College and Research Libraries


By N . R . K A M P E N G A 

Service Area of a Teachers 
College Library in Cooperation 
with the W a r Program 

Mr. Kampenga is librarian, Central State 

Teachers College, Stevens Point, Wis. 

This is the fourth of four papers presented 

before the Libraries of Teacher-Training 

Institutions Section of the A.C.R.L., June 

24, 1942. 

WHEN M i s s FLOYD asked me to con-tribute something on the subject, 
"Service area of a teachers college library 

in cooperation w i t h the w a r p r o g r a m , " I 

accepted the invitation w i t h o u t consider-

ing too w e l l just w h y Wisconsin C e n t r a l 

State T e a c h e r s College experiences w o u l d 

make me qualified to present this subject. 

U n d o u b t e d l y there are other librarians 

whose libraries are in states blessed w i t h 

a master regional plan of library influence 

or whose libraries are part of an area un-

der a library w a r t i m e council, such as the 

N e w a r k W a r t i m e C o u n c i l in which N e w 

Jersey State T e a c h e r s C o l l e g e has a place. 

T h e experiences of such libraries w i t h i n a 

service area that is planned on an or-

ganized scale must be particularly f u l l . 

T h e r e are, too, I am sure, librarians of 

average and small-sized teachers colleges 

whose experiences in this w a r effort w o u l d 

be more vivid, whose contributions w o u l d 

be of more value to us. A s it is, I figured 

that since our college at Stevens Point is 

an average-sized teachers college, w i t h a 

somewhat better than average library (if 

statistics mean a n y t h i n g ) , and situated in 

an average-sized community of fifteen 

thousand, our experiences w o u l d be typi-

cal. Conversation w i t h a f e w college li-

brarians has convinced me that w e are 

below average in our extramural w a r 

services. Wisconsin C e n t r a l State's serv-

ice area, although never defined f o r the 

library, w o u l d extend f r o m north of M a d -

ison up the middle of the state to the 

northern reaches, being predominately 

rural-trading country, w i t h a f e w small 

manufacturing cities and covering some 

rich f a r m land, much sandy potato soil, 

and vast woodlands and pine barrens. 

F o r the f e w requests received f r o m W i s -

consin citizens within this area asking for 

aid in books, in documents, in pamphlets, 

references or information, it has never 

occurred to me to look up to see if a 

particular request came f r o m an alumnus. 

In every instance w e w e r e glad to do 

w h a t e v e r w e w e r e able. Contemplation 

of the problem of extending services in 

actuality, especially as a subsidiary w a r 

information center, w i t h i n this area has 

led me to accept a challenge and to deal 

w i t h this problem more forthrightly. 

N o t much detail of individual college 

wartime library effort, its progress and 

results (if measurable), has yet appeared 

in print. 

I doubt if there is a library in the coun-

DECEMBER, 1942 79 



try that by now has not declared itself a 

w a r information center. T h e steady cam-

paigns of the U . S . Office of Education, the 

A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y Association, and others 

have made all l i b r a r i a n s — b i g and l i t t l e — 

w a r information conscious. T h e s e cam-

paigns themselves g r e w out of the volun-

tary efforts of innumerable college and 

public libraries performing w h a t they con-

sidered their place in their community of 

service. In the beginning it w a s a dis-

play or table or. shelf or list of books, 

pamphlets, documents, or other materials. 

A s naturally as w e change our displays of 

books to meet current and changing in-

terests, w e changed the sign and the 

materials on that table from "propaganda 

analysis" (before that probably " w o r l d 

peace") to "fascism, democracy, and com-

munism," to "defense services and selec-

tive service information," and finally to 

" w a r service opportunities and w a r infor-

mation." It w a s part of the college 

librarian's contribution to the general edu-

cation and w e l f a r e of the college student. 

W e never w o u l d have deprived the public 

in general of the use of this material. In 

most cases it was not called to public at-

tention. I think w e thought of this 

service as the proper sphere of the public 

library and of the state and university ex-

tension services. N o w it has become " o u r 

patriotic duty to exploit to the f u l l our 

resources in printed materials in the in-

terest of national defense." T h e s e are the 

w o r d s of a great librarian, W i l l i a m W a r -

ner Bishop. 

Not a New Development 

E x t e n d i n g service is not a new develop-

ment for college libraries, although there 

may be signs in the development of our 

w a r service programs of a w i d e r expan-

sion of service areas for the f u t u r e . I 

believe w e should seize every opportunity 

and use every bit of publicity to make 

available our services, as far as w e are 

able and as l o n g as it does not interfere 

w i t h our services to students. In general, 

extension of the services of a teachers col-

lege to the surrounding area is handi-

capped by the lack of funds. D u r i n g the 

last three years I recall having attended a 

panel discussion w i t h teachers college pres-

idents participating and having listened to 

an address by a teachers college president 

on the extension of teachers college serv-

ices. In every instance, the presidents 

w e r e not u n w i l l i n g , in fact they were very 

w i l l i n g to extend services of every kind, 

but they had no funds. 

New Outlook 

W e are not thinking nor talking of 

funds as much these days as w e did dur-

ing those glory days of the great depres-

sion. In these days of crisis our interest 

is in national morale, in national safety. 

D o i n g w h a t appear to be nonessentials 

worries us. W e have given up purchases 

f r o m our desiderata l i s t ; the reference 

works which w e regarded as indispensable 

are now not so necessary; the gap in the 

periodical file is not so l a r g e ; w e have 

forgotten about strengthening that botany 

collection. Instead, w e are purchasing 

heavily in w a r t i m e books (books on w a r 

service opportunities, w a r information in 

general, and the peace to come a f t e r vic-

t o r y ) . W e are purchasing w i t h care, of 

course, because these perilous times have 

brought forth an even greater flood of 

valueless and repetitious books than in the 

days of security just past. T h e s e books 

and p a m p h l e t s — a n d do not forget the 

pamphlets nor the government publica-

tions nor the clippings—plus the books 

already on our shelves to meet curriculum 

80 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



needs, in nutrition, health, consumer prob-

lems, aviation, radio, mathematics, chem-

istry, even to chemistry of explosives and 

manufacture of firearms; all these mate-

rials make our libraries w a r information 

centers. W e should, of course, make these 

available to our areas of service. T h e 

citizens within this area, especially those 

in the rural, village, and small t o w n com-

munities, w i l l have to be told our w a r 

information library is open for their use ; 

they w i l l have to be told via the publicity 

of local, county, and state defense coun-

cils, via the newspapers in the region, via 

radio, via the parent-teacher associations, 

via the rural school supervisors and com-

missioners, via the granges and other rural 

groups, via the trade unions. B y then, w e 

shall have done our bit. 

W a r information centers have come 

into being for the most part through vol-

untary effort. T h e U . S . Office of E d u -

cation has, however, designated 142 (as 

of M a y 1 5 ) colleges and universities over 

the country as key centers of information 

and training, these activities centering for 

the most part in administrative officials 

and in the extension divisions of these in-

stitutions. T h e key centers are strategi-

cally located and as such receive special 

materials and exhibits. Several teachers 

colleges have been so designated as key 

centers. T h e s e lists have appeared in 

Education for Victory, a periodical, by 

the w a y , w h i c h is f u l l of suggestions for 

the w a r program. 

A s early as September 1941 the U . S . 

Office of Education had published a bulle-

tin entitled School and College Civilian 

Morale Service: How to Participate w h i c h 

outlined a vigorous program of action, the 

m a j o r portion revolving about the main-

tenance of " a library of information on all 

phases of the national defense program 

and the social and economic problems 

emerging f r o m the crisis." 

T h e joint memorandum of the A m e r i -

can L i b r a r y Association and t w o other 

groups on our w a r participation, appear-

ing in the M a r c h 1942 Bulletin of the 

Association, should be reread as our code 

of action. 

Programs of Services 

A s you know, several all-out programs 

on the services of large college and uni-

versity libraries have been outlined in re-

cent numbers of the A.L.A. Bulletin by 

Charles H . B r o w n , of I o w a State C o l -

lege L i b r a r y , Charles E . Rush, of the 

University of N o r t h C a r o l i n a L i b r a r y , 

and by C a r l M . W h i t e , of the University 

of Illinois L i b r a r y . T h e fact that, for 

the most part, civilian programs w e r e em-

phasized over student programs should be 

noted. T h e suggestions in each case are 

applicable on a modified scale to a teachers 

college library's w a r t i m e program in its 

o w n community and area of service. T h e 

A . L . A . has issued a list of seventy sug-

gestions for library w a r service, many of 

which are pertinent to our situations. W e 

should also take advantage of the splendid 

Guides to Defense Materials prepared by 

the L i b r a r y of Congress and issued by the 

U . S . Information Service. W i t h inter-

library loan at our disposal, w i t h aware-

ness of the existence of these officially 

designated regional w a r information cen-

ters, the average teachers college library 

can and should offer services off campus 

in the same categories outlined f o r larger 

colleges and universities. 

T o local defense councils w e should 

offer our cooperation. A s an institution 

in a small city much of the community 

and county defense w o r k has centered in 

the state teachers college at Stevens Point. 

DECEMBER, 1942 81 



T h e library w a s called upon to furnish 

materials in nutrition and health. H a v i n g 

purchased and collected materials in these 

fields especially to meet renewed curricu-

lum interests, w e w e r e ready and w i l l i n g 

to place these materials on special shelves 

for county and community classes. T h i s 

was true also in the case of materials of 

value to defense courses for radio techni-

cians and for aviation g r o u n d w o r k , also 

for citizen defense corps. T h e s e activi-

ties are probably typical of w h a t has taken 

place in teachers colleges all over the 

country. 

A Publicity Agency 

T o state and national defense agencies, 

as w e l l as local, the library w i l l have an 

opportunity to serve as a publicity agency, 

if only in matters of displaying materials 

and in distributing pamphlets. 

T o radio listeners, where facilities are 

at the disposal of the college, the library 

can and should present discussions of books 

and periodical articles and other materials 

relating to the w a r . T h e director of the 

C e n t r a l State T e a c h e r s C o l l e g e radio sta-

tion has asked the library to arrange and 

present a series of half-hour programs on 

this theme in this coming school year. I 

look f o r w a r d w i t h considerable interest 

to this experience. W i t h all its limita-

tions, radio can be used as an effective 

medium for bringing the idea of the col-

lege w a r information center to citizens in 

the rural communities. 

T o all citizens w h o need information 

obtainable from books and other library 

materials w e should now be prepared to 

give service. T h i s includes, of course, 

teachers, clubs, discussion groups, and 

others. 

D u r i n g the coming year, w i t h the rural 

communities f a c i n g a teacher shortage, w e 

should be prepared and w i l l i n g to give 

assistance and furnish teaching aids and 

curriculum materials to recruit, relief, and 

refresher teachers w h o have been a w a y 

from teaching and now in this emergency 

return to it. 

It is especially important that w e give 

emphasis to this victory's peace, to the 

w o r l d a f t e r the peace, and to the preserva-

tion of democratic ideals. T h e s e causes 

give our w a r information service body, 

dignity, and continuity, hold us bound to a 

prime function of librarianship—the rela-

tionship of the present to the past and to 

the f u t u r e . T o that cause w e are devoted 

and, although at crises such as Singapore, 

J a v a , and the f a l l of T o b r u k , w e may feel 

that this is overemphasized, by all means 

let us hold fast to and actively encourage 

direction of thought in the idea of the 

peace a f t e r victory. 

Library Is Playing a Part 

T h e r e have been developments at Cen-

tral State T e a c h e r s C o l l e g e in this regard 

in w h i c h the library has played an im-

portant part. T h e s e developments should 

be of special influence in bringing our w a r 

information service to community and 

area. T h i s last year, in part in order to 

meet the needs of w a r t i m e adjustments in 

the college curriculum, w e made special 

purchases of books in the fields of inter-

national relations, U . S . foreign relations, 

L a t i n A m e r i c a n relations, w i t h particular 

emphasis on political and economic history, 

w i t h special attention to the 1920's and 

the 1930's, the failure of the Versailles 

P a c t and the L e a g u e of Nations. If the 

people of this area w o u l d make use of 

these special collections the library could 

exert considerable influence as a w a r serv-

ice center. 

A n event in the peace effort of our w a r 

82 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



information center came in an opportunity 

to propose to a small social science club 

of the college that it become associated 

w i t h the International Relations C l u b . 

T h e loan collection of books received 

through this f r o m the C a r n e g i e E n d o w -

ment for International Peace was placed 

in the library. W i t h these books and our 

o w n collections in international relations 

as a foundation, these select and serious 

students of w o r l d peace problems have 

given panel discussions and debates before 

local service clubs and before groups in 

communities near Stevens Point. N e x t 

year the club is planning to extend these 

activities and is contemplating a series of 

radio talks on w a r and peace. T h i s is 

indirect extension service but effective 

w i t h a l and one that needs a librarian's 

cooperation. 

Canby's Statement 

W e have been reading in the current 

issue of the Saturday Review of Literature 

H e n r y Seidel C a n b y ' s commencement ad-

dress entitled " B o o k s in W a r t i m e . " I 

w o u l d like to quote the concluding para-

graph. 

T h e country laughed when Churchill called 
Mussolini the great miscalculator. But how 
the French miscalculated after the last w a r 
when they thought they could clamp down 
peace and security on Europe! H o w we 
miscalculated when we thought we could 
keep out of trouble by withdrawing from 
world settlement while continuing to do 
business with the w o r l d ! H o w the Aus-
trians miscalculated at the beginning of that 
w a r when they tried to smother their Ser-
bian difficulties in a European conflict! W a s 

there no wisdom available? Plenty. A 
historian can supply you with a bibliography 
of good books published before each event 
and showing its inevitable failure. But the 
leaders did not want to use their filing cases 
because they had immediate purposes of 
their own, and the people never opened theirs 
and were easily misled. In the old wars of 
Greece they used to say to the citizens, 
come back with your shields or on them. I 
say to the reader, whatever else you do for 
your country, don't, when it comes to ideas, 
be dumb. 

T h i s paragraph has particular meaning 

for librarians. If you care to, you can 

substitute " l i b r a r i a n " for "historian," and 

"libraries" for " f i l i n g cases." 

W e cannot tell w h a t social changes w i l l 

come out of this w a r . W e only know 

w h a t tremendous changes came out of the 

m a j o r w a r s of the past. In our small 

place as teachers college librarians, under 

the call that "it is our patriotic duty to 

exploit to the f u l l our resources of printed 

materials" in this, our cause, w e may be 

moving toward that goal of regional li-

brarianship in which teachers college li-

braries w i l l undoubtedly take a place. 

T h i s is true in that w e do have responsi-

bilities of community service, if only in 

the fact that our colleges train teachers 

to take positions of importance within the 

region and need the continued assistance 

of a key library center. 

I should like to recommend as our basis 

of action in developing our centers of in-

formation for these times the Educational 

Policies Commission's remarkable study 

The Education of Free Men in American 

Democracy. 

DECEMBER, 1942 83