College and Research Libraries


light upon the reasons for the shocking 
short-comings of A m e r i c a n collegiate edu-
cation as shown in the Carnegie study by 
Learned and W o o d entitled The Student 
and His Knowledge. 

D r . Keppel returns to a theme of earlier 
reports when he calls attention to the im-
portance of fuller consideration of the 
place of the professionally trained men 
and women in the community. T h i s year 
the point carries home to librarians by di-
rect reference to the appointment, within 
the past eighteen months, of two laymen 
to influential library positions. D r . K e p -
pel feels that such appointments should 
cause us to ask ourselves both whether the 
layman responsible for selection of men 
for such posts understands the significance 
of professional qualifications and also 
whether our present machinery for the 
training, not only of librarians but else-
where throughout the professions, is w o r k -
ing adequately. 

T h e conclusion to the report looks back-
w a r d at the long-term record of the cor-
poration and claims at least a share in 
certain accomplishments in a number of 
areas of broad human interests. Since 
1 9 1 1 when the Carnegie Corporation w a s 
founded, the A m e r i c a n people have ac-
cepted the conception of education as a 
life-long process. T h e American public 
is more disposed than formerly to recog-
nize that art is a matter of normal human 
interest. T h e influence of the corporation 
upon libraries and museums has been im-
portant. Economic, historic, and social 
inquiries large and small have been fi-
nanced. M o n e y has been given to aid in 
the endowment of colleges and universi-
ties and many of these benefits have ac-
crued not only to the A m e r i c a n people but 
to the peoples of the British Dominions 
and Colonies. 

Librarians w i l l be especially interested 
in t w e n t y - t w o pages of publications listed 
in the A p p e n d i x . M a n y of these are of 
great importance for purchase in college 
and university l i b r a r i e s . — N e i l C. Van 
Deusen, Fisk University, Nashville. 

College and University Library Buildings. 
E d n a R u t h H a n l e y . A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y 

• Association, 1 9 3 9 . i 5 2 p . $ 4 . 5 0 . 

T H E TITLE of this interesting volume 
is slightly misleading. I t includes only 
t w o buildings which house a half million 
or more volumes and only three which 
serve 5 0 0 0 or more students. Doubtless 
the University of M i c h i g a n building w a s 
included because the study w a s made un-
der D r . Bishop's supervision though his 
building is by some years the oldest one 
included. N o volume can be considered 
a study of university buildings which does 
not include several other buildings of a 
size and type comparable to M i c h i g a n , 
such as Illinois, Rochester, California, 
H a r v a r d , Y a l e . A c t u a l l y this book is a 
study of college and smaller university li-
brary buildings. A s such it is eminently 
satisfying. 

T h e division by price ranges enables a 
librarian faced with a building problem to 
examine buildings within reach of his ap-
propriation and to present them to college 
authorities without being confused by 
more expensive or cheaper buildings. 

T h e section entitled, " S o m e Essentials 
in College L i b r a r y P l a n n i n g , " is very well 
done. Personally I w o u l d emphasize, 
even more strongly than M i s s H a n l e y 
does, the fact that most library buildings 
of the past, though planned for fifty years, 
have been seriously outgrown in from 
twenty to twenty-five years. It is impos-
sible to place too much emphasis on the 
importance of planning every library 

1 9 0 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



building in such a w a y that it can be en-
larged easily without serious alterations in 
partitions and walls. Another thing 
which needs more emphasis is ample space 
for card catalogs. In criticizing individual 
plans M i s s Hanley points out several li-
braries in which, within a very f e w years, 
the original space has proved too small. A 
minor point which might be mentioned is 
that in a bookstack all ranges should run 
in the same direction. O n l y one library 
in this book violates this rule but I saw 
two building plans this summer in which 
the architects seemed never to have heard 
of it. Another suggestion would be to 
emphasize that in planning the electric 
conduit system no circuit should be loaded 
to capacity and there should be some spare 
circuits in every switch-panel. Another 
possible suggestion is an ammonia or other 
cooling system for drinking water. 

I would question the dictum that at 
least twenty-five square feet should be al-
lowed for every reader in a reading room. 
T h i s figure is beyond question in reference 
rooms and in rooms for graduate work. 
It is desirable but not necessary in re-
served book rooms in which the average 
student uses only one book and a notebook. 

T h e r e a narrower table may be used and 
still give ample accommodation at twenty 
square feet per reader. 

M i s s Hanley's criticisms of building 
plans are most ably done. In the best pos-
sible spirit and in the kindest words she 
points out defects and compliments valu-
able details. Some of her criticisms are 
obviously quotations from the librarians 
who have told her frankly wherein they 
have found their own buildings unsatisfac-
tory. Others are discerning criticisms of 
the plans by M i s s Hanley herself who 
knows the needs of college library build-
ings. 

T h e book is marred by a number of 
typographical errors of which the most 
amusing is "conversation" for "conserva-
tion" on page 1 6 . 

M i s s Hanley is to be commended for 
producing a much needed book and the 
American L i b r a r y Association should be 
complimented for allowing her the size 
of page needed for showing plans upon a 
readable scale and for the unusually large 
number of plans and illustrations. W e 
only wish that more buildings might have 
been i n c l u d e d . — E d w a r d A. Henry, Uni-
versity of Cincinnati. 

MARCH, 1940 191