This is what the Filene library expects to do and must arrange for resources to actually obtain and devise ways and means for the dissemination of information needed.
The VICE-PRESIDENT:—We have with us today Miss E. V. Dobbins, who is librarian of the Edward Accounting library of the American Telegraph & Telephone Company, New York City, and she will add to the discussion.
Miss DOBBINS: I desired not to write a paper, because I might write one too long and not say much in the end, so I thought perhaps it would be interesting just to tell you why our immense corporation found it necessary to have a library. We have a large engineering library; that is, we have a very fine collection of technical books—unfortunately, as yet, no librarian; we have a splendid legal library, and I represent the accounting library. Two years ago our comptroller, who is an authority on accounting in the United States and has some reputation abroad, decided that it was necessary to get together the material, and they were good enough to offer me the position, which I was very glad to accept. So we collected what few books we had. We didn't have much. We bought largely. All our men are authorities on the particular subjects with which they deal, so, consequently, in buying books for our library we cannot select, as we used to in the public library, with due respect to the library, any and all books on a particular subject. We have to have the last word upon it. Accounting is a peculiar subject inasmuch as there are only about four or five authorities—I may be wrong, that is all I could ever find. If anybody knows of any more I should be more than glad of the information.
We go largely into economics. We also take up public utilities and reports of county and state governments and city reports. We do some little work in scientific management. I do not think the sympathies of the officials lie very largely in the direction of scientific management, however. Everybody there is supposed to know his job and do it. We are very fortunate in not being handicapped for money. We can buy whatever is out, just as soon as it is out, and as many copies as we find it necessary to have. We deal primarily with the accounting department, which includes the statistician's department too, and the executive department. Those are two very big departments and they keep us pretty busy all the time. We have quite a file of pamphlets. We do not give as much care to the pamphlets as we do to the books. When we came to the question of cataloging I realized that we had a very big piece of work on our hands, and we were short of help, and it was essential that we have everything up to date just as quickly as we possibly could. So I bought Library of Congress cards, and it was a very happy inspiration, for we had everything done by sub-headings and everything assigned in about two weeks, and of course that helped considerably.
The library is used frequently and primarily by the officials and the directors. The employees of the company have the privilege of coming, and they come often and freely. The comptroller has told me time and time again that he could not measure in actual money value the service the library has given the house and himself primarily. We take all the leading economic and scientific journals and they circulate. I have a list of the names of the various men to whom they go. I tried to have a specified time for their return, but I am sorry to say it did not work out. Our desks are all equipped with telephones, so we telephone, and if they can find them they return them. When they cannot find them the oldest office boy, Joseph, is enlisted. I think he was the leader of the Boy Scouts. He knows generally where to get them. I think he says they are generally behind the desks, but in any event we get them, and if they are very badly torn, mutilated or marked, we buy other copies to bind. The leading magazines we bind as soon as the volume is completed. They form the largest part of our reference work. I go over those magazines very carefully and find what I would like to bring out more prominently than in a bound magazine, and we catalog those particular subjects, buy extra copies, put them in the pamphlet file, catalog them and put them in the pamphlet catalog, so that if by any chance the bound volume is out and a particular article is sought, we have it. We find in those two places we can generally meet all the needs of the library. I do not think any of the people of the corporation have really ever become familiar with the actual library side of it. They look upon a shelflist as something fearful and awful, and they do not understand it, but as long as they get what they want when they want it, they seem thoroughly happy. Speaking in a quite impersonal way, I think our library is quite a business asset, because I can candidly say that the men who are at the head of our corporation would not tolerate it five minutes if it were not.
The VICE-PRESIDENT: We were to have a paper by Miss Abbott of the reference department of the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Ind. She was hindered, however, in the preparation of this paper, and also from coming to this meeting, but the paper will be furnished later and printed in "Special Libraries."
The VICE-PRESIDENT: I would like to inquire whether Mr. Pack, Secretary and Comptroller of the Toronto Electric Light Company is here.
Mr. LAPP: Mr. Chairman, I have a letter from Mr. Pack which I wish to read. When Mr. Pack was asked to be present at this meeting he said he would write his views at least, if he could not come. He has written a general statement of his belief in the special library.
(Mr. Lapp here read the letter which is available at the office of Secretary.)
Mr. MARION: May I ask whether Miss Tutt, who is present, I think, might not have something to say in relation to the automobile library, inasmuch as she is actively representing Miss Elizabeth Abbott here?