College and Research Libraries


Review Articles 
Education of Librarians. 
Major Problems in the Education of Li-

brarians. Edited by R o b e r t D . Leigh. N e w 
Y o r k , C o l u m b i a University Press, 1954. 
x, 116 p. $2.50. 

T h e s e papers, or chapters, prepared for pub-
lication by L a u r e t t a G . M c C u s k e r , K a t h l y n 
Johnson M o s e s and Frances M . Pollard, g r e w 
out of reports in a seminar conducted by D r . 
Robert D . Leigh, at the School of L i b r a r y 
Service, Columbia University. A l l three 
authors w e r e seasoned librarians and teachers 
before entering this seminar class in 1952/53. 
F o u r additional members of the course, w h o 
w e r e unable to continue the w o r k into the 
second semester, nevertheless presented papers 
which have been used as a basis for three of 
the present chapters and part of a fourth. 

F o l l o w i n g a f o r e w o r d by D r . Leigh, the 
three authors present six chapters, the first 
of which consists of an introduction. T h i s 
covers historically the development of, and 
problems in, the training of librarians. T h r e e 
chapters deal respectively w i t h the education 
o f : ( 1 ) special, ( 2 ) village, ( 3 ) school and 
children's librarians. A n o t h e r valuable chap-
ter relates to a work-study program in the 
library field. T h e sixth and last chapter con-
stitutes a summary of the material covered in 
the foregoing sections and is entitled: " A 
G e n e r a l P r o g r a m f o r the Education of L i -
brarians." 

T h e introduction, the chapter covering the 
work-study program and the final chapter are 
all necessary to round out this small book. 
T h e first two, however, present little that has 
not been said before in various articles and 
books concerned with library education. 

T h e chapter devoted to special librarians 
gives a brief description of the birth and w o r k 
of the Joint Committee on L i b r a r y Education 
of the Council of N a t i o n a l L i b r a r y Associa-
tions. H e r e the reports of the seven subject 
areas ( l a w , journalism, medicine, science-
technology, finance, theater, music) are out-
lined. A n attempt is made to tie up these 
reports w i t h the general difficulties of train-
ing special librarians. T h e authors suggest 
that many of the problems might be solved 
by setting up a t w o - y e a r program f o r intern-

ship as has been described in the chapter de-
voted to w o r k - s t u d y programs. F u r t h e r 
development of this suggestion might have been 
h e l p f u l ; the elucidation of the advantages 
stressed might in the f u t u r e provide material 
for a separate article. 

" T h e T r a i n i n g of V i l l a g e L i b r a r i a n s " 
stresses the problems of the librarian, generally 
untrained, in the small town library. Condi-
tions known to exist in N e w Y o r k State form 
the basis f o r the development of the theme. 
T h e part played by the state extension agency 
in aiding small libraries is explained, as w e l l 
as the f a c t that help f r o m this source cannot 
solve all the shortcomings of libraries manned 
by w o r k e r s w h o are ill-prepared to cope with 
the diverse conditions of low pay and limited 
hours of opening. 

T h e chapter on the training of school and 
children's librarians forms at once the most 
critical and constructive element of the book. 
Agencies f o r training these types of librarian 
are so varied and the curricula differ so widely 
as to extent and purpose that the authors state 
w i t h considerable t r u t h : "Plainly, there is no 
common design or standard f o r the profes-
sional education of librarians serving children 
and young people in the United States." 
A f t e r considerable discussion of the training 
and duties of school and children's librarians, 
the authors arrive at the conclusion, in accord 
w i t h the recommendations of a workshop, 
held at the University of Chicago in 1951, 
that there should be the same f r a m e w o r k of 
education f o r both types of librarian. B e t t e r 
integration between undergraduate and grad-
uate programs is also deemed necessary. 
Practical recommendations as to the accredit-
ing of library training agencies and solutions 
for the certification of these t w o types of 
librarian are likewise presented. 

A n appendix furnishes a calendar f o r sug-
gested two-year w o r k and study plans. F o u r 
alternate plans are submitted, though it is 
stated that these are merely illustrative of 
others that might be evolved. 

A section entitled "Bibliographic N o t e s , " 
which is in t w o parts, completes the volume. 
T h e first part contains nine basic w o r k s on 
education for librarianship, each of which is 
annotated. A list of nineteen unannotated 

218 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



items follows. M a n y of the latter seem more 
pertinent to the subject matter of the book, 
and more necessary to qualify and summarize 
because they are less familiar to the average 
librarian. 

A s a brief, introductory volume to certain 
of the problems encountered in the education 
of librarians, this text w i l l no doubt serve a 
useful role. O n e might quarrel with the title, 
since there are other m a j o r problems which 
have not been included. F o r instance, are 
there no difficulties in the training of r e f e r -
ence librarians, catalogers and administrators? 
In a second edition the present title might be 
amended so as to suggest more clearly the 
trend of the contents.—Harriet D. Mac-
Pherson, Drexel Institute of Technology. 

R a r e Bibles 
Rare Bibles; an Introduction for Collectors 

and a Descriptive Checklist. By E d w i n 
A . R. R u m b a l l - P e t r e . N e w Y o r k , Philip 
C . Duschnes, 1954. 53 p. $6.00. 
T h i s is a revised edition of the w o r k of the 

same title issued in 1938. Its compiler, the 
late Rev. R u m b a l l - P e t r e , w h o died in July, 
1954, is said to have been the only bookman 
who dealt exclusively with rare editions of the 
Bible. 

In scope and arrangement the two editions 
are similar, beginning with " I n c u n a b u l a , " 
continuing w i t h " P o l y g l o t s , " "English Bibles," 
"Bibles Printed in A m e r i c a , " " H e b r e w , G r e e k 
and L a t i n Bibles," and "Bibles in M o d e r n 
L a n g u a g e s other than English." T h e sections 
f o r " M i s c e l l a n e o u s Bible Portions" and " C u r i -
ous Editions of the Bible" cut across the 
other categories both in time and language. 

T h e r e are 378 items listed as against 345 
in the first edition, the incunabula section, 
increased from twenty to forty items, being 
responsible f o r the greatest number of addi-
tions. Aside f r o m this, the main difference 
between the t w o editions is in the character 
of the notes. In the first edition there w e r e 
occasional references to prices but these have 
been omitted in the revision and the descrip-
tions are limited to bibliographical and his-
torical data. 

Revision barely touched the bibliography. 
O n l y a half-dozen additions appear and one 
of these w a s published in 1838. I t seems 
strange that it w a s added while such a w o r t h -

APRIL, 1955 

while aid to the modern collector as the Pier-
pont M o r g a n L i b r a r y ' s catalog of their 
exhibition of Bibles in 1947 w a s not included. 
T h e number of volumes of the Gesamtkatalog 
has not been brought up to date nor w e r e 
later editions of w o r k s mentioned that have 
been brought out in new editions since 1938. 

T h e compiler made it clear that the basis 
f o r his selection w a s rarity coupled with some 
historic or distinctive feature. But for some 
unexplained reason he did not include a single 
one of the Bibles famous because of their il-
lustrations, for example, the Cologne Bible, 
the Lubeck Bible or the M a l e r m i Bible. 
A m o n g famous modern editions Bruce Roger's 
Lectern Bible is listed but not his W o r l d 
Bible. H o w e v e r it is individual taste that 
makes collectorship interesting and this is a 
useful handbook f o r a collector or historian 
of printing. 

T h e t w o editions are witnesses of the 
change in book production during these last 
t w o decades. T h e 1938 publication of 500 
copies reflects the fine printing of the day in 
the quality of the paper, the generous margins, 
and the eight illustrations which enliven the 
text. T h e 1954 edition of 600 copies has a 
slightly longer text compressed into ten less 
pages by crowding more w o r d s on a page of 
less attractive paper; there are no illustrations 
and the price is exactly double that of the 
1938 edition.—Bertha M. Frick, School of 
Library Service, Columbia University. 

Book Collectors 
Private Book Collectors in the United States 

and Canada. 10th rev. ed. N e w Y o r k , 
R. R. B o w k e r , 1953. 417 p. $20.00. 

T h e importance of the private book collector 
to librarians and to the f u t u r e of the libraries 
under their care is something too clearly evi-
dent and, indeed, too widely recognized to 
require either persuasive argument or elab-
orate demonstration. 

O n e has but to reflect upon some of the 
names which adorn the fagades and which are 
found engraved upon the bookplates of li-
braries large and small all across the land 
to realize that the private collector has in the 
past played, and in an increasingly prominent 
manner continues to play, a vital role in the 
development and enrichment of American 
libraries. 

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