College and Research Libraries


Shelf Work 
Shelf Work in Libraries. B y W i l l i a m H . 

J e s s e . Chicago, A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y A s s o -
ciation, 1 9 5 2 . 68p. $ 1 . 2 5 / 

"Shelf W o r k " is a comparatively new term 
in the l i b r a r i a n ' s glossary. T h e author of 
this book considers shelf w o r k to be "the act 
of delivering a book when it is wanted, re-
turning it to its assigned place when it is no 
longer needed, and seeing that it is properly 
cared f o r until it is w a n t e d a g a i n . " T o ac-
complish these objectives, shelf, w o r k adminis-
tration is concerned with the arrangement of 
the book collection; special shelving problems 
such as oversized books; the housing and 
arrangement of non-book m a t e r i a l s ; "the 
exploitation of architectural and aesthetic 
possibilities of building areas in which readers 
are in direct contact w i t h the b o o k s " ; order 
and cleanliness in the stack areas of the li-
b r a r y ; shifting of books or moving of the book 
collection, when and if this is r e q u i r e d ; and 
inventory of the book stock. T h e qualifica-
tions of the shelf w o r k e r , his training and his 
supervision, are also discussed in this book. 

In essence, here is an attempt to describe in 
a small volume the management of the li-
b r a r y ' s book collection. T h e emphasis is on 
" a d e q u a t e and efficient service to the l i b r a r y 
u s e r . " T h i s is a practical manual f o r the 
supervisor of shelf w o r k w h e t h e r shelf w o r k 
is his f u l l - t i m e or part-time responsibility, and 
he is told " w h a t should be done, w h y , and how 
it may best be accomplished." I t w i l l o f f e r 
the uninitiated stack supervisor a good guide 
to his w o r k and responsibilities. If he f o l l o w s 
the foot-note references, he w i l l learn more 
about specific problems which arise in his 
w o r k a r e a . H e might be better served in this 
respect if the author had included a selective 
bibliography. F o r the experienced shelf 
w o r k e r , here is a quick r e v i e w which he w i l l 
find up to date on tried practices and sug-
gestive of new approaches to old problems. 

I t seems to this r e v i e w e r that it w o u l d be 
u n f a i r to attempt to criticize this book in 
detail. O n e could debate, f o r example, the 
validity of the statement that " t h e shelf 
w o r k e r w h o pages books must have access to 
the shelf list, if he is to do his w o r k speedily 
and efficiently." I n one short p a r a g r a p h the 
author simply does not have sufficient space to 
particularize this assertion or to discuss the 
test upon which it is based. A g a i n , a current 
concern of l i b r a r i a n s is the question of com-

pact shelving or compact storage. R e f e r e n c e 
is made to some of the better known articles 
and books on the subject, but it is not treated 
in any detail and is not mentioned in the chap-
ter of the book on stack management and 
shelving equipment. O t h e r examples could 
be cited, but the point remains that either the 
book w a s produced under too limited a budget 
or it w a s projected only as an introduction to 
the subject. T h i s is not to say the book is not 
w o r t h reading. I t is a good manual. B u t in 
these days of emphasis on sound manage-
ment and personnel practices in libraries and 
the mechanization of clerical routines and 
procedures, librarians need and deserve a 
more thoroughgoing analysis and evaluation 
of their experiences with these problems, 
available equipment, suggested procedures, 
and other data which w i l l help them operate 
their libraries more efficiently and effectively. 
T h e author of Shelf Work in Libraries can 
do this job as i s ' m a d e evident by this book. 
I t is up to the A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y Association 
to encourage and sponsor the u n d e r t a k i n g . — 
John H. Ottemiller, Yale University Li-
brary. 

Punched Cards in Libraries 
Library Applications of Punched Cards: A 

Description of Mechanical Systems. B y 
R a l p h H . P a r k e r . Chicago, A m e r i c a n L i -
b r a r y Association, 1 9 5 2 . 8op. $ 2 . 7 5 . 
L i b r a r i a n s are generally a w a r e of t w o 

kinds of punched cards. T h e more f a m i l i a r 
type, because it has been more frequently 
adapted to l i b r a r y routines, is the card 
notched or slotted along the edges and 
adapted to hand sorting f r o m file by use of 
a needle. T h e other type of punched card is 
f o r use in machines m a n u f a c t u r e d by I n t e r -
national Business M a c h i n e s arrd Remington 
R a n d , Inc. T h i s l a t t e r type is the subject of 
R a l p h P a r k e r ' s book—the card used to 
actuate machines f o r the arrangement and 
tabulation of a v a r i e t y of data. ( A n o t h e r 
book by another author also appeared this 
y e a r with similar title, but on the subject of 
the notched card sorted by n e e d l e . 1 ) T h e 
study in hand w a s started some ten y e a r s ago. 
I t w a s withheld f r o m publication to a w a i t 
new developments in the m a n u f a c t u r e of 
punched card machines, so that a more com-

1 McGaw, Howard F. Marginal Punchcd Cards in 
College and Research Libraries. Washington, D.C. 
The Scarecrow Press, 1952. 2i8p. 

JANUARY, 1953 103 



plete study of the application of punched 
cards to library uses could be presented. 

L i b r a r i a n s began w r i t i n g about methods 
and machines used in the business w o r l d and 
applicable to library operations more than 
twenty y e a r s ago. M a n y of these early 
e f f o r t s w e r e simple management studies of 
isolated uses of v a r i o u s types of mechanical 
equipment which, under a given set of cir-
cumstances, produced savings in time, money 
or e f f o r t in the pursuit of the l i b r a r y ' s daily 
business. T h e mechanical aids w e r e in the 
main easily mastered devices and many came 
into general usage. Punched card tabulation 
w a s talked about, a f e w articles appeared 
on its possible adaptation to l i b r a r y pro-
cedures, but f o r the most part, it w a s not 
understood, considered too expensive, and 
l e f t to its more common applications in busi-
ness and government accounting and sta-
tistical w o r k . P e r h a p s punched cards first 
aroused l i b r a r i a n s ' interest when, as the 
author w r i t e s in his p r e f a c e , " M i s s M a r j o r i e 
Q u i g l e y , w h o is L i b r a r i a n of the M o n t c l a i r , 
N e w J e r s e y , F r e e P u b l i c L i b r a r y , had the 
temerity to try so radically new an idea as 
automatic book-charging. . . . " 

M r . P a r k e r has taken the magic out of the 
punched c a r d f o r the l i b r a r i a n . F i r s t he 
c a r e f u l l y describes the operation of punched 
card equipment, the t w o makes available in 
this country, their differences and limitations, 
and the basic equipment required. B y avoid-
ing technical details as much as possible, he 
successfully c a r r i e s the reader through all 
l i b r a r y activities and discusses the application 
of punched cards to each o n e — o r d e r w o r k , 
processing operations, b o r r o w e r ' s records, cir-
culation control and analysis, bibliographic 
and indexing services, personnel records, fiscal 
records and controls and the administration 
of punched c a r d installations. M o r e im-
portant, he concerns himself w i t h a p r o g r a m 
of unified record control f o r the l i b r a r y . A s 
he points out, " t h e greatest v a l u e of punched 
cards comes f r o m their use in a coordinated 
p r o g r a m . " T h e punched card is not pre-
sented as the panacea which w i l l solve all 
l i b r a r y management problems. T h e sug-
gested procedures, f o r m s , and applications are 
not considered common to all l i b r a r y situa-
tions. L o c a l needs, local procedures, must be 
evaluated b e f o r e punched cards w i l l w o r k . 

T h e author serves w e l l the l i b r a r y ad-
ministrator in helping him to understand 

punched card systems, and the v a r i o u s kinds 
of machines available, and in p a r t i c u l a r , to 
e v a l u a t e both of them in consideration of his 
local requirements and his local problems. 
A bibliography, a glossary and generous use 
of figures, tables, and charts are most help-
f u l . T h e l i b r a r y administrator w i l l also 
appreciate, as the author points out, that 
punched cards do not necessarily represent 
savings in themselves, but that through in-
creased efficiency additional w o r k can be ac-
complished and the administrator w i l l have at 
his command data to help him do a more 
i n f o r m e d job in decision making, in the study 
of his use of f u n d s , and in his e f f o r t s to con-
trol the book collection, to name a f e w 
examples. I n this connection, M r . P a r k e r ' s 
projection of the organizational pattern of a 
l i b r a r y employing punched cards in all sug-
gested applications and in a coordinated pro-
g r a m o f f e r s stimulating reading. 

H e r e then is a complete and c a r e f u l ex-
amination of punched cards and punched card 
machines f o r libraries. I t is a book f o r both 
the experienced and the inexperienced, and 
it should be read by all interested in l i b r a r y 
management problems and the mechanization 
of l i b r a r y clerical r o u t i n e s . — J o h n H. Otte-
millerYale University Library. 

General Education 
General Education in Action. . . B y B . L a m a r 

J o h n s o n . W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . , T h e A m e r i -
can Council on Education, 1 9 5 2 . 4-ogp. 
$4.00. 

Action, p o w e r and vision are the keynotes 
of General Education in Action, a R e p o r t of 
the C a l i f o r n i a Study of G e n e r a l Education 
in the J u n i o r C o l l e g e , w r i t t e n by D r . B . 
L a m a r J o h n s o n of Stephens C o l l e g e , C o -
lumbia, M i s s o u r i , under the auspices of f o u r 
educational organizations, and with the aid of 
a g r a n t f r o m the C a r n e g i e F o u n d a t i o n f o r 
the A d v a n c e m e n t of T e a c h i n g . D r . J o h n -
son is w e l l known as the v e r y able l i b r a r i a n 
and dean of instruction of one of the nation's 
outstanding j u n i o r colleges. 

T h e f o u r f a r - r e a c h i n g organizations which 
sponsored this study are the C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e 
J u n i o r C o l l e g e Association, the C a l i f o r n i a 
State D e p a r t m e n t of Education, the School 
of Education at the U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a 
at L o s Angeles, and the P a c i f i c C o a s t C o m -
mittee of the A m e r i c a n Council on Education. 

104 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES