College and Research Libraries


In the last chapter, which deals with the 
years since World War I, the story becomes, 
not surprisingly, more of a local chronicle, 
albeit within limits useful, detailed, and, as 
elsewhere, based on thorough research. A 
success story thread runs through this latter 
portion, climaxed by the benefactions of 
Mrs. Bertrand, the donor of a new building 
(1951) and a $5,000,000 library endowment. 

This book is a welcome addition to the 
modest shelf of scholarly histories of Ameri-
can academic libraries.-John C. Abbott, 
South ern Illinois University , Edwardsville: 

Labor Service 
Library Service to Labor. Compiled by Doro-

thy Kuhn Oko and Bernard F. Downey. 
New York: Scarecrow Press, 1963. 313p. 
$ 6.50. 

I was pleased to see the publication of this 
anthology on library service to labor, for 
much of what has been written appeared 
originally in publications of limited distribu-
tion and has long since gone out of print. 
Furthermore, many of the librarians and 
labor educators who pioneered this unique 
program and recorded their experiences have 
retired from the scene and a new generation 
is carrying on the work. 

The articles in the collection are taken 
largely from the Newsletter and Guide of 
the Joint Committee on Library Service to 
Labor Groups, established by ALA in 1945, 
with representatives from libraries and or-
ganized labor. They are written by thirty-
four librarians and labor educators, includ-
ing such veterans as Dorothy Bendix, who 
for a number of years directed the service to 
labor at Newark Public library; Ida Goshkin 
of the Akron Public library; Ruth Shapiro, 
formerly with the Milwaukee Public library; 
and-from the labor movement-John Cos-
grove and Otto Pragan of the AFL-CIO De-
partment of Education, J. W. O'Connell of 
the International Association of Machinists, 
and Sally Parker of the American Federation 
of Teachers. University programs in workers' 
education and labor relations are represent-
ed by Anthony Luchek of Wisconsin, Shirley 
F. Harper of Chicago, and others. I miss 
Mark Starr of the Ladies' Garment Workers 
in the anthology, but perhaps what he has 
written is more readily available elsewhere. 

The selection was made and appropriate 
commentary provided throughout by Mrs. 
Dorothy Kuhn Oko, long-time head of labor 
service at the New York Public library and 
for many years the guiding force on the 
joint committee, and by Bernard F. Downey, 
librarian of the Institute of Management 
and Labor Relations at Rutgers. 

The anthology opens with several articles 
explaining why labor has been singled out 
for special library attention and presenting 
the historical background of cooperation 
between librarians and trade unionists. 
There follows a number of articles on the 
practical aspects of establishing and operat-
ing public library programs directed to 
organized labor, building labor book collec-
tions, and serving educational programs con-
ducted by trade unions. Finally, there are 
reprints of case studies of public libraries 
that have had exemplary programs for labor: 
Akron, Boston, Milwaukee, New York, and 
Newark. A related area, not covered by the 
collection, is the interpretation of the labor. 
movement and labor problems to students, 
a concern of many high school librarians. 
But perhaps this is another book. 

There is a good balance between the practi-
cal "how to do it" and the inspirational "why 
it's worth doing." Perhaps more than any 
other area of librarianship, service to labor · 
calls for personal involvement in and sympa-
thy with the group to be served. It is not the 
kind of library assignment that one can ac-
cept casually, and, for many, it has become a 
lifelong career of dedication. Much of this 
spirit is reflected in the pages of this anthol-
ogy, which should serve as a handbook and 
guide to the present generation of librarians 
serving labor groups.-Ralph E. McCo y, 
Southern Illinois Univ ersity. 

Lilli put 
The Small College Library. By Sister Helen 

Sheehan. Westminster, Md.: The Newman 
Press, 1963. 216p. $3.50. 

The happy conjunction of a thorough and 
level-headed approach to a great need, and 
adequate and proper backing by the ACRL 
has resulted in this small volume the intent 
of which is to 'translate theory into action.' 
The theory concerns several aspects of man-
agement of the small academic library, and 

342 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES