College and Research Libraries B y D A V I D K . M A X F I E L D Counselor Librarianship at U.I.C. Mr. Maxfield is librarian, University of Illinois, Chicago Undergraduate Division. THE Chicago Undergraduate Division of the University of Illinois,1 founded in 1946, now has a student body of nearly 4,000, and a faculty of about 300. T h e cur- ricula consist of parts of the programs offered by the U . of I . Colleges of Liberal A r t s and Sciences, Commerce and Business Adminis- tration, Engineering Sciences, Education, and Fine A r t s . Since thousands of Chicago students cannot afford to go away from home, or pay the tuition rates of the private Chicago colleges, a special bi-partisan com- mission of the Illinois Legislature is studying the possibilities of moving the school f r o m its temporary, rented quarters on munici- pally-owned N a v y Pier to a suitable new campus. Administratively, the " U . I . C . " L i b r a r y is part of the University of Illinois L i b r a r y system, and its Librarian reports to the D i - rector of Libraries at Urbana. T h e L i b r a r y possesses nearly 68,000 volumes (including 6,000 reference books), subscribes to 600 periodicals, maintains 24 drawers of verti- cal file pamphlets, and has a full-time staff of twenty-six, including twelve professional librarians. Its quarters include a Reserve Book Station ( 7 5 seats), a M a i n Reading Room ( 6 7 3 seats), and a Fine A r t s Read- ing Room ( 4 0 seats) which is intended as the prototype of an eventual series of per- haps eight subject divisional reading rooms. T h e internal departments include Acqui- sitions (books o n l y ) , Catalog (books and non-periodical serials), Serials (acquiring all 1 Locally known as " U . I . C . , " an unofficial designa- tion sponsored by the weekly student newspaper. serials, f u l l y processing periodicals, and par- ticipating in reading room activities), Circu- lation, and what is thought to be a new type of college library department, the Depart- ment of Library Instruction and Advise- mentr It is with this latter unit, staffed by Counselor Librarians instead of Reference Librarians, that this paper w i l l deal. F A C T O R S L E A D I N G T O N E W D E P A R T M E N T F o u r factors led to the organization of this department in 1 9 5 1 : general education,3 library instruction,4 limitations of the ref- erence approach, and the "student person- nel point of v i e w . " 5 U . I . C . ' s 1 9 4 9 statement of general edu- cation objectives stressed helping the student "learn to think," and stimulating "the stu- dent's intellectual curiosity." It also went on to emphasize the personal development of each student as a citizen and as a person. Such objectives called f o r a more highly "student-centered" type of library service than could then be provided. Library in- struction was basic to implementation of 2 M a x f i e l d , D . K . , A Proposal for a New Type of College Library Department ( U . I . C . L i b r a r y I n f o r m a - tion C i r c u l a r , No. 1 1 7 , M a y 2 1 , 195 O - 3 H a r v a r d U n i v e r s i t y , General Education in a Free Society. Cambridge, M a s s . , 194S; T h e Journal of General Education commenced publication in 1946. 4 T h e importance of library instruction has been well expressed by Lowell A . M a r t i n , then of the Columbia 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 , in an unpub- lished proposal dated J a n u a r y 1 9 5 2 : " A b i l i t y to locate needed information and to use organized libraries effec- tively is one of the marks of the educated man. T h i s ability enables him to put his learning to work, whether as a leader in government or business, a citizen in his community, or simply as a mature individual in his own home. Skill in u s i n g printed and similar resources becomes increasingly important as the body of recorded knowledge expands . . . without it [the adult] can only wait f o r what the most convenient means of communi- cation place before him. I t is not too much to claim that competence to get at recorded knowledge as needed helps the adult to f r e e himself from mass control and to realize his potentialities as an i n d i v i d u a l . " 5 Williamson, E . G . , et al., The Student Personnel Point of View. Washington, D . C . , A m e r i c a n Council on Education, 1949. W r e n n , C. G., Student Personnel Work in College, with Emphasis on Counseling and Group Experiences. N . Y . , Ronald, 1 9 5 1 - APRIL, 1954 161 these objectives, in addition to all the usual college library objectives, but the U . I . C . library found that without administrative arrangements specifically designed to carry this load, its new educational obligations could not be adequately met. T h e L i b r a r y ' s conclusions about pos- sible limitations of the reference approach f o r undergraduate students were much less clear-cut. It w a s suggested, however, that conventional reference work does not always place quite so much emphasis upon the li- brary patron as an individual person as it does upon library materials and biblio- graphic techniques. T h e pre-occupation with fact-finding sometimes found in public libraries, and the organization f o r special- ized research essential to university condi- tions, may have unduly affected librarianship at the college level. College librarians per- haps should give more careful attention to the individual needs of their undergraduate patrons. It was believed that suitable col- laboration with the U . I . C . Student Coun- seling Bureau, the best local exponent of the student personnel point of view, might open up new dimensions f o r library service. T h e Student Counseling Bureau consists of a core of nine full-time clinical psycholo- gists who have post-graduate training in the student personnel field, and a staff of twelve or more part-time counselors selected from the teaching faculties. T h e s e latter indi- viduals are developed f o r counseling roles .by means of c a r e f u l l y planned in-service training sessions6 continually in progress in the Bureau, and they routinely refer to the clinical counselors all student cases which are beyond their ability to handle. T h e Bureau's testing section gives a wide variety of objective psychological tests which are utilized by all counselors. T h e Student Counseling Bureau's w o r k 6 Gilbert, W . M . , " T r a i n i n g F a c u l t y Counselors at the U n i v e r s i t y of I l l i n o i s " (In: W i l l i a m s o n , E . G., ed., Trends in Student Personnel Work. Minneapolis, Uni- v e r s i t y of Minnesota P r e s s , 1949, p. 3 0 1 - 3 0 9 ) . (Gil- bert's article deals with the program on the U r b a n a campus, f r o m which the U . I . C . program has partially evolved.) covers not only the areas of educational planning and vocational guidance, but social-emotional-personal problems, reading efficiency and study skills. T h e counselors, whether professional or locally-trained, help students to c l a r i f y , redefine and specify their needs; to gain needed insights, infor- mation and self-understanding; as well as to develop suitably objective attitudes toward themselves, their fellows, and their difficul- ties. In addition to personal interviews,7 group discussion techniques are often used. W i t h channels of communication set up with all U . I . C . departments, the Counseling Bureau also carries on an extensive pro- gram of referral of students f o r specialized help of various kinds. R E C R U I T M E N T A N D I N - S E R V I C E T R A I N I N G Setting up of the new department began with an increase of the salary level and a special recruitment program. Appointed were three, and later four, seasoned librari- ans who considered librarianship to be a positive educational force, and who were believed to h a v e : enthusiastic interest in young people and their personal develop- ment, deep knowledge of books and other library materials, important reference and library instruction experience, special quali- fications f o r classroom teaching and group discussion leadership, in addition to mature, out-going, friendly personalities. Because it w a s important that these individuals be acceptable to the Bureau as potential faculty counselors, senior Bureau members assisted in the interviewing process. A n expert clerk- typist w a s also selected f o r the Department, and several part-time student assistants were provided. T h e new professional staff members re- ceived the faculty titles of Instructor or As- sistant Professor of L i b r a r y Science in ac- cordance with regular University of Illinois policy,8 since they were to perform class- 7 E r i c k s o n , C. E . , The Counseling Interview. N . Y . , P r e n t i c e - H a l l , 1 9 5 0 . 8 Downs, R. B., " A c a d e m i c S t a t u s f o r U n i v e r s i t y 162 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES room teaching as part of library instruction. T h e i r library titles of "Counselor L i - brarian" were earned by participation in the in-service training program of the Bureau, and they f u l l y qualified as part-time faculty counselors by the end of their first year of service, although their trainingstill continues. T h e in-service program is the cornerstone upon which counselor librarianship is built and must be properly discussed. I t is first necessary, however, to indicate in more de- tail w h a t constitutes counseling, lest some readers s a y : " W e have always had 'counselor librarians' at our l i b r a r y . " Counseling is a process, usually involving personal inter- views, concerned primarily with attitudes— attitudes which motivate thinking and learn- ing and make them possible. Successful counseling leads to changes within the coun- selee that enable him to be more self-respon- sible, to make for himself wise decisions re- garding his own life, and to extricate him- self from any immediate difficulties. Coun- seling is not mere advice-giving, guidance, or imparting of information, although the effective development of all these elements is often completely essential to its success. A t its best, it is apt to be a collaborative activity, since the counselor attempts to place much more personal responsibility for the making of decisions directly upon the coun- selee than a teacher or adviser is likely to do.9 Although the w o r d is often used loosely by the layman, "counseling" is not a particu- larly easy process, nor can it be carried on by just anyone. It represents a highly tech- nical professional specialty in the area of personnel w o r k within the larger field of applied psychology. It draws upon all the L i b r a r i a n s — a New A p p r o a c h , " College and Research Libraries 7 : 6-9, 26, J a n . 1946. 9 B l u m , M . L . and B a l i n s k y , B e n j a m i n , Counseling and Psychology: Vocational Psychology and its Relation to Educational and Personal Counseling. N . Y . , Pren- tice-Hall, 1 9 5 1 . B r a y f i e l d , A . H . , ed., Readings in Modern Methods of Counseling. N . Y . , Appleton-Cen- t u r y - C r o f t s , 1950. Hahn, M . E . and M a c L e a n , M . S . , General Clinical Counseling in Educational Institutions. N . Y . , M c G r a w - H i l l , 1950. T y l e r , L . E . , The Work of the Counselor. N . Y . , Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1 9 5 3 . Williamson, E . G., How to Counsel Students. N . Y . , M c G r a w - H i l l , 1939. scientific knowledge of the past 1 0 0 years about how individual persons and groups of people differ, and about how their minds and emotions work under varying circumstances. Counseling involves, moreover, the selective and expert use of a large number of special- ized tools and techniques that have been developed and tested through long years of laboratory experiment and clinical experi- ence. T h e in-service training program, though capsulized, is thus not a simple or hasty proposition. It begins with reading and group discussion covering such areas as: the student personnel point of v i e w ; human na- ture and needs—especially undergraduate human nature and needs—in specific individ- ual and group situations; the developmental approach to student problems; problem iden- tification and problem solving; similarities and differences between teaching, counseling and advisement; varieties of techniques in individual counseling and advisement inter- views ; group guidance and group discussion leadership; reading efficiency and study skills; counseling and guidance records, their use, and their interpretation ; the kinds, uses, and limitations of tests and test results; tech- nical information sources; referral proce- dures; referral agencies; and follow-up methods. N e x t come observation interviews, mock counseling situations staged with other counselors and, finally, supervised experience in handling a small part of the regular case- load of the Student Counseling Bureau. T a p e recording devices are used to insure that maximum learning value is received from group discussion of completed inter- views. F u r t h e r reading is, of course, con- tinually required. A C T I V I T I E S O F T H E D E P A R T M E N T O F L I - B R A R Y I N S T R U C T I O N A N D A D V I S E M E N T Concurrently with commencement of in- service training, the Counselor Librarians set about organizing the new department under the direction of a Chief Counselor APRIL, 1954 163 Librarian, also in training. W i t h i n six weeks very f u l l operation w a s under w a y , and the pace has been steadily accelerating ever since. A s the Department's name w a s intended to imply, student instruction in the use of the library is perhaps the major func- tion, at least for several months each year. T h e Department's other w o r k includes op- eration of the Advisory Information Desk, counseling, liaison activities, and "house- keeping." Advisory hi formation Desk activities in- clude reference w o r k , readers' advisory serv- ices, and assistance toward educational, voca- tional and social-emotional-personal coun- seling, as well as the library instruction questions and conferences described in a later paragraph. Reference work is second only to library instruction in the total volume of the De- partment's activity, and some 4,989 " s e a r c h " and " i n f o r m a t i o n " reference questions were recorded in 1 9 5 2 / 5 3 . It is believed, how- ever, that the answering of reference in- quiries and provision of assistance toward the solution of bibliographical problems is now being done in a manner more commen- surate with student personnel philosophy and methods. T h a n k s to the in-service training program, greater interviewing fin- esse is possible, while the approaches tried with confused students are more gradual, and the amounts of time spent with each student are, on the average, larger than in the past. M o r e effective effort is also being made to encourage students to, and show them how to, think through their reference problems and formulate their questions more suitably before going off on long, in- volved searches. Assistance toward counseling plays a small part statistically, but is distinctly time-consuming, so that it is no insignificant aspect of the program. Sometimes it may include elementary "bibliotherapy" with special counselees referred to the L i b r a r y by the Counseling Bureau. M o r e frequent- ly, it consists in helping students w h o apply directly to the L i b r a r y f o r information and assistance from the available book, periodical and pamphlet literature i n : general and applied psychology; self-understanding and personal adjustment; reading techniques and study methods; educational planning, in- cluding choice of curricula, colleges or pro- fessional schools; occupations, vocational guidance and the market f o r college-trained personnel. Readers' advisory services be- yond such help are not lacking at the A d - visory Information Desk, but cannot be car- ried on at U . I . C . to the extent which the general education program obviously re- quires, until more Counselor L i b r a r i a n staff is available. T h e Advisory Information Desk is U . I . C . ' s successor to its former Reference Desk. T h i s change of name, however, does not imply that reference w o r k and other conventional library activities have been curtailed. B y making reference service, readers' advisory assistance and library in- struction part of the broader areas of gen- eral education, applied psychology, student personnel w o r k and reading and study skills, the significance of the usual library services has probably been enhanced. A t this renamed desk the student can expect to find a skilled librarian, an effec- tive teacher, and an efficient counselor, so that he may more readily define his prob- lems—educational, personal or bibliographi- cal—and begin to deal with them more effectively. W h e n the inquirer is met as a unique individual, rather than as a mere consumer of bibliographical materials and techniques, his question may involve unex- pected discoveries: a f a u l t y reading or study habit, perhaps, or some unfortunate emo- tional block. Information relating, f o r in- stance, to educational planning and career choice frequently has but theoretical sig- nificance except in the light of the differing 164 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES interests, goals, problems, backgrounds and abilities of each individual student. B y knowing when to send students to the Counseling Bureau or other agency, and by becoming part of the U . I . C . ' s referral pro- gram, the L i b r a r y believes that it has sig- nificantly extended its student usefulness.1 0 Library instruction began on a smaller scale before 1 9 5 1 , and has been greatly ex- panded by the Counselor Librarians, who sometimes have teaching help from other professional library staff members. W i t h support of the English Department and the Associate Dean of the U . I . C . College of Liberal A r t s , library knowledge and library skills are now part of the freshman rhetoric requirements. Since all U . of I . students— regardless of college—must take Rhetoric 1 0 1 and 1 0 2 , association of library instruc- tion with these two courses insures com- plete coverage of each freshman class. T h e r e were 80 to 90 sections ( 2 0 to 25 students each) of rhetoric each semester in 1 9 5 2 / 5 3 , so that the library instruction program was equivalent to 7.4 full-time rhetoric sections, or almost equal to the workload of two full-time rhetoric instruc- tors. L i b r a r y instruction begins in orientation week on a voluntary basis with brief wel- coming talks followed by tours of the li- brary. Appropriate films are sometimes shown. Chief stress is placed upon physical arrangements, circulation procedures, ad- visory information services, and the encour- agement of favorable attitudes toward the L i b r a r y as an integral part of college life. In Rhetoric 1 0 1 , a single class period is devoted to the L i b r a r y , and librarians take f u l l responsibility for that day's activity in each of the many sections. In classrooms f u l l of live-wire students a question and answer approach is used, but formal lectur- ing is employed, whenever appropriate. T h e 1 0 Scott, W . H . O.j "Counselor L i b r a r i a n s h i p , " Illi- nois Library Association Record 7 : 3-8, Sept. 1 9 5 3 . ground covered includes reading and the world of books and journals, parts of books, the card catalog, and the Readers' Guide. In Rhetoric 1 0 2 , three class periods are devoted to matters of efficient library utili- zation, previous to a term paper assignment. Using discussion and/or lecture techniques, the library instructors discuss additional periodicals and periodical indexes; stress the variety, usefulness, form characteristics and subject inter-relationships of selected stand- ard reference books; and illustrate with personalized examples many of the steps to be taken in handling various types of library materials in quantity and in se- quence for a " l i b r a r y search." In line with the general education objectives, consider- able attention is given to bibliographical thought processes. T h e Counselor Librarians have revised the L i b r a r y ' s 50-page library instruction textbook,1 1 which is "required reading" for both Rhetoric 1 0 1 and 1 0 2 , and sold through the local University Bookstore. T h i s booklet is intended to embody the student personnel and general education viewpoints, and to be of permanent reference value to all U . I . C . students. T h e textbook and classroom aspects of the program are driven home by carefully-prepared " l a b o r a t o r y " exercises requiring bibliographical thinking and manipulation in the reading room. These mimeographed problem sheets are graded exactly like any other written w o r k in rhetoric. W e a r and tear on individual books, and copying of each other's papers by the students, is minimized by the prepa- ration of several versions of each exercise. Beat-up "library instruction" copies of key reference titles are temporarily substituted f o r the L i b r a r y ' s working volumes. In addition to the classroom group ad- visement in library resources and skills, 1 1 Illinois. U n i v e r s i t y . Chicago Undergraduate Divi- sion. L i b r a r y . U.I.C. Undergraduate Library Hand- book and Library Instruction Textbook. 3d ed. Chi- cago. 1 9 5 2 . ( U . I . C . L i b r a r y Information Circular, No. 1 2 6 . ) APRIL, 1954 165 individual guidance in these matters is con- stantly available at the A d v i s o r y I n f o r m a - tion Desk. N o t only were 2 , 1 9 3 " l i b r a r y instruction questions," counted separately f r o m "reference questions," answered in 1 9 5 2 / 5 3 , but some 1 , 2 8 9 voluntary " l i b r a r y instruction conferences" were held with in- dividual students. T h e s e interview ses- sions dealt with difficulties experienced in connection with normal library use or in connection with the instructional exercises, and frequently involved preliminary plan- ning and follow-up assistance related to individual projects—including term papers. T h e student counseling viewpoints and techniques inculcated by in-service training thus were put to good use, since these con- ferences sometimes proved to be f r u i t f u l sources for assistance toward educational, personal or vocational counseling, and on occasion lead to referrals to various mem- bers of the faculty, the Counseling Bureau, or elsewhere. T o keep their counseling proficiency sharp, all Counselor Librarians are sched- uled f o r a small amount of participation each week in the general faculty counseling program. N o t infrequently, one of these librarians w i l l suggest to a student given preliminary assistance in the reading room, that he come at a specified time to see him in the quarters of the Bureau, where con- ditions are more conducive to conversation and f u l l utilization of counseling tools. T h e liaison activities involve many things in the field of public relations, and various per- sonal contacts with members of U . I . C . curricular departments, student organiza- tions, and co-curricular services. " H o u s e - keeping" includes much time-consuming book selection, and maintenance of the spe- cial pamphlet files which—in all student personnel fields—are probably outstanding in the Chicago area. Some of the contributions of the new library department are difficult to measure. Certain trends, however, seem to be ap- parent in the response of the student body post hoc. Circulation of books of all kinds has increased f a r out of proportion to the acquisition rate, and even increased in cer- tain recent years when U . I . C . enrollment was dropping. Rising use of library ma- terials in the reading rooms has necessitated employment of more shelving assistants. T h e number of " e l e m e n t a r y " reference questions has gone down in the past f o u r years. Students with library self-confidence and ability to "think bibliographically" in- creasingly seem to be exhausting routine sources on their own before seeking help. T h e total number of reference questions, however, increased markedly in 1 9 5 2 / 5 3 . 1 2 U N F I N I S H E D B U S I N E S S T h e r e are six items of unfinished depart- mental business: ( 1 ) The present four counselor librarians work under pressure because of heavy volume. M o r e professional and cleri- cal help should be provided as soon as feasible. (2) T h e large amounts of personal atten- tion implied in counseling and assistance toward counseling not only require more floor space, but floor space specifically adapted to such activities. T h e Department's quarters were originally laid out for a reference pro- gram, and various makeshift arrange- ments in the present reading room are inconvenient. Any future building plans must suitably consider the new type of library service program. ( 3 ) Useful—though experimental—record forms are currently being used for certain aspects of library counseling interviews. An improved system of case history records comparable to— but appropriately different from—those kept by the Student Counseling Bureau must be developed. (4) Testing programs should be devised, with the collaboration of the Bureau, (Continued on page 179) 1 2 See the L i b r a r y ' s various Annual Reports. 166 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES Counselor Librarianship at U.I.C. (Continued from page 166) so that both library knowledge and library skills—before as well as after library instruction—can be more effec- tively studied in relation to the general institutional program and in relation to all library activities. ( 5 ) It is intended that, when the projected series of divisional reading rooms at last comes into being, advanced library instruction will be considered for cer- tain subject fields. T h e present Fine Arts Librarian, however, has opportu- nities even now to discuss fine arts library materials and bibliographic techniques at occasional sessions of architecture and art classes. (6) When graduate curricula are finally added to the U.I.C., suitable expansions of the present Department of Library Instruction and Advisement can be readily made. Specialized reference librarians, research bibliographers, etc., can be added without difficulty, and without disorganizing the undergradu- ate program. ( I t should be emphasized that the current research and develop- ment needs of the present U . I . C . faculty are in no way being slighted.) C O N C L U S I O N In 1 9 5 2 , a well-known library author stated that the college librarian can "also be a valued member of the guidance and counseling s t a f f " of the institution to which he belongs. T h i s authority, however, did not go on to outline any specific arrange- ments whereby a college library could par- ticipate effectively in a f u l l y developed counseling and advisement program. 1 3 T h e U . I . C . ' s Department of L i b r a r y Instruc- tion and Advisement, set up in 1 9 5 1 , pro- vides definite machinery whereby librarians become recognized members of the local counseling staff. Since many other institu- tions, including high schools, junior col- leges, four-year colleges, and universities have similar student personnel programs, Counselor Librarianship of the U . I . C . type possibly could be considered elsewhere. Public librarians, special librarians, library associations, and library schools also could consider using selected viewpoints and ex- perience from the fields of counseling, per- sonnel work, and applied psychology. Reader-service programs of all kinds might benefit significantly from such "cross fer- tilization."* 1 3 See Chapter X V entitled The Library: An Opportu- nity i n : Johnson, B . L . , General Education in Action (Washington, D . C . , American Council on Education, 1 9 5 2 ) p. 3 2 8 - 3 4 1 . A shortened version appears in College and Research Libraries 1 3 : 1 2 6 - 1 3 0 , A p r i l 1 9 5 2 . ( I t is perhaps unfortunate that Johnson aimed this article specifically at the junior college library, since the principles he outlines are important f o r any academic l i b r a r y . ) * F o r a more detailed treatment of the U . I . C . pro- gram with extensive discussion of counseling procedures, see M r . M a x f i e l d ' s Counselor Librarianship: A New Departure, which is Occasional Paper, No. 38 (Mirch 1954) of the U n i v e r s i t y of Illinois L i b r a r y School. F r e e copies are available to those who write to U r b a n a , Illinois. Seventh Edition Supplement A L A has announced the publication of Guide to Reference Books: 7th Edition Supplement 1950-1952, by Constance M . Winchell and Olive A . Johnson. (Chicago, A L A , 1954. Hop.) This supplement describes approximately 1000 useful reference works in all fields, published between 1950 and June 1953. It includes, in addition, a few earlier titles omitted from the 7th edition. T h e Supplement brings up-to-date the indispensable Guide to Reference Books, a basic work for scholars, reference workers, and library school students. While this work is proudly issued by A L A , it might be said to add to the bicentennial laurels of Columbia University. Miss Winchell's semi-annual series on "Selected Reference Books" appears regularly in the January and J u l y issues of C&RL. APRIL, 1954 179