San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Special Libraries, 1920 Special Libraries, 1920s 5-1-1920 Special Libraries, May 1920 Special Libraries Association Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1920 Part of the Cataloging and Metadata Commons, Collection Development and Management Commons, Information Literacy Commons, and the Scholarly Communication Commons Recommended Citation Special Libraries Association, "Special Libraries, May 1920" (1920). Special Libraries, 1920. 5. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1920/5 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Libraries, 1920s at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Special Libraries, 1920 by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Special Libraries A Vol. I1 M 4Y, 1920 No. 5 The Special Library and the Corporation School Little h~sbeen written In the past upon tl~e Nntio~lnl As~ori~ltionof Corpor,~ti.lll the value of the special libriiry iri aiding cor- Scl~ools011 the "Librnry AIethod " Speci,tl poraliou schools. To be sure specinl lil)r:lries 1lbi'nri:ins should 611c1tbis relwrt reprinted iu nre in u certain sense of the word nil educn- l'cll of considerable interest. tior1:tl rortw, let few slbec4:~l lilmtries 11:lw :~~ll~lll~~t~~l:lllytllin~ Ill ill1 ol-g:Llllzed JVtl!.' THE LIBRARY METHOD to either nid the many corporntiou schools (Sntfonal Association of ~orporationSchoolS, iinw esis:ing, or to present uny rending 1!)18, 196-8.) course dlreclilg bearing ul)oii the work of the There nre only three sources of informa- organiz:ition iu which they exist. 1:oll: Teachers, exl~erienceand boolts. It is Public librnries through so-cnllecl estelislon aol nccessnry to cliscuss which of these is the \vorli have attelnpteil to aid the worlier by n.o&t il~il)ortrult,but since a very large part providing specinl rooms with special attend- of' 1111 north-wllile lino\rledge is gut into nnls iu charge. Through this agency much llrintrcl form, the iliq~ortnnceof 11 library in has lwei1 clone to aid the nagweurner, but tiny educntionnl plant is npparent. It is through the very genernllicss of their charge ilecessnry Lo determine whether the corporn- public libraries cn~iuot gel nt sgccific cm- t ion 1111s n coupnuy library or whether it ployees nnd meet the specific prublerlls of tlcl~endson outside institutions for its boolis. ench plnl~l. The specin1 librnry is the only Tlie reports collectccl, however, sliow that ngellcy Lhnt is lo~icnllysitnnt~d lo fill1 111 few corporation ~~1iot11share nnything 11lce liuc with corl)orntion school metllo~ls. titiequtite librclry fncilities. This condition Corpor~itlon schools nre 1111 cst~~blished niny be due lo the fact thnt our schools de thing in runny of our lnrgest concerns, as is ~)cndvery lnrgelp upon esperlence ns the wilnussccl by the estcl~tof their work sliow~ vleans of educ:ition, but to depaid upon ex- iu the 1):lges of the Anilunl Kcports of the pwicnce nncl te:icliers a lone is n nnrro\v view. KaLlonnl Assocint~onof Co~'po~~iLionSC'L~OOIS. :III~ it is reconlri~e~itleilthat librnry facilities The signilicnnca of tlils for~uof eclucntion 1)e supgliecl wherever possible. is of very great importnnce at tliis the in A definilc idea as to horn the Iibrnry is our i~iilrist~inlfabric. Its rrsnltu are Lwo- I~uiltup. whelher by gifts, loms or purchase, fold. Vir.;t is the direct edncnlionnl gnin of v,ould clctcrlnirle in n wny the stnbilib of the "jtd) in hnnd," nnd sec011d is ilie genernl this method of instruction; whnt portion is educ,itiol~nlfeature which leads men to the strictly technicnl and mhrit general, would larger IIIIIIS~S of their worlc and lndfrectly to ilirlicnte the relntion of the number of boolcs the larger phW3 of life. which atre used for purely compnny service IYiili onr crer-lncrensing large scale pro- ;11111 tli~sewlli~.I~ are cultural in extent. The duclim rind consequent spccinlized opelabions hours cluring which books in the coupany emplo.\ ces' 11ii11dsbccon~e nlluost as nutomatic library nre svnilable should be as long ns c~ncllimited ns the operntions they perforlu. ~1osu1l)le.Business hours ~urlyliot be ns ad- As Mr. IYadlin has s:~id, "No nlnn wlinse ~~intngcons:I% \vo111il ap11etu on the surface, time is princil):llly occupied in work can. bo- ;IS unless illc enlpol.vee htls free time to n~nke collie interested in the boolis whlch the ~scof the lilrnry no direct benefit Is re- library furnishes without ha~illg his lile ceived. bro~~~ltwtl.Onc of the industrial erils of The bnslc princigles which cuter into the the kiy 15 the tcutlc~ic*ylo reduce eurners to T.lbrnry JIcthod are : :I ('0illU011 level, to n ulcrely routine perform- 1. Boolts ro~~slituteone of the chief Illice of f1ut.v. Tile iiiliueuce of the 1ibr:lry sources of knowledge. cou11ter;lcts this terldciwy. 