College and Research Libraries ~----------------------------------------------------~------------------------ J. MARTIN KLOTSCHE The Role of the Academic Library in Urban Development I Many of the problems of the city can best be resolved within the urban university because it is one of the few agencies which in one way or another is concerned with all urban problems. The same range of interest and breadth of mission should be assumed by the urban university library. Three special problems faced by the library in the urban institution are 1) the need to serve well the part-time student; 2) its responsibilities to the local business and professional commu- nities; and 3) its obligations to the general public. It canno·t, however, be all things to all men so must always seek to fulfill those functions which it is uniquely qualified to do well. No ONE CAN any longer question the fact that the central issue of our times revolves around the problem of our cities. Yet to conclude that the metrop- olis, because it is no longer viable, is ob- solete, is unrealistic and irrelevant. For a society based on science and tech- nology is inevitably urban, and the trend cannot be reversed. Our cities are here to stay. As a matter of fact, those who contend that the city is doomed fail to understand its historic role. The very word "city" suggests that it is the generator of civilization. Cities can be the repository of good things and cen- ters of innovation if we but have the will .and courage to make them so. Here the university in the city can play a major role, for success in over- coming our urban ills will depend in large part upon whether or not the uni- Dr. Klotsche is Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This paper was read to AC RL' s Urban Universities Libraries Committee meeting on June 25, 1968. 126/ versity scholar is able to focus new di- rections of inquiry and investigation up- on some of the problems of our cities. It has always been a responsibility of the university to relate itself to the changing needs of society, .and the evi- dence is substantial and conclusive that it has done so in the past. All aspects of life whether they be -government, in- dustry, agriculture, or labor, have bene- fited from universities in the past. There is no reason why the complexities of urban life should be an exception. If the universities cannot intellectualize our communities .and influence the so- cial and economic currents of our cities, then they have little reason for exist- ence. Most universities located in cities have not seen their task in this light. Some, like Columbia and Harvard, view themselves as national and not urban. Others, not typically urban, have been too preoccupied with their own short- comings and have thus been more ori- ented to the avoidance of failure than j - J The Academic Library in Urban Development I 127 to a positive affirmation of their role. This no longer suffices, for the urban university must identify itself with its environment in the same manner that land-grant institutions of the past re- lated themselves in a meaningful way to the problems of field and farm. In short, the urban university must provide the intellectual muscle to give our cities strength and viability. The academic library of the univer- sity has a special role in this respect. The problems of our cities are complex and multi-faceted. They cut across many lines .and are not the monopoly of any one department or unit of the univer- sity. The training of professionals, which has always been the responsibility of the university, is a case in point. Today all of the major disciplines of the uni- versity are being called upon to train manpower for our cities. Our meh·opoli- tan areas need the urban sociologist, the human ecologist, the public administra- tor, the cultural anthropologist, and the legal specialist versed in zoning and land use, to cite a few examples. Poverty and the ghetto are the concern of all, and the university needs to make a total commitment of its resources in this area if it is to make a contribution. The so- cial scientist, the philosopher, the artist, the engineer, and the natural scientist- all touch aspects of urban life, whether the problem is one of sanitation and transportation, of land use, of the dis- advantaged in our ghettoes, or of crime and poverty. Since the university, of all institutions in our society, comes closest to being able to identify itself with the whole of the urban scene, the academic library can become one of the units within the university to reflect that totality. Ad- ministrators and university librarians should view the university library in that light. In addition to the general commit- ment of relating itself to the totality of the urban scene, there are specific areas to which the library should address it- self. Traditionally it has concerned it- self with the full-time undergraduate and graduate student, providing them with instructional materials and other aids. The library has also been a central tool for full-time faculty members in pursuit of their own research. But the library located in .a city has some ad- ditional requirements imposed upon it. Three of these are: . 1. It has responsibility to the part- time commuting student. Many students enrolled in our urban uni"Yersities work during the day and come to the campus only once or twice a week in the eve- nings. As a result they find the regular service of the university library inap- plicable to them. Yet in many urban universities the part-time student rep- resents more than one-half of the total enrollment. The Association of Urban Universities, in a recent study of its eighty-seven members, found that four- teen institutions had over 60 per cent of their students enrolled part time, eight- een had at least 50 per cent, forty-seven enrolled between 25 .and 50 per cent on a part-time basis, while only eight had less than 25 per cent. Too often the university is geared to the full-time student. The pressure, for example, to extend library hours on uni- versity campuses has come from the full- time student. The part-time student is usually an after-thought and is short- changed in many ways. Many library departments are not open to him. Nor are many of the professional staff avail- able to him. Furthermore, part-time faculty seldom participate in the col- lection development of a library. Often they limit course readings to textbooks rather than utilizing special library as- signments. The special requirements of the part- time student need to be examined by the university library. The new policy of the University of Wisconsin-Milwau- 128 I College & Research Libraries • March 1969 kee of remaining open twenty-four hours a day was designed to meet this situa- tion. The part-time student needs to have continuous access to the library on the one or two days a week that he is on campus attending classes. The one- year experiment has been a success and will be continued in the future. It is un- likely, in fact, that it will ever be given up. The opening of the library around the clock has had some other interest- ing by-products. Night hours have now begun to attract daytime students, es- pecially at examination time, while in- creasing pressure is being put on other university units, such as the student union and recreation facilities , to re- main open around the clock. Administrators and librarians should examine carefully the special needs of the part-time student. Often he is ac- cused of being less able and soft on in- tellectual matters . Actually he is serious, mature, and highly motivated. The real problem has often been that the univer- sity has not been geared to his needs and requirements, and the library is no exception. 2. It has responsibility to business, in- dustry, and the professions. There are, of course, many special libraries in this country, created to meet the special re- quirements of a specialized and indus- trialized society. But in spite of this fact, business and industry still need to de- pend on the large research library and other facilities of the university that can never be matched by the special li- brary. The relationship of the university li- brary to research and development in the community has not yet been fully understood. Again, the traditional po- sition of the library as catering primarily to the full-time student and faculty member has stood in the way. Yet more and more, industries, especially those that depend on research and the new technology, identify proximity to the university as a major consideration in site location. The clustering of research laboratories around Harvard and MIT are classic examples. The availability of libraries and the policy which the li- brary has about its use by non-univer- sity students has often appeared as a factor in inquiries made by industries seeking new locations. At the University of Wisconsin-Mil- waukee library services to industry, busi- ness, medicine, and education repre- sented 16 per cent of its total business during the academic year 1967-68. A question does arise about how such serv- ices are to be financed and whether special fees should be charged. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee no charge is made. The fact that it is state supported is a partial answer, al- though there are some private univer- sities that provide such services on a non-fee basis. But whatever policy is pursued, it is important to remember that the university library can become an important connecting link between the university on the one hand and the research and development elements of industry on the other. Also, we should not lose sight of the fact that there are often tangible re- wards with compensations that come back to the university when such serv- ice is rendered. In Milwaukee, for ex- ample, such corporations as A. 0. Smith, Allis-Chalmers, and Allen Bradley have given substantial collections to the uni- versity which in turn contribute to the enrichment of its total resources . 3. It has responsibility to the general public. Continuing education is one of the essential parts of the educational revolution taking place in this country today. Full-time employees seeking to keep abreast of developments in their area of concentration, advanced profes- sionals wanting to keep current in their areas of specialization, housewives re- leased of the responsibility of pre-school children, and citizens who simply want to satisfy some special interest of their r --------------------------------------------------------------------------------~ The Academic Library in Urban Development I 129 own, are all turning to the university to satisfy these needs. With advances in technology, increased specialization, and additional leisure time, adult education has already become one of this country's growth industries. Evening instruction, part-time courses, seminars, and conferences are a part of this story. But the library also has a role to play. Too often it has ignored its re- sponsibilities in this area and has not seen itself as a service agency designed to help satisfy the ever-growing, insatia- able appetite of adults to continue their education. To meet this need, the Uni- versity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee now is- sues patron permits to people of the area who, as holders, are given the priv- ilege of using library facilities. A word of caution does need to be expressed. The university always needs to see its special and unique role and not duplicate services already being per- formed by special libraries in the com- munity or by public libraries . There also needs to be greater recognition of the interdependence of libraries with better coordination among all of them for com- mon library use. In pursuing a selective course, the academic library is no different from the urban university itself. It is con- stantly being subjected to community pressures to accept new responsibilities and engage in new activities. If it moves ahead without discrimination and care, it will spread its limited resources too thin and will be carrying on activities not in keeping with the true purpose of the university. The university has a more important role than simply being the servant of society. It should aim to be respected, not to be popular. This can best be done by performing those functions which only a university can perform and reserving for others activ- ities not properly those of a community of scholars, namely, those of promoting the cause of learning and scholarship. The training of the intellect must at all times be the primary concern of the university. The university, including its library, would do well to be governed by this precept in examining its role in urban society. • •