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December 1946 — Vol. 27, No. 12 — Business Libraries
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This is not an article about the
Best Books for a Business Man's Bookshelf. It will not tell
how to choose books which will be impressive because of their
titles or their sumptuous bindings.
It will try to show why every business place needs a library
of useful books, and how to make the best use of it. Some
people go on the theory that if a book has gold—topped
leaves, deckled edges and an embossed cover it's a good book,
but business men need to pay attention to the advice given
his son by Lord Chesterfield: "make the substance of books
the first object, and their binding the second."
The business library - which will be taken to include technical,
financial, trade and all other collections intended for use
in conducting affairs - is set up with the idea that profit
will result, and this may take one or more of several forms.
The profit may lie in information given an executive which
aids him in making a difficult decision; or a member of the
staff may use the library to work out a problem ranging from
arithmetic to recommendations of high policy; or the library
may be used to win the goodwill of customers; or it may be
a blessing to the personnel department by adding another attraction
to membership on the staff.
A well—conducted library will naturally become the
centre of recorded news and information about the business
in which its firm is engaged. It will reach out for information
about other firms in the same line, and about conditions in
the country, tile continent and the world which impinge upon
that business. But that is only the first, the preparatory
stage. The efficient librarian in a properly—organized
special library will be able not only to answer specific questions,
but will be able to direct the executive to new avenues of
approach to his problem. The librarian can be of real dollars—and—cents
value by anticipating requirements and assembling data as
a basis for future growth of the concern. Librarianship is
a highly skilled craft. In addition to knowledge of technical
details the special librarian must have a wide understanding
of all aspects of the business to which her library is contributing.
Value of the business library cannot be appraised in terms
of the number of books taken out. One service given by your
library may defray the cost for a year; merely by raising
the efficiency of your staff, it may justify its existence
without providing impressive statistical data about itself.
Size is not Essential
A shelf full of books is not always the answer to a business
man's problem, but when in the course of human events he meets
a $64 question it is a great relief and benefit to have a
shelf of books upon which he can call for an answer. The library
need not be big in size to demonstrate its worth. A qualified
librarian will know the best sources for facts to be incorporated
in a reference department. In a very short time she will be
in position to answer questions ranging through your own business,
related businesses, and any miscellaneous matters you bring
up.
Just as the library does not need to be big in order to
be useful, neither need the business be big in order to use
a library. In fact, there is hardly a business too small for
its executive to require a library of some kind. In small
industries it is impracticable to employ statisticians to
keep track of current industrial and financial developments,
so why not make use of the highly—qualified statisticians
made available free or at very small cost through pamphlets
and periodicals ? If the business man feels that he cannot
afford expensive research counsel, he can benefit from a library,
because it is rare to come upon a problem which is so new
that it has no connection with the past. Your library, containing
the records of previous experiments and accomplishments, will
enable you to avoid the pitfalls into which others fell, and
to take advantage of the successes and methods others have
achieved.
How to Start
Starting a special library for your business may be easier
than you at first think. Look around your office and see the
number of books accumulated by this and that worker.
Some are used every day, and should not be disturbed; others
are used infrequently by the men who hold them, and should
be collected into one place for the use of all.
Having gathered together all the scattered books, pamphlets
and periodicals, you will wish to add essential reference
books, surveys (which are available at little or no cost from
government offices and the offices of trade associations)
and a few key periodicals covering your special field of activity
with up—to—date information. The objective is not
to build an elaborate collection of books, but to establish
a department to serve all departments with basic and current
information quickly.
Do not be overwhelmed by the crowd of books offered. Your
own common sense and the advice of your librarian will serve
to select those really useful. You may decide that you desire
a comprehensive collection covering the field in which your
business operates. You may wish, in addition, a standard volume
on economics, a book on business methods, one on financial
statements, and such supplementary reference books as directories
and financial reports. It is wise counsel to start with specific
desires, and then seek the books; don't let the supply of
books dictate your demand.
Most special libraries endeavour to include some literature
dealing with the historical background of the business to
which they are attached, and some are charged with the duty
of keeping this history up to date. Historical material is
interesting, and very often helpful, but most business men
will find greatest usefulness in current publications. Books
giving basic facts, and periodicals and pamphlets with later
information: these will be of daily use. Clippings of addresses,
government pronouncements, notices of business changes, and
news about competitors' plans: all these will be filed for
quick reference. Even data gathered in conversation may be
transcribed and filed.
There are lists of books available covering almost every
subject under the sun, and a good librarian will be able to
run through the list applicable to your business and make
a selection. If you left it to the librarian, she would probably
recommend a few books dealing with the fundamental processes
common to all kinds of enterprise, to form a background into
which you could fit your own business. This is not a bad idea,
because it broadens perspective and offers the opportunity
to see avenues for expansion of activities and services. Sometime
when you are in a thumbing—over mood you will come on
surprising things in such background books, things which will
be useful in your production department, your sales department,
and your personal conversation.
Selection of current material is done by the librarian under
policy instruction by the executive and within a budget decided
by the executive. It is essential for the librarian to study
her people. She needs to know their work, their interests,
and their individual peculiarities. When a man calls up and
asks for "that report from Ottawa", it is obvious that a knowledge
of what that man is doing and what are his interests is at
least as necessary as a knowledge of the reports.
Needs of Library
The library needs room to breathe, quarters in which the
books may be kept reasonably clean, sufficient shelf space
and filing cabinets so that references do not get so crowded
that items are hard to find, and adequate staff. It has been
found to work well when the library ranks as a department
responsible only to a higher official, with the librarian
recognized as a department head. In some firms, the library
is under executive direction of the general manager or the
company secretary, a person who is interested in and appreciates
the possibilities of service the library holds. Independence
of the library from multiple control makes it possible to
centralize all acquisitions of printed matter, and to ensure
a more economical supervision of purchases. Business does
not demand so much a staff trained to meticulous nicety in
library detail as one that can sense the imminent demand for
certain information and have it ready and accessible. The
librarian should be briefed regularly by executives as to
approaching interests, and she will, of course, keep abreast
daily of published opinions and plans.
Without getting into an argument as to whether a "special"
library is a "research" library, it can be remarked that never
a day goes by without demands upon the business librarian
for data, old and new, which will enable the executives to
reach wise judgments.
Few people know the diversity of the librarian's activities.
She will have an intensive knowledge of her own collection.
She will know how to trace material, however exotic, demanded
of her, and how to go about obtaining it from publishers,
government departments, trade associations, other libraries,
newspapers and individuals. Her alert mind, her interest in
the business world and her instinct for team work in her job
all combine to make the librarian a successful research worker.
Her patience, intuition, imagination and orderly manner of
thought help the special librarian to report thoroughly and
quickly and correctly on the matter referred to her, or to
present information on her own initiative.
Periodicals
Mention has been made of the growing importance of pamphlet
and periodical literature. Let us look at this non—book
library content, starting with periodicals. Every reader will
be aware of current publications in his own field which would
be useful to him if readily available. In such industries
as the chemical, the greater part of the literature is ill
periodicals and reports, which tell what is being done today.
Financial papers and newspapers report current events, business
changes, and all the miscellaneous information about stocks,
issues, yields, and trends.
Many libraries do not circulate trade papers complete, but
clip them and route the clippings to persons most interested,
and then file a selection upon their return to the library.
Happy indeed is the executive who has a librarian to follow
the periodicals closely and draw to his attention quickly
the latest analysis and information on matters in which he
is interested. Even with a small budget, much can be done
by a good librarian's judgment and initiative.
Pamphlets
No business library in Canada can operate without the material
issued by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, whose publications
are listed in Canada Year Book, 1946, page 1149. Pamphlets
such as these are economical, because they give, at a low
cost, the latest news and opinions on specific matters. They
are in a form which enables the librarian to keep them with
or close to basic books on the same subject, which assists
quick service. Every pamphlet and printed report that reaches
an executive's desk direct should be forwarded to the library
under one of two heads: (1) it may be marked "file" as an
indication that the executive may wish to refer again to the
pamphlet; (2) it may be merely forwarded to be dealt with
at discretion of the librarian.
Pamphlets are issued not only by tile Dominion and Provincial
Governments, but by societies and firms. This Monthly Letter
is a pamphlet which tells, in the course of a year, many interesting
facts about various aspects of Canadian cultural and economic
life. Societies issue pamphlets at regular or irregular intervals
to publicize their work, such as in fighting disease, or merely
to report on their year's activities. This free literature,
properly selected and intelligently filed, provides a splendid
well of information.
Indexing
There would be little use in a library unless some way were
arranged for finding required information quickly, so an important
step is to organize indexing and cataloging. The ability to
turn to a well—planned, efficient index is a life—saver,
and a good classification scheme is to the library what a
well—planned layout is to the factory. It calls upon
the librarian for mental alertness, physical dexterity and
good housekeeping.
It must not be thought that the catalog is primarily for
use of the casual visitor or for the personal use of an executive
seeking information. It is a tool made for expert use. It
is arranged for rapid, easy use, but one must know the rules.
It will be full or meagre, depending upon the needs of the
institution, the extent of the material, and the time that
can be given it by the staff assigned to the library. It is
false economy to cut indexing and cataloging too fine, because
the very items left out in the interests of saving the work
of a stenographer today may cost the executive dearly next
month.
Turn now from the organization and mechanics of the library
to consider specific ways in which it can prove its wide usefulness
in your organization. Robert Benchley, after detailing an
elaborate recipe for a salad, wound up the list of ingredients
and quantities with the advice: "open the window and throw
it all away". This advice might apply to what has been said
about a business library unless we can supplement the recipe
with comment that will show how to serve appetizingly.
Fiction
About half the circulation of the Royal Bank library is
of books of fiction. This conveys an important hint in days
when employers are seeking means of attracting workers. Firms
everywhere encourage sports, theatricals, public speaking
classes, clubs, and other recreation: Now here is another
service which will be widely taken advantage of. Whether the
library is approached by a tired department head seeking a
detective story, or an equally tired stenographer looking
for a love story, the free loan of a book means one or two
evenings of relaxation. It also means enhanced contentment
among the working staff, a blessing to personnel managers.
Reading Course
In more serious vein, a reading course might be made up
by the librarian in collaboration with the personnel manager
or other executive. This could take the form of a course in
the business, or in political and economic affairs, or in
sociology or philosophy, or any other subject; or several
choices of courses might be given. Such a procedure would
be equally effective for a home office or for employees in
isolated branches.
Research
There is room for suspecting that many libraries are not
as fully used as they might be. Socrates was right when he
said: "Possession of books does not give knowledge." Most
librarians will find that potential users have to be reminded
of the library's facilities, and the library services carried
unsolicited to their desks. The business librarian is, as
it were, the reading eyes of her organization, scanning the
material She receives with a view to finding articles and
information which may interest or assist executives and department
heads. She will not let periodical literature slip through
"accustomed channels" to a standard list of recipients without
scanning it to ascertain if it contains something to interest
someone not on that particular list. She will be alert to
see that bulletins on noteworthy happenings reach the executive
without delay - even if she has to breach, for the time being,
her well—ordered system of receiving, scanning, cataloging
and shelving.
A Reading Service
One of the saddest fates that can befall a business library
is to have it sink into a routine of being merely a library.
Unless it is performing a research function, it is not living
up to what executives expect of it. It might be worth while
to set up a library annex, when the institution is a large
one, to read quickly and route to the proper officer all interesting
material as it arrives. Those staffing the annex would have
before them lists telling the particular interests of all
departments, revised and renewed from time to time. Every
periodical, pamphlet and other publication would clear through
this annex daily, with a slip attached on which the reader
would designate the circulating route and the page on which
an item of interest has been found. Under such a system no
material would get on to a shelf without being drawn to attention
of the executive or department head who might be interested
in it: if he could not read it at the moment, his secretary
would make a note of its availability and a paragraph digest
of its content. After coursing through the hands of those
interested in specific items, the publication would go into
general circulation.
Executive's Part
Having told something of what the library can do for a business
concern and what the business executive might expect of his
library, it should be mentioned that the executive has his
part to play. It is a common fault of library users to ask
for something in general, when the librarian can only guess
at the phase he desires. For instance, if you ask for something
on "credit", do you mean consumer credit, bank credit, intermediate
or long—term credit, international credit, or what? It
helps your librarian to serve you quickly if you are specific
about everything not top secret when telling your wants.
If the library is everlastingly taking stock of itself,
as it should, to ascertain if it is performing its full function,
it is only good business for the executive to examine whether
he is getting greatest possible benefit from the library.
He may find that he is concentrating on problems in an effort
to pull out of thin air the answers which would be available
quickly if he gave his librarian a chance to search. Even
if she has not the material on her own shelves, there are
nine chances out of ten that she knows where to get it, and
the last chance will be eliminated once she starts searching.
The role to be played by a special business library is limited
only by two factors: the ability of the librarian to grasp
what the business needs, acquire material with initiative
and discretion, carry out her work with energy and enthusiasm,
and follow through problems to completion; and the willingness
of the executive and department heads to look upon the library
as a living clearing house of information, give it a chance
to demonstrate its ability to help them in their individual
and business problems, and support it as they will find it
deserves.
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