College and Research Libraries


a u t h o r i n d e x . T h e i n d e x provided in the 
book does not include a u t h o r entries for the 
references. T h e c o m p i l a t i o n of one list 
would have revealed that R e i c h m a n n , Blas-
ingame, a n d J a h o d a used the second edition 
o f R o b e r t S. Casey's Punched Cards, Their 
Applications to Science and Industry, and 
that T h o m p s o n a n d Hickey used the first edi-
tion. T h e c o m p i l a t i o n would have revealed 
interesting failures to cite f u n d a m e n t a l chap-
ters in Casey's book, such as that R e i c h -
m a n n does n o t refer to M a d e l i n e Berry's 
c h a p t e r ten, " A p p l i c a t i o n of P u n c h e d Cards 
to L i b r a r y R o u t i n e s " although T h o m p s o n 
does; T h o m p s o n missed W i l d h a c k and 
Stern's c h a p t e r six on the Peek-a-Boo Sys-
tem because he c o m p l e t e d his part before the 
second edition was published; n e i t h e r R e i c h -
m a n n , T h o m p s o n , nor B l a s i n g a m e cites R e e ' s 
extensive c h a p t e r three on commercial equip-
m e n t and supplies; and Miss Hickey's part 
would be improved had she seen my c h a p t e r 
n i n e t e e n on " H o l e s , Punches, Notches, Slots 
and L o g i c . " 

T h e book presents many examples o f de-
ficiencies. B l a s i n g a m e (p. 113) quotes one 
advantage of machine-sorted cards as " R a p i d 
sorting, even when there are very large num-
bers of cards." T h e o r i g i n a l article refers to 
o n e m a c h i n e only, the collator, for sorting 
on 16 characters, and states that it will re-
q u i r e 4 hours 16 m i n u t e s to search 100,000 
cards, using b o t h feeds together. L i b r a r i a n s 
will not be impressed by such speed! T h i s 
q u o t a t i o n a n d related discussion are given 
u n d e r the general account of punched cards 
in l i t e r a t u r e searching; they b e l o n g u n d e r 
the " S i n g l e C a r d — M u l t i Field M e t h o d " on 
pages 117-18. 

T h o m p s o n writes (p. 68) of " t h e rhom-
boid design of the squares" of D e l t a feature 
cards; this is geometrically impossible. I have 
checked these examples. R e i c h m a n n says (p. 
33): " I n the vast b i b l i o g r a p h i c a l organization 
o f the L i b r a r y o f Congress almost all known 
m e t h o d s of i n f o r m a t i o n retrieval are em-
ployed ( n o n - m e c h a n i c a l , semi-automatic and 
fully mechanized); the activities o f these in-
stallations are c o o r d i n a t e d by a C o m m i t t e e on 
Mechanized I n f o r m a t i o n R e t r i e v a l . " N e i t h e r 
part o f this sentence is true; there are no fully 
mechanized i n f o r m a t i o n retrieval systems 
anywhere. J a h o d a quotes Shaw in 1956 (p. 
193-94) to the effect that a c o m p l e t e Mini-
card installation should cost a b o u t $ 3 5 0 , 0 0 0 

for o n e unit o r $ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 each if 100 sets were 
produced. T h e r e are several o p e r a t i o n a l 
M i n i c a r d systems now, b u t the cost o f o n e 
more is more nearly $2 m i l l i o n than the fig-
ures predicted. Hickey shows pictures of ma-
chine-sorted p u n c h e d cards on pages 324-26 
as " a c t u a l size," b u t they are reduced about 
26 per c e n t . 

T h e C O M A C a n d the I B M 9 9 0 0 Special 
I n d e x Analyzer are paper-tape machines with 
m e c h a n i c a l sensing, not photoelectric, as 
stated by J a h o d a (p. 167-71). Zatocards have 
plain n o t c h i n g positions, not h o l e s — R e i c h -
m a n n (p. 18). T h o m p s o n describes the Al-
p h a - M a t r e x m a c h i n e (p. 77-78) and quotes 
claims for it, without adding that only one 
e x p e r i m e n t a l model was constructed and that 
is now g a t h e r i n g dust because of cumber-
some i n p u t and o u t p u t features a n d an un-
a c c e p t a b l e n u m b e r of false drops on re-
trieval, perhaps because of poor i n d e x i n g . — 
C. D. Gull, General Electric Company. 

German Research Libraries 

Handbuch der Bibliotheksivissenschaft. 2d 
ed. V o l u m e I I . E d i t e d by G e o r g Leyh. 
W i e s b a d e n : Harrassowitz, 1961. 1025p. 

T h e second volume of the second edition 
of the Handbuch der Bibliotheksivissenschaft 
is the most comprehensive work on the ad-
m i n i s t r a t i o n o f research libraries in any lan-
guage. 

I t is especially v a l u a b l e to us for the con-
trasts it suggests between E u r o p e a n and 
American research library a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . 
T h e traditional doubts that American li-
brarians have for libraries which 1) shelve 
books by size a n d numerus currens and 2) 
offer delivery only in f o u r to twenty-four 
hours need f u r t h e r analysis. As for the 
" d o g m a of classified a r r a n g e m e n t " to which 
we are so devoted, it may o n l y be observed 
that no m a j o r research library will be able 

M A Y 1 9 6 2 271 



to secure building funds to house t r a d i t i o n a l 
codex books in this m a n n e r in the q u a n t i t i e s 
in which they should be c o m i n g i n to sup-
port research adequately. Moreover, the 
scholar who is properly t r a i n e d bibliograph-
ically is likely to p r e f e r a well-planned classed 
catalog to classified a r r a n g e m e n t . As for 
q u i c k delivery o f books, we all fincl this 
policy c o n v e n i e n t , b u t the scholar who or-
ganizes his b i b l i o g r a p h y b e f o r e h e starts 
work, a n d plans his procedure carefully, will 
find twenty-four h o u r or even forty-eight to 
seventy-two h o u r delivery (say, from M I L C 
o r some o t h e r e x t e r n a l depository) a m a t t e r 
of slight c o n s e q u e n c e . 

P e r h a p s o u r greatest benefits from the 
organizational i n t e g r a t i o n of p o p u l a r a n d 
research libraries in t h e U n i t e d States have 
n o t b e e n the traditions o f o p e n shelves a n d 
q u i c k delivery b u t t h e traditions of experi-
m e n t a t i o n and the honest willingness to face 
the seemingly u n b o o k i s h m o n s t e r o f mechan-
ization. G e r m a n l i b r a r i a n s are far from hos-
tile to m e c h a n i z a t i o n , b u t the i n a d e q u a t e 
budgets a n d the absence of well-heeled 
f o u n d a t i o n s a n d dollar-happy g o v e r n m e n t 
agencies are reflected in m a n y parts o f t h e 
Handbuch. O n the o t h e r hand, the superior 
q u a l i t y of the top level o f the staffs, dupli-
cated in only a half-dozen o r so o f o u r great-
est libraries, compensates in a certain meas-
ure f o r i n a d e q u a t e m e c h a n i z a t i o n . 

L e y h has dealt elsewhere a n d in extenso 
with t h e m a t t e r o f l i b r a r i a n s h i p as a pro-
fession, a n d his i n t r o d u c t o r y essay is a codi-
fication o f his thought on the s u b j e c t . B u t -
tressed heavily with historical data a n d 
i n f o r m a t i o n on library education in the Ger-
man ies, Leyh's study is characterized by a 
strong emphasis on the scholarly aspects of 
o u r business, by the need f o r c o m m o n sense, 
and by the urgency o f self-expression. His 
ideas are free from cant, and Leyh's own 
avoidance o f b l i n d c o n v e n t i o n in all aspects 
of library work has been a formative influ-
e n c e in G e r m a n l i b r a r i a n s h i p for more than 
half a century. 

Fritz R e d e n b a c h e r has written a m a n u a l 
of acquisitions practices which with slight 
modifications to satisfy local conditions, 
could b e used as a m a n u a l in any library. 
R e d e n b a c h e r identifies the tools o f the ac-
quisitions l i b r a r i a n , defines his methods, and 
draws b r o a d outlines for policy-making. At 
times his ideas are clearly governed by the 

starvation-level b o o k funds of nearly all Eu-
r o p e a n university libraries. His book selec-
tion procedures are technically correct, b u t 
we need a s h a r p e r definition o f the methods 
of mass acquisitions a n d the various forms 
of access to the world's scholarly l i t e r a t u r e 
a n d source materials in p r i n t e d form. T h e 
a d m i r a b l e work o f the Deutsche Forschungs-
gemeinschaft in dividing fields o f emphasis 
a m o n g the W e s t G e r m a n research libraries is 
described in detail; b u t n e i t h e r this agency 
n o r o u r F a r m i n g t o n P l a n has b e e n fully sat-
isfactory for covering the c u r r e n t world out-
put of p r i n t e d m a t e r i a l fully. 

F o r all his technical correctness, R e d e n -
b a c h e r has not faced squarely the p r o b l e m 
of mass acquisitions. N e i t h e r has H e i n r i c h 
R o l o f f , whose study o f cataloging is just as 
correct, technically, as R e d e n b a c h e r ' s . Nei-
ther essay takes full cognizance of 1) the pub-
l i c a t i o n explosion o f the l a t e r twentieth cen-
tury, 2) the need o f research libraries to have 
some level o f access to all of this material, 
and 3) the practical necessity o f using ma-
chines to h a n d l e it. 

Y e t R o l o f f has much insight i n t o the es-
sential problems o f cataloging scholarly col-
lections. L i k e all Handbuch articles, his study 
provides a resume of scholarship on the sub-
ject, fully d o c u m e n t e d ; and it will, o r should 
be, a p o i n t o f d e p a r t u r e f o r cataloging the-
orists. T h e f u n d a m e n t a l problems o f entry, 
classification, a n d s u b j e c t i n d e x i n g will face 
the mechanizers o f the n e x t decade just as 
sternly as they faced H e y n e , J e f f e r s o n , or 
Panizzi. T h e essay on p u b l i c service by the 
late Gustav A b b , revised by W i l h e l m M a r t i n 
L u t h e r , describes the various levels o f serv-
ice. T h e variety of the demands o f the 
groups to whom we owe service, a n d o f o u r 
collections r e q u i r e s a more sophisticated ap-
proach than the na'ive concept o f g e t t i n g 
the right b o o k to the right person at the 
right time. O v e r three centuries of solid 
tradition u n d e r g i r d the studies o f A b b and 
L u t h e r , and they give us a much-needed per-
spective. O n the o t h e r hand, L u t h e r , who has 
seen the scrumptious a p p o i n t m e n t s o f some 
post-1945 A m e r i c a n libraries, is keenly aware 
of the need for physical facilities conducive 
to constructive reading, w h e t h e r for research, 
study, o r r e c r e a t i o n . 

F . A. Schmidt-Kiinsemuller's essay on li-
brary b i n d i n g reflects the similarity o f li-
brary b i n d i n g problems in E u r o p e and 

2 7 2 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 



A m e r i c a . His common-sense definitions o f 
the b i n d i n g responsibilities of a research li-
brary will be useful on b o t h sides of the 
A t l a n t i c . 

T h e t r e a t m e n t of special libraries by Nor-
bert Fischer is perhaps more v a l u a b l e for 
the description o f special library organiza-
tions and individual libraries, especially in 
E u r o p e , than for an exposition o f adminis-
trative principles. W h i l e certain b r o a d prin-
ciples can apply to g e n e r a l research libraries 
in all countries, the details of o p e r a t i o n o f a 
medical library, for e x a m p l e , are somewhat 
different from those o f an art library. F o r this 
reason Alfons O t t ' s essay on the music li-
brary will be more useful to music l i b r a r i a n s 
than Fischer's will be to o t h e r special li-
brarians. 

Leyh's essay on shelving a n d call n u m b e r s 
reflects his broad knowledge of practices in 
o t h e r countries, a n d his decades o f successful 
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of a m a j o r research library 
c o m m a n d serious a t t e n t i o n to his words. 
T h o s e o f us who see forty thousand to o n e 
h u n d r e d thousand volumes a year p o u r i n g 
i n t o o u r stacks may live to regret the day 
that we d i d n ' t heed Leyh's warnings a b o u t 
classified a r r a n g e m e n t for the b u l k o f o u r 
holdings. 

Leyh's study of library statistical records 
involves definition a n d e x p o s i t i o n r a t h e r 
than analysis. T h e vagaries of library records 
are so confusing that the simple and practical 
a p p r o a c h is difficult even w i t h i n homoge-
neous groups. Leyh urges consideration of 
large bodies of statistical data r a t h e r than 
isolated facts, separation of the f u n d a m e n t a l 
from the secondary, thoughtfulness in mak-
ing comparisons. 

H e i n r i c h T r e p l i n a n d H i l d e b e r t K i r c h n e r 
study laws governing library use, acquisition 
a n d disposal o f u n n e e d e d books, copyright 
law (including policies on p h o t o g r a p h i c 
copying), a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l law (especially 
in c o n n e c t i o n with destruction a n d " l i b e r a -
t i o n " by military action). L i b r a r y legislation 
in the U n i t e d States is generally studied in 
a m u c h n a r r o w e r sense (mainly covering laws 
on p u b l i c m u n i c i p a l a n d state-wide library 
service), a n d the b r e a d t h o f the T r e p l i n -
K i r c h n e r approach deserves serious consid-
e r a t i o n by authors of o u r manuals on re-
search library a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . 

T h e late H u g o Andres Kriiss' c o n t r i b u t i o n 
on i n t e r n a t i o n a l aspects o f library work was 

copied verbatim from the first edition of the 
Handbuch ( I I [1933], 717-752), a n d Brey-
cha-Vauthier covers the last three decades, 
i n c l u d i n g the d e v e l o p m e n t o f the interna-
tional F e d e r a t i o n of L i b r a r y Associations, 
U N E S C O , i n t e r n a t i o n a l aspects o f documen-
tation a n d standards, a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l li-
braries (mainly of the U N ) . 

T h e c o n c l u d i n g c h a p t e r on library archi-
tecture by L e y h a n d G e r h a r d L i e b e r s is o n e 
of the most v a l u a b l e in the e n t i r e work. As 
customary for all Handbuch essays, there is a 
significant a n d instructive historical intro-
duction. Liebers, who has travelled in the 
U n i t e d States, gives a perceptive a n d critical 
analysis of t h e n u m e r o u s new buildings here 
in the last decade a n d a half, a n d he is 
a b l e to e x t r a c t some basic principles from 
o u r b r o a d e x p e r i e n c e , extensive theorizing, 
a n d exchanges of ideas. A t the same time he 
does n o t overlook new library b u i l d i n g s in 
o t h e r parts o f the world, a n d he is able to 
r o u n d out the historical a n d theoretical ma-
terial in Leyh's section to form a b r o a d and 
c o h e r e n t s t u d y . — L a w r e n c e S. Thompson, 
University of Kentucky Libraries. 

Standards at Work 
The Sioux Falls College Library: A Survey. 

B y M a r k M . Gormley a n d R a l p h H . H o p p . 
Chicago: A L A , 1961. iii, 34p. $2.50. 

T h o s e f a m i l i a r with library surveys might 
consider this slim volume, at first glance, 
scarcely o f passing interest. S i o u x Falls Col-
l e g e — c o e d u c a t i o n a l , l i b e r a l arts, d e n o m i n a -
tional, e n r o l l m e n t 4 9 6 — i s typical o f hun-
dreds of its genre. Its library is hardly u n i q u e 
(discouragingly), reflecting years o f semistar-
v a t i o n : collections l a m e n t a b l y small, staff 
skeletal, b u i l d i n g i n c a p a b l e o f accommodat-
ing foreseeable e n r o l l m e n t increases. 

T h i s r e p o r t is in turn typical (in the best 
sense) of what a college a d m i n i s t r a t i o n may 
e x p e c t u p o n r e q u e s t i n g a library survey un-
der A L A auspices: a visit by a team o f able 
a n d e x p e r i e n c e d l i b r a r i a n s — h e r e , the execu-
tive secretary o f A C R L , and the associate 

M A Y 1 9 6 2 2 7 3