From: 


 E d i t o r i a l  

 
Filling in the Blanks 
By Jacqueline Snider, Co-Editor 
One of the perks of living in a university town is that 
distinguished academics often visit. I heard Dr. Peter 
Stallybras of the University of Pennsylvania talk about 
“blanks” and the importance of writing. He described 
forms such as customs forms, indulgences that were 
printed and purchased hundreds of years ago, and the 
evidence of writing that appears in family bibles and 
other published documents. As I sat listening, the idea of 
invisibility and visibility came to mind. Blank forms 
require certain kinds of information such as name, 
address, and so forth. During paper shortages, people 
wrote on anything to practice penmanship, hence, the 
repetition of letters and names found in family bibles. In 
that same vein, family bibles often contain the names of 
relatives, siblings, and parents; thus, moving from the 
realm of the invisible to the visible, the impersonal to the 
personal.  
 

What does this have to do with libraries and this issue? 
Catalog cards go beyond providing classification 
information, similar to filling in blank forms, to 
containing pencil annotations which personalize and 
embellish the item’s description. Thus, like the family 
bible that includes personal names, the catalog item 
becomes even more visible, and alive. 
 
The invisible and visible extend to the current discussion 
of what to call our Association. Are special libraries 
invisible, and require us to constantly explain and justify 
ourselves? Will ASKPro make us more visible and set 
the record straight? This journal issue examines 
visibility during SLA’s 100th anniversary. Two of the 
articles describe programs that reach out to patrons and 
researchers, and make those facilities and services more 
apparent and relevant. The third article wrestles with 
what school library administrators call themselves; their 
self-identification.  

 
Photograph of Card Catalog in Central Search Room, 1942 (Courtesy of The National Archives) 

 
Education Libraries (ISSN 0148-1061) is a publication of the 
Education Division, Special Libraries Association. It is published 
two times a year (Summer/Winter). Issues of Education Libraries 
are available in full-text from 2004 to the present on the SLA 
Education Division’s website at 
http://units.sla.org/division/ded/education_libraries.html. Education 
Libraries is indexed in EBSCOhost’s Education Collection, Library 
Literature and Information Science Index/Full-Text, and the ERIC 
database. Permission to reprint articles must be obtained in writing 
from the Editors (or the original sources where noted). Opinions 

expressed in articles and book reviews are those of the authors and 
do not necessarily represent the views of the editors, Editorial 
Committee, or the members of the SLA Education Division. 
 
Officers of the Education Division, SLA for 2009: Chairs: 
Michelle Bagley and Deborah Garson; Past Chair: Lesley Farmer; 
Secretary-Treasurer: Debbie Bogenschutz 
 

© 2009 – Special Libraries Association, Education Division 

http://units.sla.org/division/ded/education_libraries.html