College and Research Libraries


B y L A W R E N C E T H O M P S O N 

The Role of the University Library 
in the W a r Effort, with Special 
Reference to the Midwest 

Mr. Thompson, assistant to the librarian, 

Iowa State College Library, prepared this 

paper for the University Libraries Section 

of A.C.R.L., June 24, 1942. 

THE TOTAL WAR of the 1940's has a peculiar significance for universities 
and their libraries. Perhaps as much as 

any other institutions of modern civiliza-

tion they represent values which our 

enemies w a n t to destroy and they also har-

bor the intellectual resources which are of 

vital importance for ultimate victory. 

University librarians have a special stake 

in this w a r and they have a special role in 

its prosecution. 

It w i l l be to the everlasting credit of 

some administrators of A m e r i c a n universi-

ties that they were among the first to 

attempt to awaken A m e r i c a to the dangers 

confronting her. In a f e w cases university 

librarians also assumed their f u l l responsi-

bility to inform and to educate A m e r i c a 

for the present crisis. O n the other hand, 

a recent survey showed that some univer-

sity librarians have been rather hesitant 

about inaugurating a program for w a r ac-

tivities w i t h o u t prodding f r o m the presi-

dent's office.1 

T o be sure, the university librarian 

1 "College and U n i v e r s i t y Libraries and National 
D e f e n s e . " College and Research Libraries 3:18-42, 
December, 1941. 

does not have the privilege of leadership 

in the university in most cases but he does 

have the responsibility of advising and as-

sisting the administration. M o s t univer-

sity presidents w i l l be receptive to any 

proposal which their librarians might 

bring before them for promoting the cause 

of A m e r i c a in this w a r . Here, then, is a 

unique opportunity for university librar-

ians to show that the key to cordial rela-

tions w i t h their superiors is cooperation 

and initiative, not hesitancy and timidity. 

T h e total w a r effort calls for total co-

operation, and both the administration and 

the teaching staff expect it f r o m the li-

brary. A s A m e r i c a n universities en-

counter new emergencies, the library must 

reinterpret its functions accordingly. W e 

need reinterpretation rather than reorgani-

zation, for, w i t h f e w exceptions, the uni-

versity library's clientele remains the same 

as in peacetime, and the real change is em-

phasis on subject matter. W h i l e the uni-

versity library must f o l l o w these trends in 

subject emphasis, this circumstance does 

not imply a passive role for the librarian. 

If he sees his university l a g g i n g behind 

others or if he sees facilities w h i c h are not 

being used for the f u l l benefit of the na-

tion, it is his duty to urge the adminis-

tration and the faculty to do something 

about it. In order to effect f u l l coopera-

D EC EMBER, 1942 11 



tion it is most desirable that librarians 

serve on the university's committee on w a r 

activities. A t the I o w a State College, for 

example, it has been beneficial for both 

the library and the institution as a w h o l e 

to have librarians serving on this commit-

tee along w i t h representatives from sci-

ence, agriculture, and engineering. 

Priority among the Clientele 

I t w o u l d be difficult to say w h i c h ele-

ment of a university library's clientele 

should be given priority in either w a r t i m e 

or peacetime. B u t today our hopes are 

concentrated on the u n d e r g r a d u a t e s — t h e 

young men and w o m e n on w h o m w e de-

pend not only to w i n the w a r but also to 

build a n e w w o r l d in the A m e r i c a n C e n -

t u r y . T h e s e students are perhaps more 

in need of sound guidance than any stu-

dent generation of modern times. T h r e e 

years ago they believed that all w a r is 

unconditionally e v i l ; today they are told 

they must fight one. T h r e e years ago they 

believed that A m e r i c a w a s unconcerned 

w i t h the fate of the rest of the w o r l d ; 

today they are told that democracy at 

home depends on the restoration of democ-

racy on the Continent. 

If it is true, as the L i b r a r i a n of C o n -

gress has stated, that the responsibility for 

this confused state of mind among our 

y o u n g people rests upon irresponsible 

writers, then it is the duty of university 

librarians to place before their undergrad-

uates the books w h i c h w i l l help them 

understand public affairs and their o w n 

place in the w o r l d of today. N o means 

of bringing books to students can be neg-

lected. W e cannot w a i t for students to 

come to books. Deposit collections should 

be placed in dormitories, fraternity houses, 

and the student union, and no great dam-

age w i l l be done if the most popular books 

are purchased in multiple copies. Neither 

should w e hesitate to collect ephemeral 

materials of a type ordinarily discarded. 

T h e university library need not stop its 

activity w i t h the collection and distribu-

tion of books. I t can post maps of w a r 

areas and set up displays w h e r e v e r stu-

dents w i l l see them. It is not beneath 

the dignity of a research library to post 

the daily newspaper, and staff members 

w h o are familiar w i t h public affairs should 

tear themselves a w a y f r o m their more 

recondite bibliographical activities long 

enough to direct student discussion groups 

and conduct radio programs. 

Services to the Faculty 

W a r t i m e services to the faculty present 

tasks of a different order, not at all com-

parable w i t h services to students. A l -

though some of us are perhaps more in 

need of " m o r a l e " than many students, 

nevertheless our w o r k as specialists in vari-

ous subject fields is a clear-cut matter of 

technical service to the nation's w a r ef-

fort. A c c o r d i n g l y , library services to the 

faculty in w a r t i m e w i l l be essentially the 

same as in peacetime, but today w e must 

re-examine our policies to eliminate any 

hindrance to research w h i c h is even re-

motely pertinent to the w a r effort. In 

peacetime it might be pardonable to tell a 

patron that a volume is in bindery or that 

it cannot be located or that it never circu-

lates, but today, if that volume can be of 

any possible use in w a r t i m e research, no 

effort should be spared to get it to the right 

man at the right time. A n d here is a 

note for the f u t u r e . Just as w a r indus-

tries perfect techniques w h i c h w i l l later 

raise civilian standards of living, so also 

may research libraries develop new services 

and n e w skills w h i c h w i l l reaffirm their 

places in the w o r l d of the f u t u r e . 

12 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



Research workers throughout the region 

represent a third category of library 

patrons w h i c h must be given special at-

tention in w a r t i m e . Ne\tf w a r industries 

and new w a r research laboratories are be-

ing o r g a n i z e d ; new agricultural programs 

are in e f f e c t ; older institutions, like the 

universities and experiment stations, are 

reorientating their activities. T h e s e new 

activities w i l l attract scholars w h o need 

the services of a well-organized research 

library. In order to save time as w e l l as 

to facilitate economical operation of inter-

library loan, research libraries should 

publicize w i d e l y their resources and w i l l -

ingness to lend books. In serving these 

groups w e should bear in mind the danger 

of inflated statements of resources and 

promises of services w h i c h cannot be per-

formed, sins which w e might overlook 

indulgently in peacetime but w h i c h are 

highly reprehensible w h e n the success or 

failure of w a r t i m e research is at stake. 

Citizens of Small Communities 

A fourth class of borrowers whose needs 

are intensified in w a r t i m e is the citizenry 

of small communities whose local libraries 

cannot meet the deluge of requests for 

books on w a r technology and public af-

f a i r s . A n unstinting policy of inter-

library loan and reference service w i l l be 

of great importance in the drive for an 

unyielding home front, better workers for 

our w a r industries, increased food produc-

tion, and a renewed confidence among the 

people at large in the value of higher in-

stitutions and their libraries. I t w i l l be 

a pardonable case of w a r profiteering on 

the part of state institutions if they keep 

an eye on the f u t u r e and w i n the goodwill 

of the electorate for their patriotic service. 

T h e interpretation of these w a r t i m e 

services, particularly for research workers, 

w i l l vary in different parts of the country. 

In the M i d w e s t the traditional emphasis 

is on agriculture and the production, 

processing, and consumption of food and 

clothing, but there is also an equally sig-

nificant need for industrial research. It is 

in the latter field that the ingenuity of 

A m e r i c a n scholarship is called upon for 

the greatest effort, for w a r technology is 

the one aspect of physical production in 

which A m e r i c a has not enjoyed a position 

of eminence. F o r both strategic and eco-

nomic reasons many w a r industries are 

moving to the M i d w e s t , and this shift w i l l 

call for readjustments in the program of 

university libraries to serve research w o r k -

ers w h o are not residents of their o w n 

campuses. 

Task in Middle West 

T h e r e is a second and more difficult task 

for M i d w e s t e r n university libraries. T h e 

citizens of this region have not been as 

aware of the dangers f a c i n g A m e r i c a as 

citizens of the east and west coasts. T o a 

large measure this condition may be traced 

to the failure of the book, as the President 

of the A . L . A . has put it. It is the failure 

of the people to read and the failure of 

librarians to make them w a n t to read. 

University librarians, as w e l l as public 

librarians, must bear their share of the 

guilt. T o d a y , w h e n healthy thinking on 

international politics is essential to our 

survival, w e must bring books to the peo-

ple, to students and faculty members, and 

to clubwomen and workers in w a r indus-

tries. 

It may be said fairly that many uni-

versity libraries have performed distinctive 

services along this line. A t the I o w a State 

College this w o r k began considerably be-

fore the outbreak of w a r and w i t h o u t any 

u r g i n g from outside agencies. Its pro-

D EC EMBER, 1942 13 



gram w a s simply to get students en-

thusiastically interested in international 

affairs. W h i l e the book is the natural 

medium for a library in any action pro-

gram, it is essentially a passive element, 

w a i t i n g for the reader to come to it. A t 

I o w a State no pains w e r e spared to bring 

the reader to the book. N o t only the 

traditional reading list but also the col-

lege's radio station and exhibit cases all 

over the campus w e r e utilized. 

Issuing Reading Lists 

In issuing a reading list every effort 

was made to compose a pamphlet that 

w o u l d be attractive and yet contain out-

lines for serious discussion. Since the 

pamphlet w a s designed not only for stu-

dents but also for citizens throughout the 

state, it w a s thought most advisable for 

recommended books to be chosen neither 

by librarians alone nor by faculty mem-

bers alone. U n i v e r s i t y instructors tend to 

select reading material that is either above 

the heads of the people or unavailable in 

smaller libraries. O n the other hand, it 

is rather presumptuous on the part of a 

librarian to attempt to d r a w up an author-

itative reading list in any special field 

w i t h o u t the advice of someone trained in 

that field. A c c o r d i n g l y , the outline en-

titled The Background of the War w a s 

designed in the form of a running discus-

sion w i t h annotated titles of books and 

pamphlets, and both the text and recom-

mended readings represented the joint 

efforts of members of the library staff and 

the department of history and government. 

It has been used w i d e l y by study groups 

and clubs throughout the state and by stu-

dent discussion groups in A m e s . Justifica-

tion of this method of selecting books is 

furnished by the fact that it w a s used by 

many public libraries as a buying guide. 

T h e program could not stop w i t h the 

publication of a study outline. T h e uni-

versity library can offer other services by 

u t i l i z i n g f u l l y the talent of its staff and 

the resources of its collection. A c c o r d -

ingly, a folder describing War Services 

of the Iowa State College Library Avail-

able to All Citizens of the State of Iowa 

w a s issued. T h e mailing list included 

state officials, manufacturers, colleges, pub-

lic schools, libraries, county, state, and 

national w a r agencies, and local clubs in-

terested in public affairs. T h e availability 

of interlibrary loans, a service w h i c h citi-

zens at large and even many smaller 

libraries use relatively lightly, w a s spe-

cifically emphasized; the library offered 

its services as a clearing house for all 

information related to the w a r e f f o r t ; it 

called for suggestions for its radio pro-

grams and offered to help secure speakers 

and discussion leaders; and it offered to 

distribute The Background of the War 

and give any help on questions which 

might arise from its use. T h e latter was 

somewhat embarrassing: The Background 

of the War w a s exhausted in t w o weeks 

and additional requests f r o m people w h o 

w e r e using it have taxed to the utmost the 

facilities of the reference department. 

T h e library has been able to reach more 

citizens than ever before by calling at-

tention to its w a r t i m e services, and thus 

it is not only p e r f o r m i n g yeoman service 

as a w a r information center but is also 

laying the g r o u n d w o r k for closer relations 

w i t h citizens at large and small libraries. 

Expanded Service to Students 

O n the campus The Background of the 

War pointed the w a y for expanded li-

brary service to students. A s early as the 

fall of 1941 small packets of t w o or three 

books such as Berlin Diary and No Other 

14 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



Road to Freedom had been deposited in 

fraternities, dormitories, and sororities. 

L a t e r these volumes w e r e supplemented by 

pamphlets chosen largely from titles listed 

in The Background of the War, and the 

collections thus assembled have been used 

as the basis for the programs of over f i f t y 

student discussion groups. It is intended 

that student discussions shall be based on 

the solid foundation of reading rather 

than personal opinion. 

It is not out of place at this point to 

mention a general course of lectures en-

titled " T h e C i t i z e n and the W o r l d C r i s i s " 

which w a s organized at the suggestion of 

the president of the college shortly a f t e r 

the publication of The Background of the 

War. I t followed the broad outlines of 

the library's pamphlet and it w a s open to 

students for credit as w e l l as to other 

qualified persons. T h e individual lectures 

were given by authorities in the various 

fields covered, and the library posted for 

each meeting voluntary reading lists f u r -

nished by the lecturers. 

All Abilities Utilized 

W h i l e the library's natural province is 

to provide all information available from 

books, it was felt that in this crisis all 

capabilities of the staff should be f u l l y 

utilized. T h e librarian has actively en-

gaged in leading one discussion group in 

a women's residence hall and has or-

ganized and encouraged others. T h e as-

sistant librarian in charge of public service 

has directed weekly forums on public af-

fairs w h i c h are attended by several hun-

dred students. L i b r a r y radio programs 

consisting of reviews of books and articles 

shifted their emphasis to subjects of im-

mediate significance for the w a r effort, and 

further changes are contemplated to keep 

step w i t h the shifting fortunes of w a r . 

W i t h i n the library itself the problem 

of w a r information w a s handled along the 

lines which seemed to be best adapted to 

its individual situation. A separate w a r 

information center was not established, 

the problem of space alone being sufficient 

reason for a library which has over 

100,000 volumes in storage. H o w e v e r , it 

w a s found that the reference department, 

cooperating w i t h the display committee, 

could perform most of the obvious func-

tions of a w a r information center. T w o 

large upright display cases, formerly used 

for propaganda analysis, were turned over 

to pamphlets on the w a r and international 

affairs. In addition, t w o other large 

double-faced display cases contain pam-

phlets on the armed forces and civilian 

defense. T h e s e t w o collections, which are 

specifically for browsing purposes, are sup-

plemented by a constantly changing w a r 

display of books placed on tables in the 

main vestibule of the library and at other 

points on the campus where they w i l l at-

tract the attention of students. Posters 

and maps, which are frequently changed, 

are put up on one bulletin board at the 

entrance of the library, w h i l e another 

extra large bulletin board, ordinarily kept 

out of sight for esthetic reasons, has been 

resurrected to do the humble but signif-

icant job of displaying the daily newspaper. 

T h e r e are also special collections of ephe-

meral documents of a type ordinarily 

ignored in a technological library. T r a -

ditional policy is no barrier to meeting 

the exigencies of w a r , and indeed it is 

fortunate that w e have this opportunity to 

review the advisability of changing it or 

of continuing it a f t e r the w a r . 

Research Projects and Special Courses 

Important as these activities are for 

preparing our students for the w a r and 

D EC EMBER, 1942 15 



the peace, they pale into relative insig-

nificance beside the research projects and 

special courses in w a r technology w h i c h 

are being conducted at all of our great 

scientific schools. Requests for special 

services have come not only f r o m faculty 

members but also f r o m scientists at such « 
new centers of research as the D e s M o i n e s 

and B u r l i n g t o n ordnance plants. In sev-

eral cases the attention of the latter group 

has been directed to A m e s by the folder on 

War Services of the Iowa State College 

Library Available to All Citizens of the 

State of Iowa. A l t h o u g h it might seem 

hardly necessary to restate the library's 

services to its o w n patrons, it w a s decided 

to pursue f u r t h e r the policy of action, and 

accordingly a two-page mimeographed 

statement on War Services of the Iowa 

State College Library Designed to Meet 

the Needs of Students and Faculty Mem-

bers w a s issued. T h i s statement w a s 

widely circulated and proved helpful. 

T h e problem of providing adequate 

service to research w o r k e r s and students 

of w a r technology is primarily one of 

intensified service rather than of increas-

ing resources, for it is impossible to aug-

ment our basic research collections to any 

considerable degree in w a r t i m e . T h e ref-

erence department at the I o w a State 

C o l l e g e L i b r a r y has been forced to utilize 

existing resources more intensively than 

ever before. W e cannot get the last 

t w e n t y years of Zeitschrift fur das gesamte 

Schiess- und Sprengstoffwesen but w e can 

dig much of the information out of the 

A r m y ' s splendid series of technical man-

u a l s ; w e cannot purchase foreign and out-

of-print titles in the bibliography of w a r 

damage compensation but w e can make 

judicious use of the current flood of docu-

ments, pamphlets, and books on the sub-

ject. 

New Courses Require New Books 

N e w courses offered by the college in a 

f e w fields not ordinarily emphasized re-

quired that present holdings be supple-

mented for class w o r k . F o r example, the 

library had purposely not chosen to be a 

depository for the publications of the 

H y d r o g r a p h i c Office, but new courses in 

celestial navigation required that these 

materials be secured at once. T h e same 

w a s true for several other new courses. 

Still, it w a s felt that it w a s less expensive 

to purchase these books w h e n the occasion 

arose than to store them for years as dead 

wood. 

T h e library has been able to meet prac-

tically all requests from prospective de-

fense workers outside of A m e s w h o w a n t 

to train themselves for skilled trades. It 

has not held small public libraries w i t h 

poor bibliographical resources to the 

customary interlibrary loan regulation 

that a specific title, f u l l y verified, be re-

quested. T h e r e have been dozens of 

requests for such items as "something on 

utilization of waste products" or "man-

uals on splicing cables." T o point out 

specifically w h a t w a s available in some of 

these fields, the library issued and circu-

lated w i d e l y in early 1941 a List of Books 

and Publications fort the Mechanical 

Trades, in Connection with Defense Ac-

tivities, compiled by t w o members of the 

department of industrial education. L a t e r 

in the spring, w h e n the national voca-

tional training program for defense in-

dustries w a s in f u l l swing, the library 

published a Partial Bibliography of Teach-

ing Methods in Industrial Arts Education, 

1930-40, for distribution to teachers of 

industrial arts throughout the state. 

Program Directed at Iowa 

T h i s w a r t i m e program has been pri-

16 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



marily directed at the state of Iowa. 

W i t h i n the state it is limited to fields not 

covered by the State University of I o w a 

Libraries or by the State T r a v e l i n g L i -

brary. Outside of the state the library's 

resources have been made available wher-

ever such service could not be rendered 

by corresponding institutions. T h e li-

brary's w a r program has been designed to 

promote efforts toward greater coopera-

tion among research libraries that were 

developing so rapidly in the prewar years. 

T h e w o r k of the I o w a State College 

L i b r a r y as described in this paper is prob-

ably not unique. Certainly all libraries 

could be much more active in providing 

w a r services than they are at present. F o r 

example, it is planned this summer at the 

I o w a State College L i b r a r y to review and 

evaluate the w a r program completely. 

T h e professional staff, with the coopera-

tion of the faculty and the college's C o m -

mittee on Civilian W a r Activities w i l l 

study during the summer all possibilities 

for further w a r services which are needed 

but not now provided. A continuing pol-

icy of re-examination and reinterpretation 

of established policy is necessary if w e are 

to make our maximum contribution to the 

w a r effort and to justify the place of the 

university library in a rapidly changing 

civilization. 

Friends of the Library of Brown University 
(Continued from page 10) 

T h e Cataloger 

Stone walls do not a prison make, it's said, 
Nor books a library—if they're not read. 
Full many a book may blush unseen, unless 
It feels the cataloger's deft caress. 
Her loving touch makes hidden wonders 

known; 
She stores the corn the author has but sown. 
Each single book may shed a little light; 
But grouped with others, it can vanquish 

night. 
So, Cataloger, you must make the bed; 
T u c k each book in; see that a prayer is said 
Against misplacement on the teeming shelves. 
There let it sleep, till prowling scholar 

delves 
Deep in the stacks. Led by your pointing 

pen, 
He wakes it gleefully—to live again. 

W h e n Friends of the Library w a x lyric 

over cataloging, they must be going places! 

It is the g r o w t h of this kind of edu-

cated interest that the Friends of the L i -

brary are building up. " T h e raising of 

money is not the chief desire of the 

Friends. It is not even an important one. 

. . . T h i s is a society of persons w h o are 

lovers of books, interested in the L i b r a r y 

of B r o w n University and its g r o w i n g use-

fulness." B u t they have raised money and 

they w i l l raise more—inevitably, as inter-

est and knowledge of library activities and 

needs increase. A n d whether they raise 

money or not, they are still a good alumni 

education organization, alumni education 

is a proper function of the university 

(whether the alumni are its own or some-

body else's), and educated alumni are, in 

the long run, the university's best asset and, 

thus, assets of the university library. 

DECEMBER, 1942 17