College and Research Libraries By PHYLLIS ALLEN RICHMOND The Subject Ph.D. and Librarianship ENTRY INTO THE FIELD of librarianship for holders of the Ph.D. degree in the various subject fields may be either for- tuitous or by design. In the case of for- tuitous entry, very often the new librar- ian has been teaching or has held admin- istrative or research positions and because of an interest in some phases of librar- ianship, perhaps through bibliograph- ical studies, enters the library field. His success or failure in this venture, from the point of view of professional librar- ians, depends on how well he is able to pick up the basic tools of his new occu- pation. The other type of entry into the field of librarianship, entry by design, is gen- erally made by the younger Ph.D.'s. The Ph.D. is a specialist's degree, and for the most part is considered training for col- lege teaching, if for anything. Those who do not wish to teach enter other profes- sions, such as industrial and private re- search, government service, editorial and abstracting work, and sometimes library science:1 Some decide that their profes- sion should be librarianship while writ- ing their dissertations and thus are able to take the library school courses while still graduate students. Others come to the decision after they have taken the de- gree and enter library school for the nec- essary training courses at a later date. In either case, they follow the library school curriculum and emerge: as professionally trained librarians. The problem fqr the library school oc- 1 Lawrence S. Thompson, "Some Cultural Determi- nants of Scholarly Librarianship," Library Quarterly, XXIII (1953), 261 -62. Dr. Richmond is continuations cat- aloger) . University of Rochester Library. MARCH) 1957 casioned by the presence of these holders of advanced degrees in varying subject fields is one that has become increasingly present and one that is not simple to solve. 2 The library school curriculum, especially since the schools became grad- uate schools instead of training institutes, is divided into two kinds of courses: core courses in the essential library tech- niques, and cultural or specialized courses in the wider field of librarianship. The core courseS-bibliography, infor- mation sources, cataloging, classification and documentation-are the unique con- tribution of the library school. One can- not acquire more than a smattering of any of them anywhere else. They are es- sential to the training of a librarian. The cui tural or specialized courses pertain to the educational, sociological, historical, public relations and administrative sides of librarianship and some of them could be omitted with no great loss. 3 A course in research methods is mandatory for the student starting graduate work for the first time. The possessor of an advanced degree, on the other hand, may find it of dubious value because research methods' are precisely what he has been learning during the three or more years already spent in graduate school. The same thing applies to some extent to history and theory courses. They are essential for the new graduate student, while the holder 2 See, for example, W. Stanley Hoole, "Of the Li- brarian's Education," Am erican Scholar, XIII (1944), 120 ; E. H. Wil son , "Advanced Degrees in Subject Fields." CRL, VI (1945), 269-70; Robert B. Downs, "Preparation of Specialists for University Libraries," Sp ecia l Libraries, XXXVII (194 6 ), 212; Harold L~m­ cour, "If Librarianship Is a Learned Profession , .. Library Journal , LXXVI (1951), 1076; Herman H. Fussier, "Readjustments b_y the Librarian," L i brary Quarterly, XXIII (1953), 225. 3 Vi ews of a somewhat similar nature recently have been expressed by Margaret E gan in her paper, "Ed- ucation for tile Librarian of the Future," at the Con- ference on the Practical Utilization of Recorded Knowl- edge, Cleveland, January 16-18, 1956. 123 of a subject degree may be ready for more advanced work. In addition to the possible factor of rep etition in some aspects of the library school curriculum, there is the problem of the length of the whole course. 4 A two- year library course leading to a master's degree in library science is too long for a person who has already spent three or four years in graduate school. By a little burning of the midnight oil, which will not really bother any holder of a Ph.D . degree, the core courses can be covered in one semester. For the other topics, per- haps advanced reading might be advis- abl e, or graduate seminars. The library school provides some very essential knowledge which the Ph.D., for all his lengthy training, lacks. His first important1 gap is in the use of reference materials. The location of source mate- rial, as taught in subject fields , usually is sketchy because emphasis is primarily on criticism. The student wastes much time making inefficient literature searches. After only one semester of informa- tion sources he is considerably better equipped for his research. His second lacuna is in using the card catalog. Here again the graduate student (and even his professor) has missed much and wasted a tremendous amount of time by not be- ing able to find his way through the standard dictionary catalog. No instruc- tion in how to use a catalog is half as val- uable as knowing how to make one. This is important both for entry and in the use of subject headings. If the library course in reference and cataloging had come at the beginning of the graduate student's career instead of at the end, no doubt considerable time and energy would have been saved, particularly in gathering material for the dissertation. The third weak place in the advanced • Wyman Parker, "College-Library Personnel," L i- brary Quarterly, XXIV (1954) , 354; Downs, "Prep- aration of Speciali sts for University Libraries," Spe- cial Libraries, XXXVII (1946) , 209-13; ]. P eriam Danton, Education for Librari-ans hip ([Paris] : UNES- CO , 1949), pp. 17-18. graduate student's technical knowledge is in documentation. 5 Here, to some degree, specialists in various subjects, as docu- mentalists, have attempted to fill in gaps in bibliographic control, and excellent subject bibliographies and other aids are available in many areas. But much re- mains to be done. The contributions to learning produced in this field demand highly specialized know ledge even more than library training, though the latter is also essential. The subject Ph.D., with the further addition of capability in li- brary science, is ideally educated for doc- umentation, and his interest in this field is advantageous if he prefers to be con- nected with a library in a research insti- tution. Most of the Ph.D.'s in subject fields, being academically minded, gravitate to- wards university libraries. 6 Obviously they are particularly well suited as to background for the reference, bibliog- raphy and cataloging fields. A library di- rector trying to secure faculty status for his staff finds it helpful to be able to point out that some of his people have the same academic background as the teaching staff. Furthermore, as subject specialists they fill needs connected with the development of specialized collec- tions, and very likely it is as subject spe- cialists that most subject Ph.D.'s may ex- pect to find their forte in library work. -·The subject specialist or scholar-librar- ian is, in a manner of speaking, neither fish nor fowl. Should his first interest be his subject or librarianship? And, as a corollary, should he expend his research energies on his subject field or on some 5 "Documentation ... is that aspect of librarianship concerned with improving graphic communication with· in and among groups of sP ecialists; it involves that portion of librarianship which treats of the materials and need s of research and scholarship, and hence it is particularly concerned with abstracting, index ing, clas- sification , searchin g operations, compilations of bibliog- raphie s and similar means of meeting specialized in- formation requirements ." We stern Reserve University, School of Library Science, "Program for Documenta- tion Specialists," [Cleveland, 1956]. 8 Thompson , op. cit., 261-62; Robert B . Downs, "Are College and University Librarians Academic?" CRL, XV (1954), 14; Robert B. Downs , "Academic Status of Librarians-A New Approach," CRL , VI (19~6), 8. 124 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES ( aspect of library work? These are very real questions. It is important to the sub- ject Ph.D. to be able to keep up with his main field of interest and to make con- tributions to it. Some professional librar- ians concerned with the matter assume that his occupational choice will predom- inate and hence one hears discussion as to whether he is better off with a Ph.D. in a special subject or in librarianship. Actually to be worth his salt, the subJect specialist's first interest must be his sub- ject.7 His first duty as a librarian is to his subject field. He has no choice in the matter. The subject specialist's major interest in his subject is necessary to keep him abreast of current developments in the field. It is impossible to keep up to date in every area of knowledge. It is extreme- ly difficult even to keep track of one's own branch. One must subscribe to the basic journals, attend conventions, read innumerable books, articles and reviews, following the literature as best one can with inadequate tools. What earthly use would a subject specialist be if he ceased acquiring knowledge in his subject the day he joine~ the library staff? It is true that the scholar-librarian must keep up with the developments in library science, too, but here at least he can pick and choose, and concentrate on those facets of the field which are of the greatest use to him. Furthermore; litera- ture in librarianship has one great ad- vantage over that in his subject field: most of it, in the present ~arly stage of development, is comparatively easy to understand. An article on the Library of Congress classification of rare books simply does not require the background for one on "The Place of the Turba Phil- osophorum in the Development of Al- chemy," or "Fontana's Laws of Irritabil- ity." An exception to this comment is 7 Robert Kerner, "Essentials in the Training of Uni- versity Librarians," CRL, I (1939), 33-34· Matthew A: McKavitt, "Subject, Method, Scholarship and the Ltbrary Manual," Special Libraries XXXIII (1942) 359. J ' MARCH~ 1957 necessary in referring to current work in documentation, some of which is highly technical. "\Vhen it comes to his own research, perhaps the subject specialist will be able to devise some combination of interests. Otherwise original studies in his own subject field would probably be more significant and congenial, and since much of this work must be done after normal working hours, he might as well have the pleasure of pursuing, his own bent. The important point is that he should do something. As a scholar he has an obli- gation to do research. If he is merely con- tent to sit back and "provide service" as a librarian, the Ph.D. has been a waste of time; moreover, the library which hires him is not getting the full value of his talents. The library should not be a refuge for those who are afraid of pro- ductive scholarship. The subject specialist who wishes to escape ~rom the academic world may find his niche in on.e of the myriads of special libraries flourishing at the present time. !h:se libraries r~quire talents and special- Iz~tiOnSI of all kinds, particularly in the sciences. They offer possibilities for flex- ibility in administration and for experi- mentation impossible in more formal or well-established libraries. Many of the current interesting developments in cat- aloging and in reference work, for ex- ample, are coming from these libraries. ~he combination of subject specializa- tiOn and library training is ideal for the special library. In contrast to the subject specialist, the Ph.D. who enters the library field in an- other capacity not only has more choice as to his field of research, but also as to the type of career he wishes to pursue. The first and most obvious possibility is in administration. A large number of academic libraries still choose their chief librarians and major department heads ·from the ranks of the prQfessors. The ar- gument is that an. ex-professor under- 125 .stands the needs of his erstwhile col- leagues better than anyone else, and there is something to be said for this line · of reasoning. A tremendous literature has appeared in library publications regard- ing the education and professional re- quirements for library administrators and specialized library personnel. 8 The con- troversy over whether the "untrained" li- brarian does as well as one who has been especially trained for library work has by no means been settled. The possessor of a Ph.D. in library science is considerably better equipped for the special admin- istrative duties connected with a library, but may have difficulty convincing the faculty of his academic sympathies. The Ph.D. in a subject field, who holds an additional degree in library science, has the advantage of being on both sides of the fence at once. Other major fields of librarianship, notably reference, bibliography and cat- aloging, are also open to the subject Ph.D. In a library having subject divi- sions, he n1ay spend his time in reference work connected with his own subject or in the broad general field of which his discipline forms a part. General refer- 8 Cf. Nathan van Patten, ''Discussion," CRL I (1939), 34; Louis R. Wilson, "What Type of Resea'rch Librarian?" in Changing Patterns of Scholarship and the Fut!we of Research Lib;aries; A Symposium in Celebratwn of the 200th Annwersary of the Establi ' h· ment o.f the [jniv e_rsity of Pennsylvania Library (Phil- adelphta: Umverst~y of P~,n~sylv~nia Press, 1951), p. 115; S:ydney B. Mttchell, Ltbranes and Scholarship," Tl~e L~brary of Tomon-ow; A Symposium, ed. Emily ¥tller Danton (Chicag-o: American Library Associa- tiOn, 1939), pp. 70 -72; Charles E. Rush, "The Librarian of the Future," The Library of Tomorrow, p. 100; Downs, "Are College and University Librarians Ac- ademic?" CRL , XV (1954), 14; Lawrence C. Powell "Edu~atio~ fot: Academic Librarianship," Educatio.;,. for L1brananshtP; Papers Presented at the Library Con- ference, Univ ersity of Chicago, A ttgttst 16-21, 1948, ed. Bernard Berelson (Chicago: American Library Associa- tion, 1949), pp . 136-37, 139; Bernard Berelson, "Ad- v_anced St~dy 3:nd ~esearch in Librarian s hip," Educa- tton for Ltbranans/up, p. 224; Carnegie Corporation of New York, Report of Informal Co11ferences on Library Interests, Dec. 8, 1930, Feb. 24, 1931, Apr. 27, 1931 (New York: Carnegie Corporation, 1931) pp. 46-47· Downs, "Preparation of Specialists for U~iversity Li: braries," Special Libraries, XXXVII (1946) 209-13 · Harry L. Lash, "So You Meditate a Ph.D.,': Library Journal , LXXVI (1951), 149-50· Eu""ene H Wilson "Advanced Degrees in Subject' Fields , CRL vi (1945), 268-70; William H. Carlson, ,;The Do~tor's Degree," (RL, VI (1945), 264-68; Harriet D. Mac- Pherson, "Degrees as They Affect College Librarians," CRL, VI (1945), 270-73; Hoole, "Of the Librarian's Education," American Scholar, XIII (1944), 112. ence also may be appealing because of the great variety of information encoun- tered. Bibliographic work, which would combine his special interests and librar- ianship, may prove a happy solution. Cer- tainly there is a great need for biblio- graphic studies, critical bibliographies, detailed indexes, informative abstracts and other research tools requiring a high degree of specialization on the part of the compiler. The cataloging field also opens a wide area to his talents. Clas- sification and subject headings in par- ticular are extremely djfficult without considerable background knowledge. Per- haps the reason these subjects and cat- aloging in general are unpopular in li- brary school is that most students lack the resources one gains through advanced study and cannot find frames of reference in the vast areas covered by the classifica- tion schemes. A person with an organ- izing type of mind may find cataloging even more rewarding than reference work. Of all the types of library work avail- able, the new discipline of documenta- tion offers some of the most interesting possibilities for the subject Ph.D. who wishes to carry on research in a combina- tion field of his subject and librarian- ship. Documentation is rapidly becoming of paramount importance because of the difficulty of recovering essential informa- tion from the constantly increasing mass of published material, particularly in ar- ticle, report and non-printed form. The selection of subject headings and index terms · and the construction of workable codes for mechanical selection are jobs for the specialist. When one considers the low retrieval factor obtained with present subject headings, 9 for example, compared with the potential availability of material in library collections, the matter of get- ting data out of storage becomes a prob- (Continued on page 146) 9 Oliv~r. ~- Lilley, "Evaluation of the Subject Cat- a~og; Crtttctsms and a Proposal," American Docume.nta- tton, V (1954), 41-60. 126 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES - ---· -. The training of patrons in the proper use of encyclopedias is a closely related sub- ject, but one not pertinent to the present discussion. It ought, however, to be point- ed out that, on the basis of the facts brought out above, a recent encyclopedia does not materially affect the educative role and responsibility of the librarian to see that the books in his care are used to the best advantage. The Subject Ph.D. and Librarianship (Continued from page 126) lem of vital importance. Some urgent needs in documentation research are: truly flexible classification schemes, suit- able for subject headings and mechanical selection codes as well as for classifica- tion per se; 10 a new approach to subject headings, possibly with points of access in classified index proportions; machines for literature searching based on some principle other than the dichotomy; and studies in language engineering, linguist- ics and semantics to provide a basis for reduction of the ambiguity in terminol- ogy, especially in subject headings and in machine language codes. The place of the subject Ph.D. has been discussed, mainly from the point of view of the holder of this kind of doc- torate. The provision of library training to potential librarians with such a back- ground offers an opportunity for the 10 The essential unity of problems in these three areas has been pointed out in Brian C. Vickery, "Develop- ments in Subject Indexing," Journal of Documentation, XI (1955), 1-11. schools to develop fl.exi hili ty in their pro- grams. On the other hand, the core cur- riculum in librarianship is a necessity for work in any aspect of library science, in- cluding subject specialties. The Ph.D. who becomes a subject specialist librarian may still maintain his paramount interest in his subject field, whether in an ac- ademic or a special library. Those more interested in professional librarianship will find positions in administration, ref- erence, bibliography and cataloging for which the doctorate has a distinct advan- tage. The whole new science of docu- mentation practically requires advanced study in subject fields as a prerequisite to accomplishment. The problems which must be solved before the library can reach its greatest fulfillment as a func- tioning storehouse of information pose a real challenge to every branch of the li- brary profession. In this respect, the sub- ject Ph.D. has an important contribution to make, whether as a conventional li- brarian, a subject specialist or a docu- mentalist. Second Annual Midwest Academic Libraries Conference 146 The second annual Midwest Academic Libraries Conference will be held at Marquette University in Milwaukee, May 10 and 11, Friday and Saturday. Three speakers have already been engaged, Robert Downs, Ralph ·Esterquest, and the Academic Vice President of Marquette Univer- sity. Invitations will be sent to all academic libraries in the Middle West after March l. COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES _j I - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------