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A MAGYAR TUDOMÁNYOS A K A D É M I A K Ö N Y V T Á R Á N A K K Ö Z L E M É N Y E I P U B L I C A T I O N E S B I B L I O T H E C A E A C A D E M I A E S C I E N T I A R U M H U N G A R I C A E

50.

G E O R G E RÓZSA

SOMÉ CONSIDERATIONS OF THE ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC LIBRARIES IN THE AGE OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND

TECHNICAL REVOLUTION

AN ESSAY A N D A P P R O A C H TO T H E P R O B L E M

BUDAPEST, 1970

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A MAGYAR T U D O M Á N Y O S A K A D É M I A K Ö N Y V T Á R Á N A K K Ö Z L E M É N Y E I P U B L I C A T I O N E S B I B L I O T H E C A E A C A D E M I A E S C I E N T I A R U M H U N G A R I C A E

50.

G E O R G E R Ó Z S A

SOME CONSIDERATIONS OF THE ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC LIBRARIES IN THE AGE OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND

TECHNICAL REVOLUTION

AN ESSAY A N D A P P R O A C H TO T H E P R O B L E M

BUDAPEST, 1970

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m b . igazgató:

d r . R e j t ó I s t v á n

Lektorálta:

D U R Z S A S Á N D O R

RÓZSA, [György] George:

Some Considerations of t h e Role of Scientific Libraries in the Age of t h e Scientific a n d Tech- nical Revolution. — A n Essay and A p p r o a c h to t h e P r o b l e m .

Bp. 1970. 25. p. 24 c m .

I A Magyar T u d o m á n y o s Akadémia K ö n y v t á r á - n a k Közleményei. — P u b l i c a t i o n s Bibliothecae A c a d e m i a e Scientiarum Hungaricae. 50. | E T O 027.021 [301.175:62]

Alak B / 5 - Terjedelem 2,4 (A/5) ív Megjelenés 1970 — P é l d á n y s z á m 800 Felelős kiadó: az MTA K ö n y v t á r á n a k i g a z g a t ó j a

B p . V., Roosevelt t é r 9.

70.70551 Akadémiai N y o m d a , Budapest — Felelős vezető: B e r n á t György

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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

S u m m a r y б I . Owing t o its scientific and economic importance, t h e scientific l i b r a r y forms 7

a particular field of research in itself

I I . I n f o r m a t i o n spheres in the intellectual communication system of society. . . 9 I I I . A hypothetical multi-channel m o d e l of the f l o w of information carried by

special l i t e r a t u r e 11 IV. T h e comparative backwardness of theoretical w o r k is one of the m a i n reasons

for t h e virtual irreconcilability of contradictions between the individual tend-

encies in library policy and the d i f f e r e n t " o r i e n t e d " approaches 13

Library science-oriented approach I I Documentation-oriented approach 16 History-oriented approach 17 V. T h e conception of t h e unity of t h e l i b r a r y system a n d library science needs to

be f u r t h e r developed. The scientific library h a s t w o features: it a p p e a r s as p a r t of t h e uniform library system, a n d as p a r t of t h e entire b o d y of science,

and as such is a s u b j e c t of science policy 18 V I . The theoretical formulation and f o u n d a t i o n of t h e division of l a b o u r between

scientific libraries (as general) a n d special libraries (as particular) is one of the key-issues of a f u r t h e r development of scientific librarianship as a w h o l e . . . 19 V H . Scientific libraries h a v e particular t a s k s in reconciling the contradictions, diver-

gent views a n d problems arising f r o m t h e d e b a t e of t h e "two c u l t u r e s " (natural

scientific vs. h u m a n i s t i c erudition a n d culture) 21 V Q I . Scientific libraries also have p a r t i c u l a r tasks in eliminating backwardness, in

reaching t h e world s t a n d a r d in t h e economic, scientific, and technological fields

a n d in increasing t h e " p e r c a p i t a kind feeling" in t h e h u m a n field 29

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Summary*

T h e m a i n a r g u m e n t of this s t u d y m a y b e s u m m e d u n d e r t h e following headings:

1) Owing t o its scientific a n d e c o n o m i c i m p o r t a n c e , t h e scientific l i b r a r y f o r m s a p a r t i c u l a r field of research i n itself;

2) I n f o r m a t i o n s p h e r e s in t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n system of society;

3) A h y p o t h e t i c m u l t i - c h a n n e l m o d e l of t h e flow of i n f o r m a t i o n c a r r i e d b y special l i t e r a t u r e ;

4) T h e c o m p a r a t i v e b a c k w a r d n e s s of t h e o r e t i c a l work in o n e of t h e m a i n reasons for t h e v i r t u a l irreconcilability of c o n t r a d i c t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e i n d i v i d u a l tendencies in l i b r a r y p o l i c y a n d t h e d i f f e r e n t " o r i e n t e d " a p p r o a c h e s (library science-oriented a p p r o a c h : d o c u m e n t a t i o n - o r i e n t e d a p p r o a c h ; h i s t o r y - o r i e n t e d a p p r o a c h ) ;

5) T h e c o n c e p t i o n of t h e u n i t y of l i b r a r i a n s h i p a n d t h e l i b r a r y s y s t e m needs t o b e f u r t h e r d e v e l o p e d . T h e scientific l i b r a r y h a s t w o f e a t u r e s : it a p p e a r s as p a r t of t h e g e n e r a l l i b r a r y system a n d as p a r t of t h e e n t i r e b o d y of science, a n d as such, is a s u b j e c t of science p o l i c y ;

6) T h e t h e o r e t i c a l f o r m u l a t i o n a n d f o u n d a t i o n of t h e division of l a b o u r b e t w e e n s c i e n t i f i c libraries (as general) a n d special libraries (as p a r t i c u l a r ) is o n e of t h e k e y issues of a f u r t h e r d e v e l o p m e n t of scientific l i b r a r i a n s h i p a s a whole;

7) S c i e n t i f i c libraries h a v e a special t a s k in reconciling t h e c o n t r a d i c t i o n s , d i v e r g e n t views, a n d p r o b l e m s arising f r o m t h e d e b a t e on t h e " t w o c u l t u r e s "

(i.e. t h e [ n a t u r a l ] scientific vs. h u m a n i s t i c e r u d i t i o n a n d c u l t u r e ) ;

8) S c i e n t i f i c libraries also h a v e a special t a s k in e l i m i n a t i n g b a c k w a r d - ness, in r e a c h i n g t h e w o r l d s t a n d a r d i n t h e e c o n o m i c , scientific, a n d technolo- gical fields, a n d in i n c r e a s i n g " p e r c a p i t a k i n d f e e l i n g " in t h e h u m a n field.

T h e q u e s t i o n t o b e e x a m i n e d is w h e t h e r t h e practice of s c i e n t i f i c libraries (including special libraries a n d d o c u m e n t a t i o n ) c a n rely on w e l l - f o u n d e d a n d developed t h e o r e t i c a l w o r k s or s t u d i e s a s r e g a r d s t h e c o n c e p t i o n of d e v e l o p - m e n t , t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s of t h e scientific a n d t e c h n i c a l r e v o l u t i o n , i t s place in t h e social division of l a b o u r a n d t h e i n t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n i t s c o m p o n e n t s . A n d w h e t h e r t h e r e a r e s o m e q u e s t i o n s r e l a t i n g t o general e d u c a t i o n a l policy,

* The first version of this study was published in No. 4., 1965 of Magyar Könyv- szemle (p. 297 — 312), a periodical of the H u n g a r i a n Academy of Sciences with the fol- lowing title: A tudományos könyvtár a tudományos-technikai forradalom korában.

( Scientific L i b r a r y in the Age of the Scientific and Technical Revolution.)

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sociology a n d library t h e o r y , in short t o library philosophy which are raised t h r o u g h o u t the world b y t h e scientific and technological development a n d economic growth?

I n m y opinion, t h e answer to t h e first question is in the n e g a t i v e while it is in t h e affirmative in t h e second. However, t h e two questions are closely related, a n d t h e answers t o be given a n d a thorough explanation of t h e problems involved is conditional upon long-term, multi-dimensional, and institutional research work on t h e p a r t of the specialists.

This study seeks t o contribute t o this research work by raising certain questions and outlining certain hypotheses. I n my view, to raise t h e key issues of a d e b a t e may, in itself, be p r o f i t a b l e in certain cases, and 1 consider the question of the place and development of the scientific library in the conditions of the scientific and technical revolution as such a case.

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I . O W I N G T O I T S S C I E N T I F I C A N D E C O N O M I C I M P O R T A N C E , T H E SCI- E N T I F I C L I B R A R Y F O R M S A P A R T I C U L A R F I E L D O F R E S E A R C H IN I T S E L F

T h e o r y i s n o u r i s h e d b y p r a c t i c e , a n d g e n e r a l i z e s t h e p r a c t i c a l e x p e r i - e n c e s . A t t h e s a m e t i m e , a s s c i e n c e s h o w s , a g o o d t h e o r y i s u l t i m a t e l y t h e b e s t p r a c t i c e . S t a r t i n g f r o m c e r t a i n p r a c t i c a l e x a m p l e s , w h i c h a r e m e a n t to serve the purpose of this study only, let u s n o w c o n s i d e r s o m e d a t a o n t h e w o r k of s c i e n t i f i c l i b r a r i e s a n d e x a m i n e what real social needs they are expected to meet ; t o w h a t e x t e n t t h e y h a v e s u c c e e d e d i n m e e t i n g t h e s e n e e d s ; o n w h a t b a s i s t h e y a r e d e v e l o p i n g . O n l y a f u l l k n o w l e d g e of t h e s e p r o b l e m s c a n j u s t i f y t h e o r e t i c a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , h o w e v e r h y p o t h e t i c a l . A s a c a s e s t u d y , let u s t a k e t h e e x a m p l e o f H u n g a r y , a c o u n t r y w i t h a c o m p a r a t i v e l y w e l l - d e v e l o p e d c u l t u r a l a n d l i b r a r y s y s t e m , a n d w i t h m i n o r a n d l i m i t e d e c o n o m i c r e s o u r c e s a n d p o s s i b i l i t i e s . ( D a t a r e f e r r e d t o in t h e s t u d y s h o w t h e s i t u a t i o n a f e w y e a r s a g o b u t t h e r e c e n t n e s s o f d a t a d o e s n o t c o u n t m u c h s i n c e t h e y a r e o n l y c i t e d a s e x a m p l e s . )1

Г11 (lie l a t e sixties, 1000 scientific a n d special libraries w e r e operating in H u n g a r y (of which, some 1100 were in t h e capital), holding 27 million l i b r a r y units with an a v e r a g e yearly circulation of 8 to 10 millions. (By w a y of comparison: in 1963 a total of 19 000 libraries were active in H u n g a r y , of which s o m e 10 000 belonged to the public library system, and 7000 to the school library s y s t e m . F r o m our p a r t i c u l a r viewpoint only a f r a g m e n t of this number m a y b e taken into consideration, a b o v e all some of t h e c o u n t y libraries which h a v e made a certain gradual progress.)

I n 1963, over 76 million forints were s p e n t on acquisitions in scientific and special libraries. According to 1964 figures, imported material a m o u n t e d to an e q u i v a l e n t of almost 26 million forints. T h e value of a sizeable a m o u n t of foreign literature, especially periodicals and research reports, received " o n a forint b a s i s " (i.e. without s p e n d i n g foreign currencies), should also be added to t h i s sum. Listing 380 000 items, over 2000

1 MM Közművelődési Főosztály. J e l e n t é s a t u d o m á n y o s szakkönyvtári szakfelü- gyeletről. Gépirat. 9 p. (Ministry of E d u c a t i o n . Dept. of P u b l i c Education. R e p o r t on t h e scientific a n d special libraries. March, 1965.); Tudományos és s z a k k ö n y v t á r a k 1963.

(Statistics on scientific and special libraries.) Budapest, 1964, K . Statisztikai H i v a t a l , pp. 65.; Statisztikai t á j é k o z t a t ó 1964. Népművelés. Tudományos és s z a k k ö n y v t á r a k 1964.

évi adatai. MM. Tervfőosztály statisztikai o s z t á l y a . 1965. Soksz. (Statistical Bulletin.

1964. Adult education. Scientific and special libraries. Figures f o r 1964.); A t u d o m á n y o s k u t a t á s helyzete és fejlődése. Statisztikai Időszaki Közlemények, vol. 72. 1965/6. p p . 71.

(The s t a t e a n d development of scientific research.); Mérnökök, technikusok, egyéb felső- és középfokú végzettségű szakemberek foglalkoztatása. Statisztikai Időszaki Közlemények, vol. 64. 1964/6. pp. 193. ( E m p l o y m e n t of engineers, technicians and other high and middle-grade specialists.); A M a g y a r T u d o m á n y o s Akadémia t i z e n ö t éve (1949 - 1964).

Melléklet az MTA Elnökségi beszámolójához, a CXXV. közgyűlésén. Budapest, 1965. pp.

213. (Fifteen years of the H u n g a r i a n Academy of Sciences. S u p p l e m e n t to t h e r e p o r t of t h e Presidium submitted t o t h e 125th General Assembly.)

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bibliographical a n d d o c u m e n t a r y publications wero registered in 1963, and 55 000 t r a n s - lations of scientific and technical publications w e r e reported, t o t a l l i n g 9(50 000 pages.

A t the end of 1963, 4400 persons were employed by scientific a n d technical libraries, of whom 3700 were engaged in professional activities. The d i s t r i b u t i o n of libraries b y supporting agencies is as follows: company a n d office libraries 4 5 % ; higher education 4 2 % ; research a n d designing i n s t i t u t e s 10%. T h e average n u m b e r of library u n i t s held b y the l a t t e r t y p e of libraries w a s 11 000 while t h e average a n n u a l budget allocation f o r acquisitions t o research libraries was 100 000 F t , as compared t o 47 000 in o t h e r libraries. 6 4 % of t h e total holdings of scientific a n d special libraries belonged to scientific libraries of a national character.

And w h a t is the size of research network t o b e supplied w i t h information b y t h e scientific a n d special libraries?

I n H u n g a r y there are s o m e 900 scientific institutions, of w h i c h 131 are research institutes p r o p e r . I n 1963, 2 , 2 5 % of the n a t i o n a l income was s p e n t on research a n d development, totalling 3650 million forints. Of this sum research expenditures a n d investments a m o u n t e d t o 2365 millions. The n u m b e r of those engaged in scientific institutions w a s well over 38 000.

W i t h o u t giving any d e t a i l e d explanation a n d comparison, which would t a k e a separate statistical study, here a r e some f u r t h e r f i g u r e s for H u n g a r i a n research i n s t i t u t e s , scientific a n d special libraries, a s well as related services in order t o give an idea of then- order of m a g n i t u d e .

N u m b e r of institutions

Personnel

E x p e n d i t u r e (including tech- nological development and investments)

Research projects, library holdings a n d services

Research 900

(of which 131 a r e research institutes)

38 000

3650 million F t s (of which 2365 million f o r i n t s are o n research)

8 t o 10 thousands2

Scientific and special libraries

1600

(of w h i c h 160 are associated w i t h research or desig- n i n g institutes)

4400

76 million F t s (for acquisi- t i o n only, without m a i n - t e n a n c e costs, personnel a n d o t h e r expenditures) 27 million units. L e n d i n g : 8 t o 10 millions. Biblio- g r a p h i c a l and d o c u m e n - t a r y publications: 2200 w i t h 380 000 items proces- sed. Translations : 55 000 (960 000 pages)

To give a n overall picture, i t should be a d d e d that the n u m b e r of the g a i n f u l l y employed population was 4,5 millions of which 3 , 3 % held a u n i v e r s i t y diploma or t h e equivalent, (11,9% of the p o p u l a t i o n employed in the socialist sector had s e c o n d a r y school certificates or were g r a d u a t e s f r o m higher educational i n s t i t u t i o n s as of October 1, 1963). The n u m b e r of scientists a n d scholars w h o h a d obtained h i g h e r degrees a w a r d e d b y the H u n g a r i a n Academy of Sciences was 2660. Of these 360 were holders of the degree of "doctor s c i e n t i a r u m " : and 2300 h a d possed t h e degree of " c a n d i d a t u s of s c i e n t i a r u m "

As of September 1, 1964, 1600 " a s p i r a n t s " (including foreign a s p i r a n t s ) were p r e p a r i n g t o obtain t h e l a t t e r degree.

To b e sure, these d a t a n e e d f u r t h e r specification a n d correction, b u t t h i s is unnecessary here; nor is i t necessary t o indicate c e r t a i n proportions a n d regularities or m a k e i n t e r n a t i o n a l comparisons it would t a k e f u r t h e r i n v e s t i - gations, analyses, etc. since t h e y are o n l y meant f a c t u a l l y to support t h e

2 In reality, the number of research works w a s less than t h a t , however f r a g m e n t e d t h e projects were.

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s t a t e m e n t i h a t t h e scientific library itself, by v i r t u e of its i m p o r t a n t tasks (and this applies both t o d a t a on t h e research sector a n d to the sector of scientif- ic libraries), is a subject of s t u d y involving investigations in such fields as complex library theory; organization a n d management science (in h a r m o n y with t h e library's specialized fields of interest or "profile" as it is called);

technological development; economics. Naturally, these investigations should be highly differentiated according t o library functions (promoting education, research a n d tecnologica! development) and to the library's "profile" (special- ized fields of interest, branches of science).

Besides these practical requirements, scientific libraries as cultural institutions or, in the case of big historical collections, m u s e u m - t y p e and general cultural institutions, represent certain "intangible assets" which cannot be expressed in q u a n t i t a t i v e t e r m s or if so, then only with great difficulty.

And it is anyhow meaningless, since libraries form an organic part of a country's intellectual assets, and (like other public collections, m a j o r t h e a t r e s , opera houses, etc) also represent the c o u n t r y ' s intellectual level irrespective of their practical usefulness a t a given time. A t any rate, it should not be left out of consideration t h a t t h e concrete a n d readily applicable results of scientific library work even in the field of. n a t u r a l sciences and technology may only indirectly and through transmissions make their effect felt (in scientific work and research).

Owing to its manifold f u n c t i o n s a n d the social demands it h a s to meet, t h e scientific library, acting as a s u p p o r t e r of scientific a n d practical economic work, as a workshop of higher e d u c a t i o n and training, as an i n s t i t u t i o n for t h e diffusion of culture and general knowledge, a n d last but not least as a scientific institute, t h u s forms a complexity of scientific problems. This being so, i.e. t h a t the scientific library itself is a scientific problem, it is also obvious hat the solutions may be attained through scientific methods and approached h rough theoretical work only.

II. INFORMATION S P H E R E S IN T H E INTELLECTUAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM OF SOCIETY

One i m p o r t a n t junction of theoretical questions concerning scientific libraries is the relation of the latter t o sjjecial literature information (the term

"special literature information" will henceforward be understood as informa- tion given on and f r o m special literature).

T h e socially necessary i n f o r m a t i o n on special literature is an integral part of the socio-economic information system (including scientific progress and technological development) and t h e scientific approach to their p r o b l e m s may only be conceived in relation with t h e whole (information system) a n d part (information on special literature) relationship.

Society needs every kind of information irrespective of provenience and form which may be effectively utilized within organized social activities (eco- nomic, scientific, technological, etc.). W h a t is strongly underlined here is the content, the usability on the merits of information r a t h e r than its form and tech- nical " p r o d u c t i o n " , its channels, a n d so forth. Of course the latter are also of great moment since t h e y render i n f o r m a t i o n realizable. From t h e particular aspects of this s t u d y , however, t h e i r t r e a t m e n t m a y be disregarded a n d this problem has been widely discussed in t h e special literature anyhow.

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Hence it follows t h a t information on special literature is a subordinate concept of the intellectual communication system of society. T h e specific weight of t h e importance of information on special l i t e r a t u r e within t h e intellectual communication system of society largely d e p e n d s on time, t h e subject field a n d t h e purpose of application.

I n f o r m a t i o n on special literature in e v e r y respect forms only a p a r t

— and a p a r t of variable specific weight — of information.

Information on special l i t e r a t u r e or r a t h e r special literature information as has been referred to above, which — taken in a b r o a d sense a n d as a collective t e r m — represents a "collective memory", t h e continuity of knowledge a n d intellectual assets, involves information on special literature, both primary and secondary, i.e. its collecting, storing, processing and t r a n s m i t t i n g institu- tions, the types of services which functionally a n d organizationally materialize (in t h e historical sequence of t h e i r evolvement) in library, bibliography a n d documentation. Special literature information in t h i s sense is not identical with documentation. Moreover, documentation is not a synonym for organized infor- m a t i o n or otherwise:

documentation —» special l i t e r a t u r e information —• information system Starting f r o m t h e most general conceptual sphere, this process may also b e represented t h i s way:

(

library

bibliography documentation Documentation forms t h e m o s t mobile p a r t of special literature informa- tion and plays t h e most active role in economic a n d technological development, t a k e n in a strict sense.

Documentation is concerned with t h a t p a r tof the entire body of knowl- edge which, more than anything, is subject to "moral amortization", i.e. t o obsolescence. I t is characterized b y a vast amount of data. I n view of the f a c t t h a t t h e bulk of d a t a is partly readily applicable in economic a n d technological development, p a r t l y more-or-less ephemeral in character, t h e speed of their processing and t r a n s f e r seems t o be the most i m p o r t a n t factor. Attempts a t solving the mechanization of documentation follow f r o m these t h r e e factors or r a t h e r from t h e d e m a n d s for t h e m .

Besides its content, form and the circumstaiices of its diffusion, special literature is also determined, t o some extent, b y t h e handling of the actual documents. A price-list in a c o m p a n y (in its calculation section) is an aid of

"consumable s u p p l y " nature, while in a n a t i o n a l library it is looked upon as a domestic p r i n t , a specimen of " m u s e u m - v a l u e " , or in a special library it is handled as special literature f o r research purposes. This poses t h e question of whether a statistical survey (published in 50 t o 100 copies or "non-published") designed for a restricted circulation is "special l i t e r a t u r e " ? A n d again, whether standards, p a t e n t specifications, prospectuses, catalogues of industrial fairs, market-reports in foreign t r a d e (in a few dozens of copies for official use only) m a y be regarded as "special l i t e r a t u r e " ? I n t h i s sense, we m a y speak of t h e double feature of documents. I n a broad sense, t h e afore-going categories m a y all be qualified as documents. However, as r e g a r d s content, special literature

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can also be t a k e n in a narrow sense which, feasibly —, does not p e r m i t t h e a r b i t r a r y inclusion of t h e f o r m e r categories in it. From t h e aspect of documen- tation, these " n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l " documents (research reports, prospectuses, standards, etc.) belong to the sphere of special literature information or rather to the still wider sphere of economic and technical information.

The double feature applies not o n l y t o special literature: information, necessary to society, also h a s a t least two features. F i r s t i t appears as informa- tion explored a n d t r a n s m i t t e d to be applied t o a certain t a s k ("direct mission- oriented information"), t h e n it may also a p p e a r as i n f o r m a t i o n serving current awareness a n d general orientation ("indirect mission oriented information").

I t seems feasible t o t r e a t information, which lends itself for use in pro- duction, economic or technological activities, as a product of special services and as something representing economic value, emerging from a n d serving t h e purposes of the process of reproduction on an increasing scale. I n other words, criteria for this e x a m i n a t i o n should be formulated in terms of economic categories according t o t h i s process:

production —»- distribution (circulation) -> consumption

This s t u d y tends t o approach t h e problems of information f r o m the

" c o n s u m p t i o n " or utilization side of special literature information in contrast with the more customary „ p r o d u c t i o n " side, implying a q u a n t i t a t i v e con- templation of t h e subject.

What t h e " p r o d u c t i o n " q u a n t i t a t i v e contemplation of special litera- t u r e information, a practice which has b e e n predominant u p to now, implies, is t h a t t h e stress is placed on the production of secondary information, t h a t is, t h e products of d o c u m e n t a t i o n play t h e leading role. F r o m this it emerges t h a t the system of special l i t e r a t u r e information may well b e compared w i t h a railroad without a time-table along the lines of which t h e trains are loaded at stations (products of documentation) a n d t h e traffic m a n a g e r ' s only concern is to let the trains s t a r t o u t from his s t a t i o n ; after t h e train's d e p a r t u r e he does not m i n d any longer w h a t will h a p p e n to it; w h e t h e r it will "collide"

with other trains; what o t h e r "parallel" freight is u n d e r w a y ; whether or not it will safely reach its destination; where i t will be u n l o a d e d ? Thus, once the train has l e f t , he just does n o t care a b o u t it.

I t is, therefore, essential to shift the stress onto the "consumption", onto the use of information, and starting out from this, to define its production and distribution, too:

The socially necessary special l i t e r a t u r e i n f o r m a t i o n production of secondary information (with a reasonable division of labour) ->- distribution

(circulation, according t o needs).

III. A HYPOTHETICAL MULTI-CHANNEL MODEL OF THE F L O W OF INFORMATION C A R R I E D BY SPECIAL LITERATURE

Documentation does n o t exist b y itself; it is a l w a y s the documentation of something (a branch of science, a profession, art, etc.); documentation has t o s t a r t o u t f r o m t h e a c t u a l needs of these things — even if the individual sectors are not always able to formulate their needs. T h e s e needs may b e latent or potential, and it is precisely one of t h e most i m p o r t a n t tasks of special

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literature information to c o n t r i b u t e its own inquiries, theoretical and practical, t o raising and formulating t h e needs.

All this may seem obvious or even commonplace, b u t these problems will be p u t in another light b y taking s t o c k of the individual products of special literature information, a good p a r t of which will appear as being produced without adequate planning or " m a r k e t research".

The "hypothetical multi-channel" model of the flow of secondary infor- mation and of organized special literature information in general m a y be outlined (through the e x a m p l e of an imaginary i n d u s t r i a l company) as follows :

The c o m p a n y subscribes t o a foreign technical journal, most essential in respect of t h e given c o m p a n y ' s field, n a m e l y ,

X, carrier of primary information; a n d is also receiving:

У j international a b s t r a c t i n g journal (Western), a carrier of secondary information, covering X , , too;

Y, international a b s t r a c t i n g journal (»Soviet, R e f e r a t i v n y Zhurnal), a n o t h e r carrier of secondary i n f o r m a t i o n which, t o o , covers X , ; Y3 a b s t r a c t i n g journal of a national documentation c e n t e r , a third carrier

of secondary information, which n a t u r a l l y also covers the profession- ally so important X4;

Y4 abstracting journal of t h e national documentation center or i n s t i t u t e of t h e given industrial branch which, again, m a y n o t leave out X4; Y3 information (documentation) bulletin, published b y the c o m p a n y

which besides Y4 — Y,, reviews, in detail, X , as the most im- p o r t a n t technical j o u r n a l of the given industrial branch since t h e c o m p a n y knows best and t h e r e is much logic in this w h a t it needs, and, a f t e r all, X4 can be most rapidly a n d directly processed

" a t h o m e " and addressed to the " d e s k s " .

And now t h e circle closes: there comes t h e chief engineer or the chief technologist a n d requests X4, t h e carrier of primary information because no d o c u m e n t a r y publication can substitute f o r t h e direct scanning of t h e so i m p o r t a n t Xr

It is highly probable t h a t this hypothetical "multi-channel" model is, b y and large, characteristic of t h e flow of special literature information. This being so, t h e question arises w h e t h e r it is n o t more feasible t o adopt the much more efficient end economical method of buying "licences" from abroad by analogy with the problems of R & D a n d in so doing to rest c o n t e n t with the most outstanding international a b s t r a c t i n g journal t h a n to p r o d u c e an ineffective maze of secondary information in a more primitive way a n d in a „ m u l t i - channel" system a t national level? The model outlined a b o v e would certainly seem "demoralizing" were t h e a u t h o r to suggest against bis intentions a n d convinction — t h a t there is no need for documentation a n d it is not worth while dealing with it and spending on it, an a t t i t u d e shown, u n f o r t u n a t e l y enough, b v m a n y i n the economic a n d technological life, or at .least their neglect- ing this problem refers to such an a t t i t u d e . T h e author's m a i n argument is precisely t h a t t h e cause of scientific information should be t r e a t e d on the basis of serious programs elaborated with scientific methods, w i t h o u t exaggerations a n d with a view to the interests of science a n d t h e national economy.

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IV. T H E COMPARATIVE BACKWARDNESS OF THEORETICAL W O R K IS ONE OF T H E MAIN REASONS FOR T H E VIRTUAL IRRECONCILABILITY OF CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN T H E INDIVIDUAL TENDENCIES IN LIBRARY POLICY AND THE DIFFERENT „ O R I E N T E D " APPROACHES I n respect of theoretical work a n d studies, t h e actual situation is f a r from heing favourable though t h e number of publications on libraries and librarianship makes u p a separate library. F o r t h i s there are m a n y reasons, practical and subjective, one of t h e m being t h a t particularly since World W a r I I librarians have h a d t o face a v a s t a m o u n t of urgent daily routine work (storing, cataloguing, reference, a n d t h e related organizational, b u d g e t a r y , etc. problems) on a c c o u n t of the information deluge a n d the increase in circu- lation, so much so t h a t their energies and interests have necessarily been shifted towards the solving of -pressing functional, operational and organizational problems.

Another factor affecting the comparative backwardness of theoretical work is what Marx said about science (but " m u t a t i s m u t a n d i s " it applies even more to library problems), namely t h a t t h e value of science as the p r o d u c t of intel- lectual work has always been u n d e r r a t e d since t h e working time necessary t o its reproduction is n o t proportional to the working time necessary t o its original production. T h u s , e.g., a schoolboy m a y learn the binominal theorem in an hour.3

Thus was it t h a t librarians with scientific ambitions abandoned t h e not too promising field of library theory and tended t o w a r d s one of t h e "establish- e d " branches of science and scholarship where t h e y were n o t exposed t o indifference or to t h e danger of being possibly qualified as a scholar of a pseudo-science. It is q u i t e another question t h a t library theory may be success- fully cultivated only in close connection with those specialized branches of science or scholarship the support of which forms the primary taslc and justification of scientific libraries.

Another hindering factor has been (particularly in the past) t h e o f t e n u n f r u i t f u l debates going on for reasons of prestige, between librarians a n d documentaliste a t n a t i o n a l level which, in fact, h a v e for the most p a r t covered organizational and a d m i n i s t r a t i v e problems. As a reaction to t h e sudden ad- vance of scientific a n d technical documentation, a n d also because t h e scientific library could really n o t readily respond to p r o b l e m s arising f r o m t h e rapid development of science a n d technology (nor could it b e prepared for it), librar- ies of t h e humanistic studies and social sciences f o u n d their historically devel- oped a t t i t u d e justified t h e stressed, one-sided, if n o t exclusively, s t u d y of historical problems (history of books a n d libraries, processing manuscripts a n d old books, retrospective bibliography, etc.). Raising t h e question of whether scientific libraries need "library scientists" or "learned, scientific librarians", this controversy is g r e a t l y responsible for t h e f a c t t h a t library science, whose concept and scope has not been clearly enough formulated up to now, tends to give priority to well-established and widely accepted investigations into cultural history over library theory. I t is obvious t h a t w h a t scientific libraries need are scientific librarians who have a creative proficiency in one or another branch of science or scholarship and are conducting research in it but who also pursue their profession

3 É r t é k t ö b b l e t elméletek. 1. rész. Budapest. 1958. K o s s u t h К . p p . 315. (Theories on surplus value. P a r t u l . )

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with a good knowledge of the particular scientific methods and skills of library workd W h a t t h e concept of t h e " l e a r n e d or scientific librarian" implies is t h e acceptance of t h e individual librarian as scientist or scholar b u t it also implies t h e underestimation of library work as a profession of scientific n a t u r e , while t h e concept of " l i b r a r y scientist" includes both of t h e former b u t on account of their unclarified content - in such an u n f o r t u n a t e way t h a t i t raises douts a b o u t of them.

All this a n d other reasons n o t mentioned here have led t o a standstill in library theory, sometimes even t o its devaluation, a n d to t h e development of virtually irreconcilable trends a n d different " o r i e n t e d " approaches.

These can be outlined, b y a n d large, as follows: library science (in close association with the public libraries)-on'enfed, documentation-oriented and history-oriented approaches. Let us now examine their development, content a n d t h e problems of their irreconcilability in an effort to find possibilities for a synthesis.

Library science-oriented approach

This approach subsists on t h e traditions of historically developed large libraries f r o m t h e times when scientific information as a concept did n o t exist and when specialization in science, and consequently in t h e library field, was a t an initial stage only, when the general scientific library directly furnished literature to science, being t h e only depository of scientific informa- tion. The intensive s t u d y and handling of highly valuable collections, the formulation of t h e place of t h e library to use a modern t e r m in the division of labour, as well as t h e theoretical generalization, to some extent, of t h e scientific library's practice are all factors explaining as obvious t h e library science-oriented approach which has gradually developed into "Biblio- thekswissenschaft", "library science" or "bibliotekovedenie". T h e appearance a n d t h e extremely rapid development of documentation and public libraries, owing to the unprecedented r a t e of scientific and technological progress and t o t h e revolutionary changes in t h e public demands for culture a n d education particularly in t h e socialist countries have confronted libraries w i t h a new situation t h r o u g h o u t t h e world. The relative homogeneity of librarianship has disappeared, wide-ranging networks of special libraries and documentation centres have evolved, networks of public libraries have accounted for an ever growing share in t h e cultural budget, and society has shown a n increas- ing interest in t h e m . As a result of these two processes of opposite origin and purpose, t h e scientific library has - virtually or sometimes a c t u a l l y — been p u s h e d into t h e background, and documentation with its n a t u r a l freshness a n d expansive methods has taken over a considerable p a r t of t h e information f u n c t i o n s or has developed new ones t h e libraries h a d not been prepared to fulfil. Thus t h e scientific library seemed to have passed over to t h e defensive t o some e x t e n t , and documentation with its new functions a n d methods

4 The number of professionals specializing in two or more disciplines h a s increased over the past few years (e.g. engineer-economists, applied and mathematical linguists, etc.). The development of complex and borderline disciplines involved complex training and qualifications, too,

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appeared not as a partner created b y scientific a n d technical needs b u t as a rival. T h e expansive work of documentation a n d i t s sometimes unaccountable a t t i t u d e towards t h e scientific library (exaggerated emphasis on the library's conservativism a n d on independence of library work) have only deepened the conflicts. I n practice, all t h i s appeared as quarrels over m a t t e r s of com- petence, organization and administration, a n d t h e relevant theoretical con- siderations have led t o misunderstandings or o f t e n to debates, showing a downward tendency though. T h e other process, t h e immense development of t h e public l i b r a r y system, in t u r n , has given a new impetus to "library- orientedness" in a n o t h e r respect. Arising from t h e growing n u m b e r of libraries, many-sided practical problems of training, organization, coordination, a n d those deriving f r o m t h e development of internal library work h a v e made i t imperative to collect experiences and organize their exchange, resulting in methodo- logical work which, in t u r n , gave rise to theoretical generalizations underlying w h a t is known as "library science". Thus " l i b r a r y science", interpreted in different ways a n d understood t o h a v e different contents in t i m e and space, concentrated essentially on the internal work of libraries, considering it as a scientific task w h i c h it really is in certain respects —, and in t h i s endeavour t h e old library-oriented approach encountered a n interpretation of " l i b r a r y science", evolved f r o m the new practice of p u b l i c libraries.

T h e main r e a s o n for misunderstandings lies not so much in the label a f t e r all why should t h e r e not b e a science for librarianship if t h e r e is t h e a t r e or film reserach —, as in the f a c t t h a t debates over several decades have n o t succeeded in filling t h e concept w i t h unambiguous content. F u r t h e r m o r e , several practical p r o b l e m s have also gotten i n t o t h e concept of library science the solution of which, although requiring scientific training, cannot be looked upon as science.5

W h a t has b e e n said of t h e library-oriented approach as t h e most general collective term necessarily applies t o a certain p a r t of elements of the o t h e r two " o r i e n t e d " approaches, t h u s facilitating a briefer description.

Documentation-oriented approach

T h e objective reasons for t h e evolvement of t h e documentation-oriented approach are deeply rooted in economic and technological progress. I t was about t h e turn of t h e century t h a t t h e needs of technology and practical economic work raised demands for new forms, m e t h o d s and c o n t e n t of informa- tion. This new-type demand was called forth b y industrial companies, a n d , to a lesser extent, b y science, a n d i t would b e a mistake to believe t h a t i t

5 B y analogy, a surgeon operating on an appendix does not consider himself, a n d is not thought of as, a scientist engaged in scientific work. The same applies to an engineer designing a building, a n d so on and so forth. But no one would doubt t h a t all these activ- ities heavily relv on science, and these professional s m u s t have scientific training and qualifications. Likewise, it is also obvious that not only the study of the theoretical foundations of these activities is scientific but also t h e theoretical generalization of experiences gathered f r o m practice. Or to take a library example, classification as a li- brary operation is a n activity requiring scientific training b u t not science. The s t u d y of the theory of classification, in turn, m a y well be considered as science. The only question here is whether the theoretician of library classification is a scholar of „library science"

or whether his activités - a form of scientific classification belong t o the sphere of philosophy. However, w h a t really counts is not the label b u t the content.

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was of a merely technical character. T o be sure, t h e forerunner of contem- porary a b s t r a c t i n g journals, Chemisches Z e n t r a l b l a t t , s t a r t e d as early as 1830, and documentation archives were set up within the technological and development offices of industrial plants. I t is also t r u e that archives of economic documentation started their work in those early years within or outside libraries.6

This new-tvpe information d e m a n d was characterized, first of all, by speed, by t h e many-sided presentation a n d analysis of the content of period- ical literature in compliance with t h e customer's needs, and also b y t h e proc- essing of documents other t h a n traditional publications (business reports, prospectuses, price-lists, and so forth). All this n a t u r a l l y involved t h e develop- m e n t of working methods and forms not peculiar to scientific libraries. Thus, for instance, one most essential f u n c t i o n of scientific libraries, t h e preserva- tion of the holdings, is p a r t l y or fully absent from documentation. T h e litera- ture, presented and analyzed by documentation, is not necessarily available a t documentation centres whose main ta.sk is not to preserve the source material Imt to supply information of it. This, in fact, is its chief peculiarity. However, it should be added t h a t no theoretical consideration is against uniting or combining these two basic types of information services within one and the same institution as proven — and also disproven by many examples.

T h e legal s t a t u s a n d n a m e of the servicing institution, the place of these services in t h e hierarchy within the institution are all practical,administrative questions not affecting t h e merit of t h e problem. Viewed from a scientific angle, t h e relationship between t h e t w o types of services can b e nothing b u t coordination. It is, then, just as improper t o look upon documentation as p a r t of library operations as to qualify it as fully independent of the li- brary. The former conception has long been made obsolete by practice: docu- m e n t a t i o n has its own ways and methods, "means a n d modes of expression"

deriving exclusively f r o m its peculiarities, presentation, analysis, and transfer of information —, which j u s t i f y its independent operation wherever possible a n d when necessitated by t h e circumstances. The latter conception has never been proven, either theoretically or in practice, and as t o the theoretical definition of documentation, it is not less uncertain and vague than that of library science. I t should also be k e p t in m i n d t h a t the library concep- tion has also undergone changes (particularly as a result of t h e activities of special libraries), t h e information conception of libraries has m a d e certain approaches t o t h a t of documentation. Theoretically, t h e solution might be found in w h a t library work, bibliography (which is at least as " i n d e p e n d e n t "

of library work as documentation) documentation h a v e in common, and in w h a t links up these three large spheres of information rather t h a n in what separates them.7

0 Chemisches Zentralblatt m a y be looked upon as one of t h e classical examples for t h e independence of d o c u m e n t a t i o n because right f r o m its inception, it h a s been an abstracting journal independent of a n y library. However, this proves n o t h i n g , b u t nor does its opposite: h a d it been published w i t h i n the f r a m e w o r k of a library, this would n o t prove either t h a t t h e n a t u r a l workshop of t h e editing of a n abstracting j o u r n a l is the library.

7 The a u t h o r has already defined his position in this m a t t e r in his w o r k " A társa- d a l o m t u d o m á n y i k u t a t á s és a tudományszervezés t á j é k o z t a t á s i problémái" Budapest, 1965. Akad. K . pp. 174. (Information problems of social science research a n d t h e "science of science".)

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17 Reference should b e made here t o attempts at ami researches in mecha- nized data processing and retrieval as a recent factor strengthening t h e documen- tation-oriented approach. If the momentarily utopistic conception f o r m u l a t e d by a H u n g a r i a n a u t h o r that " u n w r i t t e n records of mankind will be stored in a few large international centres, being not huge libraries, t a k e n in the present sense of the world, but giant d a t a storing-machines, memories, t h e central register of h u m a n knowledge a n d culture",8 became true, it would certainly involve revolutionary changes in the storage a n d diffusion of informa- tion, a change challenging the most up-to-date l i b r a r y work and even the value of t h e printed w o r d as well as t h e traditional forms of publication.

Tt would certainly involve a profound transformation of the world's cultural character.9 Much experience will h a v e to be gathered to enable us to tell whether this will ever b e accomplished or is desirable a t all. Rut one thing may be t a k e n for sure e v e n now: t h e solution of mechanized d a t a processing is not a problem of documentation only but also t h a t of scientific information in general, including scientific libraries. Here, too, t h e task is to find a solu- tion to w h a t is common, leaving t h e distinctive m a r k s o u t of consideration.

History-oriented approach

This approach, w h i c h perhaps should have been dealt with f i r s t for the sake of historical fidelity, appears in t h e clearest f o r m , both objectively and subjectively. Obviously enough, s t u d y i n g historical t h e m e s (the history of the book, history of libraries and printing) has been a n d will always be relevant to the scholarly profile of large historical libraries, inseparable f r o m their holdings, traditions, a n d from the generations of librarians with classical erudition. This scholarly character h a s always existed a n d will exist as long as the traditional f o r m s of publications survive, a n d even a f t e r t h a t since t h e above-mentioned h u g e machines will never b e able to s u b s t i t u t e for historical studies, codexes, books, old and rare m a n u s c r i p t s , and t h e i r schol- arly t r e a t m e n t .

W h a t t h e history-oriented approach represents is the conceptual con- tinuity of historically developed large scientific libraries. I t remains pro- gressive as long as it assumes no aristocratic " t r a i t s " a n d does n o t consider t h e historical studies only as scholarly or scientific w o r k . But as soon as such distortions appear, o t h e r t y p e s of library (and documentation) work will be underrated and qualified admittedly or not a s practicism, ephemeral or as "non-scientific", etc., an a t t i t u d e which will b e regarded t h e s t u d e n t s of the affected fields as "conservativism", "estrangement from life", etc., and will be reciprocated with an underestimation of historical subjects. This also leads to t h e stiffening of views on b o t h sides as is t h e case in t h e library- documentation dispute, although historical themes, i m p o r t a n t as t h e y are, do not represent t h e whole domain of library science.

8 ÁKOS, Károly: A t u d o m á n y fejlődése ós a könyvtárügy. Az Egyetemi Könyvtár Evkönyvei. 2. Budapest, 1964. p. 103 107. (The advancement of science and librarian- ship.)

9 In all probability, it was the a n x i e t y about the over-growth of "machine- culture" t h a t propted László N É M E T H , t h e outstanding writer, to refer in Iiis work

" É g e t ő E s z t e r " to the m a c h i n e as a devastating marauder.

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I n outlining t h e different approaches we s t a r t e d from t h e assumption t h a t t h e relative backwardness of theoretical studies is one m a j o r reason for t h e virtual incompatibility of these approaches and of t r e n d s in library policy reflecting them. Virtual indeed, since theoretical investigation in library science (used as a collective term to d e n o t e the related investigations) and in science organization (showing presently and hopefully in the future, too, an u p w a r d tendency) do n o t furnish a sound basis for t h e assumption t h a t t h e differences between studies termed as library science (moreaccurately:

t h e theory of library work), theoretical studies in d o c u m e n t a t i o n and histor- ical investigations, i.e., between these disciplines are more significant t h a n their coordinatedness or their common features. These c o m m o n features are definitely predominant, a n d t h e controversy over terminology, classifica- tion a n d organization reflects t h e backwardness of theoretical studies which is even deepened b y t h e f a c t t h a t t h e classification and t h e o r y of science h a v e not h a d much to contribute t o t h e solution of this complex of problems.

T h e fields discussed here (library, documentation, historical research) m a y be considered as a dialectic u n i t , all the three fields with their peculiarities form, an organic, part of a uniform cultural and science policy, a n d this, in t u r n , organically includes — to use a general collective term a uniform library system a n d librarianship whose conception a n d i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s also raise their particular problems.

V. T H E CONCEPTION OF T H E UNITY OF T H E LIBRARY SYSTEM AND L I B R A R Y SCIENCE NEEDS TO BE F U R T H E R DEVELOPED. THE SCIEN- TIFIC LIBRARY HAS TWO F E A T U R E S : IT APPEARS AS P A R T OF T H E UNIFORM LIBRARY SYSTEM, AND AS P A R T OF T H E ENTIRE BODY OF SCIENCE, AND AS SUCH IS A SUBJECT OF SCIENCE POLICY

Varying f r o m one c o u n t r y a n d period t o another, the t y p e of the super- vising b o d y (or bodies) of libraries is what indicates t h e " a d m i n i s t r a t i v e "

conception f o r m e d - or n o t f o r m e d — a b o u t t h e scientific library. Con- sequently, t h e theoretical elaboration and classification of t h e above-dis- cussed problems m a y only p e r m i t t h e theoretically well-founded elaboration a n d f u r t h e r development of t h e conception of a uniform l i b r a r y system a n d librarianship.

The scientific library — including the special library a n d documentation, too — is an organic p a r t of culture and of t h e u n i f o r m library system involving t h e various t y p e s of public libraries, and is also part of t h e entire body of science, an integral p a r t , a c o m p o n e n t of the scientific and technical revolution, t h u s having a double feature. This being so, t h e concept of t h e u n i t y of library system a n d librarianship, t a k e n b y itself, is nothing b u t a fiction much in t h e same way as u n i t y of education, were it t o a p p e a r without a n y differentia- tion of t h e various t y p e s of schools. Differences between t h e individual levels of school-types and of libraries indicate certain qualitative differences in require- m e n t s and purposes r a t h e r t h a n in value or order of rank. I n t h e case of library- t y p e s this involves a differentiation in their holdings, in t h e organization of their holdings, in their methods a n d services. I n this sense, t h e scientific library is a subject of science policy a n d organization, and as r e g a r d s planning, it should be dealt with within t h e given c o u n t r y ' s scientific a n d technological

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plan, w i t h o u t , however, being o m i t t e d from t h e cultural plan, since it also forms a separate heading within t h e p l a n of the socio-cultural b r a n c h . Accord- ingly, t h e trend in t h e f u r t h e r development of t h e concept of t h e unity of library system and librarianship would be this: lo shift the stress towards the unity of science in the light of the library's double feature and commitment. This would be likely to h a v e certain implications in practically every field : problems would arise in such fields as scientific qualification, scientific research, higher education and t r a i n i n g , technical i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n , etc.

All this requires f u r t h e r investigations and also necessitates, in perspective, a many-sided, concrete inquiry into the problem of scientific libraries, and the state of library theory, as part of the national science policy.10 These problems are " t o u c h y " only i n cases where t h e y are l a t e n t a n d are approached with impatience and m i s t r u s t without d u e understanding, or if questions of prestige, real or imaginary, w i t h different v a l u e s come to t h e fore instead of a scientific conception. Anyway, m a n y more i m p o r t a n t questions, theoretical and prac- tical, remain to be solved in the s p h e r e of the u n i t y of librarianship than the relationship between general scientific and special libraries.

VI. T H E T H E O R E T I C A L FORMULATION AND FOUNDATION OF THE DIVISION OF LABOUR BETWEEN SCIENTIFIC L I B R A R I E S (AS GENERAL) AND SPECIAL L I B R A R I E S (AS PARTICULAR) IS ONE OF T H E KEY- ISSUES OF A F U R T H E R DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC L I B R A R I A N S H I P AS A WHOLE

I n t h e age of w h a t is called "information deluge", the large scientific library of universal c h a r a c t e r is n o t h i n g b u t a fiction as regards t h e comprehen- siveness of written documents. Carrying this p r o b l e m to a b s u r d i t y , such a universal library would assume all t h e functions now performed b y t h e national libraries of the world, a task t h a t cannot be t a c k l e d even by such immense institutions of " u n l i m i t e d " possibilities as the L e n i n Library or t h e Library of Congress. And, considered from a n international viewpoint, nor is there a need for such a giant institution. I t m a y well be laid down as a principle t h a t

"one library is no library" since only t h e totality of libraries and library net- works of a country (or with some exaggeration all libraries of t h e world) can potentially meet all t h e demands of science. T h e document production of a country is made available to b o t h national a n d international users by t h e country's national l i b r a r y , and the pooling of these documents in t h e i r entirety or even p a r t l y into o n e universal library is all t h e more unnecessary since both t h e content a n d t h e level of t h e documents a r e extremely heterogeneous.

Universality in such a sense t h a t a library should collect everything (even only to a defined degree) from Ü t o 9 in terms of U D C is also unnecessary.

However, t h e r e is a positive need for t h e existence of " u n i v e r s a l " or rather general libraries whose " u n i v e r s a l i t y " is t a k e n in another sense, even

10 This would r e q u i r e a series of analytical studies w h i c h could tackle t h e problems connected with the possibilities of publication. "The p u b l i c i t y " of t h e t h e m e should involve a n open discussion on the m a j o r theoretical p r o b l e m s of scientific librarians, along w i t h some m o r e i m p o r t a n t i n f o r m a t i o n problems of t h e individual branches of science in organs other t h a n the professional library j o u r n a l s . (There h a v e been some initiatives taken in t h i s respect.)

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within the narrower compasses of defined fields of collecting (profile), and these libraries perform indispensable functions.

These functions arc the following. A special library usually covers, to t h e largest possible extent, literature necessary t o current research projects irrespective of the trend, new fields of research or new branches of science and scholarship appearing in the world's scientific literature. In deliberate scientific cooperation (and division of labour) with the special libraries, t h e task of the general scientific library may consist in acquiring whatever it considers of lasting value in world literature, going into detailed acquisitions only within t h e scope of its main profile. The meaning and justification of universality derive f r o m such an outlook upon the world, and from an independence of fixed fields, thus permitting one to follow the development of new disciplines (are not a fictitious general collection covering all the existing fields a n d so neces- sarily superficial), on the one h a n d , and, on t h e other, from t h e fact that up-to-date scientific work is characterized by complex research assuming the cooperation of several major disciplines, as well as their literature.

A scientific library may be considered to have a general profile even if it collects a selected array of outstanding works within some b u t n o t all disci- plines. A further criterion for universality is the acquisition of encyclopedic, bibliographic, general scientific works, handbooks, union catalogues, directo- ries, and the like which cover all branches of science and whose centralization promotes the information of the special libraries, too. In other words, taking part in the division of general library work are general scientific libraries through their centralized information basis and special libraries through their decentralized and highly specialized holdings. This is one of the most important forms of centralization and decentralization combined in scientific libraries.

This can be outlined in the following way:

Holdings

I n f o r m a t i o n basis Services

General scientific library Specialized only in some dis-

ciplines;

Outstanding works of world literature;

I n d e p e n d e n t of c u r r e n t research;

Literature in complex research;

Literature of new disciplines;

Special collections

General: s t a n d a r d , reference works, manuals, handbooks Nation-wide a n d covering

international relations

Special library (and documentation centre) Detailed as r e q u i r e d by the re-

search (educational subject within one or a f e w disciplines and/or sectors)

A t sectoral level depending on t h e profile of t h e institute Participation in institutional

and sectoral cooperation, limi- ted international relations

It should be noted here t h a t t h e conception of the unity of librarianship is closely connected with this problem since public library systems also have an important task t o be performed and further developed in t h e transmission of the services of scientific libraries.

The question of what disciplines a general scientific library is expected to cover or neglect in its following u p world literature and in its acquisition policy is a practical one to be answered for each individual case as a function'

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of time a n d place. The r e l a t e d questions which are still t o be solved include, among others, the elaboration of the feasible forms of t h e division of labour, ensuring instrumentation, intellectual a n d technical, necessary to it, t h e devel- opment of the administrative network a n d sectoral cooperation, a n d in- directly - t h e relationship between scientific libraries a n d t h e problem of the

" t w o cultures", although thematically t h i s leads on t o t h e next chapter.

VII. SCIENTIFIC L I B R A R I E S HAVE PAR11CLLAR TASKS IN RECON- CILING T H E CONTRADICTIONS, DIVERGENT \ 1 E W S , AND PROBLEMS ARISING FROM THE DEBATE OF T H E „TWO C U L T U R E S " (NATURAL SCIENTIFIC VS. HUMANISTIC ERUDITION AND C U L T U R E )

The concept of t h e " t w o cultures" denotes the (natural) scientific and humanistic erudition a n d world concept as has been u s e d in recent debates.1 1

T h e reader's knowledge of t h i s debate a n d of its m a j o r issues is t a k e n for g r a n t e d , so it is, therefore, needless t o outline it here. T h e debate, however, poses the question of w h e t h e r the scientific library can p l a y any role, a n d if so, w h a t role — in the f o r m a t i o n of the " t w o cultures", t h e two world concepts a n d in reconciling the r e l a t e d contradictions?

I t hardly needs a n y proof t h a t special libraries a n d documentation play a considerable p a r t in scientific and technical education, in research a n d in t h e dissemination of scientific knowledge. Similarly, t h e active role of the respective sectoral libraries i n t h e diffusion of the social sciences and humanities is also obvious. Nor is it d o u b t f u l t h a t t h e scientific a n d technical libraries are also supposed t o p a r t i c i p a t e within reasonable compasses in p r o p a g a t i n g t h e knowledge incorporated in the social sciences and vice versa, while public libraries should be engaged in diffusing b o t h scientific fields. What is, at most, needed here is t h e development of more feasible methods a n d forms. W h a t is, then, t h e role — or more accurately t h e particular role — of the historically developed large general scientific libraries with sizeable historical a n d special collections ?

I have already referred t o the two extremities of views as to the prospects of written records and t h e "mechanized c u l t u r e " (huge m a c h i n e memories and t h e "marauder-machines") neither of t h e m being able t o solve the problem.

Mathematical methods a n d t h e resulting mechanical or cyberneticai methods, applications, processes h a v e gained ground in the fields of social sciences and humanities, e.g. in economics, demography, mathematical linguistics, machine translation or in our n a r r o w e r field: mechanized storage a n d retrieval of infor- mation. This is an irresistible process promoting and enriching science which

I I L i t e r a t u r e on this s u b j e c t is on t h e increase. Lectures of Charles P. S N O W and B e r t r a n d R U S S E L L provoked d e b a t e s all over t h e world. Commissioned by the E u r o p e a n Coordination Center for R e s e a r c h and Documentation in Social Sciences (Vienna),

Professor Sándor S Z A L A I is t h e director of a m a j o r research p r o j e c t concerned with the problems of f r e e time ( " t i m e - b u d g e t project"). This project is a n outstanding e x a m p l e of East-West cooperation. H e r e I refer to S . S T K U M I L I N ' S book: N a s h mir cherez 20 let.

(Moscow, 1962. Sovetskaya R o s s i y a . pp. 190.). All this and o t h e r works not m e n t i o n e d here, dealing with free time, t h e division of l a b o u r and the possibilities of the personality's development, together with t h e debates on "alienation", are connected, directly or in- directly, with t h e „ t w o c u l t u r e s " .

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