College and Research Libraries By L U L A K. P R A T T Integration of the Junior College Library with Instruction IN S T R U C T O R S N E E D all sorts of materials —fragments from Plato, recent infor- mation on the theories of Einstein, or a page from the Congressional Record-—to give adequate instruction to students in this changing world. Out of these vari- colored threads of man's thought, feeling, and actions the master teacher weaves his course pattern. Consequently the whole operation of library services needs to be rethought by teachers, librarians, and administrators of colleges. By reading widely in his field, the teacher gradually acquires a sense of historical perspective, of the dynamics of general education, a feeling of belonging to an on-going, suc- cessful, and powerful movement. Illumi- nation on how other teachers and librar- ians working together in other colleges are devising new tools and techniques or adapting old ones to a problem should be helpful in improving the program of instruction as well as in building morale and efficiency. T h i s study was initiated at Connors State Agricultural College in 1956 with a two-fold purpose in mind. (1) T o learn through the combined thinking of in- structors, librarian, and administrative officers of the college the extent to which the library can be used in the program of instruction. (2) T o use the survey made at this college as a basis for part of a panel discussion on " T h e Library Serves the Junior College," for a general session of the Junior College Division of A C R L , at Kansas City.1 It was thought that 1 Paper presented at the meeting of the J u n i o r Col- lege Section, A C R L , A L A Conference, Kansas City, Mo., J u n e 25, 1957. Mrs. Pratt is Librarian, Connors State Agricultural College, Warner, Okla. out of the study might grow a research project for junior colleges of the nation. High-points of the Survey. In a sixty- point questionnaire,2 instructors, librar- ians, and administrators look at their own responsibilities of the college in re- lation to the entire teaching program. An instructor considers how well he, in his own work, is using library facilities, cooperating with the library staff, and di- recting students to library resources. T h e librarian considers how well he is cooperating with the instructors, having a part in the teaching program, helping plan the curriculum of the college, and assisting students in using the library. T h e administrator learns that he needs to recognize the library as an important teaching laboratory of the college, pro- vide adequate and trained personnel on the library staff, consider carefully the assignment of classrooms, give the librar- ian an opportunity to serve the entire college program, and provide adequate allocation of funds for both library and instruction programs. Findings at Connors College. It was significant that all instructors, the li- brarian, the president, and the deans of the college participated in this survey. Fields of instruction at Connors Col- lege in which the integration of the li- brary with instruction now receive ma- jor emphasis are biology, history, home economics, humanities, library science, psychology, religious education, sociol- ogy, and speech. Those fields with minor emphasis are agriculture, art, business, dramatics, English, foreign languages, industrial arts, journalism, mathematics, 2 Copies of this questionnaire may be borrowed f r o m the a u t h o r . MAY 1958 201 music, physical education, physical sci- ences, and R . O . T . C . A summary of other general findings is as follows: 1. All staff members at C o n n o r s College have a clearer idea of o p p o r t u n i t i e s a v a i l a b l e for the integration of the library with in- struction. 2. Some instructors immediately increased r e q u i r e m e n t for work in the library. (As an e x a m p l e , instructors in R . O . T . C . for the first time r e q u i r e d a research p a p e r . E a c h fresh- m a n was assigned an i m p o r t a n t battle of some war in which the U n i t e d States par- ticipated. H e analyzed a n d gave documen- tary evidence of all m a j o r incidents of the battle. Special emphasis was given to the way the c o m m a n d i n g officers carried out the nine basic "Articles of W a r " in directing the battle.) T h i s was an interesting assignment. 3. Instructors came to the library to re- fresh their memory as to what books are a v a i l a b l e in their teaching area. 4. T h e librarian was m a d e conscious of the o p p o r t u n i t y she h a d for serving the p r o g r a m . 5. Instructors were alerted to turn in re- quests for books to be ordered. 6. T h e l i b r a r i a n a n d some instructors worked out p l a n s for the supervision of li- brary r e a d i n g for classes when instructors have to be absent f r o m the college. 7. T h e administrators at C o n n o r s recog- nized the library as b e i n g the "central lab- oratory of the c o l l e g e " to be used as a def- inite p a r t of the instruction p r o g r a m . F u n d s were p r o v i d e d for its growth insofar as cur- rent b u d g e t allows. T h e a m o u n t of f u n d s for the purchase of books for the coming year was substantially increased. A C R L University Libraries Section (Continued from page 193) tion of Research Libraries so as to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and competition in the same general field. In view of the present unwieldiness of our membership and the complete absence of any organizational structure or articula- tion, the only way to make some head- way was to appoint a Steering Commit- tee, which met for the first time at the 1958 Midwinter Meeting to attempt to determine what activities we should undertake. All members are urged to funnel ideas to the members of this com- mittee. T h e committee will work closely with the A C R L Special Committee on Activities and Developments, which has been studying the place of A C R L within the reorganized A L A and developing rec- ommendations for an A C R L action program. Next, it was pointed out that our links with the A C R L B o a r d of Directors did not seem sufficiently strong and direct to enable us to carry forward any kind of active program which requires effective presentation to the board and active sup- port by the board. It was, therefore, sug- gested that all members carefully study the provisions of the proposed A C R L Constitution, particularly Article V, Sec- tion 2, and transmit their ideas to the A C R L B o a r d of Directors before it is too late, that is, before the Constitution will come u p for final adoption at the San Francisco Conference in J u l y of 1958. T h e most difficult task before us and one which will require much ingenuity and resourcefulness on the part of each and every member, but particularly of the members of the Steering Committee is to determine what activities are appro- priate for us to undertake as a g r o u p within A C R L and A L A to further the development of university libraries. It is not enough to feel in a vague sort of way that we should become more productive and more effective. We must get down to specifics and attempt to identify the ma- jor problems facing university libraries jointly and then determine what can be done about them through g r o u p effort. 202 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES