THE PLANNING AND EQUIPMENT OF LIBRARIES IN RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS AND INDUSTRIAL CONCERNS
| Date | 01 March 1946 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb026088 |
| Published date | 01 March 1946 |
| Pages | 68-75 |
| Author | B. FULLMAN |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
THE PLANNING AND EQUIPMENT OF LIBRARIES IN
RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS AND INDUSTRIAL
CONCERNS
By B. FULLMAN
Information
Officer,
British Non-Ferrous
Metals
Research Association
THIS paper has been prepared at very short notice. When I was asked to do
it I at once examined all the reports of the Aslib Conferences. To my
great surprise I found that until the 1945 (20th) Conference very little men-
tion had been made of it. However, last year two very informative papers
appeared: 'The Planning and equipment of research libraries and informa-
tion bureaux', by E.J. Carter,1 and 'Some notes on the planning of research
libraries', by S. R. Pierce.2 These two papers and the discussion on them
deserve careful study: the present contribution is really supplementary to them.
I shall refer to Carter's excellent paper, but I am myself looking at the
subject from a rather different point of view. I am thinking of a library in an
establishment where
laboratory
work
is
carried on, or alternatively, some field
work of a practical nature: the point is that I wish to relate the operations of
workers of this kind to a library (or rather perhaps Information Department)
which will best serve their needs. I hasten to add that there is no question of
invidious comparisons. This kind of library is no better and no worse than
any other kind, but its activities are differently accented and it has to perform
certain functions which do not fall to the lot of libraries in other establish-
ments.
Equipment was dealt with very usefully last year and has been the subject
of frequent discussion elsewhere. I have therefore restricted myself to points
strictly germane to my own purpose. I have not attempted to deal with
large-scale mechanical devices. I have had no personal experience of them,
and in any case they are far beyond the financial means of most of the people
to whom the present paper is addressed.
My remarks are largely directed to the special practices which are found by
experience to be necessary in the kind of library I have mentioned.
Introduction.
A library in a research organization or industrial concern is an
information centre. Keeping this objective firmly in view, the information
officer or librarian should formulate his requirements as clearly
as
possible and
co-operate with the architect in solving the problems involved.
Such a library should be
as
pleasant and attractive
as
possible:
human beings
are stimulated by surroundings having architectural grace and beauty. It
must, however, be borne in mind that libraries of the kind now under discus-
sion are often of relatively small size. I am all for giving the librarian plenty
of elbow-room. In a research or industrial organization he
will,
however, be
1
Aslib,
Report
of
proceedings
of
the
twentieth
conference,
1945, pp.
64-74.
2 Ibid., pp.
73-5.
Discussion on both papers, ibid., pp. 75-6.
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