College and Research Libraries By J O E H A R E The Encroaching Graduate Schools Mr. Hare is librarian of the University of Denver. IF WE agree that a university library capable of supporting research is one having the major part of the literature in those fields of graduate study offered by the institution, as well as a teaching, re- search and library staff capable of servic- ing it, then we may conclude that there are not more than a score of universities in the United States having adequate library resources to do graduate work in any considerable variety of departments. It follows logically that any institu- tion which cannot afford such library re- sources is misspending any funds used to maintain its graduate school. T h i s is true particularly of any money invested in li- brary research materials, namely, such ma- terials as will be used almost exclusively by graduate students and faculty, and lit- tle, or not at all, by undergraduates. In- deed, it will be the contention of this paper that such expenditures constitute an encroachment upon the needs of the un- dergraduate body, to whose instruction all American institutions, except the f e w re- ferred to above, should be restricted. Furthermore, American librarians are partly to blame that this situation exists; first, because some have not had the cour- age to assert the weaknesses of their col- lections, and the sheer impossibility of giving adequate support to graduate study, and second, because those who have called attention to the ridiculousness of such pro- grams of instruction have allowed them- selves to be ignored by the other univer- sity authorities. Librarian in an Advantageous Position In any case, now when America is so seriously pondering the continuance of its several hundreds of colleges and universi- ties, there is an opportunity for librarians to be of assistance in these deliberations, because the librarian is in the advanta- geous position of one who can advise his colleagues about the availability of re- sources which, of all things except money, should govern the policy of the institution. T h e commonness of the supposition that a college or university must grant ad- vanced degrees is attested by the fact that there is hardly suclr a school in this coun- try which does not award at least the master's degree. A n d yet the graduate students in the great majority of these institutions constitute a minor percentage of the total enrolment. And it is enrol- ment (tuition) which supports most of the endowed schools. F i f t y to 90 per cent of the operating costs of these colleges and universities are paid by tuition, with the high percentages prevailing, whereas 40 per cent is generally considered a maxi- mum consistent with high academic stand- ards. T h e state-supported schools are hardly less mercenary, in the absence of adequate constitutional guarantees. T h e r e is no valid reason for having a graduate school" in many institutions. Alumni pride in the alma mater, like the 254 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES equally intangible and unreliable pride in its football team, is partly accountable. But the more culpable are the faculty and administrative officers, who apparently cannot believe thaf their school is the equal of its neighbor if it does not excel in enterprises: variety of courses in the undergraduate school, in order to com- pete for matriculations; and variety and superlativeness of advanced degrees awarded, apparently for the sheer impres- siveness of their announcement in the bac- calaureate ceremonies and catalogs. Little Account Taken of Library's Resources Willingness of a jealous, or docile, fac- ulty, therefore, seems too frequently to have been the only criterion for decisions to give graduate instruction. N o account, or too little, has been taken of the library's resources. And this, as said above, is largely the librarian's fault. He should have asked for a showdown in the faculty meeting when the issue was decided. T r u e , he may not have been allowed there. His opinion may not have been considered important. T o o often this is a correct appraisal. Certainly the absence of cour- age, either in faculty discussion, if the librarian is present, or later if he is not, has frequently resulted in poorly advised decisions to undertake advanced instruc- tion. But the point now is that the librarian must reveal to his colleagues the limits of the resources of the library. He should insist that, if a full program of graduate study is to be undertaken, he must have hundreds of thousands, not tens of thou- sands, of dollars to spend annually. T h a t amount is spent on the libraries of the great graduate schools mentioned above— the score which have adequate library re- sources. See, for example, the multi- graphed list of library budgets issued an- nually by the Princeton University L i - brary. Or, he may find it possible to show that only a limited number of fields of graduate study may be undertaken, allowing the neighboring schools to handle certain fields in which they may have strong library re- sources. But he must insist that the fields chosen for graduate study in his institution be supported before giving his approval to their adoption. T h i s support, again, means very large amounts of money for books and capable library personnel, quar- ters, equipment, supplies, maintenance. T h e librarian should insist upon what amounts to a contract that the funds to afford his specifications be guaranteed. A definite agreement should be arrived at with the neighboring schools about cooperation in thus dividing the responsi- bilities for graduate work. Misunder- standings could be costly. It is not unusual for a great research library to spend a quarter of a million dollars in building up the collection in one field over a period of a dozen years. If two schools in the same region duplicated purchases, even though they spent less than that fig- ure, the waste would be unpardonable. It is not without some justification that this matter of cooperation and its weak- nesses is mentioned, for thusfar only limited progress has been made. T h e several state consolidations of their respective systems of higher education represent very important progress toward intelligent cooperation. But few of these state systems have yet accomplished im- pressive transfer of schools, departments and divisions to the proper institutions. Meanwhile, the privately endowed col- leges and universities continue to compete JUNE, 1940 23 7 with the state institutions, and with each other, by as extensive curricular duplica- tion as possible. I refer here to graduate instruction in particular, enormously more expensive per student, or per any other unit, than undergraduate, which is dupli- cated in nearly all of these colleges and universities as a matter of course. Correspondingly, it is evident that the great graduate schools cannot afford un- dergraduate schools. T r u e , endowments do not support the graduate schools, and they must rely for sustainment upon the tuition paid by the undergraduates. But we are aware that this is hardly fair to the undergraduate. Obviously, the grad- uate school must be further endowed. H o w ? Jointly by the states, by the fed- eral government, and by philanthropy. Certainly it would be cheaper for many states to participate in a cooperative grad- uate school, perhaps by means of scholar- ships, than to support their own separate school, or schools, as is more often the case. T h u s , a considerable part of the money now spent on their own graduate schools would be freed for use in the undergrad- uate work, providing a higher quality of instruction there. Relieved of its graduate school demands (expensive source mate- rials, as well as funded knowledge), the undergraduate library could maintain higher standards per dollar spent. A good undergraduate library is a comparatively small collection of useful books, easily and inexpensively administered and main- tained. T h a t is, a minimum of $ 2 5 , 0 0 0 per year would sustain such a library. " N u m b e r of volumes" is no longer con- sidered indicative of anything except stor- age space. " N u m b e r of titles" is a valu- able measure for a research library. But "number of useful titles" is the most re- liable standard for an undergraduate li- brary. T h e needs of teachers interested in research must be met by leaves of ab- sence, and by interlibrary loans, photo- duplication, and, of course, by occasional connived purchases. T h e college and university librarian's opportunity to give valuable advice and to participate in decisions and actions which affect the course of American education is in direct proportion to the importance of books in the scheme of education. Be- cause instruction is impossible without them, only such study as can be so sup- ported should be undertaken. M a y one not reasonably conclude, there- fore, that with the exception of the f e w great universities in this country which have the money to undertake graduate work in numerous fields, and the f e w cases where colleges or universities can afford a limited number of fields of graduate study (say, conservatively, five to ten thousand dollars per year per field for the library alone, plus a really adequate basic collec- tion of books and periodicals), with the exception of these, instruction in American colleges and universities should be limited to undergraduate studies. T h e under- graduate curriculums should be planned, insofar as these schools remain vocational, to distribute the emphasis among the schools best equipped to handle the work. And, specifically, it is the librarian's job to see that the consideration of equipment includes appraisal of library resources. 256 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES