College and Research Libraries Review Articles Medieval Monastery Libraries Die Bibliotheksraume der deutschen Kloster im Mittelalter, von Edgar Lehmann. Ber- lin: Akademie-Verlag, 1957. 50p., x x plates. D M 19.80. (Deutschen Akademie der Wis- senschaften, Berlin, Schriften zur Kunst- geschichte, Heft 2.) T h e study of history of libraries and li- brarianship has naturally only a limited number of devotees. T o these Dr. Lehmann's study is of considerable interest. Appearing in a series specializing in the history of art, the treatment of mediaeval German monas- tery libraries is nevertheless broad in scope and yet scholarly enough to satisfy the most demanding critic. T h e narrative part of this study is divided into two main chapters. T h e first deals with Romanesque libraries (eighth to thirteenth centuries, or broadly speaking the early and high Middle Ages). During this period li- braries developed from small collections in chests (armaria) to small rooms found at times in close connection with the scripto- rium. Concern with safety and protection against moisture was common then, as it is today, and collections of manuscripts re- ceived the kind of care given to relics or holy vestments, in or adjoining the church, often on upper floors, sometimes even in fortified towers. Storing and reading did not take place in the same room during this era. T h e second chapter covers Gothic librar- ies (thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, i.e., the late Middle Ages). Under the influence of universities and the new secular or pri- vate libraries, special areas and separate buildings came into their own rights; storage and use were combined in one and the same spot. Among points detailed by the author we find that the chaining of manuscripts was largely limited, at least in Central Eu- rope, to monasteries in larger towns where it seemed necessary to protect them against non-resident readers. Throughout the vol- ume, the influence of monastic orders on the development of libraries is discussed and thoroughly documented. T h i s volume deals preponderantly with German libraries, but constant comparison with English, French, and Italian libraries enhances its value beyond local or national interest. Pages twenty-nine through forty-seven con- tain a list (including bibliographical and historical notes) of mediaeval monastic li- brary buildings. Incidental information is included, e.g., under Augsburg we read that a library room was "moved to get away from the noise of laymen." Plans of various mon- astery libraries and photographs of exteriors and interiors are shown on twenty plates il- lustrating examples from 820 to the sixteenth century. T h i s study is valuable to the his- torian; it is carefully written and will prob- ably remain "definitive" for a good long time. W e noticed that the author did not have access, according to his own statement, to the second edition of J o h n Willis Clark's, The Care of Books or J a m e s Westfall Thompson's, The Medieval Library. W e ob- serve with regret that political frontiers often are also intellectual barriers.—Rudolf Hirsch, University of Pennsylvania Library. Books A r e Being Read Books Are Being Read. By Nora E. Jones. Los Angeles: University of California Li- brary, 1959. 46p. (UCLA Library Occas- ional Paper Number 8.) In connection with plans for building a research library and for converting the main library into a college library, the staff of the U C L A Library conducted a question- naire study of students' reading and use of the library. By administering the question- naire to several large classes, the investi- gators obtained a sample of 1140 students apparently representative of the total stu- dent body. T h e students were questioned about such matters as the frequency of their visits to the university library, the depart- ments they used, the number of books they borrowed, the number they read, their suc- cess in using the card catalog, their other sources for books, and their attitudes towards the library. ,416 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES