College and Research Libraries


one or two copies of precisely those new 
books which students want to read and 
will r e a d ; we make " f r e e " reading as 
natural, pleasant, and easy as possible 
through browsing rooms, publicity, long 
loans and the like, whereas the reading 
that is the "business" of education is little 
advertised, restricted, and confined to rela-
tively less comfortable quarters. 

( 7 ) In harmony with the conditions of 
its time. If the conditions and problems of 
our life, the great educational and social 
trends of recent years and the rapidity and 
extent of social change a r e n o t r e c o g n i z e d 
as part of the contributing and condition-
ing background, any philosophy must be 
doomed to futility and barrenness. 

( 8 ) Feasible in its provisions. T h i s 
criterion does not preclude an idealistic 
point of view, but means that a philosophy 

to have any real significance must be 
basically workable and possible. 

( 9 ) Satisfying to (some) adherents of 
university librarianship. I t might be 
argued that a philosophy would not have 
adherents unless it were satisfying to them. 
T h i s is perfectly true, but it is also true 
that there could be philosophies of the 
university library without adherents. T h e 
point is that any adequate and valid phi-
losophy must be such that it does find 
favor with, that it does appeal to, that it 
does satisfy, and that it does appear true 
to at least a minority group. 

( 1 0 ) Ever mindful that the graphic 
record and the student-reader are the twin 
pillars upon which rest the structure and 
the being of the university library. T h e r e 
can be no library without printed or 
written records and persons to use them. 

Microphotography Exhibit Available 
A N E X H I B I T illustrative of some of the 

equipment and processes of micro-
photography was prepared by the Uni-
versity of Chicago Libraries at the request 
of the A.L.A. Committee on Photographic 
Reproduction to be shown at the A.L.A. 
Cincinnati Conference. A f t e r the con-
ference it was made available for loan to 
any library requesting it, and willing to 
pay the cost of transportation (one box 
weighing a few pounds). I t has been 
on exhibit and traveling steadily since 
early in the fall. A t this writing it has 
been shown on both coasts, the Midwest, 
and North, and is soon scheduled for the 
South. Since a few libraries," which 

wished to have the material on definite 
dates, could not be accommodated because 
of earlier requests, we are repeating this 
announcement for their benefit and any 
others who may have missed the earlier 
announcements. (See the column, "Li-
brary Photography," in the July, 1940, 
Library Journal f o r a d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e 
material.) Interested libraries should 
write to the undersigned, giving ( 1 ) the 
approximate dates at which they would 
like the material, and ( 2 ) the time for 
which they would like to keep it (usually 
10 days to 2 weeks). 

H E R M A N H . F U S S L E R , The Uni-

versity of Chicago Libraries 

JUNE, 1941 249 
19 7