College and Research Libraries By CHARLES HARVEY BROWN Libraries and Graduate _Programs, Especially 1n the Scientific Fields Mr . . Brown_, librarian of Iowa State Col- lege_, lzas adapted a paper read at tlze Con- ference of Presidents of Negro Land-Grant Colleges on Oct. 24, 1944. T HE DEVELOP~ENT of an adequate li-brary for graduate instruction is far more complicated than is the organization of an undergraduate library. Instruction on the graduate level, even if limited to the courses necessary for the master's degree, is expensive. Many of the requirements for a library to support graduate instruction are beyond the control of the librarian and must be studied by college presidents and boards of trustees. Unless certain basic conditions can be met, it would seem desirable to post- pone the inauguration of a gradu~te school until a survey can be made of vital factors necessary for a satisfactory program. An adequate library is one of these factors, but not the only one. All of them are inter- woven. The iibrary must not be isolated and considered apart from other factors. We librarians too often have thought of the library as a distinct unit in itself, without much study of its relation to instruction and research. The library is not an ivory tower, although some buildings might lead to such a supposition. It is rather a house by the side of the road, in which students and faculty congregate to prepare for their lifework and to serve the ever-increasing demands of scholarship. The library is a service institution. The needs of a library MARCH_, 1945 can be ascertained only by a study of the present and future needs of faculty and students, which in turn must be based, if a final analysis is to be made, on the needs of society or, in many cases, on the needs of a segment of society. All of us must give attention to the needs of the social groups which our particular colleges a.re to serve. What are the external factors which will make possible a library equipped to support graduate instruction? A requirement for an adequate "library for graduate study which must have first consideration is a clear-cut definition of the fields which are to be covered by the college. Universities have an unusual opportunity to develop intensively certain fields both in pure and applied science and in the humani- ties. By limiting their fields, they can become outstanding in certain areas. No library now can be all things to all people. There is some possibility that in a given case we can build up an adequate library for research in a limited number of fields. If we make the mistake of adding to these definite fields all the areas of human knowl- edge, we shall be lost. Some deans of graduate schools in large universities with annual incomes of many million dollars a year are now beginning to realize that even these great universities cannot offer graduate cours.es in all subjects or attempt to build up libraries to support such instruction. One of our wealthiest 101 . , universities reported through its librarian that it was not greatly concerned over the lack of certain periodicals in agricultural botany, as its interests were not greatly concerned with this field. Institutions with limited funds should restrict their graduate programs to a few definite fields. Many of us cannot hope for enough finan- cial aid to support a library for graduate instruction in any great number of disci- plines. . Specific Fields The fields to be covered must be defined specifically. The terms history, agriculture, and home economics are too general and not sufficiently descriptive of research areas. , If the fields in which the library is to be de- veloped can be defined, for example, as human nutrition, soils, farm crops, and animal chemistry, the difficulty in building up adequate library service will be eased. For e ample, any . extension of the gradu- ate program of institutions now specializing in the pure and applied sciences or in educa- tion, into the wiQe range of fields of the humanities is, in my opinion, a selling of their birthrights and a sacrifice of the spe- cial contributions which these institutions can make. Institutions in a given area should agree among themselves on the par- ticular fields which each should develop on a graduate level. Not every state needs a school of veterinary scie~ce or a library school; neither should all universities spe- cialize in research in all fields of history. Librarians can be of great assistance in emphasizing to deans and faculties of graduate schools the impossibility of equip- ping any library to serve adequately research in all fields. Graduate instruction should be rigidly limited to disciplines which can be supported by the library, and no additional fields should be added until funds are available ior the acquisition of research publications and for the employ- ment of a qualified library staff. A second factor which is necessary in the development of a library for a graduate college is the presence on the faculty of men and women who understand rese;:trch and are engaging in research activities. They may, or may not, possess advanced degrees. A doctor's degree does not always guarantee research ability. A person engaged in re- search will advise the librarian on the publications most needed in his discipline . Without the aid of experts in various areas any librarian is lost, for no librarian can be an expert even in the limited fields co~ered by those universities which have already restricted their programs. A small group of well-prepared research workers will bring to any college a definite interest in scholar- ship and research. Such men will set the standards for the whole college. Without them a satisfactory graduate program