Review Articles The University Library The University Library, its Organization, As a matter of fact, perhaps not too many Administration and Functions. Louis R. librarians will read its 570 pages in detail Wilson and Maurice F. Tauber. Chicago, but every university library administrator University of Chicago Press, 1945. x, 57op. worthy of the name, whether in a chief, di- This book, replete with statistics, tables, visional, or departmental capacity, and all and charts, completely documented through- university librarians of professional caliber out and devoted to an exhaustive and authori- will know this book and refer to it repeatedly. tative analysis and discussion of all the facets It is in this respect and as a comprehensive and problems of university librarianship, is a statement for students of university librarian- must item for every university library ad- ship that it will be most useful. As a matter ministrator. If he is planning a new build- of fact the volume suffers, in places, as a ing, debating the merits of divisional subject tool for the practicing administrator, by the reading rooms versus the more traditional detail, sometimes seemingly obvious, which is large main reading room and rooms housing included presumably for the library school material by form, struggling with the problem student. Perhaps it is this pedagogic bent that of independent departmental libraries op- accounts for the aura of the doctoral disserta- posed to centralized control, contemplating a tion which in places pervades the volume. survey of his library, planning a general staff The authors point out repeatedly the lack reorganization, or concerned with any one of of adequate study of many of the problems a dozen other problems, he can turn to this they discuss and the need for further investi- volume with confidence and find a discussion gation. The assertion in regard to centralized of present and past practice and citation of versus departmental reference service, that the more important literature bearing on his "conclusive generalization cannot be made con- problem, whatever it may be. cerning this controversial matter until exten- The authors, in projecting their study, set sive data have been systematically gathered and for themselves the following ambitious goals: analyzed" is typical of the consideration of many problems throughout the book. That To review the changes which have taken place progress is being rapidly made in studying in the university library . .; to consider sys- pressing problems and developing a substan- tematically the principles and methods of uni- tial professional literature of caliber' is indi- versity library administration . .; to formulate cated by the bibliographies supporting each generalizations concerning the organization, ad- ministration and functions of the university li- chapter. The chapter on acquisitions and prep- brary . .; to aid the university administrator in arations, as an example, cites such significant understanding the role of the library in the total contributions as Downs's Union Catalogs in administration of the university; to acquaint the United States; Kellar's "Memoranda on faculty members and members of learned socie- Library Cooperation;" Raney's The Univer- ties with the problems which adequate service sity Libraries; Mann's Introduction to Cata- to them involves . .; to make available to stu- loging and Classification of Books; Van dents of library science a body of principles and Hoesen's "Perspective in Cataloging;" and methods bearing upon the specific problems of university library administration. similar studies. A noteworthy feature of the supporting bibliographies in general is their Obviously, these varied intentions could not recency. Of the sixty-one citations supporting all be fulfilled with equal success. What the the acquisitions chapter, not a single one is authors have achieved is definitely a book older than 1930 and most fall in the late by librarians, for librarians. While it will thirties and early forties. Anyone projecting undoubtedly be quoted repeatedly for the edi- a study, as recently as two decades ago, of fication of administrators and faculty mem- the scope and quality of the one here under bers, the university administrator or faculty review would have found a thin literature member who will read it will be rare indeed. indeed on which to base it. 90 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES Another interesting factor is the frequency pages will be fairly familiar to the average with which the phrases "unpublished master's librarian of some experience and background. study" and "unpublished dissertation" appear The second part is concerned with the wider in the bibliographical notes. The frequent ci- aspects of the functions of the university li- tations of unpublished material of this kind brary, one might almost say with the end indicate how extensively we are indebted to product for which all our meticulous organi- and rely on the work of library school stu- zation, management, and housekeeping exists. dents in understanding and mastering our Considered in this section are such matters problems. This is not to be deplored but it as the teaching function of the library, the may be hoped that more and more we may off-campus relations of the librarian, co- provide opportunity for mature and experi- operation and specialization, and the future enced librarians systematically to study the of the university library. problems of the profession independently and Particularly challenging the attention of not necessarily in pursuit of additional de- this reviewer in the first j)art is the excellent grees. An extension of sabbatical leaves on chapter on administrative organization which pay to university librarians generally, which is one of the strongest and most useful chap- the authors stress as important, would permit ters in the book. The statement in this chap- further and more rapid progress in mature ter, however, that "one of the glaring faults" and scholarly study of our many problems of university librarians is a lack of progres- needing systematic investigation. siveness and unwillingness to permit depart- The authors, in every phase of librarian- mental heads to experiment with new devices ship they discuss, review the problems in- and procedures is a matter that works both volved and the efforts to solve them as ways. As often as not, resistance, either pas- reflected in the literature. They often seem sive or open, to experimentation and change, studiously to refrain from making pronounce- comes from the department head and also ments or leaning to one school of thought rank-and-file workers. Many administrators more than another. This is undoubtedly due are stymied by this situation, for obviously no to the lack of systematic and detailed studies change of importance can be successfully un- of many of the problems they consider. An dertaken without the enthusiastic support of example of careful balance is the chapter on the persons in charge of carrying it out. library buildings. It provides an excellent re- This chapter has an excellent summary of view of past and present trends and the newer the departmental library versus centralized li- developments in library architecture but it brary situation which merits the close atten- does not give an expression of opinion as to tion of librarians and presidents and deans the relative merits of the more or less stand- alike. Performance in this matter in many of ardized monumental buildings and the new our universities, some of them noted for ex- functional divisional reading room buildings. cellence of administration in other matters, This much, it seems, could be expected of ex- is far from ideal. For this reason and because perienced administrators and careful students there is a tendency for systems already cen- of university librarianship, even though the tralized to decentralize, the following state- newer functional divisional type of building ment of the authors, which this reviewer which has recently come into favor undoubtedly subscribes to as basically sound, deserves to is not the last word in library architectural be quoted. planning. At least, the costly and now very ob- vious mistakes of many of the monumental New departmental libraries should be estab- buildings erected in the twenties and thirties lished and maintained outside the general li- could have been stressed much more exten- brary only upon the official approval of the president and the librarian. All expenditures for sively than they have been. library materials and the arrangement for using them should be made under the direction of the Two Parts university librarian. All libraries on the cam- Although not formally so divided the book pus should be administrative parts of the gen- falls into two chief parts. The first of these, eral library. constituting the major portion, is concerned with the details of library organization, ad- More than one university president and his ministration, housekeeping. These some 380 librarian need to read and ponder the in- JANJJARYj 1946 91 escapable common sense and wisdom of these against the charge that it has, in emphasizing words. the acquisition of research materials, neg- lected the undergraduate student. They say Chapters on Personnel that if the university is to do research it must Of special interest in the first section, at have the books and general library facilities least to this reviewer, are the two chapters to support the program. This is obviously on personnel. Included, very appropriately, true, but the emphasis on research materials is emphasis on in-service training, attendance which followed the last war need not be as at meetings, leaves for study, and promotions one-sided as it has been and is. If only a very as recognition of special achievement. To the small portion of the thought, energy, and degree that these recommendations are put money which our large universities have into effect in our various libraries, we will de- poured into acquiring research materials can velop a professional personnel of worthy be devoted to meeting the library needs of the caliber.