Special Libraries, February 1918
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San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Special Libraries, 1918 Special Libraries, 1910s 2-1-1918 Special Libraries, February 1918 Special Libraries Association Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1918 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, February 1918" (1918). Special Libraries, 1918. 2. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1918/2 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Libraries, 1910s at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Special Libraries, 1918 by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Special Libraries -- Vol. 9. FEBRUARY, 1918 No. 2 The Relation of the Public Library To The Private Business Libraries* By PAUL 13. NYSTIIOM, Ph. D., Director, BUREAUOF MERCHANDISINGRESEARCH, INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE COMPANY, X. '5:-. The development and application of the tion of the officers and employes wl~atcvcr Library idea seems always to havc been has appeared in r~rir~tthat they should know characterized by growth in details,. one 11y ant1 in such form as to ~nducethem to use one rather than as a whole. At one t~me,we the material. The I~usincsslil~rariati should had a rapid spreacl of Carnegic libraries, at be the concern's specialist on the lirlcs of another of school I~braries,at another of literature of interest to that concern. The children's rooms and story hours, at another business librarian shor~ldboth sift and in- of traveling libraries and library extension. terpret I~usinessliteralu e for his concern's Having establ~shedtlictnselves these detail use. movements go on with the general library The library rn :i l~usincssconcern, qurte m~ovement constantly makmg it more sig- unlilte the Garncgian concept, is merely thc nificant and useful to the public. olFcc in whicl~the 1)usiness librarian works. Just now the nlost rapidly cleveloping It is cquippcrl with supplles which the li- phase of the library idea, it seems to me, is brarian may need In his work for the Com- t!~e establishment of private business libra- pany. Its equipment is long on l~terary ries. A large numbcr of concerns already tools hut s1io1-t 011 collections of I~ooks have bheir libraries or information and data and pamphlets. In fact you may have an departments organized and operating. Still excellent business l~braryscrvlce without larger numbers have begun collections of any collection of books in the cty~ological materials similar to those brought together and cwstotnary sense of the word lihrary". by libraries. The use for business 11tera- The I~usiness I~l~rarianexercises his pro- ture is so clear that other hundreds if not fession through knowledge of where infor- thousands of concerns need only to havc malion, sucli as his conccrn wants, can be the ~deaand suggestion of how to carry it founcl. One business librarian that 1 have out brought to their attention in order to met had no 1)ooks at a11 in his office, but cause them to estal~lish similar depart- did utilize I~ookancl periodicals in eight ments or libraries. public and professional .libraries located in The business library movement is largely his city The ideal l~usinesslibrary con- a tribute to the public libraries. If I mis- tains the I~ooks, periodicals, documents, take not, the servlce of the public llhrary and refcrcnce works of fairly constant and has suggested the possibilities of the spe- currenl use, ancl particularly the guides, cial business library. The systems of the handbooks and directories to the large col- public library have been drawn upon for lections witliin reach. the business lil~rary. Not a few bus~ness 1 he l~usincsslibrarian's worlc when con?- 1,ibraries have come from the ranlts of thc pared with that of the puI111c I~hrarian,IS public libraries. One may truthfully s eak 111ghly specialized He tnust classify and of the business library as a direct off-sgoot sul,classify 111 planes which never can con- of the public library. ccrn the public library, or at any ralc. To make clear the actual and possible wfiich wou,Id not he praclicahle for the pub- relations the public library can work out lic library. The work that hc does must with the business l~brarywe must fifst con- oftcn be done within very definite and vcry sider the peculiar functions of the business limitccl time. An idea, say some news librarian and of the business library. item, may Ix of great value if used today, From sucli study as I have been able to hut of 110 use tomorrow. The business give to the matter, it seems to me that the I~llrar~anmust study the personalities of real purpose of the business librarian in a the people whom he serves in a way hat I~usinessconcern is to bring to the atten- no nublic 11l)rarian can successfully do for 36 SPECIAL LIBRARIES the general public. The business libririan, library can no do.ubt be greatly enhanced in this respect, must adopt the tactics .of by application of this metbod. TO 111~s- the skillful teacher and determine individual trate, no matter how much service a public tnethods ol getting the attention and in- lihrary already renclcrs to its cornmu~l~ty, terest of the right parties within the con- there are certain to be some unworlced pos- cern to the points discovered in his reading sibilities. The library may even already of bus~nessliterature. reach the great majority of people in a The business library function came into community with certain classes of services existence with the clevclopn~entof business and still leave other poss~blehighly valu- literature, and I mean by business litera- able scrvices undone. This is especially ture, literature that can be put to use in likely to be true of stimulating the reading any way by a concern. The function is grow- of I~usinessliterature. mg. The need for the business library is In a concern with wliich I was ac- greater to-day than ever before. It will quainted, employing in the neighborhood become greater and greater, Tllle business of 300 people there was established a public library in one form or another has come branch library sp,ecializing on business to stay. Concerns that are large enoupl~to I~ooks. By investigation it was found that permit of the necessary division of labor scarcely any of these 300 had ever patron- will provide business library organization. m zed the general public library in the city Snlaller concerns will go as far as their for this type of reading. By proper encour- means will pcrmit. There will be such a agement from a live business librarian, a developnlent as this because the business large number of thesc were induced to take library, properly conducterl, pays. up reading along business I~nes,resulting What shall be the attitude for the publio in considerable pain to then~selvesand to library to take towards business libraries the business. springing up about it? I cannot answer The public library had been established t,his question by saying what their attitude in the corninunity for years. Practically all ought to be. 1 can only point out what of the employes knew of the public library their att~tudcactually seems to be and and many of them had wed it in various then make a suggestion or two on how I ways, but it required the special business think greater progress can be made. library loczcted In their own concern to Most public librarians that I know of call their attention to the new values. treat business libraries and librarians just In other words, among these employes as they treat individual patrons of the reading for business was an idea not for- library. Not much attention is given to the merly taught them by the general public business library as such. The business library. The establishment of the business librarian mcrely comes to the public library library indirectly extended the service of and receives the public library service under the general library in a very specific and the same rul'es as other library users. I valuable line to nearly 300 additional resi- have known of cases where he thought dents of the city. Was it not well worth himself lucky if he were permitted even while for th8is general library to establish ~~1~11services. its business branch in this concern. Thcrc are still other librariles that look There is no question but that the public upon the business libraries as avenues libraries can in many communities expand through which to expand the public library their services to business interests, they service and accordingly cooperate in nu- can collect business books, business period- merous ways with business librarians. Such icals and make abstracts of important ar- public libraries are t,o the business libraries ticles in the periodical literature for the much the same as wholesale houses are to benefit of industries in the conlnnunity. setail es,tablishments in other lines of The public library can promote interest business. in business literature to a marked degree, In a few cases the public library is going without doubt, but it is impossible for the to the opposite extreme and is attempting public library to render the intimate special to perform business library service for the service for the particular concern that the business men and bus~nessconcerns in the ~~usinesslibrary performs without sacri- community and whdo patronize the library.