can- not be developed. Neither can a library suitable for research be built up. Libraries vs. Faculty Interest It has been my privilege to have observed for many years the equipment of libraries in relation to graduate programs in the pure and applied scie~ces. In conversations with faculty members of many institutions I' have found that members of the faculty who knew the literature in their fields were the most insistent on the need for adequate library facilities. Furthermore, these men and women were considered by their presi- dents as the most valuable members of their faculties. In many large universities the development of the library book collections in certain areas correlates closely with the strength of individual departments. One president recently inquired why the library of his university was strong in some major departments and weak in others. The reply was obvious. 102 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LI'BRARIES The ability and interest of a faculty member cannot be judged by the degrees he possesses. Too often . some of us seem to have stopped our education on the day the doctor's degree was received. In studying lists of books compiled by members of the faculties of certain universities it .was easy to discover when the education of some pro- fessors had ceased, . for such lists did not include any publications issued in ·the years since the compilers received their degrees. Strong, active, and progressive faculty mem- bers are necessary in those areas in which graduate instruction is to be given. These faculty members will furnish a firm ·founda- tion for the development of the library. Most presidents know that it is impossible to retain indefinitely the services· of scholars active in research unless a,dequate library facilities · are available. Any tendency to the intellectual death of faculty members must not be encouraged by the lack in the library of the books and periodicals necessary for intellectual growth. · A third requirement ·is that adequate funds be available. The present condition of the library will affect the amount of funds needed. Unless funds are available for the building· up of suitable collections for research it may be advisable to postpone the inauguration · of graduate courses until such funds are obtainable. Financial re- strictions present another reason for de- veloping a graduate prograQl slowly, with rigid limitations to definite fields. Necessary Periodicals Attempts at research without adequate library facilities will result in duplication · and wasted effort. The accessibility of collections in neighboring institutions must be taken into account. It may not be necessary to purchase complete files of every periodical for which current subscriptions will be necessary but many complete files, MARCH~ 1945 especially of scientific and technical periodi- cals, will be required. Also, complete sets of indexing and abstracting journals such as Biological Abstracts~ Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews~ Zentralblatt fur Bakteri- ologie~ Parasitenkunde~ und I nfektions- krankheiten~ Zoological Record~ American, British, and German chemical abstracts, etc., will be essential. · A study is being made of the most im- portant periodicals in various fields of sctence. The method used is to count the citations to periodicals as noted in articles in certain research journals. So far, th~ fields of chemistry and botany have been covered. In chemistry, 89 per cent of the citations were to periodicals, 6 per ,cent to books, 3 per cent to patents, I per cent to theses, and I per cent to miscellaneous unpublished material. Forty-five and five tenths per cent of the citations were to periodicals published ten years before the publication of the article in which the cita- tions were made, and 33 .3 per cent were made to periodicals published over twenty years before the citations were made. Com- parable figures were obtained in the study of botanical periodicals. We might con- clude from this that, for research, chemical periodicals are far more valuable than books and that we cannot ignore the necessity of complete sets of certain periodicals. The. occasional reference in research articles made to these earlier volumes can, in some cases, be satisfied through interlibrary loans, but research chemists usually desire im- mediate reading . of articles at the time a project is being ,developed. Furthermore, they need to examine many ~rticles not cited, since only an examination can ~is­ dose whether an article will cover the exact points under review. The statement some- times made that files of periodicals pub- lished before I 920 are . not necessary wil1 1 not be accepted by research chemists. 103 Periodicals and Binding Funds Adequate provision must be x:nade for binding. The amount required for sub- scriptions to scientific and technical periodi- cals and for bindin-g will far exceed the amount required for the purchase of books, ·insofar as scientific and technical collections are concerned. There is a definite need that a library budget be prepared each year. The faculty, the library committee, and the li- br~rian must know how to plan the book purchase prog.ram. Unfortunately, many colleges in certain sections of the country do not yet budget their funds insofar as the library is concerned. Any study of higher educational institu- tions in some Southern and Western states would seem to make clear the need for some form of federal aid. These states do not have incomes sufficient to support edu- cation on a graduate level as at present organized. Various checklists of library holdings have shown a great disparity be- tween universities of the North and those of the South, with the possible exception of Texas and North Carolina. There seems to be a clear justification for some means of equalizing educational opportumttes throughout the country. Any comparable study of the libraries in institutions of higher education will show the difficulties of maintaining a high level of graduate instruction in certain regions. A fourth requirement for the develop- ment of a library to support graduate in- struction is a sympathetic understanding on the part of the college president. For- tunately, there has been in recent years an indication that college and university presidents are paying much greater atten- tion than formerly to the development of their libraries, especially in the South. Discussions at meetings of presidents and deans of graduate colleges in regard to the - organization and development of library resources have greatly increased. Much credit is due to library leaders in the South who have been encouraging this movement. Adequate Staff Needed The need for an adequate library staff in the development of a graduate p-rogram de- mands more consideration' than can be given in this paper. It is presupposed that an active research faculty and an understand- ing president will see that an adequate library sfaff is appointed. There are some neglected ar~as of librarianship which de- serve special attention in any consideration of the library in relation to a graduate program. Unfortunately for a large group of universities which have restricted their graduate programs to the pure and applied sciences, most librarians have specialized in the humanities. Well-qualified librarians for this group of institutions cannot be found. College students who have spe- cialized in science and to whom adequate fellowships for graduate work are available, are reluctant to attend library schools. There is another factor which affects the service a well-equipped lib~ary can render to the graduate program in pure and applied science. In most institutions the science departments have separate de- partmental libraries. Usually the univer- sity library houses collections in the humanities and in sociology but not the collections in pure and applied science. The head librarian and many · members of his staff are not familiar with the require- ments of scientific research nor with the bibliographical tools that make such re- search possible. The librarians in the departments of pure and applied science too often are poorly paid and . do not have the qualifications which would enable them to give satisfactory service to research. With certain exceptions, neither the universities 104 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES nor the library schools are trammg and educating librarians qualified to take charge of scientific and technical libraries. Some remedies are beginning to be de- veloped. The basic need is for adequate compensation for the library specialists who have majored in Hie sciences. Some li- brary assistants who have specialized in the humanities and who are now on the staffs of the larger institutions are taking courses in certain fields of science to enable them to qualify as specialists. The possibility of developing internships in sci~ntific and tech- nical libraries for librarians interested in scientific fields should also be studied. Some articles are appearing in the scientific press urging the need for well-qualified librarians in the various scientific fields. There has arisen during the last few years a considerable deman~ for librarians of special scientific collections who have a knowledge of language and who could assist research workers by abstracting and by limited amounts of translating, in addition to the bibliographical services usually rendered. 1 The qualifications are a spe- cialization in one of the sciences during undergraduate years, adequate proficiency at least in German (probably Russian will be necessary in future years), and at least an elementary knowledge of scientific litera- ture and bibliography. If universities and library schools can develop a curriculum designed to satisfy this need, the contribu- 1 Shorb,. Lu~a, a~d Beck, Lewis W . "Opportunities for Chemt st s m Ltterature Service Work " Jou rnal of Chemical Education 2 1:315-18, July 1944. MARCH~ 1945 tion scientific libraries can make to research will be greatly enhanced. In the meantime , younger library assistants who are inter- ested in this neglected field of librarianship will have an opportunity to qualify by study at their own universities while still holding salaried positions. 2 Science and Research The history of the last few years has emphasized the · importance of scientific research. In too many of the libraries of our research institutions, science has been the neglected orphan. The development of a graduate program which is to embrace instruction in the pure and applied sciences must include much consideration of the relationship between scientific bibliography and research. Many studies are now under way but they are being conducted for the most part by scientists rather than by librarians. It is to be hoped that even our larger university libraries will increase their attention to the specialized biblio- graphical needs of the scientists on their faculties. To summarize, the five factors which make possible library service adequate for a graduate program are: ( 1) rigid limita- tion of fields, ( 2) active scholars on the faculty, (3) adequate funds, (4) sympa- thetic understanding of administrators, and ( 5) an adequate library staff with at least a superficial knowledge of the fields to be covered by the graduate program. · 2 Soule, Byron . A. "Training for Effici ent Servi,ce." Jour nal of Chem tc al Education 21:371-72, August 1944. 105