San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Special Libraries, 1939 Special Libraries, 1930s 12-1-1939 Special Libraries, December 1939 Special Libraries Association Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1939 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, December 1939" (1939). Special Libraries, 1939. Book 10. http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1939/10 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Libraries, 1930s at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Special Libraries, 1939 by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. O&ial Organ of the Special Libmries Association SPecial Libraries "Putting Kdgeto Work" SPECIALLIBBARIES - Made for Use . ALMAC. MITCHILL327 Bibliographical Planning Committee of Philadelphia Mnn~LOUISE ALEXANDER 328 "Blue Book" and Vhite Paper" . WILLIAMC. DALGOUTTE332 A Christmas Book List . VIRGINIAKrmus 333 The British-American Trade Agreement American Viewpoint . , . LAURENCEDE RYCKE 337 British Viewpoint . , . ANGUSS. FLETCHER341 Effect on California Agriculture . , . JESSEW. TAPP 34 Index to Christian Art . HELENWOODRUFF 347 Chapter Newe . , . 34 Publicity and Publications . 350 News Briefs. 352 Personal. 354 Indexed in Idustrial Arts Index and Public Affairs Information Setvice DECEMBER 1939 VOLUME 30 NUMBER I0 2 1 SPECIAL LIBRARIES vol. 30, No. 10 V~~GINIAMEBEDITA. I?difor December, 1939 The articles which appear in SPECI& L~na~n~ssexprese the vicwe of the authors, and do - not ncce8~ariljreprebent the opinion or the policy of the editorial etaBE and publisher - SPECIALLIBRARIES-Made for Use HEN your copy of SPECIALLI- SPECIALLIBRARIES. One was by refer- WBURIES is laid upon your desk, ence to Kenneth H. Condit's paper tell- what do you do with it? Do you treat it ing of The Conference Board's work on as you would any other business, techni- the patent system. Several days after the cal or professional journal - select cer- original request, the inquirer asked for tain articles for indexing or inclusion in a the SPECIALLIBRARIES' article as the list to be circulated amongst your clien- best explanation which had been pub- tele, or, in case of an extremely interest- lished on the patent system. The other ing or important notice or article, call it librarian gave a business man Robert R. immediately to the attention of one of Nathan's article "Some Aspects of In- your executives? come Statistics." The man remarked that In this issue, for instance, are three if that was the type of article generally articles on "Trade Agreements " - a appearing in SPECIAL LIBRARIES he timely subject. The background given in wished to see the magazine regularly. these articles - all written by authori- Another business man is now using the ties, one of whom is also an S.L.A. mem- Plan for Organizing Pamphlets and ber -may help you more quickly to Books in a small office. understand the questions or needs of one Through SPECIAL LIBRARIES, your of your officers tomorrow. Here, too, executives will learn a clearer conception compactly combined are the arguments of what the Special Libraries Association on both sides of the Agreements question. is and of its worth. Do in the future read Another topic now very much in the SPECIALLIBRARIES not only for what it minds of business men is that of the co- brings you individually but with a operative movement. They are interested thought as to its value to your executives. in its various phases and how they work. You will be agreeably surprised at the Mary Louise Alexander's good paper on results. the coijperative idea in the library field Have you considered SPECIAL LI- gives another angle to this development. BRARIES as a Christmas gift? Why not Too, at this Christmas season, we are include it on your gift suggestion list deluged with last minute requests for this year? There may be some friend who suggestions as to the best book to give as would welcome its coming regularly to a gift. Virginia Kirkus' "Christmas Book his or her office or home for the next List" can help us this year to suggest the many months. right book for every member of some- And now, a Merry Christmas and body's family. Happy New Year to you all. In the So much for the articles in this issue. words of Tiny Tim, "God Bless Us, Here are some instances where librarians Every One ! " used past issues to answer questions with ALMA C. MITCHILL,President Bfbliographioal Planning Committee of Philadelphia Mary Louise Alexander, Director S special librarians, our chief con- scope. Now that the organization period A tribution to the library profession is over, this catalogue is ready to extend is the information service we render. We its services to libraries and individuals differ from many other types of libra- in the community. The University of rians in that we have close and contin- Pennsylvania is also interested in re- uous contacts with our clientele; that we search service to the Philadelphia area must know our subjects thoroughly and and is at present concerned with plans be experts in the literature of our field, for a new university library building. It and that we must be able to do much wishes guidance in its planning if the more than simply buy, catalogue, and building is to become a bibliographical hand out books. center, and the Carnegie Corporation Information service is one of the lead- felt this community idea to be of suf- ing problems in library work today. ficient importance to justify an investiga- Libraries are in somewhat the same tion and a cooperative plan which might position as American industry which for help other libraries and universities in so many years devoted a major share of various parts of the country. its interest to oroduction and mechanical To date the Committee's work has problems. Manufacturers are now dis- consisted of a survey of the literature covering the great importance of distri- covering cooperative experiments every- bution and service. So libraries have too where; a study of university library long been concentrating on methods and problems and a survey of the library materials without bothering about the resources and needs of the Philadelphia quality of their service, or how well they area. are meeting the informational needs of their community. The Wperative Movement in Libraries Many of the problems facing libraries There are nearly a score of highly de- today can only be solved cooperatively. veloped cooperative experiments in the And the coaperative movement in the United States. Among these are the library profession seems to be making interesting developments at Nashville, great headway in this country. The Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver, in Oregon, Bibliographical Planning Committee of Michigan, and many other localities. Philadelphia is a joint committee of the These experiments vary from cooperative University of Pennsylvania and the agreements on the part of libraries to Union Library Catalogue of the Phila- specialize in certain fields instead of delphia Metropolitan Area. It is operating duplicating expensive research materials, under a grant of $20,000 from the Car- to the actual physical exchange of whole negie Corporation of New York. The classes of books, or the consolidation of Union Library Catalogue is a central file whole libraries. The movement goes quite showing all of the books owned in the 150 far back in history since we find Presi- major libraries in Philadelphia. Phila- dent Eliot of Harvard advocating a delphia has pioneered in this field and its cooperative storage warehouse in 1902. catalogue, in operation since January And in 1895 the John Crerar and New- 1937, is unique in the country in size and berry Libraries in Chicago defined their fields, exchanged certain holdings, and for experiments elsewhere. We have ever since that time one library has learned a great deal in our survey of specialized in science and the other in libraries which might help others. Be- the humanities. The Astor-Lenox-Tilden cause of the time at our disposal and our Foundation was a consolidation of three limited staff, we could not make a thor- important research libraries which made ough check of all the important materials possible the fine reference department of in each collection. Instead, we have the New York Public Library. visited a great many libraries and Leaders in the library profession and learned at first hand the purposes and the literature of the cooperative move- policies of those libraries, the size of ment point up seven fairly standard steps their staff, something of their budgets to be taken by any region interested in a and purchasing program, and specifi- cooperative plan. They are: (1) Make a cally in what fields their greatest strength survey of the holdings of the libraries in lies. We have then made a card file sub- the region and make that information ject index to these special collections. available to all. (2) Organize a union This type of survey forms a sort of sub- library catalogue. (3) Extend interlibrary ject approach to the union library cata- loan facilities and standardize practices. logue which, as all librarians know, is (4) Encourage individual libraries to only an author catalogue that serves to specialize and coordinate their holdings locate any individual book for which one instead of duplicating in their purchasing knows the author and title. programs. (5) Develop various technical It is difficult in any survey to evaluate processes cooperatively such as book the strength of special collections either selection, ordering, cataloguing, binding, in relation to the library as a whole or in microphotography, etc.