College and Research Libraries


Of New Libraries and 
Futuristic Libraries 

THE COMPLETELY AUTOMATED "futuris-
tic" library could become a reality in a 
newly-born college or university in the 
very near future, possibly within three 
years. 

Almost one hundred new colleges and 
universities are to be created in the 
United States within the next five years. 
T~s is not a crystal ball prediction; it is 
a s1mple fact, based on known legislative 
actions, definite appropriations, the exis-
tence of paid planning staffs, and build-
ings going up. In California alone, six 
new junior colleges, three new state uni-
versities (albeit components of the Uni-
versity of California), and two new state 
colleges are coming into being. Four of 
these five new campuses for higher edu-
cation will each have more than ten thou-
sand students within a decade. In other 
states, also, such as Florida, New York, 
and Colorado, among others, machinery 
has been put into motion to produce large 
new colleges and universities. 

One or more of these fast growing col-
leges and universities, unfettered by vest-
ed interests as reflected by existing staffs, 
book collections, and old buildings, may 
well develop the first totally automated 
library. It is entirely possible, of course, 
that one of the new smaller colleges will 
be the first to own and operate all of the 
electronic equipment, machines, devices, 
and services, thus to earn the accolade 
"futuristic library." Small size and mod-
erate growth potential, however, would 
limit economic feasibility, and automation 
could be administered another setback! 
On the other hand, it might be sound 
fiscal policy to buy full automation at the 

JULY 1964 

BY CLARENCE GORCHELS 

Mr. Gorchels is Librarian of California 
State College at Palos Verdes. 

outset for library service in one of the 
colleges which will grow from one stu-
dent to ten thousand students in the im-
mediate future, such as the University of 
California at Irvine, Denver State Col-
lege, Florida Athmtic University, or the 
California State College at Palos Verdes. 

What new electronic machines and de-
vices are likely to be of special value to 
these budding futuristic libraries? 

Of course, electronic computers are 
basic. It would be redundant here to re-
count in detail the potential usefulness of 
computers in the storage and retrieval of 
knowledge, 1 in cataloging, in circulation 
work, and in maintaining serial records. 
Details of these operations have been 
covered quite adequately by other writers. 
Up to now, however, the writers have 
acknowledged that the cost of using com-
puters in these processes has been al-
most prohibitive. Random access com-
puters are far too expensive for libraries 
alone "to keep." Recent developments in 
the computer world, however, may mean 
that libraries can have a continuing share 
of computer time (with immediate and 
constant access to the computer) without 
total cmt;tputer time expense. Especially 
encouragmg are the means of sharing 
random access computer time developed 
by the System Development Corporation 
of Santa Monica, California. 

While discussions of computers and 

~ Espe~~ally re~ommended is the article by Marjorie 
Griffin: The Library of Tomorrow," Library Jour-
nal, LXXXVII (April 15, 1962), 1555-57. 

267 



their potential usefulness to libraries have 
appeared in library journals rather fre-
quently, heretofore writers have not indi-
cated an awareness of the existence of 
other specific automated devices and ser-
vices which can be valuable. True, such 
terms as "closed circuit television" and 
"microminiaturization" have been airily 
tossed about as possessing a pleasant if 
somewhat vague significance for aca-
demic libraries in the future. But the fu-
ture for these assets is now, because ap-
propriate equipment is already available. 

Already in use is Phonoscope, a com-
pact two-way audio and visual instru-
ment, being used in classrooms in Texas 
and probably elsewhere. Imaginative peo-
ple will disagree with the holier-than-thou 
statement from the manufacturers of 
Phonoscope: ''From its inception, televi-
sion has been considered as inherently a 
one-way communication tool." Yet, as a 
system which is designed specifically to 
incorporate features of both television 
and telephone, to provide face-to-face 
communication between two or more 
points, Phonoscope can be of noteworthy 
value in many libraries. To have a librar-
ian actually available at every readers' ser-
vice station during all of the seventy to 
one hundred hours per week that a col-
lege or university library is open is pro-
hibitive in cost and wasteful of the talents 
of good readers' service librarians. A two-
way Phonoscope set up at every service 
point, with each instrument tied to all 
others, and all "answerable" by a librar-
ian stationed at any one service desk, will 
make possible the availability of profes-
sional reference service at all points every 
hour the library is open. Incidentally, the 
education given in good library schools 
to equip librarians with an excellent gen-
eral background for reference work will 
be more appreciated than ever. Expert 
generalists and teachers of the use of the 
library will be valued once more despite 
the popularity of the subject -divisional 
plan of library organization. 

One of the more promising micromini-

aturization concepts for libraries is the 
Magnavue system developed at Magnavox 
Research Laboratories in Torrance, Cali-
fornia. The equipment developed for this 
system makes possible the automatic se-
lection and reproduction, on demand, of 
any page or document in a "stack" or file 
of six hundred and seventy-five thousand 
pages in an average of thirty seconds. 
During a normal working day, five thou-
sand pages or documents can be "re-
trieved" and two thousand new pages can 
be added to the stack. Actually, the stack 
is an electronic storage drum of pages (or 
drawings, or maps, or catalog cards, or 
order records) which have been reduced 
to "3 inch x 35 mm." microfilm chips. To 
say more about the obvious uses of a sys-
tem like Magnavue in libraries would be 
gilding the lily. 

A number of other means of saving 
space and time in the futuristic library 
already exists, of course, including the 
opportunity for subscribing to journals, 
such as Wildlife Diseases, which are is-
sued only in microform without interim 
publication on paper. 

To supply library materials in depth, it 
is expected that the fledgling libraries will 
be connected (for immediate interlibrary 
loans) with libraries owning more com-
prehensive resources. Of course, it is no 
longer necessary physically to send bound 
volumes from one library to another, as 
photo-duplication is widely used. Now 
even the mailing of photocopies can be 
eliminated, because transmission of hard 
copy over telephone wires is a reality. 
"AI Pur Com" (All Purpose Communica-
tion System) developed by the Alden Re-
search Center in Westboro, Massachu-
setts, is one of a number of systems which 
make possible the speedy delivery to a 
reader of microfilm copies or hard copies 
of pages of a publication held in a dis-
tant library. 

It is possible that there are now fewer 
electronic machines (other than com-
puters) designed to expedite the work of 

(Continued on page 284) 

268 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



their present positions, the difference was 
not significant. This means that the great-
er experience found for the white librar-
ians in terms of total number of years 
worked as a professional librarian before 
the present appointment did not neces-
sarily indicate movement from one library 
to another or the number of years of ex-
perience in the present position. 

CONCLUSION 

The effects of professionalization and 
standardization were reflected in the edu-
cational preparation of the Negro chief 
librarians. To a great extent, they had 
received professional education from the 
same accredited library schools as the 
whites, and they had become full-fledged 
members of an occupation not yet fully 
professionalized but one that is moving 
along the continuum of professionalism. 

·Achievement of this status by Negro 
librarians has resulted from a combina-
tion of efforts: ( 1) to improve Negro 
colleges and their libraries, so that they 
might compare favorably with colleges 
and college libraries in general; (2) to 
prepare professionally educated Negro 
librarians to staff the college libraries; 

NEW AND FUTURISTIC 

(Continued from pag e 268) 

the technical services than there are to 
aid the reader services. Yet, at least one 
kind of machine appears to be most use-
ful in the technical services operations. 
Punched tape typewriters, such as the 
Flexowriter, are invaluable in library or-
der and processing work. Moreover, 
punched tape typewriters have been found 
to be particularly useful when wedded 
to a random access computer, as has been 
done at the Hanford Atomic Energy 
Works library in Richland, Washington. 

Finally, one basic service for nurturing 
automation is not yet on the market. Eyes 

and ( 3) to meet standards for college li-
braries and librarians, as they have been 
set forth by the Southern Association and 
the ALA. 

Although Negroes entered the field of 
librarianship later than whites, and al-
though Negro college library develop-
ment lagged behind that of college li-
braries in general, there have been per-
sistent efforts, especially since 1925, to 
develop a body of professionally educated 
Negroes for the occupation of librarian. 
It is important to note that the strides 
which have been made in this direction 
were not fostered primarily by Negroes 
themselves. In a large measure, the finan-
cial support for library education for N e-
groes in the South and the leadership 
from the library profession came through 
the sponsorship of white philanthropic 
foundations and white leaders in both the 
fields of education and librarianship. Ne-
gro men and women have been eager 
to enter the field of librarianship and to 
take advantage of the opportunities for. 
professional education. The findings of 
this investigation reflect this combination 
of efforts. 

•• 

are focused on the Library of Congress, 
expectantly waiting to see the initiation 
of the distribution of.Library of Congress 
catalog cards on magnetic tape. This is a 
possible service which has been dis-
cussed for some time among librarians 
interested in automation. When this ser-
vice is perfected, electronic computers 
can produce for libraries on demand cata-
log cards untouched by human hands. · 
Unquestionably, among the first subscrib-
ers for this new service will be the li-
braries of the new colleges and universi-
ties. 

•• 
284 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES