By FELIX E. H1RSCH The Use of the Book Collection in the Teaching Program of a Progressive College Felix E. Hirsch is librarian and instructor a year. These figures are impressive, in- at Bard College. In this article he shows deed, if you hold them against the average how three progressive colleges seek to circulation in American colleges, which teach with books—thus vitalizing and Branscomb puts at only 12 books and 50 individualizing their curricula. to 60 reserve books per capita. Two other progressive colleges in the East, OME YEARS ago President Wriston of Sarah Lawrence and Bard, have had S Brown University made a very telling equally satisfactory experiences with stu- comparison. "When the doctor," he said, dent reading. At Sarah Lawrence Col- "wants to know the general state of your lege the annual book circulation per health, he takes your temperature and your student has ranged from 43 to 50 volumes pulse. In much the same way I regard in recent years. The annual figure for the two-week-book circulation as the most two-week books at Bard College has been significant single indication of the intellec- above 70 per student during the last five tual well-being of the institution." If years; in 1936/37 and 1938/39 it ap- that is true, the progressive colleges in proached 80. The number of overnight America seem to enjoy an unusually fine reserves, meanwhile, sank from 33 to state of health, for their figures of stu- about 10 per capita. dent reading per capita are higher than Since little has been published thus far those of almost any other college. about the relation between the book col- Branscomb in his recent study Teaching lection and the teaching program in pro- with Books points to one of these progres- gressive colleges, I shall give here some sive institutions, Bennington College, as reflections based on more than four years an example for his thesis that the students of my experience as librarian and instruc- will use the library where the curriculum tor at Bard College. Valuable suggestions and method of instruction are planned for this paper have also been received from with that expectation. He gives the cir- the librarians of the other two Eastern culation statistics for Bennington, which progressive colleges, Mrs. Leslie and Miss since 1934 have exceeded annually 55 Stone. Sarah Lawrence College in Bronx- books (1939/40:65) and 9 reserve books ville, N.Y., was the first to appear on the per capita, although the students reside on horizon about twelve years ago. It of- the Bennington campus only thirty weeks fered "A New Design for Women's Edu- 48 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES cation," as President Constance Warren rence has more than thirty-four thousand calls her recent book, which is a lively volumes while Bennington is approaching exposition of progressive college methods twenty thousand, and they have no ambi- in action. A few years later, in 1932, tion to rival their wealthier competitors. Bennington College was established in As President Robert D. Leigh of Ben- Vermont; it carries out similar, but by no nington (also Acting Dean of Bard Col- means identical ideas in the field of wom- lege in 1939) put it in the foreword to en's education. They may be summed up the first annual report of his librarian: in the following sentence taken from a "Our library is designed primarily to serve Bennington College bulletin: "That the as a reading room for a working collection college should accustom its students to the of books, Clearly it is not intended to habit of engaging voluntarily in learning duplicate the great university or metro- rather than of submitting involuntarily politan research libraries." Bard, having at certain periods to formal instruction." deeper roots in the past, has a richer col- Bard College, the only boys' college in lection, containing more than sixty-one this group, has served as an experimental thousand volumes; it is strong in the so- unit of Columbia University since 1934; cial sciences and the humanities. With it grew out of a complete reorganization a maximum enrollment of 150 to 160 stu- of the old St. Stephen's College. The dents it has more than four hundred books man who brought about the educational at the disposal of each student. change, Dr. Donald G. Tewksbury, had Further, the high reading figures of taught before at Sarah Lawrence College, these three progressive colleges cannot be and the present Dean, Dr. Charles Harold explained by the attractiveness of the li- Gray, came from Bennington College. brary buildings or a particularly shrewd Thus there are certain close ties between arrangement of the collections. The the three institutions. buildings which house the libraries at Sarah Lawrence and Bennington are Quality of the Book Collections modern and rather well equipped. They Before we can investigate the relation convey a pleasant atmosphere, but are in between educational programs and use of no way exceptional. There are neither the library, two important questions must magnificent browsing rooms nor romantic be answered. The first is: Would it be ivory towers. The situation at Bard is possible ito explain the high reading figures worse: The library is located in a Greek in these three progressive colleges to a temple because the donor of the building considerable extent by the unusual quality loved classic architecture. Unfortunately, of their book collections? I doubt it. Al- there is nothing less attractive for leisurely though all three of them received gener- reading than an enormous room that re- ous aid from the Carnegie Corporation ceives its bit of light only from the sky. in the process of building up their li- None of the three progressive colleges braries, none of them can compare with tries to push the circulation by introduc- those of some well-endowed conservative ing dormitory libraries or developing an colleges. Sarah Lawrence and Benning- undue number of departmental libraries. ton have excellent modern collections, but A few of the latter, on the other hand, they are certainly not large., Sarah Law- may be indispensable for carrying out the DECEMBER, 1940 49 educational program effectively. Sarah every student the highest degree of training Lawrence has placed about one thousand he can take. books in the science laboratories, and the There are no required courses. Even music building houses the library collec- the freshmen meet in small informal semi- tion of records and scores. At Bard, be- nars. These are supplemented by indi- cause of the general inadequacy of the vidual conferences which each student has main library building, more branches were with each of his instructors. Such con- developed. A sizable science library serves ferences are usually held bi-weekly. The the students working in the laboratories* instructor has here a splendid opportunity Close to the art studios, there was estab- to arouse a boy's enthusiasm for a great lished an art and music library four years idea and a great book, and he can also ago. In a pleasant room, art books and check up on the actual achievement of reproductions are displayed and music the student in this conversation far better records may be used. This has become a than in any written examination. Any rather popular place with the students student who has a minimum of self-respect who like to look at the beautiful Carnegie will hate to come to such a conference un- art set or to listen to the great music of the prepared, and he will not go away from it past. This kind of appreciation, however, without having received some new hint does not do much to boost the circulation about the treasures of wisdom stored in figures. Bard has classroom collections the college library. Very often such a only in the modern language departments ; conference begins in the instructor's office, they are fulfilling their purpose there to but ends in the stacks of the library. The a considerable extent. highest degree of individualization is reached in the tutorials; here the professor Progressive Methods of Instruction deals only with one student on a subject Since neither the quality of the book in which the boy shows serious interest and collections nor their arrangement would ability. Even the freshman is now to have go far to explain the wide reading of even such a tutorial in his major field of study. the average student in progressive colleges, Needless to say this type of education is one may safely conclude that the laurel expensive. At Bard there is now one in- belongs to their methods of instruction. structor for every four students! The How may these be characterized in a few faculty members are extremely busy in sentences? In the three institutions there spite of this unusually low ratio, for they is no preconceived curriculum for every- are charged with wide responsibilities in body; the needs of each individual student guidance that really never end. are taken into account and his initiative is strengthened by all possible means. A The Librarian as Educator recent bulletin of Bard College says: What is the position of the librarian in A student is not merely a passive listener this educational setup? It would seem to in a class nor a mere reciter of lessons. He be stronger than in the conservative col- is urged to take his education into his own lege, since the progressive method of hands, to follow up his own questionings and to go as fast and as far as he can. The instruction tends to make students book- good student is not held down to the average conscious.