College and Research Libraries By B E R N A R D KREISSMAN Browsing Room—Divisional Style AN E A R L Y A R T I C L E on the divisional plan library suggested the retention of a browsing r o o m in such a library even though "the open-shelf divisional plan makes a browsing r o o m less necessary than it is in most libraries."1 T h e reasons advanced for such a browsing r o o m were the accommodation of those who wished to smoke while they read and to permit readers " t o roam around among a relatively small collec- tion of new books."2 A further argument several months later maintained the same position o n the browsing room, but more apologeti- cally: "Its justification lies in the fact that it is a convenient place to keep small special collections which must be kept in- tact and in the fact that smoking is al- lowed there."3 New concepts take time to develop their own unique forms and to slough off the useless appendages of their pro- genitors. Thus the early automobile not only resembled an open carriage minus the horse, it even had a bracket for a buggy whip; and similarly the first movies confined themselves to sets like those of stage productions. T o d a y it is easy to note such faults, and it is easy with 15 years of hindsight to point out the con- tradictions in these browsing-room argu- ments advanced in 1941. 1 Ralph E. Ellsworth, "Colorado University's Divi- sional Reading Room Plan: Description and Evalua- t i o n , " COLLEGE A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S , I I ( 1 9 4 1 ) , 1 0 7 . 2 Ibid. 3 Ralph E. Ellsworth, " T h e Significance of the Divi- sional Room Plan for University Libraries," Univer- sity of Colorado Studies, General Series, X X V I (1941), 39. Mr. Kreissman is assistant director of libraries for the humanities, University of Nebraska. T o begin with, n o browsing r o o m should be the last sepulcher of "small special collections." In the traditional li- brary the browsing room provides not only recreational reading in comfortable informal quarters; it serves also as an agent in creating a reading demand among the students apart from their classroom studies. Nothing is so deadly for these ends as Mr. Regent's "special collection" of numismatics uniformly bound in divinity calf, t.e.g., or Mr. Ex- professor's "small special collection" of the sources of something in Provencal and related languages. There is no theo- retical problem involved here. However, the other questions d o require a broader review of the theory of the divisional plan. If the divisional library were simply a group of rooms housing three or four subjects each instead of the books of a single department—which is the falla- cious view of some librarians—it could easily adapt a browsing r o o m to its own purposes. T h e divisional library is much more than a group of open shelf rooms. It would take a monograph to explain fully the divisional library. For our pres- ent purposes, we may risk oversimplifica- tion and utilize a brief description of the divisional feature under discussion. T h e divisional plan library, in its read- ing r o o m aspect, is an open-shelf arrange- ment of books organized by the large re- lated subject areas of man's knowledge in an effort to provide the student with an intelligible presentation of the rela- tionship of all the disciplines on campus. It is an effort to have the books of a uni- versity pass on the knowledge that a modern university wants to communicate to its student body. T h e divisions them- 228 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES selves are merely workable horizons of control and service. Such an arrangement gives a student direct access to the shelves that are stocked with all the books in demand, plus those of cognate interest as well as an array of lighter or recreational read- ing within the subject. T o set up a browsing r o o m in such a situation would necessitate the separa- tion of the lighter or more interesting books f r o m their subjects. Such an ac- tion would in effect inhibit browsing in the subjects and reduce the possibility of leading an interest in light reading in a subject to deeper study within the field, a marked objective of the divisional li- brary. T h e separate housing of recent acquisi- tions to allow readers " t o roam around among a relatively small collection of new books" would have an exactly simi- lar effect. Instead of allowing the fresh- ness and attraction of the bright new book to create a demand within its sub- ject, this freshness would in a sense be wasted with no transfer of interest f r o m the new book to others in the field ad- jacent to it. T h e divisional plan library has more than a casual interest in subject relation- ships, it is a subject-relationship library. Unique situations will demand their own solutions and may effect some modifica- tion of the basic theory, but for general practice the browsing r o o m in its conven- tional form has no place in the divisional library. It would not only negate a major aspect of such a library, but it is also re- dundant, for the worth-while " b o o k char- acteristics" of the browsing r o o m are in- herent in the open-shelf organization of the divisional library. But what of the other worth-while browsing r o o m features: the smoking, the lounge chairs, the informal reading cor- ner? W e must recognize the fact that there are arguments against duplicating and triplicating such services, which is the case on campuses with student union and dormitory libraries. However, ac- cepting the majority view that such fea- tures are desirable,4 there are several ways in which they may be incorporated into the divisional reading areas. Space and ventilation permitting, ev- ery reading area might have a corner fur- nished with easy chairs and ash trays, a "smoking permitted here" corner. Such a section is likely to grow in popularity. Weighing this fact against the need for chair and desk study as well as the ac- commodation of non-smokers, the librar- ian may well allow such a corner to de- velop to its own level. If such space is not available in the reading areas, corridors, lobbies and oth- er applicable areas bordering on the read- ing rooms may be furnished for recrea- tional reading and smoking (subject to fire regulations). A third method is in effect at the Uni- versity of Nebraska. A section of the hu- manities division has a physical partition that is disregarded for purposes of sub- ject organization. T h e shelving is ar- ranged so that all the volumes of Ameri- can literature fall into this section, and this area is furnished informally with lounge chairs, lamps and sofas. W i t h a very slight additional emphasis on recrea- tional reading in this area of American literature, Nebraska has, in one, a full complement of the divisional library and a r o o m to absorb whatever slight residual browsing needs the open-shelf areas d o not fully satisfy. Further accommodations for reading and lounging are provided at Nebraska in an unsupervised study hall. Here, in a place designed primarily for study, smoking is permitted throughout the hall, and lounge chairs are provided at one end. Breaking down a conventional brows- ing r o o m into its " b o o k characteristics" and its " r o o m characteristics" overlooks 4 Sister M. R. Vahey, "1948 Survey of Browsing Rooms," Catholic Library World, X X (1949), 242-46. MAY, 1956 229 the fact that it is a combination of the two in the traditional library that makes f o r a successful browsing r o o m . T h i s breakdown was merely a p o i n t of depar- ture and not an argument that o p e n shelves alone, even if they include recrea- tional reading matter, make f o r a g o o d browsing r o o m . T h e same w o u l d be true of an informal, comfortably furnished library r o o m without such books. H o w - ever, the proposals advanced take note of this fact. Certainly the practice at Nebras- ka, with the o p e n shelving of recreational books and the provisions f o r lounge read- ing and smoking in addition to the Amer- ican literature area c o m b i n i n g these forms, adapts the best qualities of the browsing r o o m to the new needs of the divisional plan library. T h e r e is a third set of factors operative in a g o o d browsing situation and these might be defined as the "service char- acteristics." T h e y have been described as liberal operating rules, circulation of the materials, long hours of service, inte- gration with the curriculum, sponsored extracurricular activities, faculty c o o p - eration, and .full-time trained attend- ants.5 In every one of these areas, with the possible exception of sponsored extra- curricular activities, the browsing aspects of the divisional library receive superior service. For with integration into their subject areas the books are available dur- ing the full schedule of library opera- tion. T h e faculty not only assists in the b o o k selection, but makes the student aware of these peripheral materials such as historical novels, mathematical riddles and conundrums in language. T h e books are under the guidance of full-time pro- fessional librarians, w h o really care whether the browsing r o o m , rather than the library as a unit, sponsors an exhibi- tion or a musicale. T h u s , whether we evaluate f r o m the book, r o o m , or service characteristics, we may note that the divisional library, without creating a separate conventional browsing r o o m , which w o u l d in part im- pair its integrity, can offer to its com- munity all the pleasures and rewards of relaxed reading and browsing. 6 Ibid., and A . Beatrice Young, " T h e Recreational Reading Room," Journal of Higher Education, X I I I (1942), 434-37. Corrections to A C R L Organization Manual ACRL Organization Manual manuscript was approved by the Committee on Publica- tions and final revisions completed by the Chairman of the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws about the time of the Philadel- phia Conference. The manuscript as printed should have incorporated a revised state- ment of purpose of the Publications Com- mittee which was accepted but not formally approved by the Board of Directors in July 1955. This reads: " (1) T o serve as the policy-formulating body for ACRL publications, and as such to serve in this field as liaison between ACRL and other organizations; (2) to stim- ulate and to promote research activities use- ful to the further development of college, university and reference libraries; (3) to en- courage the production and distribution of worthy publications derived from these and other productive activities." Inadvertently excluded from the list of committees was the important Committee on Foundation Projects. No precise statement of its function and responsibility has been formulated. 230 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES