College and Research Libraries By A R T H U R T . H A M L I N The ACRL Grants for 1956 TH E A S S O C I A T I O N O F College and Ref-erence Libraries has on hand $40,- 000 in three separate grants which will be distributed as subgrants to college and university libraries this fall. This article has been prepared to give pre- cise information on the funds now in hand for distribution, the types of insti- tutions which these funds are designed to assist, the procedure for the distribu- tion of application forms and their processing, and the general purposes which grants are designed to support. T h e experience of the past year in rais- ing money for the grants program is summarized. A grant of $30,000 from the United States Steel Foundation represents the principal sum available this fall. Ap- proximately $25,000 will be allotted in subgrants to college and university li- braries for the improvement of their collections, equipment and programs as adjuncts to the teaching and learning processes. Most of the remainder is avail- able for professional research of benefit to college librarianship. A grant of $5,000 from the New York Times is limited to the purchase of back files of the newspaper on microfilm. A grant of $5,000 from Remington Rand, a division of the Sperry Rand Corp., is to be used for library equipment. Eligibility Applications for 1956 grants are in- vited from institutions which offer four Mr. Hamlin, who has just retired as ACRL Executive Secretary, is librarian of the University of Cincinnati and new chairman of the ACRL Committee on Foundation Grants. years of undergraduate instruction and which have little or no tax support. Sci- entific institutions are included. Only those junior colleges which are planning four-year programs in the near future are invited to apply. T h e great universi- ties and colleges which are unusually well blessed with endowment or other large special sources of income are dis- couraged from seeking these funds. In- stitutions which receive major support from a religious, fraternal or social or- ganization and which limit their student body to that organization are likewise unlikely to receive favorable considera- tion. If the student body is not so lim- ited, the institution is eligible for sup- port. Inevitably some will ask for an exact definition of "a great university" or "little tax support." This the writer cannot supply. Any institution may ap- ply. Last year grants went to the Catho- lic University of America and to Atlanta University, which are apparently the largest institutions on the list. Berea College received assistance in 1955, and this institution certainly is "well blessed with endowment." However, Berea does not charge tuition and its student body is drawn only from low income families. A small number of 1955 applications for United States Steel Foundation grants were eliminated because the in- stitutions had very poor records of li- brary support in recent years. Here again exact definition is difficult. T h e Com- mittee on Foundation Grants felt that institutions should budget for library purposes at least 4 per cent of funds available for educational and general purposes, as defined by the U. S. Office of Education. This need not be done SEPTEMBER, 1956 423 every year, but the average of recent budgets should reach that level. Be- hind this decision was the realization that the amount to be distributed was small and preference should be given to the majority of colleges which recog- nize the importance of the library in their budgets. Four per cent is much too low for many institutions; it may be higher than necessary for a very few in- stitutions. T h e committee always made allowance for the donated time of li- brarians in orders and for similar fac- tors. It is, therefore, urged that institu- tions which apply for grants and which d o not meet that standard state the cir- sumstances or reasoning responsible for low library support. Although the application form re- quests information on membership in A L A , the 1955 awards were not preju- diced by lack of membership. N o change is expected in 1956. T h e Association does, however, need support. Last year it invested a considerable portion of its reserve funds in the grants program. This money comes from the annual fees paid by individual and institutional members. These limitations on the award of United States Steel Foundation and oth- er grants at the Association's disposal are suggestive only. A n extraordinary need or an exceptionally imaginative proposal will be carefully considered re- gardless of committee policy o n eligibil- ity. If any one of these limitations is considered to work an injustice on any institution, it is invited to submit an application. Exceptional cases will be considered on their merit. Procedures of Application T h e Association will mail out appli- cation forms to nearly six hundred four-year, non-tax-supported institutions early in October. These will be ad- dressed to the librarian. Inevitably some eligible and interested colleges will be skipped or suffer from mail or clerical error. If the form has not been received by October 20, a request for it should be sent at once to A C R L headquarters. T w o forms are sent to every addressee, one for return and one for retention. Applications are due at A C R L head- quarters on or about the middle of No- vember. Late in the month the Commit- tee on Foundation Grants will meet for several days in Chicago to study the ap- plications and select those most suitable for grants. All applications will be an- swered, and those institutions which re- ceive grants should have checks in hand early in January. Purposes of Grants In planning the 1956 grants program the committee established several broad purposes for which applications are in- vited and determined approximate divi- sion of funds among these. This state- ment is intended to discourage, but not to eliminate, applications for needs not here represented. Institutions may make several requests in one application but cannot hope for more than one grant. A large portion of the United States Steel Foundation grant is allocated for the purchase of books, journals, and re- lated materials for instruction and the learning process. Of special interest will be situations where particular, urgent library support is required to carry on instruction in a new field or at an ad- vanced stage (below doctoral level), or where there is evidence that a limited sum will otherwise give great assistance to an area of instruction or of worthy student interest. T h e committee is as much interested in the statement of ob- jective as in the materials needed. Only in cases of extraordinary need or disas- ter will grants be made for general strengthening of the book collection. Special consideration will be given to cooperative programs of ownership of 424 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES books and related materials by neigh- boring colleges. T h e phrase "books and related mate- rials" may be interpreted very broadly. Materials should, however, be suitable for undergraduate use. Projects involv- ing strictly research materials are not encouraged in this program. T h e project need not involve classroom instruction. For example, one 1955 grant was made for dormitory libraries and several oth- ers supported the learning process apart from the curriculum. Very few alloca- tions will be made for special staff help required to make materials useful. Most of the grants for "books and re- lated material" will range from $300 to $500. None is expected to be in excess of $1,000. All of the Remington R a n d grant ($5,000) will be used for furniture and equipment which is available through their Library Bureau. Applications should specify items needed by catalog number. Most or all of these grants will be from $400 to $600. A very small por- tion of the United States Steel Founda- tion funds may be used for equipment. It is recommended that applications for equipment avoid items which are the responsibility of the annual budget. T o illustrate, the typewriter for the librari- an's secretary should be purchased with college funds, but the typewriter re- quired for some special, important proj- ect is a proper object for a grant. Like- wise, furniture for a special r o o m or area may be requested but not standard furniture for a main reading room. T h e project or need is of primary impor- tance; equipment of any description re- quired for an excellent project may be considered suitable for a grant. T h e Nexo York Times grant of $5,000 is restricted to the purchase of microfilm back files of this newspaper. Grants will cover the cost of four to six recent years, and will be limited to institutions whose book budgets are sufficiently large to warrant a current subscription to the microfilm edition. N o commitment as to current subscription is necessary, but successful applicants will be requested to procure the New York Times Index (printed or microfilm) for the years cov- ered by the grant. T h e writer regrets inability to state the exact minimum book budget which warrants a New York Times microfilm subscription. Five thousand is undoubtedly too little; eight thousand is sufficient in certain situa- tions; ten thousand is considered a safe figure. W h e n the New York Times grant was first announced, the librarian of a state college requested consideration for a file. W h e n she was informed that these grants were primarily for privately sup- ported institutions, she replied that there was no New York Times in any library of her medium-sized city; she had been assured that the neighboring private college would apply and, if it received a grant, would make the Times available to both institutions. This par- ticular case is cited to illustrate the type of information which often influences a committee which has a very few awards to make from a great number of worthy applications. T h e story of how the Times came to make this grant is of interest. More than a score of the applications received last fall requested funds to buy the New York Times on microfilm. This was re- ported to Chester Lewis, librarian of the Times. He requested a letter on the sub- ject and brief information on the foun- dation grants program. In the course of a few weeks the check for this project had been received. There may well be other special needs shared by many li- braries which have special interest to a particular corporation. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Several grants of $500 or less may be made to provide libraries with consult- ant services or to finance the travel and SEPTEMBER, 1956 425 study of librarians. T h e consultant may be needed to examine some aspect of the library's operation or to study its over-all effectiveness. Likewise, a new building or an important change in the curriculum may require travel or short- term study by a staff member. Travel and study applications should be sup- ported by concrete evidence that the in- stitution needs it for a particular, worthy purpose. Requests for consultants and travel may receive more careful atten- tion if the institution is willing to share the cost. Very few grants will be made for these purposes, which will appeal to many. Only compelling needs can be financed. T h e Association hopes to support this type of activity on a much larger scale as the over-all grants program grows in size. Several thousand dollars from the United States Steel Foundation grant are assigned to support research in li- brary problems which will lead to more effective operation, procedures, and pro- fessional tools. Unlike applications for other purposes, requests for funds to finance research should be made at once by letter, accompanied by full descrip- tion of the project, to Jerrold Orne, Chairman, A C R L Publications Commit- tee, Air University Libraries, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. These applications for research funds will be reviewed by the Publications Committee. Suggestions for Applicants T h e A C R L grant application form, which will be distributed in early Octo- ber, requests relatively little information about the institution and the growth and support of its library. T h e applying institution is then invited to present its case for one or more grants. In this presentation a key factor is the state- ment of purpose. This must demonstrate that the materials, equipment, or other facility to be financed by the grant will make a direct contribution either to the formal educational program or to the intellectual development of the student. Some of the applications received last year were for admittedly worthy, general purposes, such as strengthening the ref- erence collection or completing certain serial files. Any steps of that nature cer- tainly strengthen the educational pro- gram. However, few such requests were granted because the information about purpose was not sufficiently specific. A request for scientific serials carries weight if reinforced with information about the new chemical industry in the vicinity, the strengthening of the chemistry de- partment, perhaps the addition of new courses, and similar explanation. If, in addition, the Friends of the Library raised three hundred dollars for science last year and the president promises to match any grant from special appropri- ation or the pocket of a trustee, could any committee turn down the applica- tion? T h e grants program seeks to place money where it will make the greatest contribution to higher education through the library function. It matters little whether the funds buy steel desks or first editions so long as these objects serve a worthy purpose. These purposes for which grants are made in 1956 will be carefully studied by foundations which are approached for support another year. Financing the Grants Program During the past winter and spring the A C R L Executive Secretary carried the responsibility for soliciting support of the 1956 program in addition to his oth- er duties. A first step was the preparation of the booklet, A Program for Grants to Assist College Libraries and A Report on the United States Steel Foundation Grant of 1955, by Arthur T . Hamlin, which was issued by the Association. In effect, 426 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES this stated w h o we were, h o w we oper- ated, what was accomplished last year, the needs of college libraries and the Association's plans for meeting them. T h e case for financial support was pre- sented. T h i s booklet was distributed to li- brary leaders in the expectation that many of them w o u l d present this worthy cause to friends, fellow board members and other acquaintances w h o were of- ficers of corporations and in a position to give financial support. A number of copies were sent to the larger corporate foundations and industries with cover- ing letters. T h e executive secretary then followed u p as many as possible of these contacts with personal interviews, most of which were done o n a two-week trip to principal eastern cities. Nearly every large corporation uses a committee of senior officers to control donations. T h e y determine policy and each member studies all major requests prior to g r o u p discussion and action. Most committees have an executive of- ficer w h o interviews the person present- ing a case for support and w h o often recommends company policy o n grants and donations. In many corporations these executive officers are vice presi- dents; all occupy very responsible posts; a few devote full time to this subject. These men are extraordinarily well informed o n the needs of higher educa- tion and with very few exceptions were willing to devote any amount of time to discussion of library needs and the role of the library. T h e y studied the A C R L presentation carefully before the inter- view. In one case a vice president de- voted a g o o d part of the afternoon to this although the annual stockholders' meeting was then in progress in the building. A call f r o m the president was even postponed. In many cases the decision to support the A C R L program requires a change in policy, and such changes take time; in other cases corporations prepare an- nual budgets for their principal grants. For these and other reasons the work done in 1956 may bear fruit another year. Financial support will increase or decline in p r o p o r t i o n to the time that the new executive secretary devotes to this work and his talent for this activity. Whatever the eventful financial return f r o m these activities in 1956, it is a pleasure to report that the college li- brary was the subject of study and pro- longed discussion by senior officers of more than a score of corporations. Since these officers are leaders in many differ- ent aspects of the life of the nation the college library will benefit in sundry ways f r o m any increase in their knowl- edge of its present role in higher educa- tion and its needs for future develop- ment. Fulbright and Smith-Mundt Awards for 1957-58 The Department of State has announced Greece, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, awards for graduate study, teaching, lectur- Norway, and the United Kingdom. For in- ing, advanced research, and specialized formation and application forms address training and observation for 1957-58 under The Executive Secretary, Conference Board the Fulbright and Smith-Mundt Acts. Appli- of Associated Research Councils, Committee cations are being accepted for awards in on International Exchange of Persons, 2101 Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, Chile, Constitution Avenue, Washington 25, D.C. Denmark, F i n l a n d , France, Germany, SEPTEMBER, 1956 427