College and Research Libraries By J . P E R I A M D A N T O N • * University Librarianship—Notes on Its Philosophy J. Periam Danton is librarian of the Sul- livan Memorial Library, Temple Univer- sity. TH E R E A D E R S to whom this paper is addressed have heard every variation of the thought that the library is the sine qua non of a university. T o be sure, those who speak of the true university as a col- lection of books and of the library as the " h e a r t " of the institution often fail, when appropriations are made, to realize that so vital an organ requires much nourishment. But here at least the point need not be labored that educationally and adminis- tratively the library is, and must be recog- nized as, an integral part of the institution it serves. In view of this self-evident relationship, it is obvious that any consideration of the philosophy or policy of the library (or, indeed, of any other part of the university) cannot be independent of the philosophy and policy of the institution as a whole; the philosophy of the university library (and hence the functions derived there- f r o m ) must be related to the educational and administrative philosophy of the uni- versity. T o say this is, of course, to state in a broad way a philosophy of university librarianship. T h e applicable dictionary definition of function is "the activity ap- propriate to any business or profession," and that of philosophy, "the body of prin- ciples or general conceptions underlying a given branch of learning . . . and the application of it . . ." (i.e., of the body of principles.) Before proceeding, it is important that one basic issue or criticism be frankly con- sidered. T h e proponents of the point of view underlying this criticism maintain, in effect, that there can be no such thing as a philosophy of librarianship, let alone a philosophy of university librarianship.1 Using the definition just given as a start- ing point, this school of thought holds that, whereas it is perfectly possible to have a systematic body of general concep- tions about even the narrowest of topics or realms of discourse, there exists a great divide between questions essentially non- philosophical and ones essentially philo- sophical. Assuming for the present the validity of this statement, we may follow the reasoning f u r t h e r . T h e argument runs that "philosophic discussion takes place upon the level on which the ultimate questions are being raised . . . where it becomes necessary to confess ignorance or to posit pragmatic assumptions or to call upon faith . . . " and that, "conversely, any realm of discourse is not primarily philo- sophic if it proceeds within a framework 1 T h e w r i t e r is much indebted to M r . R e u b e n Peiss, of the H a r v a r d College L i b r a r y , f o r a logical and lucid exposition, upon which the following outline is based, of the chief points in the a r g u m e n t deny- ing the possibility of a philosophy of u n i v e r s i t y librarianship. 195 of general conceptions already determined for it, though the establishment of this framework may itself have been a philo- sophic enterprise." T h u s then, it is rea- soned, biology and physics, raising, as they do, fundamental problems of the nature of life and knowledge, are philosophical sciences, but dietetics and hydraulics are not. T h u s one may legitimately speak of a philosophy of education and perhaps even of the philosophy of a university— but not of the philosophy of the university library, since the librarian merely deter- mines, within the limits of the already existent philosophy of his university, the policy and activities of the library. T h i s last statement, the tenor of which will be f u r t h e r considered at a later point, seems incontrovertible; it is with its inter- pretation that this paper disagrees, the interpretation which maintains that, since the librarian must operate within the framework of the university philosophy, there can be no distinct—even though related and dependent—philosophy of uni- versity librarianship. Use of Term "Philosophy" T h e term "philosophy" is variously employed but for the purpose of this paper it refers to a system of principles or con- cepts drawn from some branch of learning, and intended to be functionally useful to it. T h u s , we speak of the philosophy of government, of law, or of education. Influence on Other Philosophers It seems to the writer that the argu- ments against the existence of a philosophy of university librarianship break down rather badly at two or three points. Those arguments imply, for one thing, that the philosophy of the university is something already fixed and final—not necessarily in an absolute sense, but at least relatively, with respect to its component parts and to other institutions. Yet we are all familiar with the ways in which the philosophy of one institution can influence the philosophies of others. And there are even some instances in which a revitalized library program—which means, we main- tain, not merely new energy and forceful, imaginative administration, but also a broadened philosophy—have markedly in- fluenced the philosophy of the college or university. In other words, the philosophy of a university is itself no separate, un- related thing, but a fluid product of the philosophy of other institutions and, neces- sarily, of its own component parts. T h e constant impact of all upon it are essential if it is to be meaningful. Let no one think when a university librarian suc- cessfully works for a large increase in his appropriation or for a new policy that he is not in the first place evidencing an in- dependent philosophy and, in the second plaCe, affecting somewhat the existing philosophy of the university. T o argue that there can be no such thing as a philosophy of university li- brarianship because the library must oper- ate within the university philosophy is somewhat the same as arguing that a state university may not have a philosophy be- cause it operates within the framework of the philosophy of the state—a contention which might be technically valid from the point of view of the legislature and the taxpayer but, in the light of practical state political principles, would be rather sad for state systems of higher education. Unify Philosophies Since the sciences have taken much of the subject matter from an earlier concept of philosophy, one of the chief tasks of the 196 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES philosopher has been to piece together the various and sometimes conflicting prin- ciples of the different sciences, and the dif- ferences within a given science. In the same way the library philosopher may try to bring together, coordinate, and unify the philosophies of many university li- braries to the end that they—and the uni- versities themselves—may be more nearly perfect. T h e philosophies of Antioch and of St. John's, of Chicago and of Pennsylvania, obviously differ; so, therefore, do the phi- losophies of their libraries. But one li- brary philosophy may gain from another a n d still not go counter to the broad phi- losophy of its institution; a n d , w i t h i n t h e broad philosophies of universities, there are many opportunities for divergences of l i b r a r y philosophies with regard to matters which are more or less common to all libraries. O n e of the purposes of the philosophy of university librarianship should be to coordinate and reconcile such divergences as well as conflicts between library theory and practice. Finally, and perhaps most important, is the fact that philosophy has to do, in part, with notions of value and procedure. T h e librarian, whether he call himself a philos- opher or not, is inevitably and constantly faced with decisions concerning the great- est good of the greatest number, involving nobler and meaner courses. Even if he has no recognized philosophy, his daily con- duct is the overt expression of one, for philosophizing is implicit whenever as- sumptions are questioned, generalization is attempted, decisions or choices between person and person made, or the "good" solution sought. Indeed, the librarian is employed in part because of a (presumed) outlook, point-of-view, and attitude—in short, philosophy—toward his profession and his work. T h e more reasoned, the more intelligent, the more grounded that philosophy is, the more will the university be in his debt. " I t is one of the noble tendencies of the human mind . . . to work at something that has permanent value. T h e r e f o r e a scholar who is really devoted to his calling . . . experiences the need of drawing from his special knowledge some lessons which may be generally useful in life. T h e [scholar] strives to relate for the benefit of humanity how the universe in general and human life in particular look t o h i m , in the light of his special studies . . ."2 [Italics added.] Although this quotation brings in a new and broader aspect of the librarian-philosopher, it is obvious that a philosophical approach of the sort indicated must presume as a pre- requisite a philosophy of the subject— e.g., law or librarianship. T h i s apologia represents an effort to indicate why and from what points of view discussion of the philosophy of the univer- sity library is legitimate and to suggest that the subject is not simply one for polite word juggling but is of some genuine signifi- cance. Base for Philosophy W e may now return to a discussion of the close relationship between the philos- ophy of the university library and that of the university itself. Briefly, the reason for assuming that the philosophy of the university library should be based upon and stem from the philosophy of the uni- versity is this: the library, as a part of the university, is presumably established and operated in the belief that it can and does supply an indispensable need of the in- stitution. T h e library is thus felt to be 2 Demiashkevich, Michael. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. A m e r i c a n Book Com- p a n y , [ C 1 9 3 5 ] p p . 2 5 - 2 6 . JUNE, 1941 19 7 essential from the point of view of the activities of the university. If this be so, it is clear that the library cannot or at least should not exist, as it were, in a vacuum, nor can it, if it is to serve the university intelligently, evolve a "body of general conceptions" or carry out a pro- gram based thereon, without due regard to the policy, program, and needs of the institution. If the aims and objectives of the uni- versity as a whole must be kept in mind in the evolution of the philosophy of the library what can be said about these aims? Perhaps of paramount importance is the fact that, however similar they may be in broad outline, no two institutions have precisely the same detailed policies and ob- jectives. I t follows, therefore, that, in theory at least, there can be no such thing as a single philosophy of the university library and that each library must evolve its own, based on the aims of the institu- tion it serves. T o a considerable degree this is actually as well as theoretically true although, since the broad, general aims and objectives of most universities may be fairly definitely stated, a philosophy of the university library—or perhaps two or three basic philosophies—founded on gen- erally recognized objectives, may be formulated, even though individual in- stitutions will evidence varying adapta- tions. f^or each activity, each resource, each service of the library is a reflection of some aim or function, expressed or implied, of the university. A brief characterization of w h a t is meant in this paper by a university may not be out of place here. Although the detailed aims or characteristics of the uni- versity differ somewhat with different in- stitutions, a general statement of them may be made. T h e most important, as well as the most obvious, characteristic of a university, and the one which most unmistakably dis- tinguishes it from other educational in- stitutions, is its research program. T h e university, qua university, is devoted to the discovery and advancement of knowledge. A university, as President Hutchins has said, is a community of scholars. It is an institution devoted to the search for wis- dom. It carries on its program through the research work of its faculties and by educating students in the highest reaches of scholarship. T h u s Flexner implies that the university should have four major con- cerns : "the conservation of knowledge and ideas; the interpretation of knowledge and ideas; the search for t r u t h ; the train- ing of students who will practise and carry on." 3 I t may also be mentioned that the university idea generally includes, in ad- dition, attention to a great many fields of learning and presupposes professional and vocational, as well as "academic," educa- tion.4 T h e university implements its primary aim chiefly by means of the scholarly train- ing and ability of its faculties, the written and printed materials in its libraries, and its laboratories. Requisites of a University Although this concern with the "higher learning" and research is the chief one, we are forced to recognize the practical fact that virtually every university in the country also embraces the functions and program of a liberal arts college. Indeed, so fundamental and—in view of our pre- 3 F l e x n e r , A b r a h a m . Universities: American, Eng- lish, German. O x f o r d , 1930, p. 6. 4 F l e x n e r , of course (ibid., f o r example, p. 2 8 ) , a n d H u t c h i n s in s e v e r a l of his w r i t i n g s , hold t h a t the u n i v e r s i t y should n o t u n d e r t a k e vocational a n d o t h e r " n o n - a c a d e m i c " types of e d u c a t i o n . B u t we a r e c o n s i d e r i n g h e r e t h e s i t u a t i o n as it actually exists r a t h e r t h a n a s o u g h t - a f t e r ideal. 198 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES sent educational structure—so nearly in- dispensable to the university is its college program that one writer has said, " T h e first requisite of the university is that it have a good liberal arts or science college. T h e second requisite calls for one or more affiliated professional schools. T h e third . . . is a recognized graduate school."5 Quantitatively, this aspect of the univer- sity program is usually much greater than its fundamental and distinguishing one, since the undergraduates working for bachelor's degrees ordinarily far outnum- ber students and faculty engaged in ad- vancing the bounds of knowledge. Ac- cordingly, in considering the university, it is apparent that we must also bear in mind the coexistent college and its aims and purposes. T h e r e are, of course, scores of defini- tions of the liberal arts college, and most of them, as far as educational aims and objectives are concerned, a r e e q u a l l y applicable to the college program of the university. Meikeljohn says: " T h e liberal college is usually defined in relation to the term 'intelligence,' " which term he then discusses at length.6 T h e aims of a number of liberal arts colleges are given in R e e v e s ' The Liberal Arts College/ and a discussion of the four-year college m a y be f o u n d in The College and Society by Ernest H a t c h Wilkins.8 Hopkins says that "the liberal college accepts as its main objective the establishment of a habit of mind. It is interested in the wholeness of life and in all human think- ing and in all human activity."9 But 5 Ade, L e s t e r K . " T h e F u n c t i o n of the M o d e r n U n i v e r s i t y . " Journal of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars 1 5 : 1 3 3 , J a n . 1 9 4 0 . 0 M e i k e l j o h n , A l e x a n d e r . The Experimental Col- lege. H a r p e r s , 1932, p. 5 ff. 7 Reeves, F l o y d W . , et al. The Liberal Arts Col- lege, U n i v e r s i t y of Chicago P r e s s , 1932, pp. 8-18. 8 W i l k i n s , E r n e s t H a t c h . The College and Society. T h e C e n t u r y Co., 1932, C h a p t e r X I . 9 H o p k i n s , E r n e s t M a r k . " A t t r i b u t e s of the Col- JUNE, 1941 however many different definitions there may be, we may assume a general under- standing of the objective of the college. T h a t objective, to put it simply, is the giv- ing of a not easily definable something which is called a "liberal education." In its strictly educational aspects, this generally means the inculcation of an understanding and appreciation of man's scientific and cultural achievements and the inspiring of a love for truth, beauty, and reason in order that students may be equipped for satisfactory living and good citizenship. Program for a Liberal Education H o w does the college program of the university attempt to impart this liberal education? I t does so, obviously, even as the separate liberal arts school, through a variety of courses designed to cover, more or less completely, the basic fields of human knowledge, and through providing instructors who are able to teach and direct the students in the various courses. Teaching methods, of course, differ widely with institutions and instructors, but the aims, for example, in a given course in English history are, in each case, approxi- mately the same even though emphasis as well as results are likely to vary. T h i s curricular program is usually supple- mented, in the effort to give a "liberal education," by the provision of "general" or "outside" lectures, concerts, facilities for recreational (as well as required) reading, and so on. University librarianship is thus seen to have, in actual practice, a two-fold obli- gation : to scholarship, research, and the professional schools, on the one hand, and to undergraduate education on the other. lege of L i b e r a l A r t s . " I n Schilpp, P a u l ed. Higher Education Faces the Future. L i v e r i g h t , 1930, p. iS7- 19 7 T h e duality involved has been aptly char- acterized, in a different connection, by Harvie Branscomb: [the purpose of the research library is] " t o make available a great collection of books to a relatively few research workers. T h e college prob- lem is, however, exactly the opposite, to make available a smaller collection of books to a relatively large number of undergraduate students."1 0 H o w the uni- versity library—-understood here to include the library service which the university provides for its undergraduate program— is best to reconcile these two almost dia- metrically opposed parts of its raison d'etre provides a difficult problem. I t is not within the province of this paper to consider solutions, either present or pos- sible, but rather to re-emphasize what is fairly common knowledge, namely, that the American university as it actually exists makes this double demand on the university library.1 1 Research and "College" Libraries A t first glance it would appear that the implications for the philosophy of the university library of the research and scholarly aspects, rather than those of the "college" aspects of the university, would be the more complicated, the less easily defined. I t is possible that this may not be the case simply because of the more specific and inclusive nature of the separate demands which go to make up the research program. If a member of the faculty or a graduate student is engaged on a study of the development of race 10 B r a n s c o m b , H a r v i e . Teaching with Books. As- sociation of A m e r i c a n Colleges a n d A m e r i c a n Li- b r a r y Association, 1940, p. 10. 11 Most of t h i s m a t e r i a l on t h e d u a l i t y of t h e uni- v e r s i t y a n d its l i b r a r y was w r i t t e n b e f o r e t h e ap- p e a r a n c e of an a r t i c l e , by H a r o l d L . L e u p p , c o n t a i n i n g m u c h the same t h o u g h t : " P r o b a b l e T r e n d s in U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r i e s . " College and Research Libraries 1:52, Dec. 1939. feeling in N a z i poetry we know ( i ) that the worker has some idea of the type of material he wants, as well as a knowledge of how to use i t ; ( 2 ) that anything which he needs must be secured, if not now owned, either by loan or purchase; and ( 3 ) that anything in print on the general topic is grist for his mill. And so with any piece of work. O n the other hand, no one seems to know what books or how many are best for the teaching of any single undergraduate course, whether stu- dents will really be able to understand a given book, etc. T h e research program presents a f a r more difficult financial problem but would appear to offer less of a philosophical one. Possibly the chief question here will be how much money, time, effort, and service should be devoted to the "research," as opposed to the "col- lege," function—and the answer can only be in terms of the emphasis and philosophy of the institution. Obviously the two overlap to some ex- tent ; for example, general reference service and resources, and general periodicals will very likely serve undergraduate as well as graduate needs. So too will certain other activities, some of which are mentioned below. T a k i n g a part of its philosophy from one of the aims of the institution it serves, the library will do what it can to promote the liberal education of under- graduate students because that is an ob- jective of the university. If a symphony orchestra is to give a Beethoven concert on or near the campus it is as appropriate, though perhaps less essential, for the li- brary to supply and call attention to works on the life and compositions of Beethoven, on symphonic music, and on the symphony orchestra as it is to supply collateral read- ing for a course in French drama. Simi- larly, the library can justify browsing 200 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES rooms, reading lists, and so on, because it is assumed (with what validity we need not question here) that these contribute either directly or indirectly t o t h a t l i b e r a l education which the institution, and hence its constituent parts, aims to give under- graduates. Again, these services may be equally useful to graduate students. Primary Function T h e primary function of the library of a university, considered as a university and not as a college, must be to secure, make available, and conserve the materials of research needed by members of the faculties and graduate students. N o mat- ter what other activities the library prose- cutes or how well it does so, it is not true to its main job if it holds not this function first. Perhaps supplementary, perhaps only secondary, depending upon the level of instruction, is the provision of materials for class instruction in the ordinary mean- ing of the phrase. W h e n we think of the university library serving the college program of the institu- tion we have an almost reversed picture. William W a r n e r Bishop, in an article, " T h e Library in the American College," says that the two primary functions of the library of a liberal arts college are to offer aids to class teaching and to develop habits of intelligent reading among stu- dents ; all other activities are secondary to these.12 T h i s is as true of the library service to the college program of a uni- versity as of the separate liberal arts col- lege. Wilson's more detailed statement does not differ in essentials.13 A subtitle for this paper might be " W i t h Reference to the Functions Derived from 12 Bishop, William W a r n e r . " T h e L i b r a r y in the A m e r i c a n College." College and Reference Library Yearbook i , A.L.A., 1929, pp. 1-12. 13 Wilson, Louis R o u n d . " T h e E m e r g e n c e of the College L i b r a r y . " A.L.A. Bulletin 25:439-45, Sept. 1931. JUNE, 1941 T h a t Philosophy," for no broad philo- sophical declaration on the university li- brary can be of practical value unless it is intimately bound up with the library's functions—present or future, existent or hoped for, real or implied—and unless a library philosophy be so bound up and so practical it is worthless except as a men- tal exercise. It will be useful, therefore, to make a general, inclusive outline of present-day university library functions, proceeding on the known facts and upon the assumptions thus far stated. It will be noted that these are largely end functions and that the means by which they are achieved are in the main omitted. As an example, the obligation of the li- brary to provide various classes of books and other reading materials may be cited. T h i s function is included under several rubrics in the list, but the processes or methods, such as the maintenance of ac- quisition and exchange departments, which make possible the carrying out of this function, are not included. Functions of a University Library Because of the overlapping of services and functions, as between what the library does for the research and scholarly pro- gram of the university, on the one hand, and what it does for the university's col- lege program, on the other, all functions are incorporated into one list. T H E F U N C T I O N S OF A U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R Y 1) T o furnish material for the scholarly and research work of members of the faculty and graduate students a) Books, pamphlets, monographs b) Journals c) Manuscripts d) Films, photostats, slides e) Other material, such as maps, pic- tures, plans, and the like 19 7 2) T o furnish material for (undergradu- ate) instruction to students a) M a t e r i a l for "reserve" or collateral reading b) M a t e r i a l required for the more ad- vanced work of honors students and majors c) Current periodicals and their files in the departments of study d) Reference books in the departments of study e) Other material, as needed, e.g., maps, pictures, slides, etc. f ) If correspondence, radio, or exten- sion courses are given there should be provision for making available to those taking such courses, items " a " to " e " above, since such persons are students of the institution 3) T o furnish general reference books such as are not connected directly with de- partments of study. ( T h i s is probably in the main an academic distinction, as the combined departments of the univer- sity would require, for the adequate carrying out of their work, a fairly com- plete general reference collection) 4) T o make materials available through a) Staff services 1. General bibliographical, reference, and research 2. Circulation, "reserve," periodical 3. Professional and departmental li- brary 4. Specialists for (other) special col- lections b) Tools, guides, facilities 1. Card, including union, catalogs 2. Printed catalogs 3. Periodical and other indexes 4. Interlibrary loan 5. Exhibits 6. Photostats, films 5) T o develop habits of intelligent reading, to promote leisure reading, and to de- velop and further general reading inter- ests through a) T h e provision of general, cultural, and recreational literature, both book and periodical b) Browsing rooms c) New-book shelves d) Displays e) Publicity f ) Dormitory libraries g) Student libraries h) Prizes i) Reading lists j ) Readers' advisory service 6) T o furnish reading room and other space for study and recreational reading a) Seminars, carrells, special rooms for graduate work and faculty research b) General reference and periodical rooms c) Undergraduate "reserve" reading rooms d) Departmental libraries e) Professional school libraries f ) Browsing rooms 7) T o provide instruction in the use of books and the library, and, if not else- where provided for in the curriculum, in bibliography 8) T o acquire and preserve the records and reports of the university, the materials of immediate local history, and similar materials 9) T o provide for alumni education through a) T h e preparation and dissemination of reading lists b) T h e lending of books to alumni 10) T o provide materials and service for other individuals or groups which may have a legitimate demand upon the uni- versity (e.g., in the case of a state uni- versity, other educational institutions in the state, departments of state govern- ment) 1 1 ) T o promote general library development and improvement locally, and in the state and country, through a) T h e provision of library literature b) Participation in local, state, and na- tional library associations c) Coordination and cooperation with other libraries, e.g., in the matter of defining "fields of concentration," eliminating unnecessary duplication, etc. d) Publication e) Instruction in librarianship f ) Library experimentation and re- search 202 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES T h e r e is, of course, nothing new in all this, unless it is the bringing together of w e l l - k n o w n facts. It is obvious, too, that f e w university libraries w i l l carry out all of these functions, desirable or even necessary as any one of them could be shown to be, for a certain institution. Librarian s Function T h e r e is one other important consider- ation w h i c h should be mentioned. It has to do w i t h a general policy of the univer- sity librarian, relates both to the philosophy and the function of the library, and is, in a sense, all-embracing. T h e librarian should be prepared t o : 1. Serve as a check in advising the university administration of activities which for one reason or another a) no university library can do b) the particular university library can- not do 2. Suggest, perhaps as a result of new de- velopments, and as a means of aiding f u r - ther the aims of the university, extensions of the library's activities Examples w i l l readily come to m i n d : no university library can be expected to use its funds and energies to carry on general publicity w o r k for the university, however important the institution may consider that w o r k to b e — a n d at some such point as this a library philosophy might con- ceivably conflict w i t h a university o n e ; a particular library might be prevented by reason of limitations of staff, space, or funds, f r o m carrying out many useful functions, for instance, that of providing all alumni by mail w i t h any book they wished ( I t e m 9 a b o v e ) . Extensions of activities w i l l frequently suggest them- selves as a result of n e w university teach- ing methods or courses, new or re-empha- sized university a c t i v i t y , improved library techniques, and hence capacities, and so on. I t should be a part of the librarian's philosophy and function to bring such matters to the attention of the university administration. H e w h o thinks philosophically about his p r o f e s s i o n — w h e t h e r or not he consciously attempts to formulate a comprehensive philosophy of i t — w i l l of course be influ- enced by his philosophy of life. Indeed, "influenced" is not a sufficiently strong w o r d , for a man's professional philosophy must of necessity stem directly from his general outlook on life. Consequently there exist in fact, even though not on paper, several philosophies of university librarianship, based fundamentally upon one or another of the principal philosophic theses: monism, w i t h its t w o branches, materialism (or " n a t u r a l i s m " ) and ideal- ism; skepticism; dualism and p l u r a l i s m ; and their various offshoots. N o single library philosophy can be acceptable to all. Means to an End W h a t e v e r the roots of any philosophy of the university library, it must derive f r o m t w o entities: graphic materials and readers. T h e university itself is the larger f r a m e w o r k w i t h i n w h i c h the library has its being; the library (i.e., staff, facilities, building, procedures, etc.) is only a means to an end, namely, the end of making recorded human experience available to students. A n d this " e n d , " in turn, is a vital part of the university function to disseminate knowledge and advance its frontiers. Hence, even though the uni- versity library may have metaphysical implications of its own, the base of the library's philosophy must rest upon graphic records and readers viewed f r o m the point of v i e w of the function and objectives of the university as a whole. It should be obvious that this paper JUNE, 1941 19 7 does not in any sense constitute a philoso- phy of university librarianship, nor has any effort been made to d r a w up even a broad statement of such a "body of prin- ciples." T h e attempt has been rather, one of justification and of presentation of some of the pertinent elements and considera- tions. W e have, if the phrase be permitted, discussed " t h e philosophy of the philos- o p h y " of university librarianship. Criteria of a Philosophy It may be appropriate, as a conclusion to these notes, to suggest certain criteria w h i c h any philosophy of university li- brarianship might reasonably be expected to meet. Some of these criteria have already been mentioned; others are adapted or modified f r o m proposals con- tained in a provocative article by G e o r g e S. C o u n t s . 1 4 It appears that any philoso- phy of university librarianship should b e : ( 1 ) C o g n i z a n t of the main aim of universities and of their t w o - f o l d function — i . e . , the dissemination of knowledge to undergraduate as w e l l as graduate stu- dents, and the advancement of knowledge. ( 2 ) In essential harmony w i t h the phi- losophy of the institution to w h i c h it is directed or, in the case of a general philosophy of university librarianship, in harmony w i t h the common denominator philosophy of universities as a group, in so far as such a denominator can be de- termined or validly assumed. ( 3 ) Systematic in its foundations. T h a t is, it must take into account, to as large a degree as possible, the implications as w e l l as the results of scientific investi- gation, particularly in the fields of read- ing, education, psychology, and sociology; it must not ignore, either, the realms of 14 Counts, George S. " C r i t e r i a f o r J u d g i n g a P h i l o s o p h y of E d u c a t i o n . " School and Society 30:103-07, J u l y 27, 1929. human experience and thought w h i c h are not amenable to scientific analysis, espe- cially ethics and esthetics. ( 4 ) Empirical in its bases or, in other words, derived directly f r o m experience. ( 5 ) Comprehensive in its outlook. T o paraphrase P r o f . Counts, a philosophy of university librarianship must face squarely and w i t h a sense of proportion all of the problems and relationships of university librarianship; it must strike a c a r e f u l bal- ance between the demands of the individ- ual and the demands of society (e.g., a reader versus all readers, or use versus preservation), between the rights and needs of undergraduate and graduate stu- dents, between those of students and fac- ulty, and between those of users and staff: It must reconcile the local versus the regional obligation and the often conflict- ing demands of the various elements, agencies, or groups w h i c h the library serves or w i t h w h i c h it otherwise comes in contact. A l l of this implies the neces- sity for consideration of the nature of the individual, of the reading and learning processes, and of the special place of uni- versity education and its libraries in the social structure. ( 6 ) Consistent in its several parts. H e r e again, is a place for synthesis and the reconciliation, not only of theory and practice, but also of differing theories or v a r y i n g practices. C a n w e j u s t i f y the "reserve b o o k " system w i t h the most pro- gressive ideas of present day higher edu- cation, the closed stack w i t h the aim of g i v i n g students free access to many books, unrestricted choice by students of their reading w i t h the knowledge that students are actually unequipped for making in- telligent choices ? W e speak of the foster- ing of an inner love for reading as an important a i m — a n d make available only 204 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES one or two copies of precisely those new books which students want to read and will r e a d ; we make " f r e e " reading as natural, pleasant, and easy as possible through browsing rooms, publicity, long loans and the like, whereas the reading that is the "business" of education is little advertised, restricted, and confined to rela- tively less comfortable quarters. ( 7 ) In harmony with the conditions of its time. If the conditions and problems of our life, the great educational and social trends of recent years and the rapidity and extent of social change a r e n o t r e c o g n i z e d as part of the contributing and condition- ing background, any philosophy must be doomed to futility and barrenness. ( 8 ) Feasible in its provisions. T h i s criterion does not preclude an idealistic point of view, but means that a philosophy to have any real significance must be basically workable and possible. ( 9 ) Satisfying to (some) adherents of university librarianship. I t might be argued that a philosophy would not have adherents unless it were satisfying to them. T h i s is perfectly true, but it is also true that there could be philosophies of the university library without adherents. T h e point is that any adequate and valid phi- losophy must be such that it does find favor with, that it does appeal to, that it does satisfy, and that it does appear true to at least a minority group. ( 1 0 ) Ever mindful that the graphic record and the student-reader are the twin pillars upon which rest the structure and the being of the university library. T h e r e can be no library without printed or written records and persons to use them. Microphotography Exhibit Available A N E X H I B I T illustrative of some of the equipment and processes of micro- photography was prepared by the Uni- versity of Chicago Libraries at the request of the A.L.A. Committee on Photographic Reproduction to be shown at the A.L.A. Cincinnati Conference. A f t e r the con- ference it was made available for loan to any library requesting it, and willing to pay the cost of transportation (one box weighing a few pounds). I t has been on exhibit and traveling steadily since early in the fall. A t this writing it has been shown on both coasts, the Midwest, and North, and is soon scheduled for the South. Since a few libraries," which wished to have the material on definite dates, could not be accommodated because of earlier requests, we are repeating this announcement for their benefit and any others who may have missed the earlier announcements. (See the column, "Li- brary Photography," in the July, 1940, Library Journal f o r a d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e material.) Interested libraries should write to the undersigned, giving ( 1 ) the approximate dates at which they would like the material, and ( 2 ) the time for which they would like to keep it (usually 10 days to 2 weeks). H E R M A N H . F U S S L E R , The Uni- versity of Chicago Libraries JUNE, 1941 249 19 7