ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries tapes pertaining to elementary/secondary edu­ cation, postsecondary education; demographic, vital, health, and welfare data; manpower sup­ ply and demand, libraries and media centers, and federal outlays for education. Future areas for consortium planning include user needs and priorities, standardization problems, and utiliza­ tion of data for cross-agency analysis. Single copies of the Directory of Federal Agency Education Data Tapes may be obtained by writing to Barbara Feller, D epartm ent of Health, Education, and Welfare, National Cen­ ter for. Education Statistics, Room 3061, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202. Multiple copies may be purchased from the Public Documents Section, Government Print­ ing Office, Washington, DC 20402. • The Bibliography of the Publications of the Librarians of the State University of New York, 1975, a comprehensive forty-five-page listing of monographs, articles, and other p u b ­ lishing activities of librarians at the seventy-two SUNY campuses, is available free from Mr. Terry Hubbard, University Library, SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794. Letters Dear Editor: I question the basic assumptions on which Thomas Gwinup bases his assertion th at the master’s degree in librarianship is inadequate as a terminal degree for academic librarians, stated in his letter in the March, 1976 issue of C&R L News. Mr. Gwinup’s views are similar to those expressed in a number of letters re­ cently submitted to C&RL News. Mr. Gwinup apparently believes that because many candidates who are currently applying for positions hold additional graduate degrees, this in itself is reason to give such candidates preference over those who hold only the mas­ ter’s degree in Library Science. Mr. Gwinup’s second assumption seems to be that the master’s degree in Library Science does not provide an adequate graduate-level education for practi­ tioners of academic librarianship. Mr. Gwinup’s first assumption is questionable because the basis for hiring any candidate should be that in academic background and work experience he meets the specific require­ ments of a given job description. Additional academic degrees do not automatically qualify a candidate for any position. In some instances, such degrees may actually be detrimental since it is possible for one to be over-educated for the position for which he applies. Mr. Gwinup’s second assumption is also questionable because the depth of knowledge in a subject discipline required of an academi­ cian should be specifically based on what he does with th at knowledge. In that context, it is necessary to make a distinction between the librarian and the professor. The professor is re­ sponsible for imparting the substantive aspects of a subject and for integrating and synthesiz­ ing the knowledge of that subject. The librari­ an’s role in dealing with knowledge of a subject discipline is limited by comparison because he is responsible only for the bibliographic aspects of that subject. The librarian in fulfilling his role, therefore, does not need the same depth of knowledge in a subject discipline as does the professor. I be­ lieve that Mr. Gwinup confuses the librarian’s role with that of the professor when he insists that the librarian, to be adequately educated, must have an advanced degree in a subject dis­ cipline in addition to his master’s degree in Li­ brary Science. This does not, however, address the question of an additional advanced degree in Library Science for academic librarians. Administrator-librarians, particularly in larg­ er academic libraries, must engage in activities which do require an indepth knowledge of li­ brary and information science and an ability to integrate and synthesize the knowledge of those subjects. For th at reason, librarians who func­ tion on such an administrative level would cer­ tainly benefit from graduate study on a doctoral level in library science. It should be empha­ sized, however, that many practicing librarians have attained the equivalent of additional grad­ uate study in work experience and th at this must be a major consideration in any re-adjust­ ment of requirements for the terminal degree as they may relate to existing jobs. W hat termi­ nal degree is suitable for future academic li­ brarians, in my opinion, should b e based on the academic setting in which a given librarian chooses to pursue h is/h er career. It is my belief, therefore, that the ACRL Board of Directors would be correct in desig­ nating the master’s degree in Library Science as the terminal degree for academic librarians who do not intend to function on an adminis­ trative level in a large academic library. The Board should, however, study the advisability of establishing the doctorate in library science as the terminal degree for administrative li­ brarians in large research libraries. Raize W. Dorr Library Planning Officer University of Louisville Library Louisville, Kentucky 188 FO R EIG N & D O M E S T IC S E R IA L S S U B S C R IP T IO N S E R V IC E TO A L L T Y P E S & S IZE S OF L IB R A R IE S FROM 14 R E G IO N A L O F F IC E S IN T H E U.S.A., C A N A D A , E U R O P E A N D S O U TH A M E R IC A COMPREHENSIVENESS E BS C O s e rv ic e s p e rio d ic a ls , n e w s p a p e rs , a n n u a ls , y e a rb o o k s , ir r e g u la r b o o k /m o n o g r a p h ic s e r ie s (n u m ­ b e re d o r u n n u m b e re d ), a n d c o n t in u a t io n s . O u r c o m p u te r iz e d p r ic e f ile lis t s o v e r 10 0 ,0 0 0 t it le s . H o w e v e r, w e g la d ly re s e a rc h a n y t i t l e o r d e re d a n d d o n o t e x p e c t th e c u s to m e r to p r o v id e p u b lis h e r n a m e an d a d ­ d r e s s . O u r re s e a rc h c y c le is th o ro u g h an d p r o v id e s a q u ic k a n s w e r i f w e a re u n a b le t o id e n t if y th e p u b ­ lis h e r . We s e rv ic e t it le s fr o m a ll n a tio n s o f th e w o rld . The o n ly t it le s w e c a n n o t (n o rm a lly ) s e rv ic e fo r you a re o r d e r - d ir e c t by th e p u b lis h e r ’ s re q u ir e m e n t. (H o w e v e r, i f you a re a lib r a r ia n w h o d e s ir e s to pla ce 100 p e r c e n t o f a ll s e r ia ls w ith a s in g le a g e n c y , we c a n h a n d le e v e n th e o r d e r - d ir e c t p u b lis h e r s fo r you .) FLEXIBILITY We b e lie v e w h a t we d o f o r you a n d ho w we do it s h o u ld be d e te rm in e d by y o u r needs. We have s u g g e s te d p r o c e d u re s a n d fo r m a ts . O u r o r d e r p ro c e s s in g a n d re c o rd s a re c o m p u te riz e d , a n d w e a re a b le to e m p lo y o u r c o m p u te r to s e rv ic e a n y s p e c ia l re q u e s ts y o u m a y have. In th e e v e n t y o u have a re q u e s t w h ic h a c o m ­ p u te r, fo r s o m e re a s o n , c a n n o t h o n o r, w e ke e p o u r t y p e w r it e r s h a n d y a n d a p e r fe c t w illin g n e s s to d o w h a t e v e r is n e c e s s a ry to s u it y o u r n e e d s . PERSONALIZED SERVICE O u r n e tw o rk o f 14 re g io n a l o ffic e s h e a d e d b y G e n e ra l M a n a g e rs w ith e x p e rie n c e and a u th o r it y to a c t g u a r­ a n te e s you re s p o n s iv e n e s s . O ur 14 M a n a g e rs have 181 y e a rs ' e x p e rie n c e a m o n g th e m in s e rv ic in g lib ra rie s w ith s e ria ls s u b s c rip tio n s . O rd e r c o n tro l is lo c a te d a t o u r re g io n a l o ffic e . The M a n a g e r w ho c o m m its is th e M a n a g e r w h o c o n tr o ls . Each o f o u r c u s t o m e r s is a s s ig n e d to o n e C u s to m e r S e rv ic e r e p r e s e n ta t iv e , so t h e r e is c o n s is t e n c y in c o m m u n ic a tio n s .