College and Research Libraries


and its development and application in p r a c -
tice occupies the bulk of the book. 

T h i s is not a b o o k f o r the average reader, 
and even the specialist in personnel m a n a g e -
ment and efficiency ratings w i l l have some 
difficulties f o l l o w i n g the statistical theory in-
v o l v e d . Nevertheless, it is an important c o n -
tribution. Its chief weakness lies in the gen-
eralizations of personal experience and limited 
experiments. H e n c e the basis f o r c o m p a r i s o n 
in this, as in most employee rating schemes, is 
the j u d g m e n t of the supervisors., T h e e x -
perimentation used to develop the rating 
scheme can hardly be said to meet all the r e -
quirements of P r o f e s s o r R y a n ' s scientific 
method. Nevertheless, the P r o b s t scheme is 
one of the better rating schemes and the 
book should be of interest to specialists in the 
field of efficiency ratings. 

M r . Y o u n g ' s contribution is a peppy e x -
pose of w h a t he calls " t h e newest p r o f e s s i o n . " 
Its style, choice of language, and presentation 
is intended to appeal to the busy businessman 
and w i l l . T h e " n e w e s t p r o f e s s i o n , " as the 
author terms human engineering, c o v e r s the 
relationship of human engineering to the q u a l -
ity of supervision and profits, instructions, 
human relations, motivation, improved m e t h -
ods and similar problems. C h a p t e r s such as 
" A M a g i c F o r m u l a , " " S o m e Soul Searching," 
and " H a p p i e r and H e a l t h i e r , " indicate that 
the general function of the b o o k is the p r o m o -
tional side rather than the psychological r e -

search side. Nevertheless, the b o o k should 
stimulate average business and supervisory 
personnel to a m o r e active approach to the 
principles enunciated by people like R o e t h l i s -
berger, D i c k s o n , W h i t e h e a d , and n o w R y a n . 
W h i l e the intellectual content is probably 
considerably less than that of either of the 
other t w o books reviewed, the b o o k is much 
m o r e easily readable and w i l l probably be 
read by many m o r e people. 

Incidentally, the magic f o r m u l a is " H e w h o 
w o u l d be a leader of men must first master 
himself and serve o t h e r s . " T h e chart f o r 
self-examination on pages 94-95 indicates a 
rather subjective approach. T h i s doesn't 
p r o v e that either R y a n ' s objectivity o r 
Y o u n g ' s subject approaches is w h o l l y right or 
w r o n g . R a t h e r it does indicate the f u n d a -
mental difference between this b o o k and the 
one by Ryan. 

T h e philosophy of J . M . T . and J . R . T . , and 
J . I . T . is covered in the chapter on improving 
methods. C h a p t e r 13 explains human nature 
in 24 pages. 

T h e b o o k has a very g o o d bibliography on 
pages 191-195, and wThat is m o r e unusual, an 
excellent list of visual aids on pages 197-202. 
T h o u g h of the D a l e C a r n e g i e school rather 
than the R y a n school, this b o o k should be 
stimulating reading f o r the nonspecialist in 
human relations o r p s y c h o l o g y . — R a l p h R. 
Shaw, librarian, U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture. 

Buildings for Service 
Library Buildings for Library Service. 

Edited, with an introduction, by H e r m a n 
H . Fussier. C h i c a g o , A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y 
Association, 1947. xiv, 2 i 6 p . 
Library Buildings for Library Service is a 

p r o d u c t of the institute devoted to the plan-
ning and construction of library buildings at 
the University of C h i c a g o in A u g u s t 1946. 
It deals systematically and topically with the 
issues met by librarians, governing bodies, and 
architects as they grapple with the task of 
providing n e w quarters f o r libraries. I t seeks 
to treat its subject in the light of currently 
available k n o w l e d g e and in w a y s helpful to 
libraries of various types. 

T h e v o l u m e embraces t w e l v e papers, which 
collectively undertake to set f o r t h the historic 
evolution of library buildings, the functions 

and contents they must a c c o m m o d a t e , the 
processes entailed in a building p r o j e c t , the 
roles of the parties concerned in such an enter-
prise, the technical matters which relate to 
lighting and the treatment of air, and the 
possibilities opened by new building materials 
and changed methods of fabrication. Seven 
of them c o m e f r o m the pens of librarians w h o 
have enjoyed generous experience o r o b s e r v a -
tion in matters relating to the administration 
a n d / o r the housing of libraries. T h e others 
w e r e written by architects and engineers, and 
contribute expert i n f o r m a t i o n of kinds which 
librarians ordinarily do not possess. 

T h e notes which are dominant in Library 
Buildings for Library Service are by no means 
new, but they deserve the emphases they r e -
ceive in the b o o k because they so seldom gain 

JULY, 1948 •269 



complete acceptance and application in p r a c -
tice. Architects have subscribed to f u n c t i o n -
alism f o r a g o o d many y e a r s ; and the 
principle probably has been axiomatic w i t h 
librarians even longer, even though they may 
have had difficulty in f o r m u l a t i n g it and may 
barely have been conscious of it. Similarly, 
flexibility has been striven f o r m o r e o r less 
intelligently in various buildings, including 
libraries, its advantages presumably having 
been seen by both designers and occupants. 
T h a t these ideas should have been played upon 
repeatedly by speakers at the institute seems 
encouraging, since their general adoption may 
depend upon just such exploitation. 

T h e proper division of labor on a building 
p r o j e c t possibly has not been recognized as 
generally as have functionalism in plan and 
flexibility in construction, but its logic is so 
obvious that the kind of stress placed upon it 
at the institute should go far to establish it. 
T o be sure, some verbal differences appeared 
as to just w h a t the librarian should furnish 
to the architect, in o r d e r that the architectural 
solution of a given p r o b l e m may proceed and 
eventuate f r u i t f u l l y . T h e r e w a s no doubt 
that he should present the purposes and 
specific needs of his institution, h o w e v e r , m a k -
ing the requirements so clear and so unmis-
takable that no interpreter could escape them, 
be he ever so unlearned in the lore and the 
operations of libraries. Foresight, planning, 
hard w o r k , and the willingness to carry his 
fit responsibility are involved here f o r the 

librarian. A s the author of one paper pointed 
out, willingness and capacity to couch his 
statements in language which nonlibrarians 
can understand. 

T h e technical papers may prove to vary 
somewhat in their value. T h e r e is much in 
the treatment of lighting that links up readily 
with the k n o w l e d g e and experience of those 
w h o operate or w o r k in libraries. It should 
help in the avoidance of mistakes, and perhaps 
pave the w a y f o r the further education of 
librarians in a c o m p l e x and developing field. 
Perhaps the same can be said about the 
chapter on the treatment of air, but parts 
of it may be found difficult going f o r those 
w h o do not have occasion to think daily in 
terms of d e w - p o i n t temperature, latent heat, 
evaporative cooling, and hygroscopic solutions. 

A s is pointed out in the papers themselves, 
the discussions are timely because building 
problems are much in librarians' minds. B e -
f o r e all the buildings n o w contemplated are 
under w a y , it of course is possible that some 
of the views and data in Library Buildings for 
Library Service may be outdated and have to 
be supplemented or superseded. But here is 
a presently valuable collection of i n f o r m a t i o n 
and viewpoints, essential reading f o r all w h o 
currently face building problems. It repre-
sents an important layer in the k n o w l e d g e 
and experience regarding the housing of li-
braries which are being a c c u m u l a t e d . — E r n e s t 
J. Reece, School of Library Service, Columbia 
University. 

Graduate W o r k and Research in the South 
Graduate Work in the South. By Mary By-

num Pierson. Chapel H i l l , University of 
N o r t h C a r o l i n a Press, 1947. Published 
under the sponsorship of the C o n f e r e n c e of 
D e a n s of Southern G r a d u a t e Schools. 
265P. 

The Graduate School: Research and Publica-
tions. Edited by E d g a r W . Knight and 
A g a t h a Boyd A d a m s . Chapel H i l l , U n i -
versity of N o r t h C a r o l i n a Press, 1946. 
( U n i v e r s i t y of N o r t h C a r o l i n a Sesquicen-
tennial Publications.) 461P. 

The Graduate School: Dissertations and 
Theses. Edited by James L . G o d f r e y , 
Fletcher M . G r e e n , and W . W . Pierson. 
Chapel H i l l , University of N o r t h C a r o l i n a 

Press, 1947. ( U n i v e r s i t y of N o r t h C a r o -
lina Sesquicentennial Publications.) 184P. 
D r . M a r y Bynum Pierson's w o r k is the 

first full-length treatise on graduate w o r k in 
the South. T h e professional writings, al-
ready voluminous, consist largely of official 
printed reports, convention proceedings, and 
articles in professional magazines. A m o n g 
these contributions are a f e w , such as the 
Pierson ( W . F . ) and Pipkin reports, which 
deserve the name of studies, as w e l l as books 
and chapters in books by librarians which ap-
praise the research resources of libraries in 
the Southern states. T h e time had c o m e 
f o r a comprehensive treatment of the histori-
cal setting and problems of graduate w o r k in 

270 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES