College and Research Libraries By J O S E P H C. S H I P M A N Linda Hall Library Mr. Shipman is librarian, Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, Mo. THE Linda H a l l Library, in Kansas City, Missouri, is one of the most re- cent research libraries to be established in this country. Provided for under the terms of the will of Herbert F. H a l l in 1941, the library purchased its first books in 1946. W i t h an original endowment of about 6 million dollars ( n o w increased to about 10 million), Linda H a l l Library has grown very rapidly, and at the present time has a collection approximating 165,000 volumes, with an annual rate of increase somewhere between 12 to 15 thousand volumes. T h e trustees, all appointed by M r . Hall, devoted the four years from 1941 to 1945 to a thorough study of the library needs of the Kansas City area, calling upon var- ious library experts and consultants through- out the country for advice and counsel. Late in 1945, with D r . M a l c o l m W y e r of the Denver Public Library as the Board's appointed consultant, a decision was made to establish the library as a special reference and research institution, with science and technology as its area of subject specializa- tion. M a n y factors played a part in this decision. A year earlier a group of ener- getic and far-seeing Kansas City business- men had established a privately sponsored industrial research organization, the M i d - west Research Institute, in a vigorous at- tempt to attract to the city and its sur- rounding area the still expanding wartime and defense industries in the central states. T h e growing number of technical people arriving in the city found insufficient tech- nical library facilities, as pointed up by various surveys conducted by local chapters of national scientific and technical societies. A fine public library system with many branches throughout the city provided for the general library needs of the commu- nity, and several medical library facilities were also available, so that the choice of science and technology as the subject specialty for the new Linda H a l l Library seemed to be logical and promising. A librarian was appointed late in 1945, and the first books and journals were pur- chased and received in the spring of 1946, with immediate service available to all who needed these materials. In accordance with the decision of the trustees, the librarian specified the area of subject responsibility as the D e w e y 500's and 6oo's, with several obvious exceptions. Clinical medicine, sur- gery and dentistry were excluded. T h e Public Library, in a downtown location, had established a Business and Technical Serv- ice, making it unnecessary for Linda Hall to give special attention to the various business services classified in the 650's. Because no other local library was able to give comprehensive coverage to the area of psychology and psychiatry, some of which already fell into Linda Hall's purview, the library here accepted a large degree of re- sponsibility, exclusive of educational psy- chology and educational tests and meas- urements. T h e Hall home, a graceful Georgian house in Kansas City's Southtown residen- tial area, was converted into an attractive library building in the next two years, with a minimum of damage to the original fine 138 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES structure. A n old garage building, as well as a newly constructed stack-building, ad- joining the garage, served to house the in- creasing flow of books, periodicals and other library materials. In 1947, by a fortunate purchase, the bulk of the collection of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston was acquired by the Linda H a l l Library. Founded in 1782, the Academy library had been predominantly a scientific collection, very strong in the publications of other scientific academies and in many classic journals in the physical sciences and mathematics. Some 50,000 volumes were acquired in this purchase, and though its strength was chiefly in serials, many his- torically important monographs and treatises of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were found in the collection. For the retrospec- tive materials the Academy collection be- came the backbone of the new Linda Hall collection. In the meantime the library was extend- ing the range and scope of its current serials and periodicals subscriptions and exchanges, so that by 1954 nearly 5000 titles were being received. Since textbooks and gen- eral treatises in many sciences and in engi- neering become obsolete so quickly, empha- sis in this area was from the beginning placed upon a wide coverage of current books. Older books which had become classics of a sort, or which had not been superseded by more recent or more authori- tative texts, were of course purchased if and when they appeared on the market. A policy of selective purchase of foreign texts was followed from the beginning, and the library emphasized foreign titles in the biological and physical sciences, which ap- peared after 1946. T h e selection of foreign titles has been narrower for engineering and related fields, where American practice seems to be in advance of achievements abroad. From a practical point of view, the American engineer is rarely able to handle foreign languages and, rightly or wrongly, tends to dismiss the foreign text, unless it happens to be of such originality and dis- tinction that it cannot be dismissed. T h e purchase of periodical indexes, the special subject bibliographies, and various national and trade bibliographies was a matter of first consideration in the library's buying program, and any item with a trace of scientific and technical bibliographic in- terest, regardless of languages or time of publication has been pursued by the acqui- sitions department. Foreign dictionaries, general encyclopedias and other general ref- erence materials have also been added, with special attention given to a wide range of foreign technical dictionaries. T h e library had many serial sets to add and fill in, and indeed still has many such desiderata. Wherever possible, the most recent ten years of such publications were sought for, and sets built back from that point. Microfilm and microcard runs of various titles were added, if they were new titles to the library, or if they filled in sizable gaps. In the rare book field, a policy was estab- lished of buying those classic titles in sci- ence which have become recognized mile- stones along the line of scientific develop- ment and achievement. Since this is regarded as a long term acquisition activity, such books have been purchased only when the price seemed reasonable, and never at the sacrifice of the budget for currently im- portant materials. Several hundred items, many of them rare, scarce, and beautiful, are now a treasured part of the collection. T h e University of Kansas City campus lies across the street from the library. In 1947, the Linda Hall Library purchased the University books and serials in the sci- ences and agreed to supply the science book needs of the University except for dupli- APRIL, 1955 139 cate and multiple copies of textbooks. T h e University's program in pharmacy and its graduate work in mathematics, chemistry and biology, though small in extent, is growing, and will depend upon Linda Hall holdings for its future expanding book needs. T h e University of Kansas Medical Cen- ter is located across the state line in Kansas City, Kansas, only a few minutes' drive from the Linda H a l l Library. Fine coop- eration has developed between the two in- stitutions, and the Linda H a l l facilities are freely used by the large Medical Center staff, working in many borderline subjects such as biochemistry, general and compara- tive physiology, public health and hygiene, and even in subject areas such as physics and electronics. Research workers at other medical centers and hospitals in Kansas City and in Topeka, and other Missouri and Kansas cities, also look increasingly to Linda H a l l for assistance. T h e University of Kansas campus at Lawrence, Kansas, is only an hour's drive from Kansas City. Under the vigorous and able leadership of Robert Vosper, the U n i - versity Library is also expanding at a rapid rate, and several noteworthy collections in the sciences have recently been added. T h e Ellis collection of Ornithology and Natural History constitutes one of the finest collec- tions of its sort in the country, and the proximity of such a collection has meant that Linda H a l l could divorce itself from the responsibility for the purchase of these materials—many of them extremely rare, and extremely expensive. Richard Sealock, librarian at the Kansas City Public Library, has contributed a great deal to an over-all effective scheme of co- operation by arranging for the duplication of the Linda H a l l catalog main entries, copies of which were then interfiled in the business and technical departmental cata- log at the Kansas City Public Library, at the main library of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, and at the Biblio- graphic Center in Denver. T h e University of Kansas and the Linda H a l l Library have installed teletype con- nections, so that a network from Denver to Kansas City has been established which shows every sign of increasing usefulness to the region. T h e M i d w e s t Research Institute, estab- lished a year earlier than the Linda Hall Library, has made great strides in recent years and now has a staff of more than 2 0 0 people, of whom some 50 are Ph.D.'s. En- gaged in pure and applied research, the Institute has depended upon Linda Hall for many books and journals required by its staff. T h e Institute's new building, now under construction, will be located a short block from the library, providing even better access to the Linda Hall collection than has been the case in the past several years. A very close relationship has been built up between the two institutions, and the library participates in the publication of t h e Applied Mechanics Review, w h i c h is edited by M R I for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Since the library establishment in 1946, Kansas City has undergone a rapid indus- trial and technical development. General Motors, Ford, Bendix have all established local plants of considerable size, and W e s t - inghouse has announced that its research facilities for jet engines will be transferred to Kansas City. A number of large engi- neering firms, doing work throughout the United States have headquarters in Kansas City. M u c h of the expansion made by the chemical and petroleum industries since the end of the war, has been localized in the area immediately to the south and east of Kansas City down to the G u l f . T h i s devel- opment is reflected in a considerable num- 140 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES ber of the current demands made upon the library. There has been a steady growth in the volume of interlibrary loans made by the library, the requests for loans coming from all types of libraries—college, university, public and special libraries throughout the region. In 1953, about 4 0 0 0 items were loaned to more than 4 0 0 institutions out- side the city. M a n y of these libraries re- ceive the Linda Hall "List of Serial Hold- ings," which is revised continuously, and thus are able to keep informed regarding additions to the serial titles. Copies of the L C cards for items in the Linda Hall book collection are filed at the Kansas City Pub- lic Library, at the University of Kansas Library in Lawrence, Kansas, and at the Bibliographic Center in Denver. T h e Linda H a l l serial holdings in chemistry are also checked in the last edition of the "List of Periodicals Abstracted by Chemical Ab- stracts," a listing which tends to attract many requests for interlibrary loan. T h e original H a l l house, its commodious garage, and a small annex building erected in 1948, have now been filled to capacity. Standard steel stack has been converted into compact storage stack on levels where the increase in weight did not represent a struc- tural hazard. About 30 tons of material have been sent to storage. Planning for a new building began several years ago, and more than ten proposals were worked up by several firms of architects. It was hoped that the old building could be incorporated into the new structure, but one plan after another revealed the old structure affecting and determining the exterior appearance without achieving functional unity of old and new. In 1953, trustees and architects agreed to develop an entirely independent library building. Since the library grounds are capacious (about 14 acres), it was decided that the old house should be retained, but that all functions and services would be concentrated in the new structure. T h e building now under construction, is sched- uled for completion by September 1, 1955. Its dimensions are 2 3 0 feet by about 9 0 feet, with four levels, two stack levels being underground on the north side. Because of a slope to the south, there will be a ground level entrance to the small auditorium on the bottom stack level. It is to be a rein- forced concrete structure, with an exterior of brick and some stone facing, to match the appearance of the old Hall mansion. T h e first floor contains three rooms for general, periodical and casual reading, seating about 125 readers. A l l stacks are free-standing, with no walls or permanent partitions, permitting considerable flexi- bility, to meet future needs. T h e reading rooms are separated by free-standing book alcoves, housing the subject bibliographies, periodical indexes, and other bibliographi- cal apparatus. T h e public catalog is lo- cated to the left of the entrance, directly across from the main reference desk which backs up to the reference alcoves. A t the west end of the reference alcoves two glassed-in offices and workrooms permit supervision of this end of the building. T h e Technical Process Department is located on the east side of the first floor, with direct access to the public catalog and fairly close to the shipping room where truck deliveries are made from the east entrance. All levels are eight to nine feet in height except the entrance hall and the reading rooms on the south side of the building, which are 19 feet in height. Featured on the south side of the build- ing is a 19-foot window, about 100 feet long, which is protected from direct south light by an outside loggia eight feet in width. A combination Trustee's Room and (Continued on page i6j) APRIL, 1955 141 t e r m s d e n o t i n g classes. S u c h class designa- tion does n o t i n v o l v e direct e x p l i c i t r e f e r - ence to the a t t r i b u t e s i n v o l v e d , f o r e x a m p l e , in textiles or machines and similar devices. F r o m this point of v i e w , w e m a y find logi- cal j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r speaking of semantic f a c t o r s based on class inclusion. C e r t a i n l y , this concept proves h e l p f u l in establishing codes f o r terms. Examples of Factors Indicating C l a s s Inclusion C y t o l o g y C E L ; S I C ( c e l l ; • science) C u r i e R A X ; L E M (radia- tion; element) Beer's L a w R U L ; B A S ; R A L ( l a w ; absorption; light) Chaplain R E L ; P E P (religion; person) Gasoline P E T ; F U L (petro- l e u m ; f u e l ) In discussing the establishment of codes f o r terms, r e n d e r i n g their m e a n i n g e x p l i c i t is the p r o b l e m w i t h w h i c h w e have been c o n c e r n e d . D e s i g n a t i n g a t h e r m o m e t e r as a device f o r m e a s u r i n g t e m p e r a t u r e ( M A C ; M E S ; T E M ) does not, h o w e v e r , indi- cate in w h a t respect a t h e r m o m e t e r m a y be i n v o l v e d in a g i v e n situation reported in some d o c u m e n t . T h e r m o m e t e r s m i g h t , f o r e x a m p l e , be r e f e r r e d to as being m a n u - f a c t u r e d or the d o c u m e n t m a y be concerned w i t h research on t h e r m o m e t e r s . T h e re- lationships b e t w e e n the v a r i o u s things, proc- esses, and circumstances are also i m p o r t a n t w h e n d e v e l o p i n g a system aimed at render- i n g e x p l i c i t as m a n y i m p o r t a n t aspects of s u b j e c t m a t t e r of a d o c u m e n t as m a y be ad- v a n t a g e o u s f o r s e a r c h i n g and c o r r e l a t i n g . I n a n a l y z i n g these relationships, g u i d a n c e is p r o v i d e d by the same l o g i c a l relationships as u n d e r l i e the d e v e l o p m e n t of codes em- p l o y i n g semantic f a c t o r s . W h e n i n d e x i n g a d o c u m e n t , w e m a y note, f o r e x a m p l e , t h a t a certain c h e m i c a l c o m p o u n d is used as a c o m p o n e n t of a m i x t u r e ( w h o l e - p a r t re- l a t i o n s h i p ) or t h a t a g i v e n c o m p o u n d or m i x t u r e m a y be used to t r e a t a disease ( f u n c t i o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p ) or t h a t a g i v e n m e d i c i n a l p r e p a r a t i o n has a c e r t a i n physical consistency ( a t t r i b u t i v e r e l a t i o n s h i p ) . T h e class inclusion relationship w i l l be based, w h e n c o n d u c t i n g i n d e x i n g , on some w h o l e - p a r t , f u n c t i o n a l or a t t r i b u t i v e relationship, w h i c h is m u c h m o r e e x p l i c i t in c h a r a c t e r t h a n is the case in the establishment of ter- m i n o l o g y . Linda Hall Library (Continued from page 14.1) R a r e B o o k R o o m is located at the south- east c o r n e r of the first floor, a d j a c e n t to the l i b r a r i a n ' s office. A small e l e v a t o r and t w o b o o k - l i f t s to a l l levels are located on the l o w e r stack levels. B o o k capacity of the n e w b u i l d i n g is estimated a t a b o u t one-half m i l l i o n v o l u m e s , and the t o t a l cost at less t h a n one and one-half m i l l i o n dollars. T h e r e is e v e r y indication to believe that the L i n d a H a l l L i b r a r y , w i t h a l a r g e and r a p i d l y g r o w i n g collection in science and t e c h n o l o g y , meets a real need in a region w h i c h has s h o w n a r e m a r k a b l e rate of ex- pansion in i n d u s t r i a l and t e c h n i c a l f a c i l i t i e s since the end of the w a r . W i t h a n e w b u i l d i n g , p r o v i d i n g space f o r at least t w e n t y years, and an e n d o w m e n t w h i c h should p r o v e adequate f o r the steady g r o w t h of the c o l l e c t i o n , L i n d a H a l l should become an i n c r e a s i n g l y v a l u a b l e research asset. APRIL, 1955 19 7