College and Research Libraries


,.. 

By WINIFRED VER NOOY 

Keeping After,War Goals 
in .View 
At the opening of her term of office the 
President of the Association of College and 
Reference Libraries sends this word to mem-
bers. 

.As WE PROGRESS a little nearer to the end 
Ll.. of the war and complete demobiliza-
tion comes closer, when over two J?-illion 
college people will be freed from military 
service, we who are associated with college 
and university and research libraries need 
to look at our libraries quite critically. 
What impression will our libraries make on 
the returning service men and women? 
Will they live up to the expectations of good 
service and complete book coverage? 

Library buildings and staff are important 
but they are of little use if they do not sup-
plement a well-selected book collection. 
The old collection needs to be carefully 
scrutinized so that deadwood can be dis-
carded. The trend of the educational pro-
gram of the institution and the interests of 
the students and faculty must be reflected 
in the books selected for purchase. The new 
books about the amazing scientific dis-
coveries of the past few years are important 
and should be found in every college li-
brary. We will want to purchase books 
concerning the ideologies and customs of the 
distant parts of the world that our men be-

3 

came acquainted with during the war, books 
that will serve to develop understanding and 
friendliness between races and nations. 

We must not forget our European neigh-
bors whose libraries have been devastated . 
Our Joint Committee on a Book Campaign 
for Devastated and Other Libraries in War 
Areas, under the chairmanship of Milton 
E. 'Lord, of the Boston Public Library, is 
studying the whole question. With the end 
of the European war all of our libraries ca~ 
help the foreign universities re-establish their 
libraries by furnishing valuable publications 
from among our duplicates. 

As we have not been able to have a meet-
ing of the Association of College and Refer-
ence Libraries since the Milwaukee meeting 
in I 942, it would be helpful if we . would 
make more use of College and Research Li-
braries as a means of expressing our opinions 
about matters of interest to us. Various 
librarians have like problems and are eager 
to read about methods of solving them. It 
is our magazine ; its pages are op~n to us ; 
so let us use it. 

In the coming year, when times may be 
trying with shifting staffs and slow com-
mercial services, may we always remember 
that our object is to promote library service 
and librarianship of a high standard in spite 
of difficulties and hindrances.