College and Research Libraries B y J O H N H E R R O L D L A N C A S T E R Teachers and Libraries' Dr. Lancaster is librarian, Peabody Col- lege, Dinsion Joint University Libraries. A S A P A R T of commencement exercises a f e w weeks ago, a high school boy quoted some rules formulated several gen- erations ago f o r the guidance of the employ- ees of a retail store. T h e clerks w e r e to open the store at 6 : o o A.M., and close it at 8 : 0 0 P.M. weekdays and at 1 0 : 0 0 on Satur- days. M a n y details of their daily duties w e r e given, but of particular interest to a librarian w e r e the specifications of activities f o r their " l e i s u r e " time after the fourteen o r fifteen hours of business. T h e s e y o u n g men w e r e expected to attend church and cultural meetings of the community. T h e y could have one night off each week f o r " c o u r t i n g " — o r t w o if they attended prayer meeting. T o occupy the rest of their "lei- sure," they w e r e enjoined to read good books. A f t e r quoting these nineteenth-century rules, the speaker commented that "times have c h a n g e d . " Y e s , times have changed. W e do not expect to trim lamp wicks as part of our daily w o r k , nor do w e find many employers attempting to regulate every de- tail of the lives of their employees. But w e are inclined to agree that reading g o o d books is still a very g o o d w a y to use leisure time. W e believe that books can contribute to rich living in more ways than merely as pastime. W e can understand the values of reading to ambitious people today as w e l l as to such noted persons as Benjamin Frank- lin and A b r a h a m L i n c o l n . 1 Paper presented at the meeting of the Libraries of Teacher-Training Institutions Section, A . C . R . L . , San Francisco, July 2, 1947. W e rejoice that w e live in a time when books are more plentiful and easier to obtain than in the times of Franklin and L i n c o l n . W e , as librarians, devote our energies to making g o o d books more readily accessible f o r readers of the present day. T h e magni- tude of the production of reading materials makes it necessary that w e select the ma- terials to suit our clientele, and that w e organize our holdings in a systematic way so that w e can produce w h a t is wanted or needed by our readers. T h e systems that have been devised f o r organizing books and other media of c o m - munication into libraries make those ma- terials potentially more useful, but some- times the complexities of the organization and the machinery f o r operating it dis- courage rather than encourage the use of libraries. T o clear this hurdle, t w o ap- proaches are possible: one is to simplify the o r g a n i z a t i o n ; the other is to help users to understand the system. Even w h e n the system is as simple as is consistent with the requirements of the collections and the clientele, it probably w i l l be expedient to do all that is possible to make the system under- stood by the users. In this j o b of enlight- enment w e should enlist the aid of other people concerned, among w h o m teachers comprise an important group. T e a c h e r s are ( o r should b e ) themselves users of libraries, and they have within their p o w e r to in- fluence the use of libraries by the rising generation. T e a c h e r s need libraries f o r themselves and f o r their students. T h i s is true f o r teachers and students at practically all levels of education. Both teachers and students JULY, 1948 211 have personal needs f o r cultural develop- ment, f o r i n f o r m a t i o n , f o r inspiration, and f o r recreation. T h e s e needs can be served by the media of communication w h i c h make up the collections of libraries. Libraries can serve teachers in a professional w a y through supplying materials w h i c h help them in mastery of subject matter, consideration of educational theories, understanding of pu- pils, suggestion of methods and techniques of teaching, and c o n d u c t of research. L i - braries can also serve teachers by p r o v i d i n g materials f o r their students to use in sup- plementing textbooks, as sources of facts and ideas f o r projects, as data in problem- solving. Libraries are indispensable in c o n - nection w i t h progressive methods of teaching. N o t only do teachers need libraries, but libraries need teachers. Libraries need teachers as users, as subject-experts to recom- mend materials f o r addition to the collec- tion, as stimulators of use on the part of students, and as interpreters to users and potential users of books and libraries. A c c o r d i n g to H e l e n H e f f e r n a n , T h e teacher w i l l relate her w o r k most effectively to the library to the extent that s h e : 1. R e c o g n i z e s the part the library plays in building d e m o c r a t i c citizenship 2. Understands the contribution of the li- brary in developing personal and social integration 3. V a l u e s the service of the library in help- ing to build socially desirable specific attitudes and in contributing to the creation of a permanent sense of values 4. R e c o g n i z e s the place of library e x - perience in building study skills 5. Plans learning experiences as a c o o p e r a - tive enterprise to which teacher and librarian can make mutually valuable professional c o n - tributions 6. P r o v i d e s opportunity f o r the librarian to observe materials in use by pupils as a basis f o r evaluating the usefulness of the materials cooperatively selected 7. Keeps informed concerning the avail- ability of n e w materials 8. C o o p e r a t e s w i t h the librarian by sug- gesting interests which might be stimulated through library exhibits 9. A c c e p t s her full responsibilty in p r o - viding learning experiences in h o w to use books and libraries 10. H e l p s the librarian to k n o w the in- terests, needs, and abilities of each child in o r d e r that the librarian may utilize the teacher's i n f o r m a t i o n in the guidance of voluntary reading 11. P r o v i d e s opportunity f o r children to give expression to interests g r o w i n g out of their experience with books 12. G i v e s evidence of her enthusiasm f o r books as sources of i n f o r m a t i o n and as sources of enjoyment and inspiration 13. U t i l i z e s the technical competence of the librarian as a c o - w o r k e r on c u r r i c u l u m committees 14. Shares with the librarian responsibility f o r the evaluation and selection of b o o k s 15. R e c o g n i z e s classroom and library as laboratories f o r learning the principles, ideals, and practices of d e m o c r a c y . 2 If teachers are to be able most effectively to use libraries themselves, to p r o m o t e li- brary use by pupils w h o are soon to become the w o r k e r s and leaders of the w o r l d , and to give intelligent assistance in building up m o r e and better libraries and in providing better and m o r e extensive library service, then teachers must be given adequate library education and experience as part of their pre-service preparation. L i b r a r y education f o r teachers is a responsibility w h i c h should not be neglected by educational institutions preparing teachers. T h e desirability of this probably w i l l not be questioned, but, as Ethel M . Feagley states in the forty-second Yearbook of the N a t i o n a l Society f o r the Study of E d u c a t i o n , " T h e r e is discourag- ingly little evidence that attention is being given to introducing teachers to library ma- 2 Heffernan, Helen. " T h e Teacher's Relationship to the L i b r a r y . " The Library in General Education. Forty-second Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part 2, 1943, p. 140. 212 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES terials and services which w i l l be available in the fields and w h i c h w i l l constitute a necessary part of their teaching equipment." M i s s Feagley also states that attempts are being made to prepare college students to use the college library. T h i s general type of library education is an important f o u n d a - tion f o r teachers-in-training but it is not sufficient. In addition to courses in h o w to study and h o w to use books and libraries, prospective teachers need to be taught the possibilities of a w e l l - f u n c t i o n i n g school li- brary and h o w to stimulate and guide pupils in an increasingly independent use of library materials to be f o u n d in both school and public libraries. T h e library education needed by teachers is not the library science intended to pre- pare librarians, although it is more than the course f o r college students in h o w to find things in libraries. T h e need is f o r library education especially planned f o r prospective teachers designed t o : 1. A c q u a i n t them with potential resources of libraries of various kinds f o r themselves and f o r their pupils, f o r personal and v o c a - tional use 2. D e v e l o p skills in using bibliographic tools f o r themselves and as a basis f o r teach- ing suitable skills to their pupils 3. E n c o u r a g e habits of utilizing library services and of turning to printed matter and other f o r m s of records f o r facts, opinions, ideas, inspiration, and recreation 4. T e a c h them methods and techniques of using libraries to g o o d advantage in their teaching of knowledge, habits, skills, and attitudes 5. Prepare them f o r instructing pupils in the use of books and libraries so that they may do the teaching, o r cooperate with the librarian in instruction 6. G i v e them a clear vision of their o p - portunities and responsibilities in connection with the school library, and an enthusiasm f o r developing their pupils into intelligent li- brary users and supporters. T h i s specialized library education f o r teachers should be provided in teacher-pre- paring institutions. It should be based upon a general library orientation course ( o r u n i t ) suitable f o r all college students, ac- companied and f o l l o w e d by regular, intelli- gent use of the library in connection with college courses and personal interests. T h i s instruction should be given by a well-quali- fied person w h o has k n o w l e d g e and skill both in library and teaching techniques and w h o understands the value of the library to both teachers and pupils. It may be a part of some regular college course such as freshman English, or it may be a separate course on h o w to use the library. H o w - ever it is scheduled, it should include prac- tical application of the ideas studied. Real familiarity w i t h the library and its re- sources should be developed in the prospec- tive teachers as w e l l as in other college students throughout their college days. Students should k n o w the library through using it, stimulated and guided by their in- structors, and assisted and advised by mem- bers of the library staff. O n the foundation of this basic familiar- ity with library resources and usage, there should be built f o r prospective teachers per- tinent advanced instruction which will pre- pare them to direct pupil use of library resources. M i s s Feagley suggests f o u r means by w h i c h this instruction is o f f e r e d : a. Courses in literature for children and young people . . . to enable teachers to be- c o m e acquainted with children's books, to understand children's interests, and to learn h o w to bring the t w o together. . . . b. Integrating library instruction with sub- ject-matter courses . . . (presenting) the printed materials needed f o r the study of the subject, as w e l l as detailed methods of using those materials with students. . . . c. Demonstration libraries . . . ( w h e r e the prospective teacher) may use with boys and girls the books presented in the literature and subject field courses ( a n d ) gain an ap- preciation of the use of a library as a teach- JULY, 1948 213 ing tool, a k n o w l e d g e of h o w to use many- books with pupils, and skill in w o r k i n g with a school librarian. . . . d. Courses on the school library . . . (in w h i c h ) teachers should be given instruction in library standards, simple organization of a classroom library, and methods of teaching library lessons to pupils ( a n d a l s o ) the p o s - sibilities of community, state, and national li- brary service so that they can use these facilities effectively in the education of the youth coming under their guidance. . . . 3 M a b e l Harris, in her master's thesis on " N o n p r o f e s s i o n a l L i b r a r y Instruction in T e a c h e r s C o l l e g e s " ( 1 9 3 4 ) , concludes that " a need f o r t w o courses other than the elementary one usually given is i n d i c a t e d : the one, a study of juvenile books, the other an advanced course in b i b l i o g r a p h y . " 4 I n the Library Quarterly J u l y 1942, is a report by Frances H e n n e and M i l d r e d H a w k s w o r t h L o w e l l on an investigation into the practices of 153 teacher-training agencies relative to " t h e preparation of sec- ondary-school teachers in the use of library materials." T h e i r three recommendations a r e : ( 1 ) that prospective teachers should have a f o r m a l course about m a t e r i a l s ; ( 2 ) that the p r o g r a m of the l a b o r a t o r y - s c h o o l library . . . should permit direct and active participation in and cooperation with the preparation of t e a c h e r s ; and ( 3 ) that the need exists to have regional materials centers w h e r e n e w materials may be examined. 5 T h i s recommendation of materials centers is a practical means of making it possible f o r teachers and prospective teachers to become familiar w i t h the wealth of ma- terials produced f o r children and high school students. 3 Feagley, Ethel M . "Preparation of Pupils and Staff for Effective Library U s e : Teachers." The Library in General Education. Forty-second Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part 2, 1943, p. 306-09. 4 Harris, Mabel. Nonprofessional Library Instruc- tion in Teachers Colleges. Master's thesis. George Peabody College for Teachers, 1934, p. ii. 5 Henne, Frances and Lowell, Mildred Hawksworth. " T h e Preparation of Secondary-School Teachers in the Use of Library Materials." Library Quarterly 12:554, July 1942. A n o t h e r suggestion w h i c h might be made here is that much benefit f o r school libraries might come f r o m a course in library ad- ministration f o r school administrators. T h i s w o u l d not need to go into as much detail as the courses f o r teachers on ma- terials and methods of use. Rather it w o u l d stress objectives and standards and general principles of services, collections, organiza- tion, personnel, quarters, equipment, and financial support. T o w h a t extent are prospective teachers being provided w i t h library e d u c a t i o n ? A 1941 study reports that, of thirty c o l - leges, T w e n t y - e i g h t provide some kind of instruc- tion, the most c o m m o n being the orientation w e e k t o u r o r lecture which is conducted in twenty of the colleges. A close second is the course of instruction offered in eighteen c o l - leges, in each case taught by a m e m b e r of the library staff. A library consultant is the means of instruction in seven colleges, and a printed bulletin, manual, o r handbook in six.6 A n o t h e r study in 1942 reports t h a t : F o r m a l courses f o r prospective teachers, which relate to books and other materials useful in teaching, adolescent literature, the use of libraries, and similar subjects, are offered by 40.6 per cent of the 153 teacher- training agencies. A total of 104 f o r m a l courses are presented, and they o c c u r in this o r d e r of f r e q u e n c y : library science, children's and adolescent literature, materials and meth- ods, education, orientation (in the use of libraries and m a t e r i a l s ) , reading, and practice teaching. ( S o m e doubt exists relative to the exact scope and presentation of many of these c o u r s e s ) . 7 T h e s e reports do not show much improve- ment since the 1934 study by M a b e l Harris of 114 state teachers colleges revealed "that nearly one-half of the colleges studied offer (Continued on page 220) 6 Lancaster, John Herrold. The Use of the Library by Student Teachers. New Y o r k , Teachers College, Columbia University, 1941, p. 57. 7 Henne and Lowell, op. cit., p. 553. 214 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES purposes, w i t h a v i e w to increasing its u s e - fulness and perhaps enlarging its t e r r i t o r y . 4. O u r national union c a t a l o g is as s t r o n g as ever and is resuming w o r k on certain p r o - j e c t s suspended during the w a r . 5. R e g i o n a l union catalogs, f r o m w h i c h w e have had reports, are being maintained. 6. R e a l t h o u g h t is being given to a regional center in the R i c h m o n d , V a . , area. 7. R e n e w e d interest in regional c o o p e r a - tion in C a l i f o r n i a has resulted f r o m the establishment of an I n t e r l i b r a r y Service D e - p a r t m e n t in the U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a L i - b r a r y , and the c r e a t i o n of an active C o m m i t - tee on R e g i o n a l C o o p e r a t i o n in the state as- sociation. P r o g r e s s is being m a d e t o w a r d a survey of the r e s o u r c e s of libraries of n o r t h - ern California, and a Union List of Biblio- graphies in Libraries of Southern California is n e a r i n g c o m p l e t i o n . Teachers and Libraries (Continued from page 214) some kind of instruction." According to Miss Harris, T h e study also indicates that n o c o m p l e t e and t h o r o u g h l y t h o u g h t - o u t plan f o r b i b l i o - graphic instruction in teachers c o l l e g e s has yet been m a d e , but that the s u b j e c t is w o r t h y of serious attention w i t h a v i e w t o defining the o b j e c t i v e s m o r e c l e a r l y and i m p r o v i n g the o r g a n i z a t i o n of the w o r k . Attention to the problem has increased in the last fifteen years, but much remains to be done. M o r e has been accomplished, probably, in teaching college students to use the library and in preparing teacher- librarians than in educating prospective teachers concerning library materials and methods to be used in their professional work. W e need more leaders with the vision and energy of Louis Round W i l s o n , who, as early as 1911, pleaded for libraries in every school, training of teachers in the use of books and children's literature, instruction of pupils in the use of books and libraries, and extension of cooperation between public libraries and schools. W e librarians of institutions educating teachers must take the lead in promoting the development of special library educa- tion for teachers. W e must clarify worthy objectives and formulate practical course outlines and problems. W e must bring the importance of this kind of library education convincingly to the attention of teachers college administrators, professors, and cur- riculum-makers, of school superintendents, principals, and supervisors, and of teachers and prospective teachers. W e must make the program so helpful that it will have a deserved place in the budget of the college as well as in the curriculum. W e must study and discuss, plan and experiment, and strive for continuing improvement in pre- paring young people to become teachers who know and appreciate libraries and who will do their part in making libraries play the part they can and should in the life- long education of children, young people, and adults. Change of Address It is i m p o r t a n t f o r subscribers o r d e r i n g a change of address to give three w e e k s ' notice, to p r o v i d e both their o l d and n e w addresses, and to send the i n f o r m a t i o n to College and Research Libraries, Subscriptions D e p a r t m e n t , A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y A s s o c i a t i o n , 50 E. H u r o n St., C h i c a g o II, 111. 220 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES