College and Research Libraries B y W I L L I A M S. B U D I N G T O N Teaching the Use of Engineering Libraries1 Mr. Budington is librarian, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Columbia Univer- sity. A M O N G THE m a n y problems faced by i i - librarians today is the business of salesmanship. M o s t of us are f a m i l i a r w i t h the usual devices some of w h i c h w e employ, others of w h i c h w e e n v i o u s l y w a t c h in use e l s e w h e r e — s u c h as displays, lists, advertise- ments and radio broadcasts. A t colleges and universities w e have a head start in that education depends h e a v i l y on l i b r a r y resources. T h e r e is still a definite s e l l i n g j o b to d o — s e l l i n g the f a c u l t y and especially the students the concept of the l i b r a r y as a w o r k i n g tool rather than a s t o c k r o o m . Salesmanship is l a r g e l y a m a t t e r of per- sonal c o n t a c t , no less in libraries than in business. O u r most effective w o r k lies in direct d e a l i n g w i t h the public t h r o u g h f o r m a l or i n f o r m a l g u i d a n c e or instruction. T e a c h i n g the use of libraries f o r m a l l y is carried out in several w a y s : the f r e s h m a n orientation t o u r , a short talk by the li- brarian in a p r o g r a m m e e t i n g , the inclusion of one or m o r e l i b r a r y periods in a s u b j e c t course and the separate l i b r a r y course. T h e l a t t e r is becoming more and more c o m m o n , and interest in it is increasing. I n engineer- ing schools, h o w e v e r , little at this level has yet appeared. Since the course g i v e n at C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y appears to be one of the first, it m a y be appropriate to describe 1 Presented at meeting of Engineering School Libraries Section, A . C . R . L . , Cleveland, July 18, 1950. it briefly before passing on to g e n e r a l dis- cussion. A t present, E n g i n e e r i n g 3 is a one-point, one-hour-a-week course required of all un- d e r g r a d u a t e e n g i n e e r i n g students. T i t l e d " E n g i n e e r i n g L i b r a r y T e c h n i q u e " it is t a u g h t by the e n g i n e e r i n g librarian and is g i v e n d u r i n g both w i n t e r and spring se- mesters. E a c h of the seven e n g i n e e r i n g c u r r i c u l a ( m e c h a n i c a l , electrical, industrial, e t c . ) has a section to itself and, as f a r as possible, students are registered f o r the appropriate section. T h e s e u s u a l l y h a v e f r o m 15 to 40 students, d e p e n d i n g on the subject, and sometimes t w o sections are necessary f o r heavily enroled c u r r i c u l a . S u c h instruction w a s initiated in 1 9 3 3 in the f o r m of l i b r a r y periods in one of the r e g u l a r s u b j e c t courses. T h i s w a s ex- panded to a series of three lectures required of all students, then to a f u l l semester, non- credit, required course. Since 1 9 4 5 one point of credit has been g i v e n . T h e present content of the course l a r g e l y f o l l o w s t r a d i t i o n a l lines. T h e approach is by f o r m of m a t e r i a l . T h e b e g i n n i n g is made w i t h principles of classification, the c a r d c a t a l o g and the m a k i n g of proper references. G u i d e s to the l i t e r a t u r e , en- cyclopedias and handbooks, n a t i o n a l bibli- ographies, r e v i e w sources and other bibli- ographies of v a r i o u s types then f o l l o w . T h e importance and use of serial l i t e r a t u r e brings in g e n e r a l and special technical i n d e x i n g and a b s t r a c t i n g . S t a n d a r d s and g o v e r n m e n t documents, trade l i t e r a t u r e and 268 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES directories have their part, and w e conclude w i t h something on documentary production and reproduction, microfilm and the like. In all, 15 lecture periods are planned. T h e example are chosen to fit the m a j o r subject of each section. M a n y items are given to all sections, but wherever possible the class periods are tailored to fit. Each student, as his project for the course, completes a bibliography on a topic of his choosing subject to the instructor's approval. T h e number of references and the number of sources from which they are obtained are specified. T h i s precludes comprehensive bibliographies, but our in- tent is to obtain a fairly comprehensive coverage of sources rather than intensive searching. A l t h o u g h exceptions are made for thesis projects, w e hope that students w i l l thus come to recognize the value of source material in related fields as w e l l as in their o w n . A s a rule there have been no tests, daily assignments or final examina- tions. W i t h t w o or three hundred students there is a limit to our capacity for including them. A t t e n d a n c e is regulated by general university procedure. T h i s course is taken during the junior year by all except chemical engineers w h o take it as seniors. It comes during their first year in the School of Engineering since the lower t w o years are spent in C o l u m b i a C o l l e g e or the School of G e n e r a l Studies. T h u s our students have had college experi- ence, and one-half to two-thirds of them have received some library orientation in high school or college. T h e r e is no need to elaborate greatly on the reason for some such instruction. O c - cupied w i t h the technics of laboratory and classroom, the student engineer often does not realize that the library offers as much in value as the rest of his curricula. In the humanities, one's contact w i t h library resources is more extended and more en- forced. It must be brought home to stu- dents of science and engineering that familiarity w i t h current progress is an absolute necessity. T h e r e is a need for recognition of w h a t has gone before, and a realization that knowledge has been recorded for many centuries before the stu- dent became a novitiate engineer. H e should become familiar w i t h the m a j o r library tools of research, and w i t h the extent of the literature in his o w n field. It is w e l l that he learn that English is by no means the sole language of communica- tion. If he is to be aware of the w o r l d ' s w o r k , he must acquire a w o r k i n g knowledge of foreign tongues. Basically, the library must be dissected and the machinery of its use made clear. T h e student should come to understand bibliographic practice as it affects his li- brary research and the preparation of re- ports and articles. W h e n Columbia's course originated, the dean's announcement said, " T h e engineering libraries are for the use and convenience of the students. T h e school is anxious that every student should learn the possibilities of an engineer- ing l i b r a r y . " T h i s has been extended to include the meaning and significance of engineering literature and its organization. In a number of schools, such instruction is given on a graduate level, for credit in many instances and even required in a f e w . T h e advantage to the graduate student is unquestioned. T h a t undergraduates as w e l l may benefit is not as often recognized. T h e r e is no reason w h y they, too, should not have the ability to dig out information for themselves. A noticeable improvement in report w o r k for other courses was one of the reasons the C o l u m b i a lectures w e r e expanded. Such an undergraduate course deals w i t h more elementary materials than a graduate offering and may be less inten- sive since immediate original research is JULY, 1951 269 not c o n t e m p l a t e d . T h e r e is a very definite problem in g e t t i n g across to u n d e r g r a d u - ates the need f o r such i n f o r m a t i o n , w h e r e a s a g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t f a c i n g a thesis is acutely a w a r e , or shortly will be, of the complexi- ties of technical l i t e r a t u r e and his o w n shortcomings. Choice of the i n s t r u c t o r is u p to the school, of course. F r o m the professional point of view, this d u t y is r i g h t f u l l y the l i b r a r i a n ' s and so it is usually f o u n d . T e a c h - ing ability is an i m p o r t a n t f a c t o r which is likely to be minimized in the decision, " L e t the l i b r a r i a n do i t . " I t is p a r t i c u l a r l y im- p o r t a n t in the u n d e r g r a d u a t e course, as mentioned before. K n o w l e d g e of the litera- t u r e is a n o t h e r obvious p r e r e q u i s i t e ; f a c u l t y members and specialists k n o w better t h a n the l i b r a r i a n the l i t e r a t u r e of their o w n subjects, but f o r coverage of all fields a bevy of such men w o u l d be required. A competent l i b r a r i a n w i l l have general ac- q u a i n t a n c e and f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h the ma- terials of all branches of engineering. I n addition, a m o r e u n i f o r m scheme is assured if instruction is centralized, and related fields may be tied in more easily. A n o t h e r point gained by the l i b r a r i a n ' s instructorship relates to the library's posi- tion in the educational p a t t e r n . A s a f e l l o w teacher, the librarian is m o r e likely to be considered a colleague by the faculty, as eloquently a r g u e d by B. L a m a r J o h n s o n i n h i s b o o k The Librarian and the Teacher in General Education. F u r t h e r m o r e , h e is b r o u g h t in contact w i t h most, if not all students, early in their engineering studies. T h e r e is established an acquaintanceship w h i c h makes easier the students' l a t e r use of the library and engenders a w o r k i n g basis f o r f u r t h e r guidance. A s in nonscience c u r r i c u l a , l i b r a r y in- struction may be correlated w i t h subject courses. F r e q u e n t l y , s t u d e n t s are required to present a senior thesis. T h r o u g h con- sultation w i t h the d e p a r t m e n t , it is possible to a d j u s t r e q u i r e m e n t s and emphases to- w a r d t h a t specific end. W h e r e depart- m e n t a l research is u n d e r way, s t u d e n t s in the library course are able to do some of the bibliographical g r o u n d w o r k , thus aiding the d e p a r t m e n t as well as themselves. T h e question of the proper time f o r giving such a course may be open to com- m e n t . T h e j u n i o r year appears to have several advantages to recommend it. A t this point the s t u d e n t is e n t e r i n g his m a j o r field of w o r k and may be assumed to have a definite subject interest, giving point and direction to any library w o r k done. A n added m a t u r i t y over first-year s t u d e n t s also makes the task of teaching easier. T h i s is n o t to say t h a t a first-year i n t r o d u c t i o n to the library is u n d e s i r a b l e ; the f r e s h m a n orientation t o u r or practice w o r k in the English course familiarizes the s t u d e n t w i t h the l i b r a r y ' s principal f e a t u r e s — n o t a b l y its location and a r r a n g e m e n t . Extensive in- struction, however, should w a i t u n t i l the teaching can be done in t e r m s of the subject field r a t h e r than in t e r m s of p u r e bibli- ography. C r e d i t f o r such a course should be ar- ranged if at all possible. I t s length, the time spent on it and its required status are all deserving of recognition, not to speak of its real contribution to the t r a i n i n g of engineers. A noncredit course stands m u c h less chance of a t t e n t i o n f r o m the s t u d e n t s and consideration f r o m the f a c u l t y . T h e c o n t e n t of the course will be largely a m a t t e r of individual o r g a n i z a t i o n , m u c h as w i t h any other subject course. T h e various elements described in the C o l u m b i a course are fairly s t a n d a r d items f o r inclu- sion, and others can be developed depending on circumstances. T h e n u m b e r of students, the types of c u r r i c u l a , size of library and staff, and physical facilities will affect the c o n t e n t and teaching methods. L i b r a r y 270 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES tours or instruction periods in the library may be handled if conditions permit. G u e s t lecturers f r o m the faculty help to vary the program and lend a certain meaning and authority. W i t h large classes a lecture schedule is usually called for, w i t h less in the w a y of tests, homework and the like. Small classes permit the use of problems and more individual attention. T e a c h i n g aids may include pictures, enlargements, charts and samples. Slides have been used in some similar courses, although w e have not yet attempted them in our large classes. Copies of books and materials are brought to class for use w i t h the lecture and are there after class for examination. D u r i n g the semester these materials are kept on a separate shelf in the reading room for the students' use. W h a t e v e r teaching methods are used, great emphasis must be placed on practical uses. Examples should contain the techni- cal vocabulary, and all explanations be made in those terms. T h e instructor must have a fair understanding of engineering subjects in order to explore the nuances of subject headings. In brief, the w o r k must be strictly from the engineering point of v i e w , and made, as far as possible, an engineering course in the literature rather than a library course for engineers. T h e results from the course are rather difficult to pin down. T h e w o r k turned in indicates how w e l l students have grasped the principles of library research, but the application elsewhere of w h a t has been learned is often not known. O u r best in- dications come when w e occasionally see their reports, and especially when w e note the activity at the catalog, the indexes, use of bibliographies and the like. Student re- action to a one-point course is not likely to be rapturous, especially when there is not the obvious practicality of some of their other w o r k . In a curricular survey con- ducted by our students, the library course received an over-all average rating slightly above the humanities and slightly below many of the engineering subjects. O u r present school administration has been highly in f a v o r of it, and it w o u l d be diffi- cult to maintain the course w i t h o u t that support. A s a whole, the faculty think it a good idea, though many of them are un- clear as to just w h a t it is all about. A s might be expected, those faculty members w h o make considerable use of the library are more sympathetic than those w h o rarely pass through our portals. Perhaps our most pleasant recommenda- tions come from graduates w h o drop back for a visit. Frequently they tell of re- search w o r k or assignments in which knowledge of information sources w a s an advantage. Sometimes undergraduates or graduates w i l l call in k n o w i n g that there is a volume which w i l l answer their ques- tions, though perhaps not remembering its name. E v e n this is certainly better than floundering about in aimless search or pre- maturely assuming the unavailability of the desired material. Similar coverage appears in science-tech- nology literature courses found in library schools. M o r e emphasis is being given to such instruction, and engineering librarians are naturally interested in it, both for their personal benefit and in the hope of trained assistants. Illinois has offered " B i b l i o g - raphy of Science and T e c h n o l o g y " since 1948, aimed at large public library service and including four periods out of 48 on en- gineering. A t Columbia, the classes in "Science L i t e r a t u r e " cover only the basic sciences; medicine has been covered in " L i t e r a t u r e of Special F i e l d s , " but as yet there has not been sufficient demand in the applied sciences. It w o u l d certainly be to our advantage to stimulate such a demand through our o w n studies and recruiting JULY, 1951 271 activities. H o w e v e r , I believe there are obvious differences b e t w e e n such library school courses and those g i v e n to u n d e r - g r a d u a t e s u b j e c t students. T h e i r purposes are essentially the s a m e — i m p a r t i n g k n o w l - edge of and f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h c o m m o n ma- terials. F o r the librarian these are the tools of his trade and the instruction must be more complete, more detailed, more com- p r e h e n s i v e ; f o r the engineer this k n o w l e d g e is an a d j u n c t only, and w h i l e it w o u l d doubtless be nice to include more, the es- sentials are all he should be expected to acquire. P r i n c i p l e s of book selection and trade i n f o r m a t i o n are t w o items w h i c h the librarian needs but the engineer does not. I n almost all categories, w h e t h e r it be bibliographical v a r i a t i o n s or k n o w l e d g e of sources, the approach to the s u b j e c t stems f r o m a d i f f e r e n t v i e w p o i n t . T h e librarian tends to have g r e a t e r interest in the book or periodical, per se, as a physical con- t a i n e r ; its m a n y manifestations, its selec- tion, care and preservation, and accessibility are his concern. T h e engineer, on the other hand, is interested o n l y in the container's c o n t e n t s ; w h a t happens in the l o n g chain of events b r i n g i n g it to his use is of little or no real interest to him. H i s b a c k g r o u n d and t r a i n i n g have been entirely d i f f e r e n t . A s a rule, he is not o v e r l y interested in books but in the accomplishment of f a c t u a l results and the means f o r d o i n g so. O u r basic problem is to convince him t h a t the " m e a n s f o r d o i n g s o " include the li- b r a r y . T h o u g h it differs f r o m w h a t the engineer is accustomed to think of as in- s t r u m e n t or apparatus, the w r i t t e n record of scientific k n o w l e d g e can be f u l l y as im- p o r t a n t in p r o v i d i n g f o u n d a t i o n s f o r w o r k and pointing the w a y . A l i b r a r y course m a y thus be compared to those in basic mathematics, i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n , d r a f t i n g and other c o n t r i b u t o r y instruction. T h e more salesmanship w e can exercise the better. B y f a m i l i a r i z i n g the engineer w i t h the printed tools of h i s — a n d o u r — t r a d e , w e do him and ourselves a service. Problems Confronting University Libraries (Continued from page 240) Conclusion I n conclusion, w e trust that the preced- ing report is of v a l u e in its s u m m a r y of these problems w h i c h are a p p a r e n t l y of deepest concern and interest to university librarians over a n a t i o n w i d e area. It does describe trends of t h o u g h t and areas f o r investigation proposed by a representative g r o u p of administrators. I n no w a y is it an a t t e m p t to compile a list of all problems c o n f r o n t i n g u n i v e r s i t y librarians, or to d r a w conclusions as to w h i c h are the most i m p o r t a n t at this time. T h i s report c l e a r l y demonstrates an awareness that established procedures and points of v i e w need periodic re-examination and that n e w developments require constant observation. B o o k collec- tions continue to g r o w p h e n o m e n a l l y . Service staffs, c o r r e s p o n d i n g l y , must be- come l a r g e r and l a r g e r . T h e A m e r i c a n d o l l a r buys less and less. B u d g e t s reflect an i n f l a t i o n a r y situation. T h e problems thus posed can be m e t only t h r o u g h inten- sive cooperative e f f o r t . T h e U n i v e r s i t y L i - braries Section of A . C . R . L . can and should contribute t h r o u g h the development of an active and e x p a n d i n g p r o g r a m of p r o j e c t s and committee w o r k . 272 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES