College and Research Libraries training might include: (a) courses in ad- ministration such as are found in the best university business schools and occasionally in graduate schools of education.; (b) intern- ship in a university library, combined with a seminar in library administration based on the work carried on in the internship. If these two things are provided, after a man or woman has had basic library school training, in addition to a master's degree in a subject field, there should be a good prospect for a successful library administra- tor if the individual was well selected at the outset. By RUDOLF HIRSCH and others University of Pennsylvania-In--Service Training Program 1 Convinced that the tirrie is ripe for ex- perimentation in library education based to some extent on theories expressed in .recent critical writings, the ·University of Penn- sylvania Library outlines in this paper its projected in-service training program. We have no thought of attempting to start a new library school, neither do we believe that proposals like ours will make library schools obsolete. Among the specific considerations which have motivated us, we place first the present scarcity of librarians which, coupled with the inflationary trend of our economy, has raised beginners' salaries without propor- tionate increases to more experienced mem- bers of the profession. Such a discrepancy would be justified only if the basic qualifica- tions and training of newcomers were su- perior to that of their predec;:essors. This, howev<:r, is. not the case. Since a proper balance in the salary scale of the entire staff is essential in order to retain professional satisfaction, either we have to work towards a proper balance between the salaries of new members of the profession and those of more seasoned members, or we have to attempt to apply standards to new recruits which will justify a higher scale of pay. 1 P a per presented at the Conference of Easte rn College LibraTians by Rudolf Hir sch; prepa red jointly by Charles W. David, Dorothy Bemis, Arthur T. Ham- lin, and the speaker. The second consideration which has in- fluenced us is admittedly controversial. We, and, with us, many colleagues, believe that the three fundamental qualifications. in ,librarianship are: proper attitude toward books, adequate knowledge of books and clear understan.ding of the use of books. Admission to library schools in our era of mass education does not necessarily meet and perhaps cannot meet such specifications. Training is focused on techniques. and is not such as to equip librarians to apply a quali- tative judgment to the collecting, recording, and servicing of books. We realize the im- portance of technical aptitude, but we pro- pose to supply technical training through a paid apprenticeship; we further propose to integrate this apprenticeship with an instruc- tional program which will be developed - around books and bibliography rather than around techniques, administration, or spe- cialization. The teaching program of the University of Pennsylvania Library is em- pirical in parts only; it does not emphasize training for specific library operations. I should like to give a brief explanation for this departure from more generally accepted and more orthodox methods of library teach- ing. We observe in almost all fields two con- flicting trends: one toward greater special- ization with a utilitarian outlook toward 126 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES education; the second toward reintegration of the different branches of knowledge, pre- supposing a high standard of general educa- tion as a prerequisite before embarking on any high degree of specialization. It is our belief that librarians in responsible positions in institutions of learning ought to possess a basic understanding of all major research problems germane to books, libraries, and bibliographies before specialization can be successfully developed. The training program as planned for the fall of 1947 will be limited, at least for the present, to not more than five candidates, graduates of accredited colleges and· univer- sities. Admission will be based on academic standards, including good knowledge of at least one foreign language, and personal in- terviews. Only candidates of exceptional · qualifications, who believe that their in- terests lie in _university and research li- braries, will be accepted. Trainees will per- form regular duties as library assistants dur- ing a two-year period. Provisions will be - made to rotate them sufficiently through the several departments to acquaint them during the period of our training with the principal operations of a research and university li- brary. While their working schedule will be shortened to thirty-five hours a week in order to allow time for instruction, the pro- gram as a whole will be heavy. They will be classified as semiprofessional members of the staff and will receive compensation at the rate provided for such workers. The· apprenticeship will be supplemented with an instructional prog~am which will provide between six and seven hours of in- struction per week for eighty weeks spread over a two-year period. Coutses will be of the seminar or laboratory type. Teaching will be undertaken largely by members of · the library staff. No tuition fees will be charged. The program as it stands now does not provide for elective courses. We APRILJ 1947 regret this fact, but we are forced to limit ourselves to a smaller number of required courses in order not to drain the resources of the institution. Should our experiment be successful, we shall probably attempt to add courses and permit freedom in selecting courses to be taken, instead of requiring sub- mission to a rigid system. Outline of Instruction Details of courses as well as the method of instruction have not yet been fully de- cided upon. It is . proposed to hold during the coming spring term a seminar within the existing staff, attended by those who migh~ act as instructors or supervisors in practice work, to discuss in full the entire program. Final decisions will be made on the basis of these discussions. However, we have prepared an outline of subject matter which may be summarized briefly. The in- sfruction will fall under these five major headings: 1. The book 2. Documentation 3· The library 4· Reading 5. The book trade. . Three seminars are contemplated to cover different aspects of ( 1) the book, i.e.J of writing and printing. The first will be on manuscripts and will deal specifically with materials, make-up, identification, and re- cording. The second will be on printed books, periodicals, and newspapers, with treatment analogous to that given to manu- scripts. The third will be directed at the forces which influence the diffusion of knowledge through printing. We ha_ve in mind · such problems as the appearance of ~pecific works in print at specific periods-- the sociological, psychological, and economic factors which control the choice and produc- tion of texts. ( 2) Documentation will be concerned 127 I with the methods and types of bibliographi- cal description, documentary reproduction, etc. and will include training in multi- lin~ual bibliographical 1term.inology. A series of seminars on ( 3) the library will be divided quite conventionally into sec- tions on book selection; classification, subject heading; and catalogi.ng; service, and ad- ministration. The seminar on ( 4) reading will deal with the part which libraries play 9r should play in the diffusion of knowledge and in education. The seminar on ( 5) the book trade will deal with some basic problems of publishing and boo)cselling, with special emphasis on the librarian's relationship to these trades. The seminars will in no sense be survey courses. Ratner they will be devQted to specific problems or topics within the sub- jects covered and the coverage will vary from year to year. It is our contention that a thorough knowledge of research and re- search methods within a few segments of each proposed subject will be mote valuable than a superficial coverage of entire fields. It is also felt that, in order to . make the seminars provocative and to create a true interest in the topics treated, every effort should be made to prevent the forming of instructional patterns such as develop so easily when teaching becomes repetitious and standardized. At the end of the two-year period of ap- prenticeship and instruction a comprehensive examination will be given to test ability and attitude. Upon the successful passing of this examination the trainees will be accepted as professional members of the University o~ Pennsylvania Library staff or will be recom- mended as professionally competent for em- ployment in other institutions. Though they will not be awarded degrees, they will receive a written statement or possibly a for- mal certificate stating training and accomp- lishments. Exceptionally qualified and more mature students might be granted profes- sional rating after a single year, even though continuing to attend courses, or they might be granted permission to substitute during the second year, graduate courses in a sub- ject field in which they have specialized or . desire to specialize. The program as outlined here, to prove successful depends in no small part upon our wisdom in pl~nning. We are only too aware of the difficulties which will have to be overcome in order to make this experi- ment a success. They are; I. Can we find graduates of accepted col- leges and universities who will meet the high standards set and who are interested in becoming candidates? 2. Will instruction be successful, in accord- ance with specifications set forth in this paper? 3· Will we be able to place our trainees, once they have passed our examination, m professional positions in other institutions as well as in the library of the University of Pennsylvania? By BLANCHE PRICHARD McCRUM Education for . Librarianship op Trial: A Discussion The preceding two papers leave me little to do but agree with them and to apologize to the writers because it was necessary for them to curtail their own statements in order to save time for a third person to review them. That being the case, I am going to 128 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES