College and Research Libraries


T h e Future of Library Service and 
Education for Librarianship 

BY F R A N K L. S C H I C K 

WHEN Library Trends was launched in July 1952, Robert Downs wrote 
in the introduction to the first issue that 
"it was the consensus of advisors that li-
brary science has reached a stage in its 
growth where synthesis and interpreta-
tion are required. . . . In no existing or-
gan, however, has one been able to secure 
a well-rounded view of the state of prog-
ress of any particular area of librarian-
ship. No source has brought together 
widely scattered fragments into a coher-
ent and connected whole. It was agreed, 
accordingly, that this sort of integration 
should be the primary aim of Library 
Trends. . . . In substance the purpose is 
to offer a general status quo statement of 
social, political, educational, and eco-
nomic tendencies now affecting libraries, 
with some forecasts of things to come and 
attempts to identify areas in need of 
further investigation."1 

Nine years after the first issue, the 
goals and purpose, so well chosen, re-
main unchanged, but several departures 
were made in the July and October 1961 
issues. 

Emphasis is shifted from status quo 
to forecasting. In attempting to look 
ahead it is essential to base our crystal 
gazing on the solid foundation of the 
1960 census data. Since statistical projec-
tions belong to a discipline outside the 
librarian's province we were fortunate 
to secure the assistance of Philip M. 
Hauser, chairman, department of soci-
ology, and director, population research 
and training center of the University of 

1 Robert B. Downs,: "Introduction," Library Trends, 
I ( 1 9 5 2 ) , 3. 

Dr. Schick is Assistant Director, Library 
Services Branch, Office of Education, Depart-
ment of Health, Education, and Welfare. 

Chicago, and former deputy director of 
the U.S. Census Bureau, to join our team 
of distinguished librarians and special-
ists, in a field already familiar to him.2 

In dealing with all types of libraries 
and several areas cutting across the in-
stitutional aspects, such as their human 
and material resources, the task grew 
beyond the confines of one issue. 

While Library Trends can look back 
on the tradition of obtaining the best of 
professional writing without compensa-
tion, the demands made on Dr. Hauser 
for tabulations and charts required as-
sistance which had to be remunerated. 

T h e Council on Library Resources 
provided two grants which permitted the 
preparation of the supporting materials. 
Departing again in the preparation of 
Library Trends from the established cus-
tom, it seemed important to coordinate 
the work of our twenty contributors not 
just through correspondence but to 
arrange for two meetings which would 
permit the authors to indicate to Dr. 
Hauser what particular subject fields his 
projections should cover. Travel funds 
for these conferences were provided for 
a number of participants by a grant from 
the Grolier Foundation. As a result, Li-
brary Trends became for the first time 
the grantee of two foundations. T h i s fi-

2 Philip M. Hauser: "Community Developments and 
Their Effects on Library Planning," Library Quarterly, 
X X V I I ( 1 9 5 7 ) , 255-56. 

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C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S 



nancial assistance assured the publica-
tion of our issues. 

T h e first contributors' meeting was 
held in October 1960 in the U.S. Office 
of Education in Washington, the second 
in January 1961 at the Edgewater Beach 
Hotel in Chicago preceding the 1961 
ALA Midwinter meeting. Active partici-
pants in the meetings and resource per-
sonnel sans pareille were my colleagues 
in the L S B : Herbert A. Carl, Nathan M. 
Cohan, Mary Helen Mahar, J o h n Carson 
Rather, and Rose Vainstein. 

T o cope with the materials in two is-
sues with different deadlines and to pre-
sent the profession's viewpoint to the 
American public, which could be writ-
ten only by the executive officials of the 
American Library Association, it was de-
cided to approach the subject in three 
stages: 

1. T h e preparation of Dr. Hauser's 
lead article and supporting ma-
terials which form the bases for the 
elaboration of the subject specialists 
(together with the Introduction 
published as Part I in the July 1961 
issue). 

2. T h e articles of the subject special-
ists. 

3. T h e summary section of David H. 
Clift and Germaine Krettek (Items 
2 and 3 published as Part I I in the 
October 1961 issue). 

T h e preparation of the two issues, in-
cluding editorial arrangements, the se-
lection of topics, and the selection of au-
thors took two years. How sincere the 
profession's cooperation was is evidenced 
by the acceptance of writing assignments 
at the first invitation by all but four 
authors. 

Independent of this project, the Li-
brary Services Branch obtained authori-
zation in 1960 from the Office of Educa-
tion to cosponsor with Western Reserve 
University an institute on education for 
librarianship, to study areas of mutual 
concern to faculty members of library 

schools and practitioners in the field. 
In December, Jesse H. Shera, R u t h 
Warncke, J o h n G. Lorenz, and this writer 
discussed the manner of presentation in-
cluding the preparation of preconference 
papers. At this meeting, it was suggested 
that the July and October 1961 issues of 
Library Trends be used as conference 
working papers. With the approval of 
Harold Lancour and the contributors, 
this added use of the issues has been in-
corporated in the institute's program. 

T h e Institute on the Future of Li-
brary Education, Demographic Aspects 
and Implications, is scheduled for April 
1962 in Cleveland. It will be directed 
toward an exploration of needed adapta-
tions in emphasis and subject content in 
the programs of study, research activities, 
and curricula of library schools through 
anticipated changes in the demographic, 
social, and economic conditions. 

T h e Institute will bring together be-
tween 100 and 125 librarians and library 
administrators from school, college, uni-
versity, public, and special libraries and 
faculty members of library schools to 
plan joint programs. T h e three-day in-
stitute will consist of addresses and sym-
posia stressing the impact of demographic 
changes on the individual, social institu-
tions, and educational policies, and their 
effect on library services, their organiza-
tion and institutional interrelationships. 

T h e general sessions will be followed 
by group meetings which will consider 
detailed aspects such as library personnel, 
requirements for future services, admis-
sion requirements, and types of degrees 
to be conferred. Each of the groups will 
work on different aspects of the recom-
mendations, which will be submitted to 
the attendants for adoption. The Journal 
of Education for Librarianship will pub-
lish in a special issue the papers and the 
recommendations of the institute. 

T o assist participants and discussion 
leaders, a conference workbook and back-
ground material will be prepared and 
sent in advance to all registrants. 

J A N U A R Y 1 9 6 2 17