College and Research Libraries CECIL K. BYRD Subject Specialists in a University Library In an attempt to supply in other disciplines the bibliographical ex- pertise traditionally furnished by university library systems to de- partments with departmental libraries, Indiana University has over the past three years established ten subject specialist positions in the social sciences, humanities, and area studies programs. These librari- ans select material, render reference service to faculty members and graduate students, give instruction in library use, and serve generally as the main channel of communication between the library and the academic departments to which they are allied. WITHIN the last three years the Indi- ana University library has established ten professional staff positions which, in a sense, represent a compensatory action on the part of the library toward those _academic departments not served by branch libraries and whose special needs could no longer be satisfactorily met within the traditional library organiza- tion. Subject specialists have been ap- pointed to these positions with responsi- bilities to serve the faculty and graduate students of their assigned academic de- partments or divisions. The concept of subject specialists assigned to meet the needs of a specific clientele is certainly not new, nor is the employment of such a corps of librarians solely confined to Indiana University. Indeed, library ser- vices for the sciences and professional schools have been in the hands of spe- cialists, usually branch librarians, for decades. By the appointment of subject librarians Indiana University has at- tempted to extend this treatment to other academic departments as well. Academic departments in the social sciences, humanities, and area studies Dr. Byrd is University Librarian in I ndi- ana University. programs whose library resources are a part of the general library collection have in the past received only such ser- vice as could be provided by a staff of reference librarians with a general back- ground. With the massive and rapidly increasing body of literature and of spe- cialized reference tools within these areas it is no longer possible to meet all the particularized needs of the university's faculty and graduate body without the aid of specialists. The appointment of subject librarians for these disciplines, it was postulated, would both insure more comprehensive book selection and upgrade and personalize services. Fur- ther, it would significantly enhance com- munications between librarian and acad- emician, and between the library and academic departments. Indiana has appointed librarians for the following departments and area studies: Anthropology-Folklore-Sociolo- gy, Economics and Government, Eng- lish, History, Modern Foreign Languages (European), African Studies, Near East- ern Studies, Far Eastern Studies, Latin American Studies, and Russian and East European Studies. One subject librarian serves two or more departments in some instances. It will be understood that li- I 191 192 I College & Research Libraries • May, 1966 brarians for area studies must possess unusual competence and versatility, for their duties require a broad range of knowledge in the many disciplines nor- mally encompassed by a particular area program. Experience alone will deter- mine whether a single librarian can per- form all the necessary functions for gov- ernment and economics, or for modern . foreign languages, or for a combination of anthropology, folklore and sociology, or for a rapidly expanding area program. Kinship of the disciplines, and observa- tions to date, would suggest the present groupings are viable. Some elaboration on the primary duties of these librarians may be inform- ative, especially for the university li- brarian. Much of their time is spent in selecting current and retrospective ma- terials for purchase. All subject librar- ians are by background, training~ and . daily activities kept informed about the literature of their field. Information on current publications derives from perusal of scholarly journals, national bibliog- raphies, publishers' announcements, and numerous lesser bibliographical aids. Retrospective materials are purchased as the librarians review the collections and discover gaps, or as a result of specific requests by graduate students or faculty members. All publications considered important to the departmental programs are pur- chased through regular order procedures on the recommendation of the subject li- brarian to whom the departments have delegated this authority. When a sub- ject librarian is doubtful of the utility or urgency of a more costly publication, consultation with the academic depart- ment may follow and a joint decision reached. Faculty members served by a subject librarian are encouraged to continue their traditional participation in book se- lection. Members of some departments continue to make recommendations, oth- ers feel released from a burdensome task which had been performed only spas- modically. Some departments have re- garded the presence of a subject spe- cialist within the library as an unex- pected bonus and have combined their book selection efforts with that of their librarian in a renewed program to build a quality collection to support an ex- panding teaching and research program. In all instances faculty recommendations are routed through the appropriate sub- ject librarian for informational purposes before orders are placed. This screening process has materially reduced the num- ber of duplicate requests sent to the li- brary order department. The reference service of the subject librarian is confined mainly to graduate students and faculty. The daily requests which involved bibliographical and in- formational assistance in scope and depth vary with the subject field. The reference work of the librarian for Eng- lish is normally limited to student queries on available resources for theses topics or on technical bibliographical problems, but he has done well in creative collab- oration with faculty and student research projects. The librarians for African Stud- ies and Latin American Studies, on the other hand, spend several hours each week assisting graduate students and faculty who seek bibliographical, bio- graphical, and statistical information from a disparate literature not yet under bibliographical control. Two of the subject librarians have pub- lished manuals for the guidance of stu- dents. Erwin Welsch, librarian for his- tory, met a particularly urgent need by compiling a .. Guide to the Library for Graduate History Students." Alan R. Taylor has published a preliminary edi- tion of .. African Studies Research: A Brief Guide to Selected Bibliographies and Other Sources for African Studies" ( 1964) which has proven most useful and, in many respects, is a model of its kind. Further instruction in library resources and their use is given by the subject librarians in regularly taught courses, an- Subject Specialists in a University Library /193 nuallectures to new students, lectures to seminars and classes on specialized li- brary material, group tours, and through the compilation of subject lists. Taylor teaches a seminar on African bibliogra- phy. William R. Cagle, librarian for English, offers a course periodically, open to all who can qualify, on descrip-· tive bibliography. Fritz , Epstein, librar- ian for Slavic studies, teaches a seminar in modern European history and a semi- nar in Slavic bibliography and research. Michel Mazzaoui, librarian for Near Eastern studies, teaches introductory courses in Persian. It should not be construed from the foregoing that the subject librarians are indulged darlings who work outside the main stream of the daily and demanding library operations. They are sometimes required to serve in the general refer- ence department; they regularly con- sult with public service and technical departments for advice and information; they can search for a lost book, show visitors around the library, serve on com- mittees and, in brief, in all ways con- duct themselves as librarians whose ob- jectives are service to patrons in need. Administratively, all subject librarians report directly to the university librar- ian. The subject librarians are regarded as highly skilled coordinators, apologists, and elucidators as well, between the li- brary and academic departments. They keep the library administration informed about departmental developments and the departments apprised on library matters that have special significance to them. Their daily contacts with faculty members have done much to create a positive image of the library. In many minds the library has changed from a highly institutionalized, impersonal ser- vice unit to one that is essentially sensi- tive to the needs of graduate student and faculty in the learning and research proc- ess. Ideally the subject librarian should be physically located near the book col- lection of his subject field as well as adjacent to the study area for graduate students and faculty, an impossibility in our present general library. The new Indiana University library (construction began fall, 1965) has been planned to bring the books, subject librarians, graduate students, and faculty together in a research tower of eleven floors. The offices of the subject librarians will be on the stack floors with the books in their fields and adjacent to the faculty studies and reading areas for graduate students. Capable subject librarians represent a considerable annual investment in sal- aries and book funds. Invariably book funds must be increased to sustain the systematic and comprehensive book se- lection programs which are the natural outgrowth of these appointments! . Indi- ana University is convinced that its sub- ject librarians are worth the investment in terms of service and improved book collections. Subject librarians assure book collections of depth and compre- hension. If selection is solely the re- sponsibility of faculty, some areas are neglected and others given pedestrian attention. The subject librarian is re- sponsible for the whole scope of his field. Areas which are not represented at the moment by a library-minded faculty member are not neglected for the sub- ject librarian strives for a strong re- search collection that will serve future as well as present research needs. In recruiting subject librarians, Indi- ana has sought individuals with both subject and library training, but has not insisted on the latter if a person with language and subject skills has been available. It will be of interest to note, however, that eight of Indiana's ten do possess library degrees . Experience has shown that in-service training, though a lengthy process, can sometimes substi- tute for formal library training, particu- larly if the trainee is inquisitive, intelli- gent, and has a strong desire to become a librarian. • •