College and Research Libraries By H. C. CAMPBELL The Role of the United Nations and Specialized Agencies in Bibliographical Development Mr . Campbell is head, Research Library Development, Bibliographical Development, UNESCO. T HE PROBLEM of an active international program of development for research libraries and bibliographical services has been given considerable attention over the last half-century. Now, as a result of war- time experience in the organization of in- formation exchange, there are many new ideas ready for application and a general willingness to make changes and particular- ly to extend international cooperation. Among the new problems for solution by ~oth nongovernmental and governmental bodies is their role in the growing number of international United Nations agencies, now totaling I 4, which specialize each in a separate area of international cooperation and exchange. One of the specialized agencies in which the great interest of the governments in organization of information exchange has been shown is UNESCO. The role of UNESCO in research li- brary and bibliographical work to date has been to give token assistance to certain im- mediate projects and to provide a frame- work for interaction and discussion on the part of those in charge of such library ac- tivity. As a result of wartime experience, a host of documentation and bibliographical proj- ects were born and thrust on UNESCO to nourish. Many of these have not pro- gressed to the extent their sponsors had hoped. Some quickly disappeared, not to be undertaken at all. Others have gone on to win support and achieve results in fur- thering day-to-day activities among all the member states. One of the projects which occupied at- tention at the Second General Conference of UNESCO, held in Mexico City in 1947, was that of publishing periodical bib- liographies and works of information that would sum up achievements of the war years and the years since in certain fields. This work is being completed now by vari- ous departments of UNESCO. Outstand- ing are the series of bibliographies spon- sored by the Bibliographical Commission of the International Council of Philosophical and Humanistic Studies. Another project is the rationalizing on an international and national basis of scientific and technological literature. One of the parts of this prob- lem was recently considered at UNESCO House from June 20 to June 25, 1949, at the International Conference on Natural Science Abstracting . . Representatives of 25 nations and 28 nongovernmental interna- tional scientific organizations met to devise means for extending the usefulness of index- ing and abstracting activities for the natural sciences. The Scientific Abstracting Conference recommended that there be regional listing of scientific periodicals and publications, 326 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES formation of regional scientific information committees, agreed standards of terminology with reference to newer scientific develop- ments, and that there be a continuing inter- national committee to meet from time to time to advise UNESCO on next steps in the scientific abstracting and indexing field. Back of the thinking and discussion at the conference mentioned abov,e was the im- plicit recognition of certain principles on the part of experts called by UNESCO. It was recognized that developments in every country today require the existence of cooperative library facilities, competently administered and geared to the special needs of the region they serve, to support research and training and perform central biblio- graphical services. There must be available bibliographical information covering all current publica- tions and a prompt and convenient means of obtaining original or photo copies of in- dividual items needed in specific research or operational projects. The Third General Conference of UNESCO, held in Beirut in November 1948, renewed the · resolution passed by the 1947 session in Mexico City, authorizing a joint Sl;lrvey of bibliographic services with the Library of Congress "as a basis for the coordination of bibliographical activities." In 1948 the joint survey produced, as a pre- liminary case study, an inquiry into the bibliographical services available in the field of fundamental education. This has been published under the title Sources of In- formation for Fundamental Education with Special Reference to Education for LiteracyJ and was prepared by Kathrine Oliver Murra of the Library of Congress staff. The UNESCO-Library of Congres survey now under way aims to produce a detailed report, or working paper, including action proposals, by the end of r 949· It is intended that such a working paper OCTOBERJ 1949 shall form the basis for discussion at meet- ings and conferences to be held in 1950. It is hoped that, as far as circumstances allow, the working paper will include a factual statement of the present state of biblio- graphical services according to types of serv- ices and according to subject fields. It is hoped there will be an analysis of this ma- terial to point out the significant prob- lems, and a review of world opinion as ex- pressed by leading authorities or which re- flect national or regional experience in order to gain support for particular development plans. The working paper will give some action directives based on the interpretation of the state of current opinion and the analysis of the world bibliographic situation. In 1950 will come the formulation of specific pro- posals for action. In order to reflect opinions as expressed by national bibliographic and· documenta- tion authorities throughout the world, UNESCO will consult with them and channel the result of such consultations to the workers in the Survey of Bibliographi- cal Services. What lines will the action in interna- tional research library development take in the future? It is of course too early at this stage to try and surmise what the re- sults of the UNESCO-Library of Congress Bibliographical Survey will be. However, it is the opinion of Dr. Luther Evans, Li- brarian of Congress, that the first step in providing world-wide bibliographical serv- ices is to determine the philosophical and pragmatic basis for world-wide bibliographi- cal control. He does not advocate disre- garding a century of scholarly thinking and investigation of bibliographical problems. He does believe, however, that every aspect of bibliographical work must be re-examined and re-assessed, that the most careful in- vestigation of bibliographical needs must 327 be made, and that the needs and the avail- able controls must be rationalized. This may require new mechanisms and new ap- proaches. It most certainly requires expert long-range planning. To carry out this approach to the UNESCO assignment, Dr. Evans is con- ducting a series of weekly panel discussions on the function, purposes of, and the needs for bibliographical controls. It is hoped that through these group meetings and with a substantial body of research which is be- ing carried on at the same time, the frame- work for improvement of bibliographical services can be built which will promote planned development. The working paper for the 1950 conference will incorporate the thinking and research of the group and of such other persons and groups as may be. called upon from time to time in this coun- try and abroad. Preliminary chapters will probably be circulated for criticism some- time this autumn. So far as new research libraries are con- cerned, certain things seem clear from the state of planning now in hand among the United Nations agencies themselves. In the draft program for technical assistance of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, a considerable role is given to the distribution of scientific information and the development of centers for educational ad- vancement and scientific learning: The appropriate distribution of books, periodicals and other technical information material will prepare a favourable ·hack- ground for the development programme. It will be an essential supplement.ary resource in nearly all enterprises and, in many cases, can be used with effect independently of such en- terprises.1 1 United Nations. Technical Assistance for Economic Development. Lake Success, N.Y., United Nations, 1949, p. 35· How well prepared are research li- brarians in the metropolitan powers to pro- ceed to advise underdeveloped countries on their research library needs? This is a question which is being seriously asked. It is known that in the newer fields of the or- ganization and distribution of information, there is a lack of research activity being carried out as a companion to day-to-day practices. It 'is known that there is a lack of people to do research in the methods of communication through print and the other media. Will the metropolitan powers be prepared to investigate these questions in time to supply some guidance for countries now on the threshold of their own develop- ment? What does this mean for the professional workers in research library and biblio- graphic work? It seems surely that the time for joint international action is now at hand on a far larger scale than has ever been intended in the past. With a view to furthering this, UNESCO is asking both I.F.L.A. and F.I.D. to consider their fu- ture roles in terms of an international coun- cil for stimulation and development of documentation and librarianship. Professional workers in the library field have long asked for the means to· demon- strate their abilities in expanding their services and doing better many tasks which now they cannot undertake through lack of funds and trained personnel. It may well be that through the role played by the United Nations agencies in sponsoring tech- nical assistance to underdeveloped areas, there is a great chance to utilize the willing- ness on the part of library and documenta- tion workers throughout the world to work cooperatively on specific regional and na- tional projects that contribute to an agreed international goal. 328 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES