A natural preliminary inquiry presents itself: Is reference work in all its phases adequately performed already? With a well trained library staff, whose work may be supplemented by the inter-library loan; by writing letters; by the use of the priceless though incessant telephone; or by seeking the aid of some such bureau of inquiry as that of Thos. Nelson's Sons, The Boston Transcript, The New York Times or Notes and Queries, are we keeping our public satisfied, and the voice of conscience still?
If not, and if the question of creating some central agency for auxiliary reference service is to be discussed, shall this central agency take the form of a central lending library, with its permanent building, book reservoir and staff to administer it, or of a central reference bureau, which will receive all kinds of inquiries, and answer them, as far as possible, by consultation in libraries already existing, or in other institutions which may possess the desired information?
That a central lending library, equipped and maintained under the auspices of the A. L. A. is today or even tomorrow impracticable, can scarcely be denied by intelligent librarians. The writer believes that no adequate endowment could be secured; that if any funds were obtained for this purpose, years would be required to build up a useful collection; that such a collection would, to a great extent, duplicate existing material; that running expenses would be far greater than for an information bureau, and that there are, in short, other more pressing needs.
If a central reference bureau is to be established, what form shall it take? Shall it be attached to some institution already in operation or exist independently? The latter seems preferable, as it could then maintain a consistent policy, unhampered by political or other undesirable influences; proceed unhampered with singleness of aim and method; be governed by persons disinterested and none others; and restrict its collections exclusively to the purposes which its founders intended it to pursue.
Where should such an agency be established? At some library center like Boston, New York, Philadelphia or St. Louis? At A. L. A. headquarters? At the Library of Congress or under the auspices of some active state library commission? The two institutions specifically mentioned are already doing a large work in this direction.
The duties and opportunities of this bureau would be: to collect and co-ordinate the public-service records of American libraries and cognate institutions (e. g. supply information on special collections, subject bibliographies, reading lists, etc.); by questionnaires, visits and in other ways obtain supplementary information along these and similar lines; to get results printed and disseminated; to furnish definite information on lending conditions now obtaining in American libraries, and, when possible, to improve them; and to serve as a free registration and employment agency for librarians and library assistants. Although this last suggestion has not been proposed, to the writer's knowledge in earlier schemes, its importance as a practical measure, is obvious. To the large body of faithful and efficient workers who have not enjoyed the benefits of a library school training such an agency would render signal service.
The unfortunate but frequently recurring repetition of reference research would, in large measure, be prevented if librarians were enabled to derive prompt assistance, in case of knotty problems, from a competent central agency. Their duty to dispatch to this agency solutions to such questions of probably common interest as they had themselves discovered, would be equally obvious.
The trend of library thought in the thinking world today is toward centralisation and co-ordination of effort; witness the sense of the Brussels conference of 1910 that central information bureaus should be established in all countries of progressive library spirit; the success and practical value of the gigantic Gesammtkatalog; and the expected benefits from the youthful Boston co-operative information bureau.
That American librarians are looking toward a fuller development of inter-library loans, and away from a central reference bureau, is the consensus of the recent (1910, March and May) symposium conducted by the Library Journal. Our duty now is, by sympathy, interest and contribution, to forward the work of the Library of Congress and the A. L. A. headquarters, and to make our own lending conditions the most generous in our power.