory student to increase her efficiency or, failing in that, will afford a concrete basis for her dis- missal. M o u n t Holyoke library uses an employee rating scale designed to guide the supervisor in grading the assistant on eighteen separate points: output-quantity, output-quality, accuracy, organization of work, attitude to job and organization, cooperativeness, disposition, dependable- ness, persistence, vitality, initiative, tact, poise, ability to learn, power of analysis, ability to meet people, supervisory ability, and personal appearance. Nonstudent Clerical Service In the experience of the libraries con- cerned in this survey, it has been desirable and possible to replace some part of stu- dent service with full-time nonstudent clerical workers. It has been found that clerical workers produce better results as typists than do student assistants. T h e employment of a clerical worker to re- place several student assistants working an equivalent number of hours is a great sav- ing in the cost of staff time for training and supervision. A l l the librarians cooperating in the study, however, emphasized the greater leeway of irregular time which an amount of money spent for student service can give over the same amount spent for cleri- cal service. Student service is, therefore, preferable for work requiring scheduling at irregular hours, such as loan desk as- sistance. DECEMBER, 1943 8 7 Recommendations T h a t there is need f o r t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n of personnel m a n a g e m e n t m e t h o d s in the a p p o i n t m e n t and supervision of l i b r a r y s t u d e n t assistants, is s u g g e s t e d by the l a c k of u n i f o r m i t y in the j o b s assigned and in the q u a l i f i c a t i o n s r e q u i r e d in the selected g r o u p of c o l l e g e l i b r a r i e s . T h e a d o p t i o n of a c c e p t e d personnel m a n a g e m e n t m e t h - ods and techniques w i l l r e n d e r m o r e efficient the service of s t u d e n t assistants in a n y s i t u a t i o n . T h e first steps s h o u l d be a simple j o b analysis, a description of each j o b n o w assigned to a s t u d e n t assistant, and a s t a t e m e n t of the q u a l i f i c a t i o n s necessary f o r the j o b . W i t h these f a c t s b e f o r e him, the l i b r a r i a n m a y decide w h e t h e r or n o t there are elements of special abilities needed or of i r r e g u l a r time t o be c o v e r e d w h i c h m a k e the j o b especially suited to s t u d e n t assistants. I n the second place, t h e l i b r a r i a n s h o u l d m a k e use of a l l a v a i l a b l e means to select s t u d e n t assistants w h o h a v e the r e q u i r e d q u a l i f i c a t i o n s . H e has at his service the h e a l t h r e c o r d s of the students, the r e c o r d of the courses they h a v e taken, and t h e i r g r a d e s and class schedules. H e m a y also g i v e prospective assistants simple tests f o r skills, such as i n f o r m a l tests f o r t y p i n g , l e t t e r i n g , use of the c a r d c a t a l o g , and s h e l v i n g . M o r e a t t e n t i o n w i l l doubtless be paid in the f u t u r e to t e s t i n g the m e n t a l , w o r k , and p e r s o n a l i t y t r a i t s of p r o s p e c t i v e s t u d e n t assistants. A s t u d y r e c e n t l y com- p l e t e d at I o w a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r y i n d i c a t e d t h a t the N a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e of I n d u s t r i a l P s y c h o l o g y C l e r i c a l T e s t scores and the A m e r i c a n C o u n c i l on E d u c a t i o n P s y c h o l o g i c a l E x a m i n a t i o n scores are of v a l u e in p r e d i c t i n g success of s t u d e n t assistants in c o l l e g e l i b r a r y w o r k . 2 S o m e of the practices observed in the g r o u p of c o l l e g e l i b r a r i e s deserve w i d e r a d o p t i o n : the use of the r a t i n g scale, the e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a w e e k l y m i n i m u m of h o u r s b e l o w w h i c h no s t u d e n t w o u l d be p e r m i t t e d t o w o r k ( W e l l e s l e y ' s m i n i m u m of six h o u r s m i g h t be considered suitable f o r an u n d e r g r a d u a t e c o l l e g e l i b r a r y of this t y p e ) , the a d o p t i o n of a g r a d u a t e d scale of p a y m e n t based u p o n the type of w o r k p e r f o r m e d , and the use of v a r i o u s m e a n s of g r o u p i n s t r u c t i o n . H o w e v e r g r e a t an e f f o r t the l i b r a r i a n m a k e s t o assign j o b s in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h the i n t e r e s t and special abilities of his s t u d e n t assistants, a l a r g e a m o u n t of r o u t i n e w o r k m u s t be done. T h e m e m - bers of the l i b r a r y staff w h o supervise the w o r k of s t u d e n t assistants m a y r e n d e r a g r e a t service to the l i b r a r y a n d to the s t u d e n t s by i n t e r p r e t i n g to t h e m the place of such r o u t i n e tasks in a l a r g e r enter- prise. T h e t r a i n i n g and supervision of l i b r a r y s t u d e n t assistants o f f e r a g r e a t p r o b l e m in t h a t they v a r y in q u a l i t y w i t h the teach- i n g and e x e c u t i v e abilities of the staff m e m b e r s in c h a r g e . A step in the r i g h t d i r e c t i o n is the inclusion in l i b r a r y school c u r r i c u l a of courses in personnel p r o b l e m s and p r a c t i c a l p s y c h o l o g y f o r p r o f e s s i o n a l w o r k e r s . L i b r a r i a n s m i g h t w e l l consider the v a l u e s of such t r a i n i n g in their plans f o r the c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n of their staff m e m b e r s . A series of r o u n d t a b l e discus- sions on the p r o b l e m s of s t u d e n t assistant supervision m i g h t solve the d i f f i c u l t y in some situations. s O b e r h e i m , G r a c e M . " P r e d i c t i n g S u c c e s s o f S t u d e n t A s s i s t a n t s in College L i b r a r y W o r k . " Oc- tober 1941. C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y , School of L i b r a r y S e r v i c e , m a s t e r ' s essay, p. 89. 52 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES