EDITORIAL BOARD Editor: ... Esrurn J' Prnncv Assistant Editors: Donornv Brvrs . for Acquisition Section Peur S. DuNrrr for Cataloging and Classification Seetion SrrpHnN W. Fono .. for Serials Section AnrN B. VneNrn . for-Copying Methods Section Editorial Adaisers: Maurice F. Tauber (for Technical Services), Doris Ransom (for Regional Groups) Managing Editor: Rlv O. Hururunr,Jn. BusinessAssistant: David Turiel (for Advertising) Circulation Manager: .. Mns. ErrzesErrt Roorn Library Resources anil Technical Set'ttices, the quartelly official publication of the Resources and Technical services Division of the American Library Association is pub- lished at zgor Byrdhill Road, Richmond, Va. z3zo5. Editorial Office: Processing Division' and Business Enoch Pratt Free Library, 4oo Cathedral St., Baltimore t, Md. Circulntion Price: to members of the ALA Re- office: 5o E. Huron St., Chicago rr, IIl. szbscripti.on sources and Technical services Division paying ALA dues of $6.oo or more, $z.oo per year, included in the membership dues; to members paying less than $6.oo, and to non- issue or members, $5.oo per year, single copies $r.25, orders of five or more copies (same assorted), $r.oo each. ..second-classpostage paid at Richmond, va., and at additional mailing offices." IR?S is indexed in Li,brary Literature and it Library Science Abstracts.lts reviews are included in the Book Reuiew Digest. Ed.itors: Material published in IR?S is not copyrighted. When rePrinting the courtesy of citation to the original publication is requested. Publication in IRTS does not imply ofrcial endorsement by the Resources and Technical Services Division nor by ALA, and the assumption of editodal responsibility is not to be construed necessarily as endorsement of the opinions expressed by individual contributors. TechnicalServices in 1963 Maunrcr F. Teusnn, Prof essor School of Library Seraice Columbia UniaersitY New Yorh, N. Y. URING r963 developments in technical servicesmoved along various fronts. u.td-to this bbserver marked an effort to relate the field of do..,m.tttution more closely to what has been described as traditional librarianship, particularly in the area of special librarianship. Un- doubtedly, this approach will be furthered as more programs in educa- tion or training of librurians will introduce students to the activity and essenceof new opportunities to aid researchers and scholars in their work. Or ganizationaland A dministratia e AIat ters Probably the greatest attention during the year to organizational and administrative mitters in the technical serviceshas been associatedwith ing, and various concerns of interlibrary cooPeration. In separate papers the following matters are discussed:acquisitions, weeding, cataloging and classification, and machines and equipment. As a mattel of fact, the entire libraries, made pointed remarks at "traditional libraries." He observed that they were unwilling to accept technical rePorts as "published liter- ature," and this has resulted in federal agenciesassutning "large, library- like document operations." He also calls attention to the use of "ancient and outmoded concepts of subject classification in the face of rapidly de- veloping interdisciplinary approaches to scienceand engineering." Thus, Volume 8, Number z,Spring r 964 . lol he notes, there has been "independent development of storage and re- trieval techniques for documents that are completely outside the scope of present-day operations." In regard to cooperation, Carlson com- mented that the term has been "misused (probably inadvertently) to unify resistance to demands for new types of services by technical people." Librarians will accept or not accept such generalizations of their work. That they are being made, however, should be a basis for re- evaluation of servicesand approaches to such services,even though it may be demonstrated that sometimes the critics are not completely aware of the efforts of librarians, particularly special librarians. The volume by Dr. Evans and his associatesis important also in the suggestionsmade for support of the work of the Library of Congress.In the approach to technical'services,in terms of organization and adminis- tration, there has been considerable attention given to the need of the Library of Congress to provide extensive and prompt service in catalog- ing, classification,and bibliographical aids. That the profession nationally has been alerted to the need is significant. Earlier, in 1963, Frederick H. Wagman, Librarian at the University of Michigan and President of the American Library Association, wrote of the assistancewhich librarians might give to their national library which would rebound to their own li- braries. FIe wrote: The fact is, however, that the Library of Congresswould be able to increase the basic servicesfrom which we all benefit, to overcomethe shortagesof space, of personnel,and of money that inhibit all of its programs-and ours, inci- dentally-if there were a better understandingon the part of all congressmen and senatorsthat its programsdo benefit directly the economyand eficiencyof the librariesof their homestates and districts.2 The furtherance of the work of the Library of Congressis imperative if the libraries of the country which have come to depend upon its services are to benefit to the fullest extent. The discussions of organiza- tion and administration of individual libraries are interesting and in- formative, but the extension of effective centralized and cooperative projects in the field is paramount. The importance of the Library of Congress in technical serviceshas been recognized not only in the United States but in foreign countries as well. The paper by John Metcalfe, which appeared in the January, 1964 issue of College and Research Libraries,s was written in 196r for a Seminar held in Melbourne in that year.aAlthough this is a highly criti- cal paper of some of the subject heading practices of the Library of Congress in so far as Australian libraries are concerned, Metcalfe seeks improvement. His suggestion is that "Central cataloging associated but not identified with that of a particular library can be more flexible, directed to and even varied according to the needs of its users, but it must have a consistent practice or it will not avoid inconsistencies, 'varying partly 62115sd-3s LC says of its own headings-by theories of subject heading practice over the years."'5 . to2 Library Resourcesb Techni,calSeruices Thus, the Library of Congress has not only been criticized in terms of its services to American libraries, but foreign libraries have noted shortcomings as well. Of course,as N4etcalfeaPtly points out, the Library of Congress has been working within a framework of assistanceto its particular constituents, and other libraries which could use its products might do so. The Evans and Metcalfe suggestions,as well as those by Wagman, indicate that librarians must consolidate their support of the Library of Congressif it is to be placed in a position of improving and extending its services. was distributed to the seven colleges involved, at $g,ooo each. Several principles were agreed upon in the purchase of materials: (r) Subject assignments based on the Dewey Decimal Classification were made to each library, in accordance with requests received from the individual institutions, and building as far as possible upon existing strength. (z) The classificationsfor each library conformed to the course offerings and teaching needs of the college concerned. Also, the areas assigned were represented in the course offerings of the other colleges, to avoid making purchases of use to one institution only. (3) By adhering to a standard library classification, duplication was largely, though not en- tirely, eliminated. (a). All acquisitions were to me made available on inter-library loan to members of the cooperating group. (f) T" facilitate loans and provide information on current acquisitions, each library agreed to supply to each of the other six libraries two Library of Congress cards for every item purchased from the special fund." Subsequent grants were received by the group of libraries, which in- clude Arkansas College, the College of the Ozarks, Harding College, Hendrix College, John Brown University, Ouachita Baptist College, and Southern Baptist College. Among Dr. Downs' suggestionsfor a program for the future is that emphasis be placed on periodical and reference titles, rather than on "many small, separate titles, scattered in a variety of fields." Extension of Centralized Processing The discussion in the previous section leads normally to a considera- tion of efforts to extend centralized or regional processing. There have been some new centers established,and a review of the activity by Mary Lee Bundya is helpful in providing a profile of the spread of the opera- tions and an analysis of basic issueswhich have evolved. Dr. Bundy de- scribes the expansion of centers as a framework of a study of centers for furnishing data for a program contemplated by the Missouri State Li- brary. She notes that in 1969there were over bo centersin z7 states.Among the significant points made are the following: costs are difficult to com- Volume 8, Number z, Spring t964 . ro3 pare unless one has a complete body of data concerning the agenciescom- pared; the majority of the centers recommend both ordering and catalog- ing for most efiective results; centralized processingmay exist in various forms, but the major step should be to minimize or eliminate variations that