College and Research Libraries


t h e L i b r a r y of Congress schedules. Outside 
of the scope of the study, a p p a r e n t l y , was 
the d e v e l o p m e n t of m o r e r e c e n t classifica-
tions, a l t h o u g h a t t e n t i o n is given to the work 
of Dewey, C u t t e r , a n d others. Classifications 
subsequent to the L . C . are n o t discussed, al-
though Bliss and R a n g a n a t h a n are men-
t i o n e d . I n respect to the future, it would ap-
p e a r that the law l i b r a r i a n s o f the c o u n t r y 
should be c l a m o r i n g for the L i b r a r y o f Con-
gress to c o m p l e t e the K classification, even 
though it may n o t be (and c a n n o t be) per-
fect. Systematic a r r a n g e m e n t of materials 
still appears to make sense in terms o f econ-
omy o f use by b o t h staff a n d c l i e n t e l e . La-
M o n t a g n e properly suggests that p e r f e c t i o n 
in classification is hard to come by, a n d that 
" A rude shed provides b e t t e r p r o t e c t i o n from 
the e l e m e n t s t h a n the b l u e p r i n t s o f a man-
s i o n . " O n e p o i n t is clear; e n o u g h A m e r i c a n 
libraries have c o m m i t t e d themselves to the 
L . C . classification that they d e p e n d on the 
n a t i o n a l library to k e e p it going a n d up-to-
d a t e . — M a u r i c e F. Tauber, Columbia Uni-
versity. 

I 1 

THE SATURDAY REVIEW SAYS: 
"A great and needed work ..." 

T H E 
I N T E R P R E T E R ' S 

B I B L E 
One of the most popular, most 
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N A S H V I L L E 2 , T E N N E S S E E 

In C a n a d a : G . R. W e l c h C o m p a n y , Ltd., Toronto 
In A u s t r a l a s i a : T h o m a s C . L o t h i a n , M e l b o u r n e 

Library Surveys 

College and University Library Surveys 1938— 
1952. B y E . W a l f r e d E r i c k s o n . C h i c a g o : 
A L A , 1961. ( A C R L M o n o g r a p h N u m b e r 
2 5 ) . 115p. $3.25. 

T h i s survey of surveys provides a brief 
statement of the history of the device, de-
scribes the scope a n d l i m i t a t i o n s o f surveys 
in general, a n d provides some analysis of 
r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s made in a dozen surveys 
c o n d u c t e d between 1938 a n d 1951 out of 
n i n e t e e n cited in Library Literature through 
1952. T h e analysis covered 775 recommenda-
tions a n d a t t e m p t e d to " a s c e r t a i n to what 
e x t e n t those r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s have been 
carried out, when they were achieved, what 
the influence of the surveys was, a n d w h e t h e r 
the l i b r a r i a n s agreed u p o n the recommenda-
t i o n s . " 

As f a r as the analysis went, it accomplished 
the l i m i t e d objectives the a u t h o r set f o r him-
self in his doctoral dissertation on which this 
m o n o g r a p h is based. I n a sense this is the 
r e p o r t of a post-mortem e x a m i n a t i o n , with 
n o a t t e n t i o n paid to the a n i m a t i n g spirit 
which inspired each of the surveys, infused 
it during its o p e r a t i o n , a n d which was re-
sponsible in part f o r the successes a n d fail-
ures recorded. T h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n on tabula-
tion of results led the a u t h o r b o t h to give a 
misleading a p p e a r a n c e of precision in the 
results so carefully tabulated, a n d to under-
state the values of social a n d p o l i t i c a l pres-
sures which lead to correction o f deficiencies 
to which surveys are i n t e n d e d to call atten-
t i o n . 

I t is to be hoped that some imaginative 
colleague with a real interest in the value 
of surveys will take on where M r . Erickson 
left off and will e x a m i n e the twelve surveys 
covered by this m o n o g r a p h , as well as others, 
in the light of the unstated objectives of the 
surveys, of the methods of persuasion used 
to effect changes, and of the r e s u l t i n g 
changes in the library climate o f the 
i n s t i t u t i o n s affected. A d m i t t e d l y this ap-
proach is difficult, b u t the results of 
such a study would c o n s t i t u t e a valu-
able sociological d o c u m e n t at least as 
persuasive as M r . Erickson's t a b u l a t i o n s . — 
Marion A. Milczewski, University of Wash-
ington Libraries. 

J U L Y 1 9 6 2 3 5 7