The Business Library: What it is and what it does

by Louise B. Krause

The mental and social traits required for success in any line of business work apply with equal force to the business librarian, and it is not necessary to enter into any academic discussion of them at this time. Everyone knows that good health, accuracy, thoroughness, common sense, good judgment, tact, integrity of character, and memory (particularly in library work) are indispensable to success in any career, but there are certain traits which a long term of service in a business library and an intimate acquaintance with many business librarians have made clear to the writer, as necessary to success in the business of being a business librarian.

The business librarian must be an executive; he must have not only a balanced view of every detail of library work in relation to its particular whole, but he must especially have an adequate vision of library work in relation to the whole work of his organization, and he must have the ability to see this relationship without waiting for some one to point it out to him. Finally, he must be able to relate the particular business and its existing service, to the work of the world at large.

A librarian serving a prominent business organization was recently asked by the writer, what was the scope of the work of their publicity department in furthering the interests of the organization as a whole, with the result that she could not tell. This librarian only knew that her business was to catalog, classify, put away and be able to get out again the material which was assigned to her care. The executive head of another important business organization has often complained because his librarian was afraid to take any initiative and always waited to be told what detailed policy should be pursued by the library; he was too busy to have to carry it on his mind, and more than that, he really did not know, and needed a librarian who did.

The business librarian must see the need, make the plan, and get all the mechanism necessary for its accomplishment into thorough working order, and have backbone enough to hold the point and have power to make others see it. There is no place in a business library for the mere "bookkeeping" methods of a recorded and finished job, for the work of the business library is never finished; it is a living force, and like all living things, it is subject to constant change and progress and never gets to the finished stage which suggests the orderly quiet calm of a graveyard!

What the business man wants from his librarian is results, and it is the business of the librarian to know the best way of getting them. The well qualified librarian can give results abundantly, if the business man will delegate authority to act independently in matters of detail, conferring on his librarian as he should, the freedom of action which he gives to the well qualified head of any department, and trusting his librarian to come to him for a conference when the occasion demands. There is no greater handicap to a well qualified librarian than the type of business man who does not delegate authority, and who because of his success in other lines of business, attempts to guide his librarian in matters of library policy about which he knows absolutely nothing.

The business librarian must be unusually resourceful and know how to meet an urgent need for information with quick decision and immediate action. He never says "impossible" until he has tried every possible source of supply.

Probably one of the finest compliments ever paid a business librarian was given by the executive head of a large institution who, having seen the resourcefulness of a certain business librarian in several difficult situations, remarked, "I am confident that if a twenty-story building fell down on Miss B——, she would find a way to get out from under it," and he might also have added truthfully, "and she would also keep a spirit of enthusiasm in the venture," for to the true business librarian the fascination in the game of finding things never wears out.

The business librarian will not be punctilious about adhering to a time schedule for work or to any standard of rights or privileges; he will put the demand of his work first and his personal interests second. If it is necessary to break an important personal engagement made for his free time, because business of importance has arisen in the office, he will do so without any question or irritation. If he can best serve the company in an urgent need, he will not wait to be waited upon by an office boy, but will go himself rather than trust a boy who cannot be relied upon to hurry. The business librarian will not be old-maidish or fussy over any irregular demands which upset his routine work; there is no place in business for the trained librarian who tells a busy man of affairs he cannot have what he wants until certain regular routine has been carried out, and in return the business man should trust his librarian with a freedom of action which is not subject to a time clock or a time schedule.

The business librarian must be able to work harmoniously with "all sorts and conditions of men," and he must convince every one whom the business library serves of honest good-will and impartiality to all, and genuine loyalty to the organization which he serves. He will be discreet and will not gossip about company business on the aside in the office, or on the outside, and last but not least, he ought to have a saving sense of humor. These qualifications may seem exceedingly trite, but the lack of them has been a severe handicap and a glaring defect in many people filling different kinds of business positions.

The successful business man knows the value and power of acquaintance as a business asset, and the business librarian must maintain a wide acquaintance and friendly relationships with other library and business workers, both for practical help and general stimulation. It is a real part of the work of a business librarian to take time to cultivate these outside relationships and attend library conferences, at the expense of the business organization by which he is employed. The importance of these outside relationships has been noted in the first chapter, as helpful ways of getting information not in print.