College and Research Libraries B y W . L . W I L L I A M S O N Relating the Library to the Classroom: Some Specific Suggestions Mr. Williamson is a fellow at the Graduate Library School, University of Chicago. AM A J O R item in our library faith has been the concept of the library as an integral part of the academic institution. W e have worked so hard to sell that idea that w e have not paused long enough really to take in the fact that we have won our point. Leading educators and accrediting agencies have accepted the principle that the library should occupy a central place in our colleges. N o w w e are on the spot. W e have sold good library service as essential to good instruction. A s a result, w e are faced with the necessity to provide that kind of service. T h e urgency of this need was pointed up by the proposal of W i l l i a m G . L a n d that, since the moment when student meets book is so important, the job of catalyst must be taken over by a group of subject specialists, leaving librari- ans to do the tasks of acquiring, processing, and housing the collection.1 T o put it bluntly, w e must do this job which we have sold as vital or we shall find it in other hands. T h e r e are many real objections to the L a n d proposal, but the only final an- swer w i l l be library service closely related to the classrooms of the institutions we serve. W e need to devote a great deal more time and attention to this phase of our w o r k since it is the fundamental reason w h y academic libraries exist. 1 Land, William G. " T h e Functional College L i b r a r y . " Journal of Higher Education, 18:90-91, February 1947- T h e greatest success in this field seems to be found in those institutions which have developed plans of education placing empha- sis on individual instruction. Since most of us do not w o r k in the B a r d s and Ben- ningtons, however, a program of service f o r the more conventional kinds of schools may be discussed. Although the individual items f o r action are probably not new to you, an organized statement of plans and procedures designed to accomplish the prime objective may be useful. I t may be empha- sized that what is needed is a planned pro- gram carried out with continuity. T h e first step in our planning should certainly be to examine the setting to which our library must adapt itself. H o w many students and faculty members do w e serve? W h a t is their composition in such things as age, sex, background, and major field of interest? W h a t are the curricular offerings of the school? W h a t are its ob- jectives? W h a t is the background and tra- dition of the college? T h e s e and similar considerations w i l l affect our program. H a v i n g examined the setting, w e need to look at the library itself. W e w i l l w a n t to know that it is adequate in all of its routines of ordering, processing, and circu- lating the materials of the collection. T h e housekeeping details must be well in hand so that, if our service program is successful, we can satisfy the demand. In implementing the plan, w e w i l l w a n t to see that, so f a r as possible, our organiza- tion, staff, and building are adapted to the job. Depending upon local campus condi- APRIL, 1953 167 tions, we may want to consider classroom collections, departmental libraries, and dormitory libraries. W e may adopt a sub- ject-divisional arrangement. Regardless of the organizational set-up chosen, the staff should consist of individ- uals w h o are personally effective and whose qualifications include an understand- ing of educational problems. T h e y should be recognized as full-fledged faculty mem- bers as a basis f o r establishing cooperative and mutually helpful relations with class- room teachers. T h e whole public service staff should be large enough so that, espe- cially at reference advisory points, thought- f u l personal attention can be given to each individual problem. E v e r y member of the staff should keep in touch with curricular use of the library by working at a public service desk part of the time. A n d w e ven- ture to say that this applies also to the chief librarian. W e need to have enough people so that some time can be spent on planning, improving, and coordinating rather than simply in f u l f i l l i n g a heavy schedule of w o r k at service points. One organizational de- vice to provide f o r the necessary over-all planning is the position of supervisor of public services. T h e success of the program w i l l depend to some extent on the adequacy of the building which, so f a r as possible, should have individual study facilities f o r students and faculty, conference rooms where the in- structor can meet his students, and space in which whole classes can meet. Atten- tion needs to be given to the conditions such as color, lighting, and ventilation which make the library an attractive place f o r w o r k . Certainly students should have di- rect access to books. T h i s whole program has the one overrid- ing purpose of bringing library and class- room closer together, but the individual items f o r action are designed to do specific things. W e have divided them on this func- tional basis. T h e s e specific purposes are ( i ) to give the librarians information about the classroom ( 2 ) to keep the service responsive to curricular needs ( 3 ) to stimu- late students to use that service and ( 4 ) to inform the classroom teachers about the services and collection of the library. First, activities which give the librarians information about the classroom. Opportunities should be sought f o r li- brarians to keep in touch with current class- room developments by visits to classes and to departmental meetings. R e g u l a r at- tendance at faculty meetings and service on committees can, in addition, keep the librarians informed of f u t u r e curricular plans. Conferences with individual fac- ulty members can be helpful but are usu- ally most successful when initiated in response to an evident need. W h e n course syllabi are available, their use can be an excellent source of classroom information. One of the most promising devices f o r get- ting information is a departmental library representative. T h i s person can be either a member of the library staff or a member of the department, although the latter is probably preferable. T h i s method w i l l succeed only if the individual chosen is in- terested and vigorous and has the active support of his department head. In courses which have unusually heavy library use, a student course representative can help to keep information flowing to the library and to get the cooperation of the other students in the use of books. Second, activities to keep the service re- sponsive to classroom needs. T h e r e should be provisions f o r rush cata- loging of books which are needed urgently. T h e r e should be arrangements f o r a wait- 168 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES ing list f o r books in great demand and f o r locating books requested but not accounted f o r . A device which may be helpful in measuring and meeting heavy demand is what might be called a best seller list. T h a t is, the supervisors of the main book service desks report at regular intervals the books which they have been unable to sup- ply because of a lack of sufficient duplicates. T h e record of these reports provides a history of demands over a long period. Orders f o r duplicate copies are then con- sidered on the basis of that record. T h i s procedure allows the duplication of books in response to observed need and avoids unwise duplication based on a heavy de- mand at only one time. Similar services can be provided f o r periodicals. T h e perennial irritation of magazines being in the bindery probably cannot be entirely eliminated. M a n y times, however, vol- umes which are being prepared f o r the bind- ery are still in the building though not in their normal location. W e must provide means f o r keeping track of these volumes and f o r making them available. Thirdactivities to encourage students to use the library. T h e first essential is teaching the meth- odology of library use. If individual teach- ing is impossible, this instruction can best be given in connection with courses within the subject departments so that the students can see an immediate and practical use f o r the techniques taught.2 T h e logical place f o r the basic instruction is the Freshman English course. A f t e r that time, instruction should be given in the many advanced classes which need information on essential reference tools in their field, fundamental bibliographies like the L C Author Catalog a n d Subject Catalog a n d the C.B.I., a n d 2 Brown, Helen M. " T h e Librarian as Teacher in the College L i b r a r y . " College and Research Libraries, i o : 1 1 9 - 1 2 3 , April 1949- other matters helpful to them. T h e trick, of course, is to get the class instructors to provide the necessary time. Opportunities for individual instruction are offered in con- nection with interlibrary loan service and the frequent contacts with students pro- vided by reference service. Closely related to library instruction is a handbook on the library and its essential services. H a v i n g instructed students in the use of the library, w e need to call their attention to the resources of the collection. T h e li- brary can offer to take books to classrooms for comment and display in preparation f o r some specific assignments or f o r general reading in the course subject. Book jackets may be displayed outside the library and, within the building, offer attractive and purposeful decoration. A display shelf of new books at the circulation desk can en- courage book interest as can a browsing room. Exhibits can be an important help. T h e r e is a legitimate place f o r exhibits on general subjects such as the structure of the United Nations, but this medium also can be related directly to the curriculum. If a new course sequence such as an A m e r - ican Civilization program is instituted, an e x h i b i t on the n e w Papers of Thomas Jef- ferson3, can be related to that program. M o r e closely tied in with individual courses would be exhibits, f o r example, on the steps in writing a term paper in connection with freshman library lectures or on Columbus in connection with American history courses. T o serve the library directly, one could set up an exhibit on types of book mutilations with appropriate comments. In addition to teaching students how to use the library and calling their attention to the books in the collection, w e need to take every opportunity to keep the library before 3 Boyd, Julian P . , ed. The Papers of Thomas Jeffer- son. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1950-. APRIL, 1953 169 the college community and to develop means of contact with students. T h e resultant publicity and good feeling w i l l foster use of the library. A Student L i b r a r y Com- mittee as reported by Stokes4 can serve to encourage interest in the library. It can provide a channel for obtaining student points of view on the quality and irritations of library service. T h i s group can help to support the library in instituting new plans of service and in enforcing necessary regula- tions. T h e major medium f o r publicity is the campus newspaper either through a regular column or through regular stories in the paper. T h e r e are many different topics about the library which are newsworthy and these should be exploited. A good deal of grief can be avoided by putting the essential facts in w r i t i n g f o r the student reporters to translate into journalistic style. A t least the names may be spelled right even if the rest of the story is garbled. T h e library can sponsor or encourage book dis- cussions, forums, and meetings .of all kinds in the building. L i b r a r y clubs, teas, open houses, and such functions have been fre- quently reported as valuable. Fourth, activities designed to reach and in- form the classroom teachers. T h e whole program can stand or f a l l depending upon the success of this phase of it. It is unfortunately true that students w i l l be all too glad to stay away from the library if their instructors make it possible for them to do so. T h e r e f o r e , our major efforts must be directed toward the class- room teachers. Since many of them are jealous of their prerogatives, care and tact are required in this realm. W e must gain the confidence of the group in our abilities and in our interest. T h e 4 Stokes, Katherine M. " S e l l i n g the College L i b r a r y ' s S e r v i c e s . " College and Research Libraries, 4 : 1 2 0 - 2 7 , March 1943. library staff members must have qualifica- tions comparable to those of classroom teach- ers. Attendance at faculty meetings, mem- bership in the local A . A . U . P . chapter, and participation in the official affairs of the col- lege demonstrate both librarians' interest and their professional responsibility. Per- sonal friendships and social contacts make consultations easier and help understanding on both sides. Especially in our relations with the other members of the faculty, w e need to assert our confidence in the essential importance of our job and in our own competence to do that job. I have observed that w e li- brarians have what might almost be called a psychopathic eagerness to be told our faults, especially by conference speakers. W h i l e w e certainly w a n t to benefit from constructive criticism, wre need to show a quiet confidence in our essential contribu- tion. T h i s applies particularly to our own college if w e expect to keep our place as faculty colleagues. W h i l e underrating our own capacities, we sometimes overrate the knowledge of the classroom teachers by taking it f o r granted that they know all the funda- mentals of the library. T h i s assumption is not always justified. Some of them do not know of the existence of tools which are important to all fields such as the L C printed catalogs, P.T.L.A., and the C.B.I. W h e n it comes to a more esoteric record like the shelflist, even the most informed and library-minded faculty members may be ignorant of its existence and of its value to them in making a survey of the collec- tion. T h e s e are only samples of the lack of information to which we should be alert. T h e y indicate the need f o r a program of education about the library directed to the departmental teachers. T h e s e people need especially to under- stand that books must be processed carefully 170 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES so that the catalog w i l l be maintained at a high standard as a key to the book collec- tion. T h e resultant lag between arrival of books and their availability is all too i often a source of considerable friction, part of which can be eliminated by a genuine understanding of the reasons. T h i s area of library operation is in need of a thorough re-examination to see if our standards are not too high and our processing inefficient in light of new developments. W e must be sure that the time lag is necessary before w e try to explain it. Some of the channels f o r educating the faculty have already been mentioned in other connections. F a c u l t y meetings offer opportunities f o r attractive displays which can unobtrusively help to inform the faculty members about library matters. Depart- mental meetings can occasionally be devoted to the library in relation to the particular department. L i b r a r y publications provide media f o r statements and explanations of all kinds. A n orientation in the library is especially desirable f o r instructors newly joining the faculty. Individual conferences with instructors, so often the outgrowth of problems and complaints, can be used con- structively to give information and to foster understanding. T h e classroom teachers need to know what books are in the collection if they are to suggest titles to their students. T h e y should be notified when books arrive if they have recommended them or if they have special reason to be interested in them. A regular list of new acquisitions is essential and should be sent to each faculty member as w e l l as being posted widely. If school is in session in the summer, absent faculty members w i l l appreciate having the lists saved f o r them until the f a l l . A personal letter to accompany the package w i l l further enhance the value of this service. Notices of periodical articles of interest should be sent to various department members. T h e reserve book system causes such com- mon problems that it warrants special mention. One perennial problem is getting reserve lists soon enough that the books can be ready before assignments are made. A practical solution is to compare the record of previous reserve lists with the schedule of courses to be offered in the new term. A phone call to the instructors concerned w i l l then bring results where a general an- nouncement or a form letter w i l l not. A f t e r the list is obtained, the instructor should be notified as soon as his books have been put on reserve. W h e n the course has been completed, he should be informed how much these books have been used. H e can benefit by this information in revising his list and in planning his presentation of the subject matter the next time the course is offered. T h i s report may encourage him to limit his reserves to those books which have been sufficiently used. A simple means of reporting is provided in merely sending the reserve book cards to the instructor when the course is completed. T h e y should be accompanied by a letter explaining pos- sible uses of the information on the cards. T h e s e then are the major purposes of our program to relate the library to the classroom. W e must keep up with w h a t is happening in the classes, w e must make our services responsive to curricular needs, w e must stimulate the students to use those services, and w e must let the classroom teachers know w h a t is going on in the li- brary. W e have suggested a f e w ways of doing these things. None of these methods is sufficient in itself, but when carried out regularly as part of a planned program, they can produce a cumulative effect greater than the sum of the parts. W e must develop new and better methods and let each other know about successful developments through our journals and through meetings. APRIL, 1953 171