Special Libraries, October 1922
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San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Special Libraries, 1922 Special Libraries, 1920s 10-1-1922 Special Libraries, October 1922 Special Libraries Association Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1922 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, October 1922" (1922). Special Libraries, 1922. 8. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1922/8 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, 1922 by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Special Libraries ADELAIDE R. HASSE. Editor, Office of the Assistant Secretary of War Washington, D. C. Val. 13 Octnher, 1922 No. 8 The Research and Technical Library FRANCIS E. CADY, Manager, Research Department, National Lamp Works. "Arts and sclences the beneflts of which no mind can calculate, depend upon bAoks." Rlchard Aungervyie (Richard De Bury). Thc un~)aralleledgrowth ~n the apprecia- particular the trainer1 scientific invcstiga- tion of the valu: of scientific research in tion of principles and facts of any subject the past few years has emphasized the value based on original and first hand study of of thc scientific and technical library. The authorities or exper;ment." idea of research has expanded to the point It is one c~f the main purposes of the where the term has been seen to apply to library to make available for study the all investigations which mean progress and work 01 the "authorities" referred to. Of development although it inust then be modi- the various tools used by the investigator fied by the aclclit~onof such ,terms as pure, in the realm of pure science research, the applied, technical, engineering, etc. But scientific library stands In importance second whatever the type of research, it is very to none Research is a type of work: which, seriously handicapped if there is not readily because it means advancing inta untried available an aclequntely equipped research territory, necessarily requires a ground- library. The scient st and the en,cinecl$, work from which to advance. It is a rarity when dceply interested in a problem have in these days for anyonc to be working on for the time being what might be called a problem which is so new that ~t has no "single track" minds and any interruptions immediate connection with work already such as a delay in gettmg. information de- done. The library contains the records sired is quite lllcely to result in a side tracli- of prevlous acconil)l~sliments and 1s the ing of the problem which may seriously In- storehouse from which the scientist draws terfere with its rapid solution. It is not the Itnowledge which enables him to avoid difficult to conceivc of the annoyance of a the pitfalls of hls predecessors, to take ad- chemist who has reached a certa~nstep in vantage of the latter's successes, and be analysis where it IS necessary for him to sure that the ground he proposes to cultwate know a certain rare forinuln, when he finds has not already yielded its harvest. that the book containing it is not at hand Another ~hascof the value of the library and inust be sent for. A quantity of valu- to the worker in research is the inspira- able material might be ruined by such a tion which often comes as thc result of delay. Again a physiologist mag be fol- the perusal of the rcports of other inves- lowing out a line of reasoning in develop- tigators. hlnny an extended research has ing a theoretical explanation of some phe- been started as the result of an idea in- nomenon and wishing to look up some ver~fy- spired by the study of some scientific paper. ing expcrinlentnl data, finds that he must The use of a certain principle described in walt for a week until it can be sent for. connection w~thexperimentnl results quite It is quite conceivable that the interruption often suggests its use in a little different would result in such an altered cond~tion field of work. 01. an individual who has of thought clurlng the interval that the fine made a special study of a part~cular~nstru- points of his theory mould have escaped mcnt may, after reading about an investiga- him. When the subject is an abstruse one, tion, sec how the same or better results it is not easy to pick up threads once laic1 could be obtained by the use of the instru- clown. And these illustrations coulcl read~ly ment in which he is interested. As a case be multiplied by concrete cases showing in paint reference might be made to the the value and importance in research work thorough study of photometric instruments of a readily available researcl~library. and methods made by a certain well-known It is rather interesting m this connec- scientist, who, whenever he read a report tion that the Encyclopedia Erittanica in of an experiment or investigation, endeav- the brief article on "Research" gives as ored to see whether or not the problem in- part of a clefinit~on,"The act of searching volved could not be solved in a more satis- into a matter clasely and carefully; inquiry factory manner by thc use of photometry. directed to the discovery of truth, and 111 His success in the field of radiation is well SPECIAL LIBRARIES October, 1922 known. And, In general, the true research German physickt on a subject which had worker IS always on tllt~11101io~t for prin- been under investigation in our laboratory ciples and lnethods u~lby others, which for over a ycar, and immadiately notified can be applied in his own work. the individual carrying on this work While There are many ways In which the trained the individual would probably in time htlve librarian can be of considerable assistance. conle upon this article in the course of his If the individual undertaking a research regular reading, he was very glad to know on some special subject ltnows of recent of its ex~stenceand promptly took it away work along similar lines and can give a for stucly. As another illustration of this reference to the librarian, it may be pas- same thing, let me refer to a paper pre- siblc for the latter to work back from ;tins sented at a recent meeting of the Amcsican reference ancl gather together a sufficient Physical Society, in which was described an number of works ancl articles on the subject ~nstrumentused in photometric work. Sub- to enable the invest~gator to learn all he sequently the attention of the author of the may wish to know of what has been done. paper was called to a description of an And if the librarian can go further and instrunlent apparently using the same prin- prepare a full bibliography to be inchded clple contained in i boolc which was pub- in the ultimate paper describing ,the re- lished over fifteen ycars ago. Ile had not search, the worker will be saved tlme and seen this boolc when he prepared his paper, effort and the paper will in general be much and would have 'been saved some explana- more valuable. It has been one of the tions had his librarian been able to refcr plans for increasmg the usefulness of our him to it. Still another illustration IS found library to have the librarian prepare bib- in a very recent experience. A well-known liograph~esof the various subjects on which sc~entistwho has been interested in a cer- our staff is working, so that they lnay be tain field of physics recom~nencledto a re- ready in advance and be avallxble for sub- search man an extended investigation into sequent reference. By a little more atten- the accuracy of a law which had not as tion to what IS 111 the books, as they are far as he knew been rigorously verified for being catalogued the librarian in the special nearly fifteen years. In looking into the library niay become sufficiently conversant matter the research worker found an article with their contents to bc able to recommend published within six months, describing an them in cases where they might not other- elaborate stucly made abroad of the very wise be thought of. Thus I have in wind a subject and apparently settling the ques- work on physiology of the eye which con- tion. In this case without do~lbta large tains quite a bit of information which would amount of time as well as the cost of special be useful to a person who mas nndertaking apparatus was saved by the knowledge of an investigation of the effects of intensi- this article published in a foreign periodi- ties of illumination on the efficiency of office cal. Had the scientist been in touch with or factory work. Aqain a certain book on a librarian watcl~in~out for articles in "Color" has a lot of technical data useful which he is interested, he would undoubted- to the experimental psychologist. Of course ly have been informed of this foreign work a librarian cannot be expected to know and and been saved the embarassment of show- remember all that is in every book in his inp his ignorance. or her care, but the more that is known While in general, workers in pure science the more the possibility of helpful assis- are sufficiently familiar with French and tance.