2. Tcsi-books n1u1 lesson sheets should al- There is :I co~~sitle~ablefield here for 111- nays I)@ snl)ple~nentedby required reading crcnsetl activity ancl au opporluuity to help ullon assigned Lol~ics. lr~borhelp itself. 3. Pnrt of the rcc1t:ltion period should be That llltle or nothing has ~J~CUclone nloug given to reports on this sulq~lcn~entai~yrend- tliis line Lq sl~own by the report made by ill& 2a SPECIAL LoIBRARIES May 4. Assignment of supplementary reading aurely juet as important that the students srhould be by emot topica and exact page be well read as it Is for them to be trade citations. lenrned. Good cultural rending will open 5. Speclal reading assignments of impor- the student's mind to a larger fleld, resulting tant topics should be made to capable stu- advantageously for himself as well as for the dents, according to their nbflity and indi- company. To gain this end, it would be a vidual interests. good thing to have the educational depart- 6. In such investigations, studenta should meat of the corporation arrange to secure be trained to pursue standard bibliographicnl general literr~ture for tlie employees' use. methods. Furthexrnore, there will certainly be some A compnny llbrnry which keeps ml index ambitious students who may wish to pur- record of magazine articles and clippings will ckse their own text-books in order mat certainly make available specific dntn which they may be resdily available for reference. would otherwise be out of the q~lestioll. Thsis sliould be encouraged, but not to such Careful indexing of important infol'mntion t~nestent as to flnnncially embnrrnss them. eliminates the ~mssibility of students' omis- Should the educational 11-orlr be conducte(1 sion of ~nnentire magazine. In the student's on 11 suficicntly large scnle, it would be best zeal for the rnlue of renl first-hand experi- lo have a trained librarian who could devote ence, he overloolts the fnct that 11rolitillg 1)~his entire time to the WOI*~. In smaller or- the eslwrience of others is equnlly ilnportnnt, gmiizntions probably some one of the oiflcinls mid books nnd periodicals are the storehouse or a member of the offlce force could devote of other men's espellence ; l~enceany tencher pnrt of his lime to the library. Ful~dsshould is neglectiug his duty who cloes not kecl) iri be nvnilnble for the maintennnce Of the 11- touch \\-ith the 1iter:iture of his subject nntl Imrg nnd for tlw propngntion of its ex- C:llls to tencli 111s st~~tlentshow to find and lencled we in connertion 1~1ththe Libmrg utillze this literatilre. Methocl of instruction. 1Iowewr good ally test-book or mngazine FILM~JI~RARIIX~. luny be, there nre alwi~gs opportunities to The picture fllni has come lo hlilg, for it vitalize the lessoim with sul)plement:~rymnte- is meeti~~ga real nceil. It sul~lilicqwhat 13 rial, nlmn which specin1 reDorts are nlnde on the hole, good tuniuscmenl :~t:I renson- IQ-those stndents \vh~~seinteresls lead them :11)le pricc. It has high e(lncniionil1 vnlue. in this direction. There is no doubt but that It can convey Icssons \vith clireclness, pre- assigned r~dingsnot only for cnch clnss sub- cision :lud emotionnl al~pcal. It ci11 record ject, but also for each lielcl of morl:, will vhat is not for a d:ty but for all time. The be of avnilnble nssist:lnce in comcrging the governlilellts of today are using it to register ideas of the student-en11,loyee's mind to tlie war scenes. Horn vrtlunhle these will be Ill particular work at hand. It will tend to tllc future! IIow niuch one \vould now give focus )his thougl~tsnnd prevent the possibil- for n 131111 of the historic rcview under the ity of waning interest In a conglomeriition of IVashi~~gtonElm on C~unb~idgeCommon! hcts. It is well known thnt n student will How greatly will the British Phipire treusuru learn llluch more when a lesson is assigned that film of Americn's soldiers, milrching to hlm than when he is permitted to rend across \Trestmiuster Bridge last year-em 011 his own responsibility. It should be borne 1)lem and sen1 of a grent reco~icilintiorl! in mind that next in imlmrtance to lino\viiig But thc film needs to be mocle public prop- thing is the ability to And out and &re to erty. It has been commercinlized, itnd Proljer training in the use of technical b001ia though regulated, has not berome the prop :Is :I source of ~nformation. This is not the erty of the 1)eople.