College and Research Libraries By W I L L I A M K. B E A T T Y The Medical Library of the University of Missouri TH E M E D I C A L L I B R A R Y of the Univer-sity of Missouri is currently enjoying the most productive and active era in its history. T h e beginning of the library is shrouded in the mists of missing records. In 1846 the St. Louis Medical College (better known as the "McDowell Med- ical College") served as the medical de- partment of the University. T h i s articu- lation was severed ten years later. During this decade all course work was carried on in St. Louis. T h e medical school in Columbia was established by the curators of the Uni- versity on December 10, 1872. Instruc- tion, patterned after the system at the University of Virginia, began on Febru- ary 17, 1873. T h e Medical Library prob- ably had its origin shortly after this. In 1886 a cooperative arrangement was made with the Missouri Medical College in St. Louis. T h i s enabled the students who had spent their two years in Colum- bia to finish up the third and fourth years in a closely affiliated institution. T h i s arrangement proved to be unsatis- factory and was canceled in 1890. Before 1903 the Medical Library was located in the school's quarters or in the main library. When McAlester Hall was built room was set aside for the library. T h e library took over enlarged quarters in the new wing, opened in 1923. T h e Medical Library is a branch of the university library system. A major effect of this centralization is to decrease the space needed for processing in the Mr. Beatty is Medical Librarian, Uni- versity of Missouri. branch libraries. Current expenses for the medical library are included in the University Library's budget. T h e furnish- ings, however, were paid for by the School of Medicine. T h e old library was separated from the hospital and was several blocks from the School of Nursing. T h i s led to the growth of collections outside the library. T h e lighting and seating arrangements were inadequate. T h e students were not able to lose themselves in their books in the library because of the biochemistry and pathology laboratories just below. On a typical Missouri summer day the readers were well aware of the "practi- cal" side of medicine. Overcrowding in McAlester Hall had reached desperate proportions before the move. Each new shipment from the bind- ery meant the removal of a sufficient number of books and journals to provide space for the newcomers. T h i s older material was scattered around the cam- pus making efficient service difficult. T h e lack of space led to higher and higher shelving until ladders were needed to re- trieve some of the more distant volumes. T h e small, chopped up, reading area dis- couraged attendance. T h e current jour- nals were shelved in cubbyholes where they often became crushed or torn. T h e night assistant was convinced that the li- brary had mice, but was unable to ex- plain why the marauders nibbled only French journals. T h e State Legislature in 1951 author- ized the expansion of the School of Medicine to a full four-year curriculum. T h e first full class of seventy-five was ad- MAY 1959 205 mitted in the fall of 1956 and the first class to receive the M.D. degree was graduated in J u n e 1957. T h e expansion of the student body to approximately three hundred (from fifty) combined with increases in the School of Nursing and in the staff of the Teaching Hospital affected the seating and space require- ments in the new library. During the planning stage for the new Medical Center the dean of the School, and various committees and officers of the University, visited some thirty medi- cal schools throughout the country. These tours and the services of two medical-librarian consultants were ex- tremely valuable. T h e Medical Center is a single build- ing composed of three parts. T h e seven- floor Teaching Hospital faces south, the four-floor Medical Sciences Building faces north. Joining these is a two-floor link. This link contains the library, auditorium, several offices and small laboratories. T h e main entrance of the library is on the level of the main floor of the Medical Sciences Building and of the second floor of the Teaching Hospital. Elevators at each end of the link place the library within easy reach of the whole Center. T h e library has three levels, can seat 139 readers, and hold 100,000 books. T h e total area is just under 13,000 square feet. This includes approximately 7,750 square feet of stack space, 4,200 of readers' area, and slightly less than 1,000 of work space. T h e library is air- conditioned and has controlled hu- midity. This adds to the comfort of the readers and staff as well as to the preser- vation of the collection. T h e upper level includes the reading room (central study area and the cur- rent periodicals section), seven study rooms, the work room, and the librarian's office. T h e reading room is seventy-three feet in length and is forty feet in width in the central study area and fifty-five in the current periodicals section. T h e cur- rent periodicals section is set off from the central study area by waist-high island shelving. T h e four large windows comprising most of the east wall run from the ceiling down to waist-high shelving. T h e ceilings are white acoustic tile, and fluorescent (standard cool white) strip lights have been set flush with the ceiling. T h e floors are natural-color cork tile, another aid in damping sound. T h e walls of the central study area and the eastern two- thirds of the current periodicals section are a light green. T h e western third of the current periodicals section, the en- trance to the library, and the card catalog and shelf-list area, are done in a sunny yellow as this part of the reading room is the farthest from a natural light source. Paging lights are located at the north and south ends of the reading room. T h e apronless library tables in the central study area have a light wood finish. They are arranged to combine maximum seating with a feeling of space. T h e tables are of several shapes and sizes. T h e fifty-eight wooden side chairs with upholstered backs provide a varied color scheme. T h e backs are solid colors and include eight different color and finish combinations. T h e circular tables have chairs with wooden arms. A large periodical index table provides space for the recent volumes of the major in- dexing tools. Six small wooden stools provide easy-to-handle seating for this table. T h e main entrance is located near the south-west corner of the reading room. T h e circulation desk, just south of the stairs to the stacks, is some dis- tance from the main entrance. T h e current periodicals section at the south end of the reading room, has been broken into thirds to provide a sense of intimacy and comfort by two peninsular sections of double-faced waist-high shelv- ing jutting out from the south wall. Six- 206 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH L I B R A R I E S - foot shelving covers the south and west walls of the area. Waist-high shelving is under the window on the east wall. T h e shelving in this section is wooden and adjustable. Sloping and flat shelves are combined so that current and back issues are immediately available. Lounge fur- niture, two- or three-man sofas, comfort- able chairs, and low circular tables pro- vide an atmosphere of relaxation and ease. T h e seven study rooms are located at the north end of the reading room. Five of these are equipped with blackboards and have a table and chairs for either six or four. T h e tables are similar to those in the reading room but the chairs are all wood. T h e remaining two rooms are for typing and are equipped with in- dividual tables (one room has two such tables, the other has one). All seven have electrical outlets for microfilm readers, dictating machines, phonographs, etc. T h e r e is no natural light in this area and the use of a bright coral on the walls livens up the rooms and connecting hall. T h e ceilings are of white acoustic tile and the floors are natural cork tile. Large glass panels in each room and door prevent feelings of claustrophobia and also facilitate supervision. T h e work and librarian's office are located on the west side of the central study area. T h e walls and ceilings of both rooms are in the same light green found in the reading room. T h e floors are mottled green and white asphalt tile. T h e furniture in the two rooms is gray steel with black washable tops (desks and tables), and the chairs are upholstered in cinnamon. T h e work room has a separate entrance from the hall, doors to the card catalog area, circulation desk, and li- brarian's office. T h e room contains two typist's desks, several tables and filing cabinets, a large sink, combination ward- robe and supply closet, and adjustable metal shelving which covers the north wall. An electric typewriter speeds up clerical work and enhances its appear- ance. T h e upper level entrance for the book-truck elevator is located here. T h e book-truck elevator serves all levels of the library. By this means the shelvers are able to take the loaded book trucks directly to the stacks and so substantially cut the time involved in this daily task. T h e librarian's office is just north of the work room and has doors to the work room and to the reading room. T h e two levels of stacks are identical in lay-out. A central north-south aisle connects with the stairs and a second north-south aisle provides access to the sixteen individual gray study carrels located on each level. T h e carrel desks have washable composition tops and the aluminum chairs have bright red up- holstered backs, arm-rests, and seats. Fifteen double-faced sections of adjust- able gray metal shelving run east and west on each level, with single-faced shelving at each end. Windows cover the upper half of the east wall. T h e white ceilings reflect the fluorescent lights, the green walls add a touch of color, and the treated concrete floors facilitate main- tenance. T w o tables back on to the book- truck elevator shaft and provide ample sorting space. T h e third entrance to the library opens into a vestibule at the north end of the lower stack level. T h i s vestibule contains space for storage of furniture or books (adjustable metal shelving lines the west wall) and a large sink. T h e outer door opens onto the lowest floor of the Medical Sciences Building. As a result of this arrangement any part of the Medical Center is accessible either by person or by book truck. T h e move into the new library was complicated by the previous enforced scattering of the collection among three different buildings. T h e major portion was that shelved in the old library in McAlester, but there were approximately ten thousand volumes shelved or boxed MAY 1959 207 in the University Library and in the maintenance building. T h e move presented an excellent op- portunity to rearrange the bound jour- nals alphabetically by title. They had previously been shelved according to the classification number. A master list of journals, arranged alphabetically by title, was compiled with notations for shelf- footage required and the location of the volumes themselves. Because of the des- perate space problems in McAlester a single journal title often would be located in two, three, or even four places on the campus. Twenty-seven book trucks were un- earthed in the different parts of the uni- versity library system and were com- mandeered for the move. T h e shelved portions of the collection were trans- ported on these. Each truck would be "double shelved," roped securely, and then taken to the nearest loading dock. T h e only elevator in McAlester had no stop on the library floor so the loaded book trucks had to be carried down two flights of stairs. When nine book trucks were on the dock they were loaded on a two-ton truck and transported to the new library. Fortunately, sufficient workers were available to keep the books moving. T h e shelves in the new library had been labeled. Professional staff members were at each end of the move with the ap- propriate lists. Experienced shelvers from the University Library loaded and un- loaded the book trucks. A group from the student labor force shuttled the book trucks between the various loca- tions. T h e complete move, from the taking-off of the first book to the opening of the new library, took eleven and a half days (the work force varied between five and fifteen). T h e library is now open eighty-three hours a week (an increase of sixteen over the McAlester era) and has a full-time staff of three (two professional, one clerical). There are also six student as- sistants (including a typist) who provide a total of eighty hours a week. Photoduplication is one of the more active services currently provided by the library. A Cormac is used for this. T h e machine is easy to use and maintain. Student assistants do most of this work. T h e usual varieties of work are done but the library also performs an additional service. Twice each week photorepro- duced tables of contents of selected journals are mailed to nine of the eleven departments in the School of Medicine (two have recently joined the original seven) and to the School of Nursing. De- partmental selections range from six to eighty-five journals but overlapping has kept the total number of titles near two hundred. T h e library puts out a news bulletin each month during the academic year, and bimonthly in the summer. This contains a selective list of recent ac- quisitions, items describing the library's activities, a list of staff publications, and historical notes primarily about local physicians and events. T h e physical comfort, attractive sur- roundings, and convenient location of the library have created some problems. Many of the university dormitories and temporary housing units are closer to the Medical Library than they are to the- University Library. There is also a con- venient snack bar in the basement of the hospital. All this has necessitated a gradual tightening of regulations con- cerning the use of the library. When the library opened in Septem- ber 1956, everyone was welcomed. In the winter the study rooms were re- stricted to those connected with the Medical Center. In the spring the stacks were similarly limited and the reading room was restricted to Medical Center personnel during week-day evenings. No student is ever denied access to material here in the library, and undergraduates 208 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH L I B R A R I E S - wishing to use the library on a long- term basis may apply for permits. Several surveys of the use of the library have been compiled. T h e most compre- hensive was made late last year (1956), before any restrictions had been put in force. Questionaires were filled out and returned by 365 readers (187 medical, 178 non-medical). Of the 178 non-medi- cal readers only 12 per cent were using material housed in the library. T h a t de- cisive measures were needed to remedy this situation is obvious. After a year of use, several points, pre- dicted or unforeseen, are evident. T h e study rooms are the most popular part of the library. T h e y receive heavy use dur- ing the day and are continuously crowded in the evening. T h e blackboards are most helpful for working out the mathe- matical, chemical, and anatomical aspects of medicine. T h e sound-proofing per- mits discussion or use of tape recorders, etc., without disturbing other readers. T h e sloping shelves for current issues of the journals have met with favorable response, particularly from those who must keep up with the literature by weekly or semi-weekly visits to the li- brary. T h e lounge furniture in this area has received considerable praise. T h e library shares two wall display cases at a heavily frequented location. T h i s provides a useful point outside the library for publicizing the collection, services, etc. T h e circulation desk is the only part of the library that shows the need for pronounced changes. T h e desk, as shown by a year's use, does not provide enough space or sufficient control for the reserve books, does not provide easy access to the card catalog (to assist readers using the catalog), and it does not provide ade- quate control over the entrance to the stacks. All these problems, however, can be rectified with only minor changes. An intra-campus library messenger service has recently started. T h i s con- siderably decreases the time spent by the reader in locating material. T h i s will undoubtedly become a popular service. T h e new Medical Library is an attrac- (Continued on page 221) Rare Books Conference Plans for the A C R L Rare Books Section conference to be held at the University of Virginia, J u n e 18-20, are now complete. T h e meeting will cover various topics in- cluded in the section's rare book manual, a preliminary edition of which will be ready for distribution prior to the conference. A general discussion and critique of the work will be the subject of the first panel meeting. Subsequent meetings will be devoted to such specific topics as the problems of appraisals, insurance, and tax ex- emption; Civil War collections; cataloging and classification for the elements other than subject and author; promotion and publishing with reference to exhibitions, keepsakes, catalogs, etc.; the collection of portraits, prints, broadsides, and ephemera; and the problems connected with collecting material related to specific areas or his- torical periods. Relations between libraries and antiquarian booksellers and auction houses will also be discussed. ' T h e program has been planned by J o h n Cook Wyllie, secretary of the section and librarian, University of Virginia; William H. Runge, acting curator of rare books, University of Virginia. MAY 1959 209 N e w L.S.U. Library (Continued from page 196) first day of classes. T h e staff members in all areas were alert to the numerous ques- tions of location which would be asked, and, identified by small plastic name tags, they were on hand to give what help was needed. From the vantage point of only a couple of months' experience we think the students and faculty found their way with remarkable ease. Natural- ly this was gratifying to watch. T h e L.S.U. Library is big and bright, convenient and comfortable. It has a floor plan which merits study,2 and it has a plan of operation which may be of in- terest elsewhere. T h e most important thing about it, however, is not its size but the flexible, adaptable quality of its interior, and this characteristic is of use in buildings a tenth the size or three times as big. Such a building does not just happen. It is the result of much thought on the part of many people over many months. University faculty and administration considered various library possibilities for more than a decade. In 1954 the 2 A C R L L i b r a r y Building P l a n s I n s t i t u t e . " P r o c e e d - ings of the Meetings A t . . . Rosement College, J u l y 3, 1 9 5 5 . " Edited by W a l t e r W . W r i g h t . Chicago: A C R L , 1956. ( A C R L Monograph Number 1 5 ) , pp. 146-153. Louisiana legislature appropriated $3,- 500,000 to build it. Even before that con- sultants, Angus Snead Macdonald and Keyes D. Metcalf, had given advice. T h e firm of Bodman and Murrell and Smith, known for some time as outstanding Bat- on Rouge architects were chosen, along with their associates, Post and Harelson, to design the building. Visits were made by architects and library and university personnel to several buildings around the country. Everything possible was done to call on expert advice, and at every stage the library was consulted and was kept informed of all decisions. At all times the library administration was able to make its wishes known—and in al- most all cases its wishes became those of the architects and the university. At least the three essential groups knew each other's viewpoint and differences could be resolved or accepted. While it cannot be assumed that Loui- siana State University has perfected its library service, it is safe to say that its new library is a distinguished one which was planned with care and which by design can be altered as new needs arise or new approaches are suggested. Missouri Medical Library (Continued from page 209) tive and efficient place. T h e effective use of color on walls, ceilings, floors, and furniture is a major factor in creating the comfortable and alive feeling in the library. T h e use of the collection, oral and written comments by staff, faculty, and students, and the day-to-day activities of the library staff, all emphasize the ad- vantages of'the new quarters. It is heart- ening to see the library become such an active part of Missouri's new Medical Center. MAY 1959 221