ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 155 REPORT ON TH E SEVENTY-THIRD MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF RESEARCH LIBRARIES H E L D IN W ASHINGTON, D.C. A special feature th a t preceded ARL’s mid­ winter meeting was an all-day briefing on the Library of Congress, held at LC on Saturday, January 25, 1969. About fifty-five representa­ tives of ARL libraries attended. A tour of the Processing D epartm ent began the day a t 8:30 a .m . The morning session in th e W hittall Pa­ vilion, with Librarian of Congress L. Quincy Mumford presiding, was devoted to automation. Paul Reimers, Coordinator of Information Sys­ tems, summarized developments in automating the CBS (C entral Bibliographic System), in MARC II, in the National Serials D ata Pro­ gram, and in RECON ( Retrospective Conver­ sion of Bibliographic Records) ‚ w ith mention of the application of computer techniques in the Legislative Reference Service. Paul L. Berry, Associate Director of the Reference D epart­ ment, described applications of and projects for automation of Reference Department activities. Before a tour of the Card Division, Stephen R. Salmon, Assistant Director for Processing Serv­ ices, Processing Department, described the op­ tical recognition equipment now in use and ex­ plained the plans for completing the automa­ tion of the Card Distribution Service, which are awaiting approval of the Joint Committee on Printing. After a luncheon at a nearby hotel, th e group returned to the library for a briefing on the proposed Library of Congress James Madison Memorial Building by Robert H. Rohlf, Direc­ tor of the Administrative Department, and on the Joint Doctoral Program on American Thought and Culture by Robert H. Land, Chief of the General Reference and Bibliography D i­ vision. Then the guests spent the rest of the afternoon hearing presentations on either (1 ) area programs in LC, with African, Latin American, Orientalia, and Slavic and Central European studies being discussed by Julian W. Witherell, Donald F. Wisdom, W arren M. Tsuneishi, and Sergius Yakobson, respectively, or (2 ) specialized materials—music, prints and photographs, and rare books—with E dw ard N. Waters, E dgar Breitenbach, and Glenn H. Borders, respectively, describing these collec­ tions and programs. ARL representatives were invited to LC’s Friday night concert by the Kontarsky Duo and to the Saturday night illustrated lecture, “In the Beginning,” by Kemp R. Niver, the noted film specialist who played a central role in the conversion of LC’s paper-print collection of early motion pictures to projectionable prints. A formal resolution of appreciation for the visit to LC—“a most informative and pleasant experience”—was later adopted by ARL. The seventy-third meeting of th e Association of Research Libraries was held on Sunday, Jan­ uary 26, in th e Diplomat Room of the Shoreham Hotel. ARL President Andrew Eaton (W ash­ ington University Libraries a t St. Louis) opened th e meeting at 2:00 p .m . He intro­ duced substitutes for regular representatives of member libraries and special guests, who in­ cluded the members of the Executive Board of the International Federation of Library Associ­ ations, which had been meeting in Washington, D.C. P eter P. Muirhead, former Deputy Commis­ sioner and Associate Commissioner for Higher Education and at the time Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Education, spoke on “Leg­ islation on H igher Education and Libraries.” Affirming his belief th at a good library is the heart of a good college or university, he said that the leaders of those libraries should be major spokesmen for the universities’ needs for resources for research. On December 31, 1968, American higher education completed the most successful dec­ ade in history, he declared. Enrollment, which was about three million in 1958, has risen to more than six million. (This growth in enroll­ ment equaled the increase of the previous three centuries.) It was also a decade of growing m a­ turity. Colleges and universities came to a deeper sense of social responsibility, while America became fully conscious of th e poten­ tialities of higher education for all, as well as of the crucial importance of colleges and uni­ versities in solving problems vital to our na­ tional existence, he said. Funds for higher education doubled in the decade, climbing to 2 per cent of the Gross National Product—$18 billion—as compared with 1 per cent, which had been standard for nearly thirty years. Studies indicate th a t 3 per cent of the GNP will be required by the time the nation is 200 years old, Mr. Muirhead said. Facing us, however, are many perplexing 156 is there a way to end periodical pile-up? yes. N o w , th re e u n iq u e a b s tra c ts jo u rn a ls h e lp e nd th e p ro b le m o f th o s e p ile s a nd p ile s o f te c h n ic a l p e r io d ic a ls . S O L ID S T A TE A B ­ S T R A C T S J O U R N A L , E L E C ­ T R O N IC S A B S T R A C T S J O U R ­ N A L a n d C O M P U T E R & I N ­ F O R M A T IO N S Y S T E M S p ro v id e c o m p r e h e n s iv e c o v e r a g e o f w o r ld - w id e s o u rc e s in th e ir re ­ s p e c tiv e fie ld s . P e rio d ic a ls , g o v ­ e rn m e n t re p o rts , c o n fe re n c e p ro ­ c e e d in g s , b o o k s , d is s e rta tio n s , and p a te n ts a re a b s tra c te d , in ­ d e x e d , c r o s s - r e f e r e n c e d , a n d p u b lis h e d re g u la rly . L ib ra ria n s and lib r a r y u s e rs a lik e w ill a p p re ­ c ia te th e e ase w ith w h ic h p e r ti­ n e n t m a te ria l c a n be re s e a rc h e d . W rite fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n , in ­ c lu d in g s p e c ia l lo w ra te s and b a c k -is s u e o ffe r to n ew s u b ­ s c rib e rs . M ake life a little s im p le r fo r e v e ry b o d y , y o u r s e lf in c lu d e d . C a m b rid g e C o m m u n ic a tio n s C o rp ., 1612 “ K ” St., N .W ., W a s h ­ in g to n , D.C. 20006, U .S.A. C AM B RID G E C O M M U N IC A T IO N S C OR PO RA TION problems, which “lead us to contemplate the past decade’s progress with a rather brittle smile.” Higher education m ust be extended, particularly to those elements of the population which traditionally have been denied it, Mr. Muirhead declared. From the purely economic point of view, this is desirable, because, of ev­ ery $5 of additional personal income obtained in the last decade, $1 could be attributed to improved levels of education. H igher education has also helped enrich the country through the growth of wisdom. We turn increasingly to institutions of higher learn­ ing for solutions to acute problems, such as the decay of the cities, he pointed out. Recognition of the fact th at th e quality of education has a direct bearing on the fortunes of the nation has led to th e increased federal role in support of higher education. The Na­ tional Defense Education Act of 1958 was “the first of the great laws” accepting this responsi­ bility. As a consequence, science has flowered, returning GI’s have had education and have paid the government back in higher taxes, physical facilities have greatly improved, and “bureaucratic conversation has acquired a new fascination for academic types,” Mr. Muirhead wryly observed, as he quoted Clark Kerr: “$4.6 billions a year can make quite a difference.” Before 1958, aid to higher education reflect­ ed chiefly support of the government’s own in­ terests, rather than of those of the institutions themselves. Since 1958, there has been a total­ ly new pattern—higher education’s priorities have not been submerged under federal ob­ jectives. The aid program operates under four prin­ ciples, he said: 1. Continued support for private institutions, which enroll one third of all students, as well as of public institutions in such a way as not to impinge on their independence. Federal support is and should be pragmatic, and should depend upon whether an insti­ tution can be strengthened to serve the pub­ lic interest better. 2. Strengthening institutions to meet their own missions, for example, the developing col­ leges, such as Negro and junior and com­ m unity colleges. 3. Continued emphasis on equality of oppor­ tunity. Places must be made for the less af­ fluent; 7 per cent of all college students come from families earning less than $3,000 a year, while 48 per cent come from families earning $10,000 or more. More than one stu­ dent in five last year received aid under federal programs. “Racially, the picture is very poor,” Mr. Muirhead said; a Negro’s chance to attend college is only one half that of the population as a whole. Blacks, he 157 stated, are strongly motivated toward going to college in order to improve their status. 4. Recognition of th e absolute necessity for in­ stitutions of higher education to involve themselves in seeking solutions of social problems, particularly urban problems such as housing, pollution, transportation, poverty, etc. The people of the United States, in short, are asking that higher education play a major role in shaping American life. The investment is high, bu t they are willing to pay th e price the future exacts, Mr. Muirhead asserted. H e ex­ pressed his belief th a t both parties in Congress agree on major educational goals. The 1968 amendments of the H igher Education Act, for example, have the same bipartisan tone as did the NDEA of ten years ago. Mr. Muirhead then outlined several pro­ grams : (1 ) academic help, especially for the disadvantaged college student; (2 ) cooperative education, or combined school and work pro­ grams; (3 ) networks for knowledge—coopera­ tive programs for sharing; (4 ) new programs authorized by the 1968 HE A amendments; (5 ) help for government workers—for example, for public-service careers; and (6 ) improvement of graduate programs. He also enum erated pro­ grams to strengthen library resources and men­ tioned grants for training librarians and funding library buildings, acquisitions, and Title II-C, th e National Program for Acquisitions and Cat­ aloging or Shared Cataloging Program. All these programs represent the best efforts of many intelligent men and women, in and out of government, b u t added programs and money will not invest universities with the magic power to solve all problems. Also, ex­ pansion of federal support should not be a sig­ nal that other support can decline. On the con­ trary, federal support should stimulate the flow of money from other sources. Certainly, more and more money is going to be needed, Mr. M uirhead said, for tuition and fees have risen 50 per cent in public and more than 95 per cent in private institutions, and librarians can document rising costs of acquisitions and serv­ ices. Despite the impressive “mosaic of federal support,” there has been a failure to establish a policy of institutional aid. There is “a ca­ cophony of conflicting views” as to w hat form this should take, b u t a pattern must be found. “W e must keep the escalating costs of higher education from making the promises of higher education a cruel hoax.” There is a “m andate from the American people for equal opportuni­ ty and for higher education to go as far and as fast in the service of society as its ambitions and leadership will take it.” In conclusion, Mr. Muirhead asserted: “Higher education has giv­ en us much; it must give us much more.” In the discussion, th e point was made that aid to students is fine b u t th a t some pattern of assistance needs to be found th at will enable universities to charge the students a real share of the cost of education. Apprehension was ex­ pressed th at block grants to institutions would only make the problems of librarians more dif­ ficult than under specific grants, where costs of library services can be more exactly identified. (Mr. Muirhead said th at personally he feels there is need for both kinds of grants—cate­ gorical support as well as block support.) The question was raised as to why there are re­ strictions on certain types of training, e.g., in automation and computer science, th a t can be given in th e institutes. (Ray Fry of the Office of Education and John P. McDonald, member of OE’s Advisory Committee, said th at sugges­ tions on institute and fellowship programs are welcome b u t that, to date, training of librarians had been emphasized.) “Programming Planning for Research Li­ braries in a University Setting,” by Thomas R. Mason, Director of the Office of Institutional Research, University of Colorado, was the sec­ ond presentation of the afternoon session. D e­ parting from his prepared paper, which he said he had not seen since his final draft was typed, Mr. Mason discussed PPBS—Planning-Program- ming Budgeting System—the “most remarkable contemporary product of administrative sci­ ence.” PPBS originated in th e D epartm ent of Defense under Secretary Robert S. McNamara, and in 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson di­ rected th a t executive agencies use this ap­ proach. Since then, Mr. Mason said, it has swept th e nation. He discussed how university planning, especially program planning for the research library, is taking place w ithin the PPBS approach. Essentially, he said, it is planning w here we are going and persuading others that these goals are valid, obtaining the resources, and or­ ganizing them. W hen one looks at the univer­ sity as a system, w ith the traditional tripartite division into instruction, research, and public service, the research library may be viewed as a subsystem, a supporting resource “so inter­ locked with the purposes and functions of the university th at the program objectives are close­ ly correlated.” Program budgeting is simply the allocation of resources and the control of their use in order to get the most out of them in ob­ taining objectives. It is easy to prepare the Student Instruction Model, showing th e students coming into the university, flowing through, and going out, bu t it is remarkable, he said, how little we know about w hat happens to the student while there. The Research Model conceives of current knowledge as input and revised or new knowl- 158 ehtm athematics ci W r e'll a c dm i u t th a t l purchasing can be very confusing, p a rticu la rly a whe t n s i om o e su n ppliers offer price s w hich may “ see m " very low. Take binding, fo r example, w hether it's for new books o r used ones. How do you check the true cost? H ere’s the sim plest way! You know th a t a book bound by a C e rti­ fied Library B in der w ill provide at least 100 c ircu la tio n s. Divide the cost o f the binding by 100 and you get the cost per reader. Now do the same w ith a book o f­ fered in any oth er binding (if you can establish the num ber of circulation s) and get the answer. Only w ith C ertified Library B inding can you be assured o f maxim um circu la tio n w hich means lowest cost per reader. That's because the m aterials and w orkm anship w hich are part o f every book bound by a C ertified Library Binder are co n tro lle d by minimum standards set by the Library Bind­ ing Institute. It’s also because a qu ality- con trol program , to w hich every member o f the Library B inding Institute subscribes, guarantees you the longest-lasting books available. Make sure that your Library B in der d is­ plays this seal. If he doesn’t, then find one who does, so that you w ill get the most for your do llar. There are few er than 60 C erti­ fied Library Binders in the United States. W e'll be happy to send you the list w ithout o b ligatio n, and w e ’ll also include some o th e r interesting literature. Library Binding Institute 160 State S treet • Boston, Mass. 02109 of edge as output of the research program; and the public service program is similarly modeled. Faculty and supporting staff, buildings and equipment, libraries and other academic serv­ ices, as well as the research and public-service programs, constitute the input for instruction. Most university planning now starts by pro­ jecting student enrollment. Faculty require­ ments, based on teaching loads at the under­ graduate level, are then calculated. Expected program changes are also envisioned. These factors affect annual academic planning and budget preparation, and from them longer- range estimates of the need for personnel, buildings, and other resources, to say nothing of the costs, are projected. In th e last decade, we have been playing the numbers game, Mr. Mason asserted. There are computer programs for predicting how many students are going to college and even “where they may land,” how many will take what courses and w hat the faculty needs there will be, b u t w hat the research faculty is going to do is still unpredictable, he said. The more obvious dimensions of program development may be foreseen, however, and thus th e de­ mands on library resources may be estimated. Goals and objectives are w hat people dis­ agree about, but, by using quantitative analy­ sis, the PPBS approach minimizes this. Through “resource allocation,” or budgeting, the admin­ istrator increases his control over program de­ velopment. And, finally, through systems anal­ ysis and cost-benefit studies, “economic ration- ability” can be applied to defining goals and selecting programs. There are recognizable dangers in this ap­ proach, Mr. Mason acknowledged. No one, he said, has really devised a satisfactory program- budgeting system for a university, and he em­ phasized th a t planning (systems analysis) “is not a cut-and-dried, step-by-step process, b u t it is a highly heuristic, intuitive, and pragmatic art . . . a skill th a t any modern administrator must have.” University administrators and planners must join with librarians, he felt. The former look upon the university library as a major resource, and, in his experience, Mr. Mason said, de­ fining the library’s future needs for buildings, collections, and services has provided the best index to other university needs of the future. “I suspect,” he continued, “th at the research li­ brary can do a more effective, in-depth job of internal program-planning than the university as a whole because of the more concentrated purposes, the more coherent organization, and the relatively smaller scale of the research li­ brary.” Demands for services, materials, and facili­ ties—to support the instruction programs, the 159 research programs, and th e community-service programs “which are coming on big and fast because th a t’s where tire money is”—shape the basic programs of the research library. Because of “the identity of purpose between the univer­ sity and the research library, th e development of systematic, comprehensive program planning must proceed hand-in-hand,” and Mr. Mason said in conclusion th at “th e university can learn much from the leadership of its librarians.” A three-m an panel then spoke. Robert Black­ burn (University of Toronto Library) observed th at he found himself in the somewhat awk­ ward position of commenting on a paper that he had read b u t had found th a t the speaker had not agreed th at libraries in universities should lead the way in program-planning but pointed out th a t most university librarians are victims of new professors in new fields appear­ ing without notice on the doorstep and expect­ ing library resources th a t it might take years to obtain. H e also observed th a t it is difficult to measure output (results), and he maintained th at a great book collection creates its own de­ mands—th at user demands do not necessarily grow out of the classroom. H e also felt strongly th at a library is more than a support program b u t is a major resource as much as the faculty is—a point both faculty and administrators often overlook. W arren J. Haas (Charles Patterson Van Pelt Library, University of Pennsylvania) dryly de­ fined operations analysis as the development of sophisticated techniques to arrive a t simple con­ clusions and questioned whether there is a dan­ ger that the techniques will tend to homogenize education. May not one institution tend to copy another model? There must, he felt, be room in planning for the experimental, the unorthodox, the drastic. He especially felt the need for re­ viewing results, “You have the haunting feeling th a t once the budget is out, one loses sight of the plan.” In light of ARL studies, w hat in­ formation is needed by university administra­ tors and planners? he asked. Should research libraries have planning officers and should uni­ versity planning staffs have full-time librarians on them? Library programs are not mirror images of university programs, he declared, and he agreed th a t resources generate demands. Research libraries are p art of the national pic­ ture, part of the national resources, and must be considered accordingly. David Kaser ( Cornell University Libraries) took the view of the library itself, rather than of the university as a whole. The planning that Mr. Mason’s paper pictures should be greatly welcomed, he said. “W e think we know, but we’ve really flown by the seat of our pants. W e haven’t had much hard data.” He agreed th a t the libraries may be able to implement such planning faster than the university as a whole, because the library’s mission is homoge­ neous, libraries are automating, they are more subject to change than the university as a whole, and libraries are structured for quicker decision-making. “If we can learn to use these modern weapons before the university learns to turn them back on us, it will be to our ad­ vantage,” he said, and he felt that “there is enough data floating around now to enable us to plan more effectively.” Mr. Mason agreed th a t the fact th at the li­ brary creates its own demands is very signifi­ cant. Also, he recognized that, although it is possible to project today’s distribution data, when Professor X has ten students the first year and 250 dem and his course the next, it is impossible to plan. However, “even fairly loose, freewheeling quantification focuses on quality,” he felt, b u t “w e don’t know how to measure qualitatively. W e keep trying to rationalize planning; someone notices th at a certain per­ centage of funds available w ent into libraries last year, so it is assumed th a t the same per­ centage will do this year. Seat-of-the-pants judgments become the input, time and again.” In response to discussion from the floor, Mr. Mason expressed the belief th at the university library should have not one planning officer b u t two or three. Data, even where they exist, need to be p u t together, to b e analyzed and mo­ bilized. “T he battle for resources,” he said, “is going to become more and more political” in the general sense of the word. After a recess for dinner, th e business meet­ ing was convened by President Eaton at 7:00 P . M . Greetings on behalf of IFLA ’s Executive Board and other European colleagues were brought to th e meeting by Joachim Wieder, Direktor, Bibliothek der Technischen Hoch­ schule in Munich, IFLA Board member. The ARL, he said, works not only for America bu t with libraries of other nations in mind. A chap­ ter has yet to be written about the impact of American library development on libraries of the world. IFLA, too, is seeking new methods for professional work, Dr. W ieder said, and ex­ pressed his pleasure at being able to get to know the “incarnation of American libraries” through the meetings of th e ARL and ALA. President E aton announced th at the libraries of the University of Alberta, University of Cal­ ifornia at Davis, Case W estern Reserve Uni­ versity, Dartmouth College, and the University of Massachusetts, as well as the New York State Library (Albany) had been selected for ARL membership. Stephen A. McCarthy, ARL Executive Di­ rector, reported that: 1. ARL’s new address is 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. 160 2. A management study of university libraries is needed and ARL’s Board has authorized a proposal for an initial study of a few li­ braries to be carried out by a management firm. 3. The Slavic Bibliographic and Documenta­ tion Center seems assured for a three-year period. (A $350,000 Ford Foundation grant for this was announced by ARL on March 10, 1969.) 4. The N ew York Times has refilmed issues from October 1967 to March 1968 b u t in­ spection is still necessary because inferior film has been supplied for the period fol­ lowing 1968 and there are reports th a t some of the replacement film is inferior. 5. The lighting study has not been completed, b u t the Council on Library Resources has approved an extension until July 1969. 6. The study of the economics of book storage, funded by the Educational Facilities L ab ­ oratory, is now in draft form, is being re­ viewed, and should be completed in the spring. 7. The publication date of the comprehensive list of chemical journals being issued by Chemical Abstracts is late September 1969. 8. The Board voted official and formal thanks to LC for the visit mentioned above. P. K. Yu, Director of the Center for Chinese Research Materials, reported on the reproduc­ tion of materials and on bibliographic control. The center can take on large projects, deter­ mine their value to th e academic community, and not worry about the profit motive. LC has lent most of the material, and the New York Public Library has conducted relations with the National Library in Peking on behalf of the center. The three national libraries (LC, NAL, and NLM ) distributed reports, and their directors mentioned only a few main points. The Librarian of Congress stressed the need for the third building if LC is to be able to serve the nation. Additional funding for Title II-C of HEA will also be necessary if th a t pro­ gram is to be continued and extended as planned and as ARL desires. It cannot operate at a higher level than last year because of mandatory salary increases and because $500,- 000 of the $5.5 million voted for fiscal 1969 must finance the M onthly Index o† Russian A c ­ cessions, formerly funded by H EW from other sources. The $7,376,000 approved by the Budg­ et Bureau in H E W ’s requests for fiscal 1970 will permit normal expansion of this program bu t very little implementation of th e activities approved in the 1968 amendments to HEA. It is essential th a t automation in LC, which is central to such developments in other libraries, also be adequately funded. John Sherrod (N A L ) reported th a t the ex­ terior of NAL’s new building was completed last October, the interior will be finished in February, and the staff and the collections are scheduled to b e moved in April 1969. A com­ puter will b e installed before the building is occupied. The final report on a design study of an automated document location and control system is now being studied. Emphasis is being placed on compatibility w ith NLM, LC, MARC II, and COSATI formats and standards p re­ viously accepted by USASI, Mr. Sherrod said. Top priority is being given to inventory control, and an effort will b e made to update records as they move through the library. I t is hoped th at a mechanized NAL will serve as a princi­ pal node in an international agricultural infor­ mation system as well as the coordinating agent in an NAL network serving domestic users. Dr. Martin M. Cummings (N L M ) said th at the accomplishment of the planning for a Bio­ medical Communications Network, approved by the Library’s Board of Regents at its March and June 1968 meetings, was the most signifi­ cant development of the year. The first phase of this five-part program, the library services component, had been substantially completed. It represents an extrapolation of the system of regional medical libraries and MEDLARS search centers already under devlopment. The second component ( specialized information services) is based on the Toxicological Informa­ tion Program and will seek to link other special computer-based biomedical files. During the coming year th e third component ( specialized education services), applying telecommunica­ tions technology to medical education, will be given priority. The fourth would develop the capacity of the National Medical Audiovisual Center in Atlanta, transferred to NLM in 1967, to provide such educational materials, and the fifth will be the data-processing and data- transmission component, or hardw are and sys­ tems support for the program areas mentioned. NLM’s research and development staff, headed by Ruth N. Davis has been reconsti­ tuted as the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, authorized by Public Law 90-456 to honor th e Senator from Alabama, who did not seek re-election. Dr. Davis is the director. Other developments at NLM include a shared-cataloging arrangement (involving a common machine-readable input) with the State University of New York’s U p­ state Medical Center at Syracuse, and the Francis Countway Medical Library at H arvard University; and a system for MEDLARS II, to be delivered in March. For awhile, two systems will have to be operated, b u t MEDLARS I, which now has a million citations in the file, will be phased out. Gordon R. Williams ( Center for Research 161 Libraries) reported th a t the center now has thirty-eight members. Greater emphasis is being placed on direct acquisition, for which $400,000 was available this year. For its newspapers on microfilm (U.S. and foreign), $100,000 was expended last year. Being acquired are sixty current newspapers, including twenty Negro newspapers, all Public Law 480 newspapers th a t LC is microcopying, U.S. archives on mi­ crofilm, U.S. captured German records, and some microfilmed foreign records. CRL, within limitations of funds, will acquire on demand for its members U.S. or foreign newspapers and archives on microfilm. Mr. Williams also an­ nounced th at the center will begin to microfilm deteriorating materials in its members’ collec­ tions and th at NLM, NAL, and CRL will di­ vide a set of P.L. 480 publications, including a full set of government documents. The catalogs in book form are at the printers; th a t of news­ papers will be out in February and those for books and serials will follow. All will be gen­ erally available. Effective July 1, the center’s newsletter will be available only to members. There is an associate membership for smaller libraries, b u t they have no representation or vote in CRL’s council. Louis E. Martin (ARL W ashington Office) reported on th e ARL Microform Technology Project. A report by th e director of the project, Donald C. Holmes (formerly Chief of LC’s Photoduplication Service), was distributed. The project, funded by OE, was designed to identi­ fy the needs of users of microforms and to de­ termine w hat factors in microform technology impede the use in libraries of materials in this form. Interviews, rather than questionnaires, were used. The final report will concentrate on concrete recommendations. A number of committee reports w ere sub­ m itted in writing and were only briefly sum­ marized. Arthur M. McAnally ( University of Oklahoma Libraries) presented a Model Inter- library Loan Code for Regional, State, and Other Special Groups of Libraries. The ARL Board endorsed this, and the membership ap­ proved. I t stated, among other things: “In or­ der to prevent severe cutbacks in interlibrary lending or the elimination of it altogether, it may now be time to recognize th a t free inter- library loan service is no longer practicable and to accept th e principle th a t lending libraries cannot be expected to bear the full costs of interlibrary loan service. Failure to recognize this fact could bring about the collapse of the system as we have known it, perhaps not all at once b u t by the steady withdrawal of library after library from the system.” Robert B. Downs (University of Illinois Li­ brary ), reporting for the Standards Committee, said th a t an elaborate questionnaire had been distributed to fifty selected libraries and th at only three had not replied. An analysis of the data should be ready this spring. Dr. Downs emphasized th a t the committee is not trying to develop standards now b u t rather criteria for excellence. Verner W. Clapp (Council on Library Re­ sources, In c.), Chairman of th e Copyright Is­ sues Committee, reported th at the Copyright Revision Bill (S. 543) h ad been reintroduced in Congress, including the proposal for a com­ mission to study new uses of copyrighted works; th at the ARL and ALA are working together to obtain the statutory right to copy for research, for display, etc.; and th at CLR had convened in W ashington on January 10, 1969, a small meeting on th e photocopying of manuscripts in library collections. T hat group agreed to rec­ ommend to ARL libraries th at photocopying of manuscript for study or research should be freely permitted, with reasonable limiting dates to be set by administrative action. Some twelve other considerations affecting such photocopy­ ing were also identified. The ARL business meeting agreed th a t the ARL’s two policy statements in this field—th e Materials Repro­ duction Code (1940) and th e statement on the Use of Manuscripts by Visiting Scholars (1951) —were in serious need of updating and that this should be done. John G. Lorenz of LC, Chairman of th e For­ eign Newspaper Microfilm Committee, which has expanded its scope beyond C R L ’s Foreign Newspaper Microfilm Project and is now con­ sidering the development of a National Foreign Newspaper Microfilm Project, reported th a t ARL’s Board had approved the committee’s proposal for a study to identify what should be acquired, w hat cooperative arrangements could be made, w hat the specifications should be, and w hat institution should have oversight of such a program. Thomas R. Buchman (Northwestern Univer­ sity Libraries) said th at since LC has to give up the indexing of Dissertation Abstracts, an agreement had been made with University Mi­ crofilms to conduct an experiment using DATRIX. A larger sampling than UM had con­ templated should be undertaken, he felt, and then a comparison could be made w ith LC’s subject-heading approach. A table h ad been m ade up showing th e length of time it takes to get the microfilmed or electrostatic copies of the dissertations, and ARL libraries were urged to review this. UM is considering including for­ eign dissertations, in addition to the Canadian ones which are now included. Gustave A. H ar­ rer (University of Florida Libraries) reported th at a meeting with several European librarians had been held in the United States and th at W est German universities now have a con­ sortium to obtain a copy of every study listed in Dissertation Abstracts. 162 Robert Vosper (University of California at Los Angeles L ibrary), Chairman of the new Federal Relations Committee, said th a t much attention has been given during the year to defining the scope of its responsibilities and to guidelines for Title I I-A of HEA. The commit­ tee had worked closely with leading Members of Congress concerned with library and educa­ tion legislation. He proposed th a t ARL approve —and it did—a draft of a resolution endorsing the report of th e National Advisory Commis­ sion on Libraries in general and in particular those recommendations calling for support of LC and HEW , a permanent National Commis­ sion on Libraries and Information Science, and recognition of LC as the national library. James E. Skipper (University of California at Berkeley L ibrary), Chairman of the Com­ m ittee on Automation, reviewed his commit­ tee’s session at Kansas City, where bibliographic services in machine-readable form were dis­ cussed, and the first two meetings of the Ad­ visory Committee to th e three national libraries Task Force on Automation, on which Dr. Skip­ per represents ARL. MARC II as a standard form at and efforts to make the systems of the three national libraries mesh were the main topics a t these meetings. It is the conviction of th e committee, Dr. Skipper said, th at the retro­ spective bibliographic record must be converted to machine-readable form, the problems of which are now being studied by RECON. Expert Service on M A G A Z IN E SUBSCRIPTIO NS for A LL LIBRARIES ★ FA X O N LIB RA R IA N 'S GUIDE available on request ★ Fast, efficient, centralized service for over 80 years. Library business is our only business! ★ F. W. FAXON CO., INC. 15 Southwest P ark W estwood, Mass. 02090 ★ ’ C ontin uou s Service to Libraries Since 1886 It was noted th a t the Foreign Acquisitions Committee has replaced the Farmington Plan Committee and that the Committee on Non- GPO Publications is concentrating on improved coverage of these materials in the M onthly Cat­ alog of Government Publications issued by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office. The main accomplishment of the Committee on Availability of Resources, Chairman Ralph Hopp (M ichigan State Uni­ versity Library) reported, has been the pres­ entation to th e ALA of proposals on interlibrary loan, which were prepared by Mr. McAnally. Scotty Cameron, who served as ARL interim executive secretary before Dr. McCarthy’s ap­ pointment, announced th a t he is doing a study for CLR on the economics of th e library pro­ fession. Statistics are in disarray, and figures are needed to convince university administra­ tors of library needs, as well as to create the climate to attract bright young people. “Unlike most of th e other speakers,” Mr. Cameron said, “I am not prepared to answer any questions!” Gordon Williams (C R L ) and Herman Fus­ sier (University of Chicago library) had been asked to study th e problem of dealing statis­ tically w ith microforms, and they suggested a formula for counting them as volumes. A for­ mal dissenting statement was presented by Dr. Downs. After considerable discussion, the pro­ posal was voted down because it was felt that to count a microform of a work (o r a number of microforms) as a volume was to build up statistics “fictitiously”; comparability of statistics with other libraries would be lost (for example, ALA’s report on statistics calls for reporting volumes and microforms separately); and fac­ ulty and other scholars, according to two in­ formal polls reported by members, preferred separate categories. On the other side, some felt th at the content, not the form, was the impor­ tant thing and th at statistics were largely for public-relations purposes anyway. W arren J. Haas, Chairman, filed a report on th e Preserva­ tion Committee. It will assess the current state- of-the-art, will seek further data on th e need for basic research, will promote the use of per­ manent durable paper, and will concern itself with the development of a detailed national preservation plan based on the objectives of the Williams Report. T he annual report on Standard Committee Z39 Library Work and Documentation, of which Jerrold Orne (U ni­ versity of North Carolina Libraries) is chair­ man, listed a number of draft standards on which work had been done. Results of the balloting, which took place earlier in th e business meeting, were an­ nounced. Elected as members of the Board of Directors were David Kaser, John McDonald (University of Connecticut L ibrary), and Rob­ ert Vosper. The Vice-President and President- 163 elect is now chosen by and from members of the board, and W arren J. Haas was so elected at a later meeting of the board. After w ann words of thanks for Dr. McCarthy’s contribu­ tions and th e announcement that the next ARL meeting will be held on Saturday, June 21, 1969, at the Shelburne-Empress Hotel in At­ lantic City, President Eaton turned over the gavel to Douglas Bryant (H arvard University L ibrary), incoming President, who—after two long days of concentrated attention to library programs and problems—mercifully carried on the ARL tradition of no inaugural speeches, thus beginning his regime with warm good wishes from all. A R L January Meeting—Addendum . Not reported a t the seventy-third meeting of the Association of Research Libraries was an action of its Board of Directors th a t is of par­ ticular interest and gratification to th e Library of Congress and of significance in the effort to achieve standardization in library automation. The Advisory Committee to the U.S. Na­ tional Libraries Task Force on Automation and O ther Cooperative Services, at its meeting on July 11, 1968, agreed to recommend to the governing bodies of each of the national library associations represented on the committee the adoption of the following resolution: Because the MARC II format has been adopted by the three National Libraries as their standard format for exchange of bib ­ liographic information, and Because the MARC II format has also been adopted by the British National Bib­ liography, and Because MARC II is the de facto na­ tional standard and contains more biblio­ graphic elements than most libraries re­ quire, and Because the Library of Congress intends to produce all machine-readable output in the MARC II format and intends to create a national data base for monographic ma­ terials in this way, the National Libraries Task Force Advisory Committee recom­ mends that— The MARC II format be endorsed by the various national library associations as th e na­ tional standard for communication of biblio­ graphic information, and th a t The endorsement be widely publicized in the professional journals published by th e associa­ tions and in such other ways as each association may deem suitable for informing its member­ ship, and that Each association strongly urge its members to adopt this format for communication of biblio­ graphic information between themselves as well as in relaying information to the National Li­ braries. ARL’s Board of Directors, at its meeting on January 26, 1969, voted endorsement of this resolution. In transmitting notice of this action to the Librarian of Congress, ARL Executive Director Stephen A. McCarthy said: “W e hope that the adoption of this resolution will strengthen the commitment to the MARC II format and help to assure its general adoption by American libraries.”—Elizabeth E. Hamer, Library of Congress. BIBLIOGRAPHY ON LIBRARY COOPERATION The Library Research Center, University of Illinois, is compiling an annotated bibliography of cooperation between libraries of different types. Because of the elusive and ephemeral nature of much of this material, the Center has experienced difficulty in locating it through the standard indexing tools. The Center is in­ terested in: 1. all materials describing actual instances of cooperation between libraries of different types ( i.e., academic, school, special and public libraries) since 1940; 2. all such reports written in English through­ out the world; 3. all present plans to establish cooperation between libraries of different types. Both citations and actual reports will be wel­ comed and all inquiries and correspondence should be addressed to Galen E. Rike, Re­ search Associate, Library Research Center, 428 Library, University of Illinois, Urbana, Il­ linois 61801. ■■ ISAD ANNOUNCES TW O EX PER IλlEN T A L TUTORIAL SESSIONS • S u n d a y , J u n e 22, 1969, A t l a n t i c C i t y Hotel to be announced later • S u b j e c t s Session One: Elementary Systems Analy­ sis Session Two: Basic Machine Functions • FOR ISAD personal members only • Each session limited to 100 persons (divided into four groups of 25 each). • No charge Registrations will be accepted from ISAD members who wish to learn about automation, systems, and th e function of the various m a­ chines used in typical automated libraries. Specify which of the two topics you wish to attend. Mailed registrations only will be ac­ cepted in order of their receipt. Address them to Tutorials, American Library Association, 50 East H uron Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611. ■■