College and Research Libraries


Conference of Presidents ·of Negro 
Land.-Grant Colleges 

T HE PROBLEMS of land-grant . college librarians were given attention at the 
twenty-second annual Conference of Presi-
dents of Negro Land-Grant Colleges at 
Chicago on Oct. 24-26, I 944· The follow-
ing is a brief resume : 

Mrs. Ruby E. Stutts Lyells, librarian of 
Alcorn College, opened with a discussion of 
"The Library in Negro Land-Grant Col-
leges." She considered finance, physical 
property, book collections, periodicals, per-
sonnel, and the use of books by students. 

Following Mrs. Lyells, informal talks 
were given by Robert B. Downs, director 
of libraries at the University of Illinois, and , 
Charles H. Brown, librarian of Iowa State 
College. 1 Mr. Downs outlined the func-
tions of the college library. He also listed 
the reasons for the considerable growth of 
the modern library movement as follows: 
( I ) the enlargement of the curricula in 
medicine and law and the development of 
new teaching fields; ( 2) the recognition of 
the importance of collecting certain ma-
terials, such as state, federal, municipal, and 
foreign documen.ts ; and the demands of the 
social sciences and the large enrolments in 
these fields; ( 3) the breaking down of old 
teaching methods by the requirements of 
mass education; (4) the trend away from 
specialization and the spread of survey 
courses ; and ( 5) the increased demands 

1 Mr. Brown's remarks are incorporated in part in 
hi s more general article appearing on pages 101·05. 

MARCH} 1945 

on the library now made by research. 
Eliza Atkins Gleason, director of the 

Atlanta University Library School, spoke 
on the subject, "The College President and 
the Library" and discussed the responsibili-
ties of the president to the library. First, the 
president must take the lead in setting ·up 
the program; he must know the total 
purpose of the institution and fix the place 
of the library within it. Second, he is re-
sponsible for the selection of a good li-
brarian. 

As to the third responsibility_, it should 
be made possible fot the librarian to know 
the shifts and changes in the educational 
philosophy of the1 institution and to be sup-
ported by an efficient staff, with classifica-
tion, tenure, and salaries adjusted to 
integrate library workers into the faculty 
with equal rank and compensation. Also, 
the !ibrary budget, a combined undertaking 
of the president, board, and librarian, must 
be initiated by the president. 

Following this speaker a round table 
discussion ·on the goals of the college li-
brary was held. Seven librarians partici-
pated, with M. D. Sprague, of Tuskegee, as 
leader. Discussion centered in the follow-
ing topics: finances and budgets, personnel 
problems, library quarters and buildings, 
and the library committee. 

-]AMES A. HuLBERT, 
Librarian} Virginia State 
College for Negroes 

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