Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth General Meeting of the American Library Association / Held at Kaaterskill, N. Y., June 23-28, 1913

by Unknown

FIRST SESSION

The first session of the Fifth annual conference of the Special Libraries Association was opened in the parlor of the Hotel Kaaterskill, on Tuesday afternoon, June 25, 1913, with the president in the chair.

Mrs. A. W. Von Hohoff of New York, opened the meeting with a paper entitled, "Municipal reference work in New York City." She spoke of the necessity out of which this collection had grown and the lack of ease with which information of this character had been previously obtained. In the short space of time during which this new library has been established over 1,000 people have consulted it, mostly employees of the city. It is serving especially those employees who are studying for civil service examination leading to advancement in the city's work; newspaper men, lawyers and real estate dealers have also found it of value. A short resume of the kind of literature on its shelves was given. This library aims to keep New York City in close touch with the activities and movements of other cities.[13]

[13] For full paper see "Special Libraries," 1913.

The second paper on the program was by Mr. N. C. Kingsbury, Vice-President of the American Tel. & Tel. Company, upon "The library—A necessity of modern business."[14]

[14] For full paper see Library Journal, Aug., 1913.

Few people realize, who have had any connection with the library movement, that specialization has come to mean what it has. Almost no one would have supposed that even a large public service corporation was maintaining five distinct library collections, two at least of which are in charge of trained librarians. This paper, suggestive as it was of the increased activity along library lines in the business world, led to interesting questions.

It was followed by a paper by Mr. Andrew L. Bostwick, municipal reference librarian of St. Louis, entitled "Relations between the municipal library and legislators." He emphasized the necessity for bridging the gap between the average librarian and the average city assemblyman, also the potency of personality which should bring about a close and cordial relationship between the library and its readers. He spoke of the light manner in which municipal libraries were often created and the subsequent selection of the librarian. The different kind of legislators as existing in the average city were aptly held before the audience in no unmistakable terms; and finally, the choice of a proper librarian with his necessary qualifications was presented, together with the manner in which the data accumulated

within the library should be put into the hands of the legislator.

Dr. W. Dawson Johnston, librarian of Columbia University, presented the next paper entitled, "The relation between special and general libraries."[15] "The rise of the special library is undoubtedly due to the limitations of the general library. These have been limitations of location as well as limitations of service. A general library can not in the nature of things be everywhere and even when it is located so as to serve excellently the needs of a special institution, it can not render the service of a collection selected for a specific purpose. There must then be special libraries for special institutions, societies, clubs, and offices.

[15] For full report see "Special Libraries," 1913.

"The special library, however, has its limitations also. It is in danger of having the disadvantages of a private library without the advantages of a public library. This is so true as to remind one of Charles Lamb's description of pamphlets as books which are no books. In similar manner we are sometimes compelled to look upon special libraries as libraries which are no libraries at all, especially where they are so small and so little used as not to require the services of a librarian.

"There are too many special libraries which are not to be distinguished from general libraries except by their location, too many that are simply inferior general libraries, too many that may simply be described as general libraries gone wrong."

He discussed the policy in the elimination of books in each type of library, the matter of the conditions of transfer from a special library to a general one, the relations between the two in respect to bibliographic service, and in conclusion said: "The special library forms an important auxiliary to the general library and especially to the university library, and more important as subjects of research become more practical in character. The general library, because of its comprehensiveness and size must in the nature of things be more useful and must in the aggregate be more used. But if a special library is well selected, that is, if only the best and latest books are admitted to its shelves, it must be proportionately more used than the general library and with better results. Some time may be wasted in finding a special library and in gaining admission to it, but little is wasted in it, while in the general library the time wasted in getting books and in reading books which were better left unread is simply appalling."

Following this very interesting discourse, a paper entitled, "The library of the School of Architecture at Harvard University—The treatment of collections relating to landscape architecture, including city planning," by Miss Theodora Kimball, librarian of this library, was read by title in the absence of the author.[16]

[16] A reprint can be obtained from the Secretary of the "Spec. Lib. Assn."

(1) See forthcoming issue of "Special Libraries."

Miss Helen R. Hosmer, of the General Electric Company, Schenectady, N. Y., presented the last paper of the afternoon, entitled "The library of the research laboratory, General Electric Company."

"Research expects rebuffs, expects to accept a small advance instead of a revolution, expects to make mistakes, and frequently to fail, but intends to let no lesson go unheeded, and to learn from every stumble.

"Inasmuch as every special library comes into very close contact with those it serves, it is not strange the research library partakes of the same nature that pervades the research laboratory. It too is, in this case particularly, a field for experiment.

"The object in view is of course to render as readily available as possible all the information contained in the library on subjects of present or possible future interest to the laboratory staff.

"The main sources of this information are two: first, the scientific and technical literature, consisting of books, periodicals, pamphlets and special publications, clippings, and abstracts from the technical literature, compiled by the publication department of the company, and second the reports from the various laboratories of the company."

The handling of the different classes of material in this library is minutely described and covers several unique features, both in the kinds of material handled and in the methods used. In concluding, she said: "We are attempting to build up a system requiring the minimum amount of work for maintenance, sufficiently simple to appeal to the most hurried research mind, flexible enough to admit of continued improvement without demolishment, and yet adequate to the varied needs of practical scientific investigation."

Mr. R. R. Bowker, of the Library Journal, added some very interesting thoughts along the general trend of the meeting drawn from his many years of experience in library and commercial fields, which were much appreciated by all those present.