Search results

Professional enthusiasm is always refreshing and in his article, “Archives in Libraries” in the Summer issue, Mr. Hepworth says much that is worth while, but in his desire to enhance the prestige of libraries he does less than justice to the responsibilities of another profession—that of clerks of local authorities—and he shows little appreciation of the true nature of archives.

The boatmen on the pleasure boats which ply between Westminster Pier, the Tower and Greenwich have of recent years taken to drawing attention, by megaphone, to the historic places the boats pass on the trip. One of the sights they point out is a warehouse on the south bank near Southwark Bridge which bears a large notice stating that it is the site of the Globe Playhouse. The notice, which is incorrect, is one of the survivals of the controversy which raged in the 1920's as to the position of the “Glory of the Bank”, the Globe Playhouse, where Shakespeare trod the boards and for which some of the world's greatest dramas were written.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

This series of annual reviews of the literature of special librarianship, which now reaches its fifth year, has been designed to help those most in need of the body of professional experience contained in the literature. Those special librarians or information officers with little or no professional training, who work in small departments far away from more experienced colleagues, have only the recorded knowledge in the literature to help them, but, because of lack of experience, they are often unable to sift from the mass of articles of varying value and character which crowd the pages of the professional journals the comparatively few items likely to be of practical use to them. For their benefit we present a selection of those papers really likely to give them solid help, leaving aside all purely theoretical and polemical articles, however important, and all literature on large libraries, unless they are likely to have applications in smaller ones. To these we add a selection of reference books likely to be of professional use to anyone in information work, including a number which he may wish to know about, even though he does not have them in his own library. The list is not restricted to work published in 1956, but is intended rather to be representative of items received in British libraries during that year. With the growing volume of library literature, the choice of a hundred or so items is bound to be in some respects a personal one, with which many may disagree, especially over the omissions, but it is hoped that all the items included will be of positive value.

For me the earliest number of The Library Assistant still has upon it the silver glow which in middle age belongs to remembered dreams. To our Bournemouth Library in 1898 the modest bantling came, its pale blue cover crowded with advertisements, on the front of binder and bookseller; of the Cotgreave indicator and magazine racks on the back. A simply‐printed affair of twelve pages, as unpretentious as a country‐town bulletin, but a veritable window into life for many, however, and, in my sober judgment, a chief influence in the making of the library spirit of to‐day.

The reading room of the large library was packed to capacity. The Saturday morning rush of harassed students revealed their anxiety to make the most of the short hours of an early closing day. All‐important examinations loomed ahead. It was necessary to be first in the field, to procure the essential books available in the various courses of innumerable subjects. Surging round the entrance desk of the reading room, the work‐weary handed in their quota of white paper slips, then waited with an uneasy patience for the arrival of the books on which their future depended.

WHhat records do we keep for business purposes? In my opinion, far too many. If we re‐phrase the question, what records should we keep for business purposes, I am confident that the answer is, or should be, as few as possible. Alas, this precept is not generally followed in industry, with the result that a great deal of space which could be more productively employed is wasted, and much unnecessary labour is expended on the maintenance of records which are not essential to business.

ELSEWHERE I have said in effect that we have, at some centres, so “developed” our work with children that we have created a vested interest which is, maybe with the best intentions in the world, often keeping children from real books rather than encouraging them to use them; and further, I would add that I have often wondered whether in our children's libraries we do not strive to inculcate in the young people precisely those reading habits that we deplore when they grow up. These two ideas require elaboration.

The suggestion that technical college libraries should be strengthened in order to meet the increased demands of technological education has been increasingly under discussion. Now, with a view to helping to clarify opinion on the subject, we have arranged this symposium in which the proposal is discussed by a number of contributors, and from various angles. It will be agreed that the subject is one of considerable professional and technical importance. Librarians and other readers who have views to express are invited to contribute to the discussion which we hope to continue in our next number.

Mr. Carter dislikes grubby books. So do I. I regret very much that it is not yet possible for me to assert that my own libraries at Cambridge contain none. All our fiction stocks, for example, and the junior stocks at two branch libraries, could be in much better condition. We are steadily improving them but a lot still remains to be done. I believe that our experience is not unrepresentative. At present we spend five shillings per head of population on our library service.