College and Research Libraries


T h e r e are some subjects omitted w h i c h 

one wishes w e r e included. T h e section 

on bibliography of individuals m i g h t have 

given space to the tendency of a minority 

to keep these, so f a r as possible, out of the 

bibliography number and to send them, 

along w i t h biography of individuals, to the 

n a r r o w e s t possible subject position. 

T o sum up, w e can say that there w i l l 

be m a n y differences of opinion concerning 

various decisions in the Code for Classi-

fiers. T h e r e w i l l be, as M r . M e r r i l l says, 

frequent need to m o d i f y one's o w n copy of 

the Code to meet local needs or types of 

service. T h e book is a valuable addition 

to texts f o r l i b r a r y schools and it is an 

indispensable tool f o r the classifier's desk. 

—Elizabeth D. Clark, University of Mis-
souri Library, Columbia. 

Archives and Libraries. A . F . K u h l m a n , 

ed. A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y Association, 

1 9 3 9 . i o 8 p . $ 1 . 7 5 . ( P l a n o g r a p h e d ) 

T H E PROCEEDINGS of the C o m m i t t e e on 
A r c h i v e s and L i b r a r i e s of the A m e r i c a n 

L i b r a r y Association, published in 1 9 3 7 and 

1 9 3 8 w i t h those of the C o m m i t t e e on P u b -

lic D o c u m e n t s , are issued as a separate 

publication in 1 9 3 9 . T h e papers included 

w e r e presented at a joint meeting of the 

A . L . A . C o m m i t t e e on A r c h i v e s and L i -

braries, P a c i f i c coast members of the 

Society of A m e r i c a n A r c h i v i s t s , and the 

Historical R e c o r d s S u r v e y . 

T h e first f o u r papers report on the 

progress of the inventory and publications 

of the H i s t o r i c a l R e c o r d s S u r v e y by C o l -

onel J . M . S c a m m e l l , regional d i r e c t o r ; 

the immediate and long range p r o g r a m s 

f o r the survey of L u t h e r H . E v a n s , 

national d i r e c t o r ; and proposals f o r en-

suring the perpetuation of the results of 

the survey. D o r s e y W . H y d e , J r . , of the 

N a t i o n a l A r c h i v e s , makes t w o suggestions: 

first, a national p r o g r a m f o r the establish-

ment of adequate archival agencies; and 

second, the immediate appointment of cen-

tralized " f i n d i n g " bureaus to keep up to 

date c a r d files on changes a f f e c t i n g the 

status of archives listed in the survey in-

ventories. T h e o d o r e C . B l e g e n , of the 

M i n n e s o t a H i s t o r i c a l Society, describes 

the m a n u a l on the w r i t i n g of local his-

tory, presumably l a r g e l y by amateurs, 

w h i c h he is preparing f o r the Social S c i -

ence Research C o u n c i l . 

T h e t w o papers on cataloging by E v a n -

geline T h u r b e r of the N a t i o n a l A r c h i v e s 

and G r a c e L e e N u t e of the M i n n e s o t a 

H i s t o r i c a l Society illustrate concretely the 

f u n d a m e n t a l differences between the cata-

l o g i n g problems of the archivist and of the 

manuscript c u r a t o r . A f a i l u r e to recog-

nize these differences is responsible f o r 

the chaotic condition of so m a n y archival 

catalogs. 

A description of three outstanding w e s t -

ern manuscript repositories by their respec-

tive curators is f o l l o w e d by an exposition 

of the application of microphotography 

in their respective institutions. T h e 

papers as presented at the conference w e r e 

accompanied by photographic exhibits. 

H e r b e r t I . Priestley describes the B a n -

c r o f t L i b r a r y , G e o r g e P . H a m m o n d the 

Spanish archives in the U n i v e r s i t y of N e w 

M e x i c o , and C a p t a i n R . E . H a s e l d e n and 

L o d e w y k Bendikson, the H u n t i n g t o n L i -

b r a r y . 

V e r n o n D . T a t e of the N a t i o n a l A r -

chives summarizes the discussions on the 

application of microphotography to archi-

v a l w o r k . D r . H a m m o n d points out t w o 

of its limitations. H i s institution has been 

forced to the expense of m a k i n g enlarge-

ments of its films because of damage f r o m 

careless use in the projectors and com-

plaints of eye strain involved in extensive 

188 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



use of reading machines. O n e other limi-
tation not mentioned is that current rec-
ords which involve comparisons between 
documents, as most current records do, 
cannot be used efficiently on films because 
of the time involved in threading films in 
and out of the reading m a c h i n e s . — M a r -
garet C. Norton, Archives Division, Illi-
nois State Library, Springfield. 

Report of the President [of the Carnegie 
Corporation]. Carnegie Corporation 
of N e w Y o r k , 5 2 2 F i f t h A v e . , N e w 
Y o r k , 1 9 3 9 . 9op. 

ACCORDING to President Keppel, the 
Carnegie Corporation does not consider 
the year 1 9 3 8 - 3 9 to be one of outstanding 
achievement in its history. Be that as it 
may, no person concerned with the prob-
lems of higher education should fail to 
read this report, for it indicates the diffi-
culties that beset a group of men earnestly 
trying to direct the resources of a huge 
fund into the most productive American 
and British educational channels. T h e 
problems, plans, hopes, and fears of such 
men are of vital interest to those of us 
w h o are trying to achieve a better educa-
tional system. 

Especially interesting to this reviewer 
are the discussion of a somewhat new 
emphasis upon timeliness in making cer-
tain grants, the remarks upon general edu-
cation and the relation of the professions to 
the community, and the conclusion, in 
which the progress of the American peo-
ple in the fields of interest of the corpora-
tion since its creation in 1 9 1 1 is surveyed. 

T h e report begins with an account of 
the general effect of world-wide unrest 
and uncertainty upon the investment poli-
cies of the corporation. T h e s e policies 
have been made even more conservative 
than before with the result that the 5 per 

cent interest rate on Carnegie Corporation 
investments of 1 9 2 7 has shrunk to 3 . 0 4 
per cent this year. T h e dwindling in-
come from investments is one very concrete 
factor that makes the corporation uncer-
tain about the future. T h e long-term 
programs for the development of adult 
education, library, fine art, and museum 
facilities which consume about three-fifths 
of the Carnegie income have not been a f -
fected greatly, but the corporation has been 
very careful in making long-term com-
mitments with the remaining two-fifths. 

T h e main body of the report and a large 
section of the Appendix summarize the 
w o r k and appropriations of the corpora-
tion so succinctly that a brief review can 
only send its reader to the original. In 
the opinion of this reviewer, the report's 
most challenging idea relates to academic 
degrees and their slight significance today 
as signs of educational achievement: 

O n l y in a f e w strong professions . . . can 
it be said that the possession of a degree to-
day necessarily means anything. E l s e w h e r e , 
all too often, a degree as such may mean 
literally nothing. A l l over the country 
teaching and other vacancies are being filled 
by degrees, not by men or women, the ap-
pointing bodies accepting the diploma as a 
substitute f o r the tiresome process of really 
finding out something as to the professional 
and personal qualifications of individual 
human beings. 

It cannot be too strongly urged upon 
the corporation that some study be made 
with a view to the rectification of this situ-
ation. Such a study would be arduous 
and charged with dynamite, for it would 
touch accrediting standards and agencies, 
questions of emphasis upon teaching or re-
search for college faculty members, and 
many other controversial issues. It is pos-
sible, however, that a thorough study of 
academic degrees might throw considerable 

MARCH, 1940 189