Abstract
A REPORT on libraries in technical institutions, which has been issued by a joint committee of the Association of Technical Institutions, the Association of Principals of Technical Institutions and the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutions, should be of considerable service to those responsible for providing and maintaining library services in technical colleges (Loughborough: Loughborough College, 1939). In addition to a clear analysis of the aims of such a library service, which should assist in the formulation of sound policy based on well-defined principles, it gives sufficient detail in regard to such matters as accommodation and planning to be of real service in tho design of a new library or expansion of existing services. A feature of tho report is the inclusion of plans and details not only of three distinct types of library design but also of a number of representative libraries. The basic recommendation of the report is that in every technical institution there should be at least one room of adequate size reserved solely as a library, containing an ample supply of books and periodicals kept thoroughly up to date and covering all departments of work carried out in the institution, and including also a good collection of books of general interest. Wherever possible there should be a, separate reading room, and in institutions doing advanced work small rooms should be provided for individual study and research. To secure full value from the library service, the library should be under the supervision of someone who has had a measure of special training and experience in library work. Alternative methods of recruitment to this end are discussed in the report. It is further recommended that properly qualified librarians employed in technical institutions should always be regarded as equal in status to members of the teaching staff and be paid on the Burnham Technical Scale—graduate or non-graduate—according to qualifications. An annual allocation for the provision of books, periodicals and binding of 3s. per student for the first 2,000 students and 2s. per student for each subsequent student is recommended.
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Libraries in Technical Institutions. Nature 143, 512–513 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/143512c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/143512c0