ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries College Research D b r a r le s‹fl No. 2, February 1972 ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries, Vol. 33, No. 2 From In sid e t h e D L P By Dr. Katharine M. Stokes College and University Library Specialist, Training and Resources Branch, Division of L i­ brary Programs, Bureau of Libraries and E du­ cational Technology, U.S. Office o f Education, Washington, D.C. 20202. The National Center for Educational Statis­ tics has added fourteen items to its list of aca­ demic library statistics publications since 1960. Library Statistics of Colleges and Universities: Fall, 1969, Analytic Report, by Dr. Bronson Price and Mrs. Doris Holladay of the Library Surveys Branch is now available for $1.00 from the Government Printing Office. The Docu­ ments Catalog no. is HE 5.215:15031-69. A copy has been sent to each higher education in­ stitution and to all its major components, in­ cluding branch campuses, b u t it probably doesn’t reach the librarian in a number of places. I turned first to Table 1, in Appendix C, p.52, to see what advances had been made in volume count since the Fall 1968 Analytic R e­ port for the different types of institutions which have been receiving library resources grants under Title II-A (H E A ). Of course, there were sixty-one more academic libraries in fall 1969, than in fall 1968; thirty-nine of these being in two-year institutions. The total number of li­ braries with less than 50,000 volumes in four- year undergraduate colleges, or with less than 20,000 volumes in two-year institutions, showed a modest, b u t real decrease, as shown below. F our-Year Institutions W ithout Graduate Students w ith Libraries Having Less Than 50,000 Volumes Fall 1968 Fall 1969 Percent Change Public 32 25 -22 Private 326 304 - 7 — — — 358 329 - 8 Two-Year Institutions with Libraries H aving Less Than 20,000 Volumes Fall 1968 Fall 1969 Percent Change Public 304 303 Private 171 163 - 5 — — — 475 466 - 2 Among the 785 four-year colleges w ith grad­ uate students, fall 1969, there were still 17 pu b ­ lic institutions and 182 private ones with li­ braries of less than 50,000 volumes. The corre­ sponding figures for 1968 were 21 and 189. Perhaps such slight improvements in hold­ ings is explained in Chapter II, “D etailed Find­ ings,” p . l l . Microform holdings show relatively marked in­ creases over the 1967-68 holdings of that na­ ture. For microfilm reels, the increase was 20 percent. . . . F o r other physical units of micro­ text, the increase was 30 percent. . . . If in College & Research Libraries is published by the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, 17 times yearly—6 bimonthly journal issues and II monthly, combining July- August, News issues at 1201-05 Bluff St., Fulton, Mo. 65251. Subscription, $10.00 a year or, to members of the division, $5.00, included in dues. Circulation and advertising office: American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, III. 60611. Second-class postage paid at Fulton, Missouri 65251. News editor: Michael Herbison, Library, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907. Editor: Richard M. Dougherty, School of Library Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210. President, ACRL: Joseph H. Reason. Executive Secretary, ACRL: J. Donald Thomas, ALA. 30 both the fall 1968 and fall 1969 surveys the “volume equivalents” of these holdings h ad been reported so th a t in each year they could have been added to the num ber of physical volumes, it is clear th a t th e increase in the total num ber of physical volumes a n d volume equivalents to w hich students an d faculty have had access would b e perceptibly higher than th e increase for physical volumes alone. F or each of the four types of institutions, chart 2 shows the holdings of microfilm reels, w ith percent increases from th e previous year. Simi­ lar d ata for physical units of microtext other than microfilm reels are given in chart 3. For both types of microform the increases were relatively large for the 4-year institutions w ith graduate students and the 2-year institutions. Although in fall 1969 the 2-year institutions h ad only slight holdings of microtext other than microfilm reels, these holdings represented a near doubling (93 p e rc e n t) from the previ­ ous year. T he authors’ comments on p. 10-11 are in line w ith the current thinking of th e Office of E d u ­ cation’s Higher E ducation agencies, advocating consortia activities as a solution to dwindling funds. There is comparatively little variation from one type or size of institution to another w ith re­ spect to holdings or expenditures p er student. U nderstandable though this may be, it does not m ean th a t access to library resources is about th e same in larger or smaller institutions. In ­ deed, th e comparatively small holdings of the smaller institutions m ust occasion a rath er se­ vere handicap, relatively speaking, for their students and faculties in respect to library re­ sources. For the future one can hope th a t more of th e smaller institutions can be served by joint libraries or other arrangem ents to expedite access to larger holdings. ■ ■ N e w s F ro m t h e F ie ld A C Q U IS IT IO N S • T h e Ball State University library, Muncie, Indiana, has recently acquired more than 180 items of Steinbeckiana. This collection includes a num ber of autographed first editions, deluxe editions, Armed Service editions, such rare items as Si. Katy th e Virgin, a booklet, w hich Steinbeck privately p rin ted in 1936, Their Blood Is Strong (1 9 3 8 ), Un Americain a N ew -York et a Paris, published by René Jul- liard in 1956, letters, several printed nonbook materials including a map of the Steinbeck C ountry published by N orm andie House P u b ­ lishers in 1939, German, French, and Italian editions, as well as critical books about Stein­ beck. These Steinbeck items will be placed in th e special collections of th e university library. • T he papers of the late James C. Rettie, senior economist, D epartm ent of the Interior, have been placed in th e University of Ore­ gon library b y Mrs. James C. Rettie of Arling­ ton, Virginia. R ettie was a career economist in the federal government, specializing in econom­ ic research and programming in w ater and pow er development, forest and land economics, resources utilization, and river basin develop­ ment. From 1942 to 1944 he was U nited States director of th e North Pacific Planning Project, which produced a series of economic studies of Alaska. In the 1960s, he was involved in Alaska studies, this tim e w ith the Federal Review Com mittee and the Federal Field Com mittee for D evelopm ent Planning in Alaska. As senior economist in th e Interior D ep art­ ment, R ettie kept a close and practical w atcf on a variety of programs and plans proposec or underw ay in th a t departm ent. His critique: of official memoranda and position papers indi­ cate th a t he was a stout opponent of bureau­ cratic obfuscation and “Federalese,” as well a: a keen analyst an d detector of economic im­ becilities. T he Rettie papers provide an inside view of federal planning and internal operations a t the top level. They are of major importance to students of public adm inistration and to his­ torians. • T he University of W ashington library has acquired the personal papers of Rev. Syd­ ney Dix Strong, his son Tracy Strong, and daughter, Anna Louise Strong. They are now open for research (u n d er some minor restric­ tions ). E ach was educated at Oberlin for which there is material. T he Reverend Strong, a Con- gregationalist com mitted to social reform and pacifism, worked mainly out of Oak Park, Illi­ nois and Seattle. Tracy Strong, a leader in the W orld Alliance of YMCA’s and executive secre­ tary of W ar Prisoners’ Aid, worked m ainly from Geneva from 1924. Anna Louise Strong was d i­ rector of Child W elfare Exhibits of Children’s Bureau (ca. 1912-1914), reporter for Seattle Union Record, m em ber of the Seattle School Board (recalled, 1917), editor M oscow News, world traveller, and author. T he collection is of value for studies in social gospel movement, American reform and labor movements, the So­ viet revolution, pacifism, aspects of Chinese his­ tory in th e 1930s, th e Spanish Civil W ar, and the YMCA.