College and Research Libraries By FRANCES L. MUNSON The Use qf the Depository Catalog in a University Library1 IN VIEW OF the space consumed and the depository catalog, noting the number of cost of upkeep which includes catalog repetitive questions answered by i~ and cases and time spent in filing cards, a study testing the assumption that the dep6sitory of the frequency and types of use made of a · catalog should be maintained. The deposi- depository catalog in a large university li- . tory cat~log of the Columbia University brary is pertinent. Since the recently com- Libraries was used as the medium for pleted Catalog of Books Represented by gathering data because of its accessibility and Library of Congress Printed Cards Issued to because there has beer:t some qu~stion as to July JI~ 1942 (referred to hereafter as Book whether the frequency of use is enough to Catalog) there has been much discussion as justify the space it occupies in the reference to the usefulness of the depository cards. rool;ll of the main library. Although this is Many librarians have decided that the a case study, it was assumed that the find- limited use made of the depository catalog ings would have some application to similar does not warrant the expense of mainten- situations in other lihraries. ance and the space used, especially now that The depository catalog consists of ap- the !Jook Catalog is available, and the Li- proximately two and one-half million cards brary of Congress plans to issue current housed in 2794 trays occupying about 540 supplements. On the other hand, there are square feet of wall space. It is located ad- librarians who believe that the depository jacent to the Columbia card catalog in the catalog should be maintained for various reference room of the Nicholas Murray reasons, chief among which are (I) the Butler Library. Because of its size and cards are more easily read than the Book continuous growth, the alphabet is divided Catalog and (2) cards can be interfiled in into two parts. On the main floor .are order to keep the depository up-to-date and, trays containing the alphabet from A to M, therefore, the use of supplements which and on the mezzanine floor directly above necessitates searching in more than one place are trays containing the letters N to Z. is not necessary. The decision regarding Also on the mezzanine floor, at the end of the retention or disposal of the depository the alphabet, is filed the supplementary cata- catalog is an administrative problem and log. 2 This supplement consists of Library should be based upon the results of carefully of Congress cards printed after July I, planned objective studies. I942, and covers the entire alphabet. Since Purpose of the Study the Book Catalog includes cards issued to July 3I, I942, it was deemed advisable to This study was made for the purpose of file in a separate section the cards issued isolating the uses that are made of the 1 Based on a master's essay prepared at the School of Library Service, Columbia University, 1946. APRILJ 1947 2 After thi s study was made, the supplement wrts transterred to the main floor and th e ca talog from J -Z transferred to the mezzanine floor. 151 I t after July I, I 942, including the revised cards. The Columbia depository catalog is a union catalog in that some cards from the libraries of Harvard, the Vatican, John Crerar, Folger, and the Universities of Chi- cago and Michigan have been interfiled with the Library of Congress cards. It is not, however, as a union catalog. that the de- pository set is to be considered in this study, although a few of the in terfiled cards were used by persons interviewed. The cost of maintaining the depository catalog is approximately $I6oo per year. Filing costs amount to $I400, and card cases cost $200. · Althoug;h a number of studies have been made of the different types of catalogs and their uses, the depository catalog as a prob- lem to be studied has been neglected. Mil- ler's study reports "what some patrons actually used among the various types of information given on the traditional and typical catalog card."3 Knapp4 and Swank5 discussed card catalogs chiefly from the sub- ject point of view. Merritt/ Stone, 7 and Berthold8 have discussed union catalogs. A survey by Nyholm 9 and an experiment conducted by Bryan/0 both of which pertain to the legibility of the Book Catalog~ have 3 Miller, Robert A. "On the Use of the Card Cata- log." Library Quarterly 12:630 April 1942. 4 Knapp 1 Patricia B. "The Subject Catalog in the College Ltbrary." Library Quarterly 14:108-18, April 1944; 214-28, July 1944. " 6 Swank, Raynard. "Subject Catalogs, Classifica- tions, or Bibliographies? A Review of Critical Dis- cussions, 1876-1942." Library Quarterly 14:316-32, October 1944. 6 Merritt, LeRoy Charles. "The Administrative, Fiscal and Quantitative Aspects of the Regional Union Catalog." (In Downs, Robert B., ed. Union Catalogs in the United States. Chicago, American Library Association, 1942, p. 3-125.) 7 Stone, John Paul. "Regional Union Catalogs: A Study of Services Actual and Potential." (In Downs, - Robert B., ed. Union Catalog in the United States. Chicago, Americ<tn Library Association, 1942, p. 129- 225.) 8 Berthold, Arthur Benedict. "Manual of Union Catalog Administration. " (In Downs, Robert B., ed. Union Catalogs in the United States . Chicago, Ameri- can Library Association, 1942·, p. 267-348 .) 9 Nyholm, Jens. "Summary of Comments on a Cata- log of Books Represented by Library of Congress Printed Cards, June 5, 1943." Mimeographed. • 10 Bryan, Alice I. "Legibility of Librar_y of Con- g ress Cards and Their Reproductions." College and Research Libraries 6:447-64, September 1945, pt. 2. a bearing upon the problem of the deposi- tory catalog. Nyholm investigated and summarized comments made by li!?rai-ians of twenty- three selected libraries on the feasibility of replacing the depository catalog with the Book Catalog. Bryan made a study on the legibility of the Book Catalog as compared with the legibility of the printed cards. The consensus of those participating in both studies was that the print of the Book Catalog is uneven and has a tendency to- ward illegibility, especially in the L.C. card numbers. A limited study was made by the writer in, which every tenth page, beginning with page thirteen of volume thirty-one (Coles, Abraham-Comstock, Frederick Harmon) was sampled. None of the I I 52 entries exami.ned was found to be entirely illegible. It would seem -that the amount of illegi- bility, ·while undesirable, is not enough to interfere greatly with the normal uses made of the Book Catalog. Collecting the Data A plan was devised whereby interviews with all users of the catalog would be con- ducted over a period of time _sufficiently long enough to permit drawing valid con- clusions concerning its use. An interview schedule patterned after the tally card and the check sheet offered by Miller and Stone in their studies was constructed and utilized. In the formulation of the interview schedule for this study, the following points were considered: (I) examination of liter- ature on the various catalogs, (2) the known uses of the depository catalog, ( 3) consul- tation with catalogers and other members of· the staff. Two questions were kept in mind-( I) How frequently and by whom is the depository catalog consulted? and ( 2) What uses are made of the depository cata- log? Convenience in handling the schedule 152 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES and ease in tabulating the replies were also considered. In order to secure the best results quickly, the schedule was cast in the form of a checklist or tally card which might be answered by placing a checkmark opposite the appropriate statements or by adding necessary not~s to record the desired information. It was designed to answer . the following questions: Which items on the depository cards are being searched for and why? Which cards give the desired information-L.C. cards or. those from other libraries? Who is being interviewed -staff members or members of the public? On what subject is the person being inter- viewed (public) working? Is the request answered? Which section of the alphabet is being searched ? Does the user know of the existence of the Book Catalog ? If so, what is his attitude toward the Book Cata- log in relation to the depository card cata- log? Each person was interviewed each time he approached the depository catalog during the period of this study when the inter- viewer was on duty. The schedule previously prepared was followed with the information thus derived, recorded by checking in the proper space on a separate card for each interview held. If additional information seemed necessary, it was written on the card. Those interrogated represented members of the staff of the university libraries and a cross section of its public. For purposes of analyses the staff members were divided into groups according to the departments in which they were employed as follows: (I) reference, ( 2) cataloging, ( 3) acquisi- tion, ( 4) circulation, ( 5) departmental. The first four groups were staff members of the main library. Group five included staff members from departmental libraries on the campus. The ·public was divided for purposes of APRIL~ 1947 analyses into (I) undergraduate students I, 2, 3, 4; (2) graduate students: (a) master, (b) doctor; (3) faculty; (4) permit; (5) research worker. Other categories added later were ( I ) first-year school of library service students; ( 2) faculty from other schools; ( 3) librarians from off-campus li- braries; ( 4) all other users who did not fall i~to the above groups. The gathering of the data by intervif;WS covered a span of six weeks divided into three two-week periods, chosen on the as- sumption that they were representative periods of the academic year. The periods fell approximately in the middle portion of the first semester, at the close of the first semester, and at the beginning of the second semester. The interviewing was so sched- uled that every hour the library was open each day was covered sometime during the week. This averaged thirteen hours per week or approximately two hours per day of interviewing. At the end of the inter- view period of six weeks, the data were recorded and analyzed by types of users to show the number and percentage of requests answered, the sections of the catalog used, the type of card consulted, and the knowl- edge of the Book Catalog and attitudes to- ward it. Several limitations should be pointed out. It is recognized that research in the fields of social science and the humanities especial- ly, and in science to a lesser degree, was affected by war. Less research as such was being done during this period, and, as a result, the probable use of the depository catalog might have been less than in normal times. However, while it is.likely that the number of uses may have decreased, the types . of use probably did not vary. It should also be pointed out that much current foreign material, which ordinarily might be represented in the depository catalog, had not been obtained by L.C. 153 L[se by Staff A total of 62 5 interviews was recorded, 365 involving members of the staff and 260 the public. Of the 365 interviews con- ducted with the staff group, the greatest number, 221, or 6o.6 per cent, were with members of the cataloging department; 72, or rg. 7 per cent, were with the reference staff; 48, or 13.1 per cent, were with. mem- bet:s of the acquisition department; and 24, o'r 6.6 per cent, were with departmental li- brarians. Members of the circulation de- partment staff did not use the depository catalog during the course of this study. The cataloging department made the most varied use of the depository catalog among staff members. Sixteen different uses by this department were recorded. The chief ones were locating and withdrawing cards for a,id in cataloging and in ordering L.C. cards. During the course of this study, it was found that the catalog was used by members of the cataloging depart- ment I 12 times for the purpose of with- drawing cards and twenty-four times for the purpose of. ordering L.C. cards. V erifi- cation of author or title to establish an entry ranked second in order as a reason for using the depository catalog by the cataloging staff. It was referred to eighty-three times, or 31.3 per cent of the total use of the catalog by this department, for the purpose of verification. Establishing corporate en- tries, searching for subject headings and classification numbers, editions, ·serial changes, cross references, added entries, · analytics, date of volume, illustrator, series, and translator were other reasons given by this group for consulting the depository cata- log. The location of the depository catalog in the reference room and the fact that the catalog is an acknowledged reference tool would lead one to believe that many varied uses could be made of the catalog by ~he reference staff. However, during the course of this study, it was found that this depart- ment used the depository catalog chiefly for verification of authors and titles and for interlibrary loan. Fifty-one requests, or 70.7 per cent' of the total number of uses made of the depository catalog by the refer- ence department during this study, were for verification. The catalog was used fourteen times for verification and location in con- nection with interlibrary loan service. As might pe expected, the chief use of the depository catalog by the acquisition de- partment is .that of searching or verifying items requested for purchase. Cards in the depository catalog were used forty-one times by searchers from the acquisition depart- ment who were either checking or verifying entries. This is 85.4 p_er cent of the total number of uses made of the catalog by mem- bers of the acquisition department. The only other use of the depository catalog by acquisition department staff members was for Library of Congress card numbers to be used in ordering sets of the printed cards. These cards are for books which are in the "in-process file." They are usually collec- tions of books which will not be held but will be sent through at once to be processed and shelved.11 The depository catalog was used seven times during this study by the acquisition department for the purpose of ordering L.C. cards. Although there are over thirty depart- mental libraries and reading rooms in the university library system, members of the staffs from only ten of them were inter- viewed during this study. , The libraries which used the depository catalog were as follows: journalism, social · science, Plimp- ton, special collections, philosophy, modern languages, lending service, teachers college, and law. The depository catalog was used 11 This procedure was followed for a short time only, but after this study was made it was abandoned. 154 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES twenty-eight times for six different purposes by librarians employed in the above-men- tioned departmental libraries. The two greatest uses of the depository catalog · by the departmental library ' staff members was to find Library of Congress card numbers for ordering cards and to verify author and title. Searching fo-,: items to be purchased was another use made of the depository catalog. In this study it was found that the depository catalog was used eight times for locating L.C. card numbers and thirteen times for verification. The edition of a book, the series to which a book belongs, and serial changes were other uses mad~ of the depository catalog by the departmental libraries. Use by Public Of the 260 interviews conducted with the public over the three periods, the greatest number, 163, or 62.7 per cent, were with students enrolled in Columbia University and its colleges. These included under- graduates, first-year school of library service students, and graduate students-candidates for both master·'s and doctoral degrees. Use of the depository catalog by faculty members of Colun;1bia and other schools was recorded thirty-four times. Columbia faculty mem- bers consulted the catalog twenty-eight times, and off-campus faculty members six times. , Librarians from off-campus libraries used the catalog twenty-one times. Most of these librarians were from within the city, but some were from adjoining com- munities. Research workers were inter- viewed nineteen times. Permit holders were recorded thirteen times ; these included graduates of the university as well as those with special permits issued by the director's office. Those who did not fall into any . of the above-mentioned categories were placed in one group and called "all others." These included members of the armed APRIL~ 1947 forces, students from other schools, and wives and secretaries of faculty members. The catalog was consulted ten times by this group. Graduate students made the most varied use of the depository catalog among mem- bers of the public. The chief :r:easons for consulting the catalog involved verification of entries eighteen times, or 39· I per cent, for term papers, theses, and recommended r.eading; compilation of bibliographies seven times, or 15.2 per cent and 29.2 per cent, by master's and doctoral students respec- tively; location of books for interlibrary loan eleven times for master's students and twelve times for doctoral candidates. First- year school of library service students used the depository catalog chiefly for the purpose of establishing entries for authority files and for verification of correct entries. These were 'for assignments given in a cataloging class. Undergraduate students used the deposi- tory catalog ten times for the compilation of bibliographies preparatory to writing term papers for English classes. AI though a total of twenty-three undergraduate stu- dents were interviewed, thirteen of this group admitted, during the course of the interview, that they had confused the Li- brary of Congress catalog with the Colum- bia catalog. Among the largest groups of public users were faculty members of the university and of other schools within the city. Thirty-four of the public interviews were with members of this group. Twenty-eight were with members of the faculty of Columbia, and six were with those associated with other educa- tional institutions. The chief uses of the catalog by Columbia faculty were for veri- fication of correct entries and checking to see what was available. Off-campus faculty used the catalog chiefly for location of books wanted for. interlibrary loan. 155 . Permit holders were interested mainly in whether such books as they desired were in existence. Off-campus librarians searched for L.C. card numbers for the purpose of ordering L.C. cards. Research workers were using the catalog to check bibliogra- phies. The "all other" group consulted the catalog to see what was available on a particular subject, for L.C. card numbers for a private library, a translation of a Span- ish book, the making of a bibliography fo-r an Italian publication, and the location of a certain edition. Users of the catalog were interrogated as to the subject for which they were seeking information. The persons interviewed were working on diversified subjects, with the exception of school of library service stu- dents. This group was working on a single subject-cataloging. The principal subjects recorded were history, English literature, and Spanish. Before each interview was finished the user of the catalog was asked if he knew of the publication of the Book Catalog and his attitude toward it. As was to be ex- pected, all staff members knew of the exist- ence of the printed catalog in book form. Among the public I I 5 did not know of the publication; I45, or 55· 7 per cent, were aware of the set, but many had not used the volumes. The majority of both groups . stated that they preferred the cards to the Book Catalog, giving as the ch~ef reason . that "the print of the Book Catalog is too small and too hard to read." Confusing the depository catalog with the Columbia card catalog was an unforeseen variable brought to light by tbis study. Of the public users, I2.3 per cent were con- fused in the two catalogs although both the Columbia catalog and the Library of Congress catalog are plainly marked. Summary Data gathered in the study of the use of the depository card catalog suggest that there should be serious doubt as to need for maintaining the card depository in the li- brary studied now that the Book . Catalog is available for practically all normal uses made of L.C. entries. The important ex- ception is the use of L.C. cards in the cataloging process. Libraries, of course, could use the cut L.C. proofsheet cards for this purpose and probably at less expense. The fact that the Book Catalog must be kept up-to-date by a card file and published supplements is a disadvantage . . How serious this will be will depend on the arrange- ments made for keeping the Book Catalog up-to-date. 12 Searching in several places will remain as a disadvantage. The Book Catalog might have wider usage if it were called to the attention of those persons outside the library staff who would have the most need for such a tool. These include graduate students and faculty members especially. 1 2 Since thi s wa s written the Library of Congress has announced plans for the publishing of mo.nthly, quarterly, and annual cumulations of L.C. entnes m book form. 156 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES