College and Research Libraries


By W I L L I A M B. R E A D Y 

Libraries and the Refreshment 
Of Reading 

TH E R E IS A C O N T I N U I N G a n d very real 
concern a m o n g the faculty of o u r 

universities a n d colleges a b o u t the dire 
state of u n d e r g r a d u a t e r e a d i n g . T h e 
f r e e d o m to r e a d was taken away f r o m 
those p o o r y o u n g people long ago by 
the family a n d social contacts t h a t b i n d 
t h e m f r o m their c h i l d h o o d a n d it is only 
a m o n g the c h i l d r e n of t h e privileged or 
peculiar few t h a t there are books for 
t h e m to w a n d e r in, to be surprised by 
j ° y -

T h i s ignorance a b o u t r e a d i n g is pro-
d u c i n g a class of leaders t h a t is illiterate; 
it vitiates the p a t t e r n of e d u c a t i o n . Voic-
ing the concern of t h e professors, w r o t e 
R o b e r t Hoopes, professor of English, a n d 
director of the S t a n f o r d Study of U n d e r -
g r a d u a t e E d u c a t i o n , 

T h e r e is a p o p u l a r idea that l e a r n i n g 
a n d wisdom come f r o m a b s o r b i n g the 
sights a n d sounds a r o u n d us, that you 
don't really have to do much a b o u t it. 
You simply assimilate l e a r n i n g like the 
sun. It just h a p p e n s . T h i s vegetable doc-
trine accepts the notion that all kinds of 
experience are e q u a l repositories of learn-
ing. 

T h i s fallacy is a c o m f o r t a b l e one, as 
easy as the primrose path, a n d superficially 
justified by the fact that u n d i f f e r e n t i a t e d 
experience does indeed represent a source 
of stimulus a n d i n f o r m a t i o n . B u t the r o a d 
to discipline a n d knowledge a n d wisdom 
is a n d always has been the traditional a n d 
difficult way of learning. 

Part of the business of m o t i v a t i n g the 
u n d e r g r a d u a t e is to make him aware of 
the nature of that road. W e do all we can 
by i m p r o v i n g course content a n d arrange-
ment, by u r g i n g teachers to d o the best 

Mr. Ready is Librarian, Marquette 
University. 

j o b they can in the classroom—all that we 
can d o in short to p u t the student on that 
road. Once on it, excited by the prospect 
of intellectual a d v e n t u r e a n d discovery, 
where shall he go? 

H e must go to the crystallized record of 
the civilization a n d culture that he has in-
herited. H e must go to books, a n d they 
will serve him as a guide, a solace a n d a 
reward. W i t h o u t them the j o u r n e y of the 
m i n d remains aimless a n d a ri d. 1 

T h e ability to r e a d intelligently a n d 
critically is p e r h a p s the most tangible 
a n d v a l u a b l e e n d o w m e n t of a liberal ed-
ucation, a n ability t h a t can only be ac-
q u i r e d t h r o u g h practice—an a c q u i r e d 
h a b i t t h a t becomes all the m o r e difficult 
to take o n since it r u n s so far away f r o m 
the domestic a n d social h a b i t s of Amer-
ican society. W h a t e v e r the college a n d 
university libraries can do to h e l p the 
faculty in their o n e r o u s a n d f u n d a m e n -
tal task, the i m p r o v e m e n t of u n d e r g r a d -
uate reading, t h a t they m u s t do; it is a 
p r i m e responsibility, a n d this is a time 
w h e n the libraries can d o s o m e t h i n g 
a b o u t it. O n C h a p e l H i l l a n d in t h e H a r -
vard Yard, in o t h e r libraries, all too few 
in this great land, there are lights shin-
ing in this darkness. T h e s e lights can be 
as stars. 

T h e r e are m a n y ways whereby the li-
braries can d o their share. T h e r e is n o 
set p a t t e r n , b u t this is clear: t h e r e is n o 
need of a survey to find o u t w h e t h e r u n -
d e r g r a d u a t e s will r e s p o n d to books a n d 
pictures, music a n d films; they will d o 
so. I t is the h u m a n c o n d i t i o n to respond 
to t h e attractions t h a t a r e offered: the 
tragedy is t h a t they are offered so rarely, 
to so few. 

1 In Appreciation (Stanford University Libraries), 
III (195S), pp. 2-3. 

124 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



T h e first a n d most i m p o r t a n t way that 
the library can h e l p lies in the actual dis-
t r i b u t i o n of certain types of books: the 
p a p e r b a c k s a n d the duplicates, m a k i n g 
t h e m attractively a n d readily available. 
T h e new g e n e r a t i o n of p a p e r b a c k s is a 
most welcome a d d i t i o n to the world of 
books. T h e y may, outside the college 
r e a d i n g problem, b r i n g a b o u t a revolu-
tion in the book business by reversing 
the c u r r e n t trend, the growing reluc-
tance in this age of avid a n d conspicuous 
c o n s u m p t i o n , to pay money f o r books, 
to r e a d for the love of it. How-to-do-it 
books are booming, textbooks a n d self-
h e l p books (peace of m i n d , consumer 
reports, income-tax a i d s ) , b u t r e a d i n g 
for the sake of good alone is waning, 
b o t h w i t h i n a n d w i t h o u t the walls, a n d 
where fewer people buy books a n d r e a d 
t h e m there the clouds are p i l i n g u p , 
there the d a r k is coming. 

N o w it is n o t altogether the f a u l t of 
the u n d e r g r a d u a t e , of people generally, 
t h a t there has set in this decline in read-
ing. Booksellers, publishers a n d librar-
ians have to share the blame. 

T h e publishers are o f t e n very irre-
sponsible. C a n you b l a m e the r e a d e r 
w h o is slow to buy, to read, w h e n pub-
lishers a n d book societies u n i t e to praise 
as a new T u r g e n e v , as a fearless Zola, a 
writer whose turgid novel of protractive 
rape, of f r a n k b r u t a l i t y , will be forgot-
ten w h e n the n e x t literary sensation 
bursts u p o n the scene? H o w can the 
g r o p i n g r e a d e r confide in those w h o 
hailed the tangled web of W i l l i a m Faulk-
ner's Fable as if it were the fifth Gospel? 
T h e y do this for money, a n d it is this 
economic grave necessity t h a t so distracts 
a n d complexes the book business. 

T h e t r a d e book shop, so far the nat-
u r a l o u t l e t of the wares of the publish-
ers, is beset by this same necessity— 
money. I n o r d e r to stay in business the 
book store is become more of a variety 
store t h a n a bookshop. A s t u d e n t bit-
terly w r i t i n g to the editor of his college 

newspaper voices a well-nigh universal 
town a n d gown c o m p l a i n t a b o u t book 
shops, be they on the campus or outside 
the walls: 

" F i v e a n d D i m e " 
T o the e d i t o r : 

T h e e d i t o r i a l in yesterday's Daily out-
lines most of the causes of the B o o k s t o r e ' s 
i n a d e q u a c y [a j u s t i f i e d d i a t r i b e a b o u t the 
whole a t t i t u d e a n d p r a c t i c e of the u s u a l 
b o o k s t o r e ] b u t d o e s n o t m e n t i o n the m a i n 
o n e ! 

T h e chief difficulty with the B o o k s t o r e 
is that it is n o t a b o o k s t o r e a t all b u t a 
r a t h e r high-priced five-and-dime which 
barely k e e p s e n o u g h b o o k s in stock to 
m a i n t a i n its m a s q u e r a d e . 

R e p l a c e m e n t of the stationery, c o s t u m e 
jewelry, b a b y bibs, w o m e n ' s toiletries, bed-
s p r e a d s , m e n ' s b i l l f o l d s , toy a n i m a l s , drink-
i n g glasses, r e d lace-trimmed g a r t e r s , a n d 
all the other j u n k that has n o t h i n g to d o 
with scholarly p u r s u i t by b o o k s is the 
i m p r o v e m e n t m o s t sorely n e e d e d at the 
B o o k s t o r e . 

T h i s letter a p p e a r e d in the Daily 
u n d e r the h e a d i n g " C a m p u s O p i n i o n , " 
a n d it is a very fair o p i n i o n at t h a t . 
T h e r e is no need for any behavioral sci-
entist to investigate the d e a r t h of under-
g r a d u a t e r e a d i n g ; the reasons are clear, 
as is the solution, a n d one most impor-
t a n t f e a t u r e is concerned w i t h the avail-
ability of the books. 

T h e new p a p e r b o o k s need a b e t t e r 
source of d i s t r i b u t i o n t h a n the t r a d e 
bookstores. W h a t b e t t e r source could 
there be t h a n a library? A kiosk can be 
set u p , like book kiosks are set u p t h e 
world over, in a library, the p a p e r b a c k s 
displayed openly a n d easily, a n d there 
begins a traffic. T h i s need is greater in 
the more isolated colleges a n d universi-
ties t h a t are distant f r o m any good book 
stores, b u t n e a r or far f r o m the stores, 
the library is a good place for the distri-
b u t i o n a n d the sale of paperbacks. T h e r e 
need be n o t h r o t t l i n g of private enter-
prise here, r a t h e r the reverse. T h e book-

(Continued on page 146) 

MARCH 1958 125-



titles o r h i t h e r t o u n o b t a i n a b l e titles r a t h e r 
t h a n o n g a p s in b a s i c sets. 

T h e s t a t u r e of l i b r a r i a n s h i p in the m i n d s 
of the f a c u l t y a n d a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o n the 
U - T c a m p u s w h e n I a r r i v e d was o n e which 
p e r m i t t e d the l i b r a r y staff t o work w i t h a 
sense of p e r s o n a l a n d a c a d e m i c d i g n i t y , a 
s i t u a t i o n then s e l d o m f o u n d a n d , I a m 
a f r a i d , i n f r e q u e n t even t o d a y . M i s s B a k e r 
c r e d i t e d the f a c u l t y s t a t u s h e r staff e n j o y e d 
t o h e r p r e d e c e s s o r , M i s s L u c y F a y , as she 
c r e d i t e d a l m o s t e v e r y t h i n g f o r which I 
t h a n k e d her, s a y i n g she o n l y h u n g o n to it. 
A s I h a v e t o l d b o t h M i s s B a k e r a n d M i s s 
F a y , that was e q u i v a l e n t to h o l d i n g o n to a 
S m o k y M o u n t a i n b e a r f o r twenty years, a 
c r e d i t a b l e feat, e v e n t h o u g h s o m e b o d y else 
c a u g h t the b e a r . T h i s a c a d e m i c a c c e p t a n c e 
was reflected in the q u a l i t y of staff. Specific 
f a c u l t y r a n k , t h e r e f o r e , c a m e n a t u r a l l y a n d 
u n e q u i v o c a l l y . 

W e a r e this f a l l b r e a k i n g g r o u n d f o r a n 
e x p a n s i o n of o u r m a i n l i b r a r y b u i l d i n g , the 

o n e Miss B a k e r p l a n n e d s o p a i n s t a k i n g l y , 
so e c o n o m i c a l l y , a n d so wisely. I wish she 
c o u l d h a v e k n o w n of o u r p l a n s a n d h o w 
easily they c a n b e p u t i n t o effect b e c a u s e of 
the c l e a n , f u n c t i o n a l f o u n d a t i o n she i n s i s t e d 
u p o n . 

M i s s B a k e r b e l i e v e d in t h o r o u g h n e s s , ac-
curacy, a n d o r d e r ; she h a d n o p a t i e n c e with 
carelessness. S h e b e l i e v e d in c o m p l e t e hon-
esty in all t h i n g s — p r o f e s s i o n a l , p e r s o n a l ; 
d a y in a n d d a y o u t . H e r i n t e g r i t y w a s un-
q u e s t i o n a b l e , a n d her interest a n d a f f e c t i o n 
f o r h e r staff, h e r f r i e n d s , a n d h e r p r o f e s s i o n 
were sincere a n d e n d u r i n g . E i g h t M a r y E . 
B a k e r S c h o l a r s h i p s h a v e b e e n a w a r d e d to 
p r o m i s i n g y o u n g p e o p l e by the U - T Staff 
since 1950. M i s s B a k e r was p r o u d that the 
s c h o l a r s h i p s w e r e n a m e d f o r h e r a n d l i k e d 
to b e i n f o r m e d a b o u t the r e c i p i e n t s a n d 
their s u b s e q u e n t careers. 

S h e was a fine w o m a n , a fine l i b r a r i a n , a n d 
it h a s b e e n a p r i v i l e g e t o h a v e k n o w n her. 
—William H. Jesse 

Libraries and the Refreshment of Reading 
(Continued from page 125) 

lot could be rented or given as a conces-
sion to a bookseller, where he could oper-
ate under library supervision. Candy-
bar, cigarette, soft-drink concessions are 
set u p all over the campus; there should 
be no reluctance to the setting u p of a 
book concession, and far from exacerbat-
ing the local book stores it should en-
courage them, for a reader of good 
paperbacks is on his way to becoming 
a reader of their goods and a likely cus-
tomer. 

T h e library book sales of duplicate 
and surplus material are worth all the 
trials and hazards that may accompany 
them. T h o s e libraries that promote them 
in their divers ways—Minnesota, Iowa, 
Stanford, among others—are performing 
a service to the student body that can 
earn affection and respect for the library, 
two concomitants that have a great deal 
to do with undergraduate reading. 

T h e r e is also a great need for the col-

lege and university libraries to identify 
themselves more closely with the aspira-
tions and struggles of the world of learn-
ing. T h i s is a time, the first in all the 
world, when there are available great re-
productions of art in nearly all the 
media—this is the substance of Andr£ 
Malraux's Voices of Silence—but in the 
commercial pattern of life only city 
stores or very occasional special shops 
can provide for their distribution, unless 
the library takes it on, with a rental col-
lection of art reproductions, a " f o r sale" 
sign on all of them. T h e great foreign 
films, even our own better ones, are 
rarely seen away from the metropolitan 
centers that can support art movie hous-
es; the distribution and projection of 
these films is a part of the library. It is 
not by books alone that there will come 
a refreshment in reading, but by the use 
of film, book, song, and story, all blend-
ing together in harmony in the library. 

146 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES