College and Research Libraries By W I L L I A M H . C A R L S O N Our Four Year Goals: Contributions of College, University, and Reference Libraries' Mr. Carlson, retiring president of A.C.R.L., is director of libraries, Oregon State System of Higher Education and li- brarian, Oregon State College. A T THE first A . L . A . convention I at- tended in 1928, at W e s t Baden, Ind., the keynote was on library service in an understanding world, a phrase which has been proven considerably more optimistic than the facts w a r r a n t e d . W e and the world at large were little aware that there was even then brewing a devil's cauldron of envy, distrust, hatred, and greed, which was to threaten to lay our comfortable and pleasant way of life low and which was to demonstrate tragically that we did not and do not live in an understanding w o r l d . N o w two decades later, having tasted of the bitter brew of that unholy cauldron, against which our books availed but little, and to which many of them directly contributed, we are concerned, gravely concerned, and more realistically, about the challenge of public affairs and how the w o r k we do in and through our libraries can help bring enlightenment, peace, and yes, understand- ing, to a world that has always had far too little of these much sought and desperately needed characteristics. W e know that li- brary work well and honestly done will con- tribute in some degree to the better world 1 Paper presented at Third General Session, American Library Association Conference, Tune 17, 1948, Atlantic City, N.J. all mankind needs and wants. T h e r e f o r e , we appropriately relate our plans and thoughts to the four year goals our Associa- tion has set for itself in anticipation of, or rather in preparation for its 75th anniver- sary. If there is anything new in our announced goals and in this conference it is our sense of urgency and our desire to improve and strengthen our libraries and librarians quickly so that they can make a more direct and positive contribution to the many seri- ous problems that face our civilization, problems aptly said to be, if not new, then newly dangerous. W h e t h e r this is true, whether our uneasy concern, our near- hysteria, is justified, time alone will tell. W e know f r o m the books in our libraries that many generations before us have felt that they more than any that had gone be- fore, faced unique, difficult, t e r r i f y i n g and almost unsurmountable problems. O u r forebears, even as we, solved or failed to solve problems through intelligence or blunder, through good f o r t u n e or bad luck. T h a t they failed more often than not, in matters of human relationships and interna- tional amity as we have so often and so recently failed, the present state of the world bears eloquent if unhappy testimony. A survey of our goals indicates several areas in which the w o r k and efforts of college, university, and reference librarians can make important, in some cases even 291 dominant contribution. I n doing this, how- ever, the college and university libraries ( a n d to some extent the separate reference libraries) will not be free agents in the same sense as are the public libraries. W h a t we accomplish in our higher educational li- braries will necessarily have to be done within the confines of the policies and teach- ing and research programs of our respective institutions, which of course, we primarily exist to support. W i t h i n these limits, though, there is much that we can do. T o w a r d our first objective of an adequate number of high caliber professional librari- ans the college and university libraries can and should make the m a j o r contribution. W e can best answer the question as to how and why young people enter the library profession by each of us stating how he him- self happened to become a librarian. Like as not answers to this question would indi- cate that the decision came d u r i n g our years in college or our immediate post-college years. F o r many of us it came t h r o u g h the accident of part-time employment in a li- brary, more often than not a college or university library. Both in being in close contact w i t h young people d u r i n g their years of decision, and by being advisers, friends, and preceptors of young people w o r k i n g in college libraries we in the colleges can gain many recruits to our ranks. W e do not propose, in the colleges and universities, however to continue, as we have in the past, to leave the attraction of strong young people to our profession to the missionary zeal of a f e w of our more en- thusiastic librarians. W e intend to stimu- late and promote a unified approach, by all our members and libraries, in behalf of librarianship, to the best young people who come under our observation. I t is ex- tremely f o r t u n a t e , in my opinion, that the m a j o r i t y of our library organizations have decided on a joint effort to a t t r a c t strong young people. W e were, in the college field, n a t u r a l l y glad that this decision found us mobilized for action, w i t h a special re- cruiting committee of our own already set up and functioning. W e are pleased that this committee has been able to take a promi- nent part in the w o r k of the J o i n t Commit- tee on L i b r a r y W o r k as a Career, and that our chairman, L a w r e n c e Sidney T h o m p s o n , is the secretary of the joint committee. W e expect to contribute largely, through D r . T h o m p s o n and his committee, to the w o r k of the joint committee. I n improving professional education for librarianship, also a part of our first ob- jective, we in the colleges and universities have taken and are taking a prominent part. T h i s is n a t u r a l , even inevitable, in view of the fact that nearly all of our library schools are associated w i t h universities. T h e schools, even if they are not, as is often the case, under the direction of the librarian, n a t u r a l l y f u n c t i o n in very close relationship to the libraries and the library staff, many of whom serve as part-time instructors. T h e s e members of college and university li- brary staffs have contributed Jargely to past progress, and in my opinion it has been considerable, in this area. College and uni- versity librarians are taking a prominent p a r t in the present f e r m e n t , change, and experimentation in the field, and the con- siderable trend t o w a r d g r a d u a t e recognition of the first year of library school w o r k . In this area, too, A . C . R . L . has a special com- mittee at w o r k . , T h e goal of stronger library associations, better organized for membership participa- tion and better equipped to provide service to members, which is also a part of the first of our f o u r year goals, has this year occupied the m a j o r time and interest of the Associa- tion of College and Reference Libraries. T h i s has been because we have felt our- selves, with our office of executive secretary 292 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES newly established and our decision to re- main an integral part of A . L . A . behind us, to be in a formative period. W e have placed m a j o r emphasis, in addition to re- cruiting and better education for librarian- ship, both of which will contribute to strong library associations, on a t t r a c t i n g new mem- bers to our association. T h i s effort, under the direction of W a y n e S. Yenawine of the Air University of M o n t g o m e r y , Ala., has borne good f r u i t d u r i n g the year, bringing our ranks to well over 3600 members, as compared to 2400 last year. W h i l e strong emphasis has been placed on our association as such, this has been done with a clear realization that the association is only a means to an end. W e are interested in the association only because we believe and hope that through w o r k i n g together within it, and in an organized way, we can best make our libraries stronger, more vital, more effective. A t whatever moment and to whatever degree our associa- tion begins to exist by and for itself, instead of as a convenient and responsive agency for us to work through, it will begin to lose value and that strength which comes f r o m close contact with the grass roots. I t is for this reason that the Board of Directors of A . C . R . L . has been highly pleased that our new executive secretary has been able to make numerous trips to institutions about the country, to confer with and advise college presidents, and speak before library groups and faculties. I n the current issue of Special Libraries there appears a provocative and t h o u g h t f u l article by R u t h Savord, "Seen f r o m the Sidelines," on association strength and de- velopment. Miss Savord looks back w i t h understandable nostalgia to the days when the strength of the Special Libraries As- sociation lay in participation of practically the entire membership in the constructive work of the association. She compares this w i t h the present large, far-reaching organi- zation, w i t h a headquarters office and staff and numerous chapters and groups. She fears, and quite rightly, it seems to me, that this situation inclines the membership to become '"takers" of others' labor and abili- ties rather than "sharers." She raises the question as to whether it is better to be inef- fectively large or effectively small. T h i s is the dilemma of all professional organizations. Obviously we need numbers for strength as well as a wide dispersal of the results and benefits of our efforts. H o w to have both, a large membership and a vital program with appeal to all members, and in which they can work, is a problem neither easy nor simple of solution. A . C . R . L . , being young, should be able to avoid some pitfalls. Already, however, demands on our executive secretary are snowballing, point- ing a clear trend toward a strong, ex- tensively staffed executive office to which we can all t u r n to get our w o r k done. I here voice the personal hope that our head- quarters staff will be kept relatively small and simple and that much of our w o r k will be spread to and done by our members. T h e increasing f r a g m e n t a t i o n and spe- cialization of our associations is also a m a t t e r for serious thought. I t is exempli- fied by the Special Libraries Association, once itself a specialized group d r a w i n g to- gether because of m u t u a l interests and prob- lems, and now having twenty-three chapters and thirteen groups, and our own young A . C . R . L . already with seven sections. I t is my opinion that, in our efforts to be demo- cratic we have leaned over backward in setting up section and chapters. W i t h i n A . C . R . L . this can now be done by any twenty people banding together and, with the approval of our board of directors, or- ganizing a new section. O u r association and our sections would be stronger, I believe, if the constitutional OCTOBER, 1948 29 7 section r e q u i r e m e n t w e r e raised to 150 or 2 0 0 members. F i n a l l y , w e need an effective u n i f y i n g agency f o r all o u r associations, w h i c h have as m a n y or m o r e t h i n g s in common as they do a p a r t . I incline to the view, as suggested by M i l t o n E . L o r d , t h a t this need can be w e l l met by a n a t i o n a l f e d e r a t i o n of l i b r a r y associations, w i t h the A . L . A . serving as the u n i f y i n g agency. O u r college, university, and reference libraries can also m a k e m a j o r c o n t r i b u t i o n to the a t t a i n m e n t of one phase of o u r t h i r d goal, the cooperative acquisition at the state, local, and n a t i o n a l levels of the w o r l d ' s use- f u l knowledge, so t h a t all i m p o r t a n t m a t e r i - als w i l l be f o u n d in some A m e r i c a n library somewhere. I n this quest f o r all the books of conceivable i m p o r t a n c e to be somewhere in A m e r i c a , college, university, and r e f - erence librarians, ever since E . C . R i c h a r d - son first voiced the idea in 1899, have taken a leading p a r t . N o w the Association of Research Libraries, w h i c h believes in keep- ing itself small, and w h i c h , w i t h a very f e w exceptions, consists of university and college libraries, is the chief p r o p o n e n t of such action, t h r o u g h the w e l l - k n o w n F a r m i n g t o n P l a n , a plan w h i c h in its logical implications and application extends f a r beyond the sharply limited membership of the Associa- tion of Research L i b r a r i e s . I n this problem of a c q u i r i n g and o r g a n i z - ing f o r effective use all the w o r l d ' s k n o w l - edge lies one of the serious c u l t u r a l prob- lems of m a n k i n d . I t is not a problem of the l i b r a r i a n s alone, a l t h o u g h w e as l i b r a r i a n s are certainly on the f r o n t firing line. G i v e n the necessary money and space w e can prob- ably o r g a n i z e indefinitely, even w i t h our present controls, m a n k i n d ' s v o l u m i n o u s pro- duction of records, w h i c h at the L i b r a r y of Congress alone is b r i n g i n g a linear shelf g r o w t h of over six miles per year f o r books and pamphlets alone. I w o n d e r t h o u g h , and I k n o w this is heresy, at the need of scholarship, t h a t is really significant scholar- ship, f o r all the m a t e r i a l s w e so meticulously acquire, or its ability to use them effectively. A s a citizen and taxpayer, too, I am con- cerned, using the L i b r a r y of Congress again symbolically, over the fact t h a t the budget of this great l i b r a r y has m o r e t h a n tripled d u r i n g my t w o decades as a practic- ing l i b r a r i a n , and is still f a r below the care- f u l l y d e m o n s t r a t e d needs of the l i b r a r y . T h e time has come, it seems to me, f o r us to begin seriously to ask, " C a n t h e r e be no c e i l i n g ? " T o the i m p r o v e m e n t of i n t e r l i b r a r y loan a r r a n g e m e n t s and the b e t t e r i n g of facilities f o r locating m a t e r i a l s the colleges and ref- erence libraries w i l l continue as they have in the past, to m a k e m a j o r c o n t r i b u t i o n . T h i s will u n d o u b t e d l y be done t h r o u g h f u r t h e r expansion and refinement of biblio- graphic centers, regional reservoirs, and union lists. I t may here be a p p r o p r i a t e l y noted t h a t the present large Union List of Serials, n o w so f u n d a m e n t a l and so impor- t a n t in the operation of all libraries, came into being t h r o u g h the p l a n n i n g and active financial support, to the t u n e of $ 3 6 , 0 0 0 each, of f o r t y libraries, chiefly college and university. O n e desired objective in the i n t e r l i b r a r y loan area is to limit the very heavy loans and the responsibility n o w carried by o u r largest libraries. T h e r e is good prospect, I believe, t h a t technological developments w i l l before too long make possible very con- siderable economies in time and money in the f r e e and easy i n t e r c h a n g e of o u r books. I t seems highly probable however t h a t o u r 7 5 t h anniversary will see us still c a r r y i n g this w o r k on largely along the present w e l l established and t r a d i t i o n a l lines. I have purposely stressed in this brief discussion those areas and goals in w h i c h and to w h i c h o u r college, university, and (Continued on page 298) 294 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES appears significant enough to be preserved in an article, I hope you will not be too modest to describe and interpret it for the editor. T h e sections, you know, have not shared equally the space in the j o u r n a l — b u t I think there has been no hint of discrimi- nation. Of 409 articles appearing in Col- lege and Research Libraries, 2 4 2 h a v e been general in scope; 56 concerned primarily with university libraries; 52 w i t h college; 28 with reference; 10 each with libraries of junior colleges and teacher-training institu- t i o n s ; and fewer than 10 to agricultural and engineering libraries. W h i l e obviously there are differences in the amount of ma- terial available, there must be gaps in the published information about the philosophy, practices, obligations, and opportunities of some of the special interest libraries. Y o u should not assume, however, that the pau- city of articles bears any relationship to the interest of elected officers of sections. T h e best records of attendance at board meetings are held by representatives of those special types of libraries about which literature seems to be scarce. A m o n g you are many who w a n t to receive College and Research Libraries in p l a c e of the A.L.A. Bulletin. I t is obvious that such a substitute arrangement cannot be worked out satisfactorily. H o w e v e r , you will remember that the F o u r t h Activities Committee has included in its tentative pro- posals a plan which will permit every mem- ber to receive the j o u r n a l on his member- ship. Finally, a word about the work of the executive secretary. H i s report covering his first year in office is evidence that in the executive secretary's office we have the con- nective tissue this association has needed so urgently to bring its sections and its mem- bers t o g e t h e r : a clearing house for informa- tion, a representative who can speak to us and for us about the affairs and problems of this association, continuity, and an honest desire to be of service. W h i l e this office is already an indispensable part of A . C . R . L . , its contributions may be expected to increase in importance in each of the next several years. T h e directors are not losing sight of the ten points in A . C . R . L . ' s original pro- gram. T h e y are still before us. But w h a t - ever the objectives of the next decade, they will be achieved only if we continue to strengthen our membership in quality as well as in numbers, and only if most of these a r e interested a n d active m e m b e r s . Our Four Year Goals (Continued from page 2Q4) reference libraries can and will make out- standing and significant contribution. W e will not, however, I sincerely believe, limit our vision and our w o r k and efforts closely and specifically to the college field. T o w a r d all our goals, f o u r year or otherwise, I know I can safely pledge the college and refer- ence librarians to w o r k w i t h intelligence and good will. O u r members will often be found, I am certain, w o r k i n g in behalf of state extension of public library service, county and other larger units of public library service, and in whatever other ways may strengthen and improve library service and help bring books to the people and u n d e r s t a n d i n g to the w o r l d . 298 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES