By C H A R L E S F. G O S N E L L
Obsolescence of Books
in College Libraries
Dr.
Gosnell
lege,
is librarian
Flushing,
N.Y.,
service,
School
library
Columbia
of Queens
and
This
based on a thesis submitted
University
associate
of Library
University.
ColService,
newer books in their lists of books for
college libraries.1
He pointed
out
of distribution which was essentially the
York
same in each of the lists and suggested
several
194.3.
questions as to the nature
significance of these curves of
HE PROBLEM of maintaining efficient
tion.
college
T
quires
library
book
consideration
of
re-
of
the
of
questions.
effects
rials.
of obsolete mate-
Heretofore obsolescence has been
considered
principally
with reference to
and
distribu-
He now presents a progress report
collections
obsolescence and planning for the segregation or withdrawal
that
this preference fell into a rough pattern
is
report
at New
in September
in
his efforts to answer some of
The
fundamental
assumption
these
in
this
study is that the compilers of the three
select
lists consciously
followed
certain
or
unconsciously
principles
of
choice
individual and specific titles rather than
which
to groups of books, but no general plan-
to the particular titles chosen and that
ning can be done except on a quantitative
these principles may be discovered
basis.
studied by a form of documentary analy-
For evaluation of libraries by ac-
are significant without
reference
and
crediting agencies, it is important to have
sis of the lists.
a fairly simple and precise basis for com-
diate interest is that of preference for the
parison of libraries and lists of books with
newer or more recent titles.
regard
presence
and "more recent" are of course relative
quantitative
terms referring in each case to the par-
of
to obsolescence
obsolete
or
material.
By
the
analysis, primarily of three lists of recom-
T h e principle of imme"Newer"
ticular time the list was compiled.
Con-
mended books and secondarily by analysis
versely, this is the principle of obsolescence
of library collections, the writer believes
—that
that he has presented a clearer picture of
value for use in the college library.
obsolescence
available.
than
has
previously
been
Tentative conclusions in the
form of comparative rates of obsolescence
for various
groups of
material
older books in general have less
are re-
Statistical
The
masses
Bibliography
second
of
assumption
books
(or
is that mere
titles)
may
be
ported as suggestive for further study.
Several
years
ago
the
writer
called
attention to the fact that Shaw and Mohrhardt
showed
MARCH,
1944
marked
preference
for
1 "Books for College Libraries."
Library Journal
65:531-32, June 15, 1940.
" V a l u e s and Dangers of Standard Book and Periodical Lists for College Libraries." College and Research Libraries 2:216-20, June I94 1 -
115
analyzed for certain characteristics without
reference to their individual
Statistical
bibliography
is
a
new or uncultivated field.
titles.
relatively
But the astro-
Distribution
The
were
of Imprint
fundamental
the dates of
Dates
data
of
the
study
of
titles
publication
included in the three lists.
T h e signifi-
nomical proportions to which some of our
cant features of the distribution curves3
libraries, their catalogs, and bibliographies
were: ( i ) There is a rapid rise in num-
in general
ber of
are
growing
must
force li-
titles per year, going backward
brarians to consider collections of books
for the first few years preceding the date
as populations.
of issue of each respective list; (2)
A
typical
example
of
The
what can be done is the study of "certain
maximum number of titles per year oc-
biological
curs
properties"
of
literature
by
Wilson and Fred. 2
within
three
years
publication of each list;
preceding
(3)
the
After this
This assumption demands that individ-
maximum is reached, the number of im-
ual titles, especially the exceptional (and
prints per year drops rapidly at first and
therefore
more
noteworthy)
ones,
forgot; that attention be to the
as
a
whole—its
trends.
The
averages
larger
and
the
be
then more slowly, approaching the base
group
line of zero asymptotically in the early
general
groups,
the
years.
T h e initial rise may be ascribed
to lag in selection of books.
This lag is
greater the play of many factors and the
due to delay in appearance of
more reliable
and acceptance by scholars.
the conclusion.
Life
in-
reviews
The
drop,
surance mortality tables are not primarily
rapid at first but slower as the age of
based on infant deaths or the longevity
remaining
of
all
of a preference for newer books over old
A study of book
or rejection of older titles for the newer,
obsolescence or mortality will not depend
because the older ones have become obso-
primarily upon ephemera or classics but
lete.
octogenarians
but
on
others of the population.
upon all kinds of books.
these
and
T h e very multi-
titles
increases,
is
expressive
This pattern is repeated independently
plicity of causes of death seems to lend
for each of the three lists.
stability to the human mortality rate.
part does not show in the Shaw supple-
T h e causes of book mortality or obso-
ment
for
1931-38,
because,
The
as
latter
a
sup-
lescence are many, varying from pure fad
plement, titles over nine years old were
through extension ef scientific knowledge,
automatically excluded.
technological
fundamental
not markedly affected by the rate of book
T h e object
production as derived from annual tables
changes,
to
changes in our civilization.
T h e pattern is
of the present study has been, not to dis-
in the Publishers'
cover
tion of the age of the titles at the time
or
classify
these
analyze their total effect.
causes,
but
to
Deterioration
or destruction of books is not true obso-
each
list was
Weekly.4
compiled
It is a funcrather
than of
any other observed variables.
lescence, and no consideration has been
From the fall in the curves it is im-
given to the physical properties or condi-
mediately evident that the older a title
tions of books.
is at a given time of selection, the less
2 Wilson, P. W „
and Fred, E. B. " T h e Growth
Curve of a Scientific Literature; Nitrogen Fixation by
Plants."
Scientific
Monthly
41:240-50, September
3 Illustrated
in College and Research
2:218, June 1941.
4 " U . S. Book Production, 1920-1939."
Weekly 139:232, Jan. 18, 1941.
I93S-
v 116
COLLEGE
AND
RESEARCH
Libraries
Publishers'
LIBRARIES
are its chances of
being selected or of
surviving the selective process.
In gen-
scale, or the data, plotted in logarithms,
tend to form a straight line.
Pearson's
eral, each preceding year back from the
criteria of moments indicate his T y p e X ,
date of selection is represented by fewer
the exponential curve.
titles.
of organic decay appears as the expres-
That
group
is, if
in a given
there are one hundred
subject
titles
23
Thus the curve
sion of obsolescence:
years old and ninety titles 24 years old,
y = y0bx
the rate of obsolescence between age 23
where (y) is the number of titles,
and 24 is 10 per cent.
the number of titles at the maximum or
If a similar select list were to be prepared one year later, the group of one
hundred
older
would
have
(from 23
to
become
24)
one
initial
(x)
point,
with
eliminated,
6) — 1
b
(fc>) omega, becomes the annual rate of
the same rate of obsolescence, be reduced
decrease in the curve, or the rate
to ninety.
solescence.
And if the rate from age 24
to 25 were approximately the same, the
eighty-one.
And
similarly,
drop from eighty-one would
enty-three.
the
be to sev-
Conceivably the process con-
tinues indefinitely, with the older groups
becoming practically zero.
logarithmic
Per cent of decrease is ex-
This rate is almost the exact opposite
of
the
rate
of
or
normal
curve,
But a satisfactory fit was not se-
cured
and
logic
indicated
that
the
opposing forces of lag and obsolescence
should
be isolated.
By
interest.
It
capital
is
decreased
instead
of
in-
creased.
form:
log y = log y c + x log b
an equation of the type:
Pearson's types I, III, and I X , and others.
compound
indicates the rate at which the principal
ting to the data, including the normal
the
ob-
By shifting the equation to logarithmic
Several curves were considered for fitcurve,
of
pressed by (iooto).
group of ninety would drop to approximately
and
is time elapsed. When
year
and, suffering
lag
(y 0 )
dropping
data
Y = A +
BX
the curve takes the form of
line.
a straight
By the short method of least squares
this is easily fitted to the data in logarithmic form.
For simple graphic analy-
for the rising portion of the curve for
sis and illustration, the data of imprint
the first few years and limiting consid-
dates may be plotted
eration to the rate of decline after the
logarithmic grids, as already indicated.
early maximum was reached, the effect of
lag was substantially eliminated.
The
curves
thus
sented in Diagram 1.
remaining
directly on semi-
For easy computation and quick graphic
checking, the data of imprint dates may
are
pre-
Data for the Shaw
be grouped
into
five-year
periods
and
immediately transferred into logarithms.
and Mohrhardt lists have been grouped
Plotting of logarithms is illustrated for
in
four subject sections in Diagram 2.
five-year
periods
for
simplicity,
but
this could not be done for the Shaw supplement.
A
similar curve for book cir-
culation at Hamilton College Library is
included and will be described later.
These curves, plotted on a logarithmic
MARCH,
1944
Rates
of
Obsolescence
By means of the formulae and methods
outlined above, the rates of obsolescence
have been computed for nineteen subject
117
groups in the select lists; they are pre-
tion
sented
chosen was 8.1 per cent smaller than for
in
Table
I.
The
number
of
of
the
list
the
and
Mohr-
is,
titles
were 500 titles ten years old, there were
Shaw
That
of
two
First,
year.
number
groups has been reduced to nineteen for
reasons.
preceding
the
if
there
hardt did not use exactly the same clas-
some 8.1 per cent fewer, or approximately
sifications, e.g.,
460
"Romance Languages" as
2000 4000
30
in
the
eleven-year-old
. \
group;
and
Legend
- Shaw List
— Mohrhardt
— — — Shhw Supp.
-t h Hamilton
400 1500 3000-
300-
rf go'
1000 2000-
4.* E
10
O <D 500 1000 rH
u a
OJ a.
.a 3
£ tn
3
•s J
30
1900
20
Imprint Dates
DIAGRAM
I
I M P R I N T D A T E S OF T I T L E S I N T H E S E L E C T L I S T S A N D
AT HAMILTON
used by
Shaw was split by
into "French"
and
Mohrhardt
"Spanish."
Second,
some subject classes such as "Botany" and
"Zoology"
were
too small
for effective
separate treatment and similar enough to
T a b l e I reads as follows: For the enis 8.1
per cent.
tion and
the rate of
For
Hygiene"
obsolescence
"Physical
it is 21.6
8.1 per cent of 460 fewer, or 421, in the
twelve-year-old group.
These rates may be compared by rank
but
as ratios
they
cannot
be added
averaged.
Educa-
per
cent.
agreement in (&)) for each subject in the
three
tween
lists.
The
rank:
correlation
the rates for the Shaw List
the supplement is + . 5 3 ;
and
ject
Shaw supplement and Mohrhardt,
In
the
number of titles which comprise it, this
subject ranks eighteenth.
Mohrhardt,
between
T h i s rate is highest in rank of all subgroups in the Shaw List.
or
It is evident that there is substantial
combine readily into larger groups.
tire Shaw List
CIRCULATION
COLLEGE
Further
direct
detailed
relationship
+.84;
between
and
Shaw
between
analysis
the
+.66.
reveals
the
be-
size
no
or
T h e rate of 8.1 indicates that in gen-
total number of titles in a subject group
eral for each year back from the compila-
and its (to) nor between the number of
v 118
COLLEGE
AND
RESEARCH
LIBRARIES
titles
in
The
the
maximum
year
and
(w).
rate of obsolescence seems to be
E d u c a t i o n " and " C h e m i s t r y and Pltysics."
But
one
of
the
smallest
groups, has a medium rate.
not a variable dependent upon some other
matics," " M u s i c , " and " P h i l o s o p h y " are
continuous
small groups w i t h l o w rates.
variable.
No
other
ordinal
relationship of the respective subject sections has been found to correlate definite-
Sociology
T h e M o h r h a r d t List,
And "Mathe-
as a whole, is the
smallest of the three and has the highest
History
DIAGRAM
THE
2
R A T E OF O B S O L E S C E N C E
ly w i t h (to) in either the positive or the
rate.
negative.
total but limited to only ten years.
There
^
"Geography,"
a property peculiar to each subject and
larger
Perhaps
lower
to
conversely,
have
a
some
totals for each of these years are much
lower
rate.
nearer to those of the original S h a w
a subject h a v i n g
a
titles.
This
is true
in
List
f o r titles of the same age.
rate may have a tendency to ac-
c u m u l a t e more
The
for
is a slight tendency
subjects
T h e S h a w supplement is small in
In some fields, such as " C h e m i s t r y and
" E n g l i s h , " " H i s t o r y , " and " G e n e r a l ; " yet
ics," a large proportion of current research
"Mathematics,"
is
" M u s i c , " and
"Philoso-
published
in
professional
journals.
p h y " all a m o n g the smaller subjects, f a l l
M a n y of the books are either textbooks or
l o w in (<o).
handbooks and reference books.
Similarly, small subjects might be small
T h e bear-
ing of this fact on obsolescence is difficult to
because their titles do not l o n g survive,
evaluate.
i.e., because their rate of obsolescence w a s
need f o r current
high.
the journals and the output of n e w book
T h i s may be the case w i t h " P h y s i c a l
MARCH,
1944
^
Physics," " P s y c h o l o g y , " and " M a t h e m a t -
From
one point of v i e w
publication
is met
the
by
119
^
titles is c o n s e q u e n t l y r e d u c e d .
ly
by
the
rapid
the
developments
journal
frequent
articles
revisions
and
books a n d
handbooks
flected
a
in
high
present
changes
of
selection
in
place
textbe
re-
technical
books
obsolescence.
m a t i c a l l y s t a t e d by
has
been
for
The
all
within
entire
three
eleven
of
process
the
years
clearly any fundamental
of
lists
took
(1929-40).
T h i s p e r i o d is n o t l o n g e n o u g h to
T h e p r o b l e m of s u c h obsolescence in the
field of
study.
occasion
must
and should
rate
a n y s u c h c h a n g e s w i t h i n the l i m i t s of the
Converse-
characterized
show
changes.
T h e possibility of a g e n e r a l s h i f t in the
dra-
r a t e d u r i n g the p e r i o d 1 8 9 0 - 1 9 2 0 is sug-
Thompson.5
gested by the y e a r l y t o t a l s f o r the
Shaw
a n d M o h r h a r d t lists a n d in m a n y s u b j e c t
Fluctuations
in
(to)
sections.
I t is q u i t e possible t h a t the (to)
given subject might change
of y e a r s .
a
for a
over a
change
in
approach
all
span
T h i s c h a n g e m i g h t be d u e
general
straight
or
In
the
lines,
curves
process
it w a s
rose
above
to
f o r the period of
in
ceeding
ten-year
of
fitting
found
the
that
straight
1900-10.
period
the
nearly
lines
I n the
they
fell
suc-
below.
TABLE I
R A T E OF OBSOLESCENCE (CO) IN THE THREE SELECT LISTS
Shaw '31
Subject Section
100
CO
Total
Physical Education, Health
Education
Economics
Chemistry, Physics
Psychology
Sociology
Political Science
Geography
Botany, Zoology
Religion
History
Fine Arts
English
General, Astronomy,
Geology
Mathematics
Foreign Languages
Music
Philosophy
Classics
8.1
21.6
15-3
13.2
12.9
12.4
11.7
10.9
9.6
7-9
7-7
6.7
6.7
6.5
6-3
6.0
5-7
4-9
4.2
4.0
Shaw Supplement
CO
Rank
Size
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
18
10
5
16
7
8
9
10
11.5
11.5
13
14
15
16
100
CO
17
9
8
19
13
12
2
7
1
3
15
4
14
11
6
17
18
19
Size
co
Rank Rank
7
6
18
9
14.5
1
11
2
9.6
16.2
13.2
15.2
21 .7
17.8
13-7
14.5
13.6
I4.0
9-1
9-5
10.7
8.6
14
19
9
5
17
13
4
17
5
16
14.5
13
10.9
6.2
6.7
10.7
7-4
7-4
7-i
i-5
12.8
15.9
3-6
7-4
19
9
3
9
12
m e t h o d o l o g y in a s u b j e c t or t o a s u d d e n
This
contemporary
field.
interest
or expansion
in
the
I t has n o t been possible to isolate
5 Thompson, J. S.
The Technical Book
Publisher
in Wartimes.
N e w Y o r k , New Y o r k Public Library,
1942, p. 9-10.
v 120
pattern
or
cycle
CO
Size
Rank Rank
100
CO
8.4
3 1 -3 j 1
11
9-o
19.1/
4
2
23-4
5-5
15
19.7
3
6
14.8
10.7
10
14-7
7
18
1.6
8.2
12
14.6
8
4.1
16
increase
of
Mohrhardt
15
17
7
5
14
15
10
11
18
8
12
2
6
1
10
19
18
12
16.5
16.5
3
19
4
16
13
9
3
9
4
I
2
7
5
8
6
14
13
11
is a
function
c o n d i t i o n s , n o t of
the
of
age
of the titles.
T h e rise m a y be ascribed to a n u m b e r
of
factors:
COLL EGE AND
(a)
an increased
RESEARCH
production
LIBRARIES
of books in the p e r i o d ; ( b ) an increased
Of
proportion of
made in terms of individual
r i o d ; and
portion
desirable books in the pe-
(c)
of
s u r v i v a l of a l a r g e r
these
titles
because
pro-
enough
course n o definite statements can be
titles.
But,
r e g a r d i n g a given g r o u p , predictions can
be made
with
the same justification
as
stronger titles did not appear in the w a r
they are in similar situations in life in-
years immediately
surance and annuities.
following.
The
drop
m a y be due to a reverse of these conditions.
in
C e r t a i n l y it w a s not due to drop
production
alone,
for
there
was
a
The
annual
mortality
rate
g i v e n g r o u p is expressed by
for
( t o ) , or, in
terms of per cent, ( i o o c o ) . T h e number of
w e a l t h of publications in history and po-
titles r e m a i n i n g in the g r o u p
litical science d u r i n g the w a r years.
the lapse of a time ( t ) is given b y :
It
of
these
publications
in
(yr)
after
yr = y0(i-o))t
is more likely that the v e r y u r g e n c y and
immediacy
any
a
I t is possible to compute the time re-
critical period condemned them to short
quired to reduce the g r o u p to any given
life.
A
remainder
m u c h l a r g e r v o l u m e of data, cover-
and
the
average
life
or
life
T h e r e are m a n y applications
expectancy.
i n g a l o n g e r span of time, w o u l d be re-
of the exponential
quired
been f u l l y explored by w o r k e r s in other
to
demonstrate
nature and extent of
conclusively
fluctuations
the
in
(o)
f o r given subjects.
In
this
clared
nomical]
cultural
"purely
time
time
Sorokin
has
quantitative
cannot
and
and
here.
connection
that
fields
de-
[astro-
replace
is inadequate
sociofor
study of sociocultural p h e n o m e n a . " 6
a
As
they
Some
equation w h i c h
need
of
the
not
be
simplest
have
mentioned
and
most
satisfactory analogies m a y be f o u n d in the
field
of
radioactivity
and
the
decay
of
radioactive substances.
Comparison
with
Library
Holdings
an example he points out that " O n e y e a r
T h e lists have been generally accepted
of existence of a m o d e r n social g r o u p is
as practical standards for college l i b r a r y
packed w i t h more n u m e r o u s and g r e a t e r
collections.
changes than are f i f t y years of
w h i c h emerge f r o m analysis of these lists
existence
But
no
general
principles
Some
can be g e n e r a l l y accepted until they are
investigators have studied a similar prob-
compared and tested against actual library
lem in the process of
situations.
of some isolated primitive t r i b e . " 7
forgetting,
where
the n a t u r e and intensity of activities be-
T o do this, samples w e r e taken
f r o m the shelflists of five local
libraries
t w e e n the l e a r n i n g period and the reten-
f o r f o u r subject sections.
tion test are factors.
c o m p u t a t i o n are presented in T a b l e 2.
Li-
braries B , C , and D
the
Mortality
and Life
Expectancy
possible certain generalizations
have acquired
bulk of their collections w i t h i n the past
F i t t i n g of the exponential equation to
the data and c o m p u t a t i o n of
T h e results of
t w e n t y - f i v e years.
L i b r a r i e s A and E are
makes
m u c h older but each has f o l l o w e d a f a i r l y
regarding
systematic policy of w e e d i n g and discard-
(co)
the life expectancy and m o r t a l i t y of books.
ing.
Sorokin, P. A.
Sociocultural
Causality,
Space,
Time.
Durham, N.C., Duke University Press, 1943,
t w e e n the libraries and the lists in rela-
A l t h o u g h there is s t r o n g agreement be6
tive
MARCH,
1944
ranks
of
the
coefficients
for
each
121
s u b j e c t , it is e v i d e n t t h a t , in the a g g r e g a t e ,
a c o l l e c t i o n m a y be b r o a d e n e d is in g r e a t e r
the coefficients o r r a t e s are l o w e r f o r t h e
e m p h a s i s o n the h i s t o r i c a l b a c k g r o u n d a n d
l i b r a r i e s t h a n f o r t h e lists.
development
The
interpretation
between
the
of
libraries
this
and
p e n d s u p o n the p o i n t of v i e w .
of
the lists m i g h t
difference
the
say t h a t
lists
de-
A defender
the
books
rapidly
a
subject.
Thus
which
have
become
The
obsolete
analysis
f a i l e d t o d i s c a r d to a g r e a t e n o u g h e x t e n t .
its f u n c t i o n s w i l l
of
each
R A T E S OF O B S O L E S C E N C E IN C O L L E G E L I B R A R I E S
individual
library
i n d i c a t e the
Library
essential,
however,
redefined
and
not
than
more
be-
O n l y a careful
that
restudied
and
directions
in w h i c h the e m p h a s i s s h o u l d
2
for
t r u t h seems t o lie s o m e w h e r e
t w e e n the t w o e x t r e m e s .
e n o u g h o r in sufficient q u a n t i t y a n d h a v e
TABLE
there
o r d i n a r y d a i l y use.
libraries
have failed to add n e w material
of
is m o r e reason f o r r e t a i n i n g e x a m p l e s of
be.
It
is
the
problem
at
intervals
of
And
li-
ten years.
be
the
b r a r i a n m u s t c a m p a i g n ceaselessly a g a i n s t
Subject
A
Chemistry
andphysics 4 . 1
Sociology
2.5
History
0.1
Classics
*
B
C
D
E
the
inevitable
coupled
6.1
11.0
3.1
1.1
12.8
10.5
6.1
6.0
12.9
10.5
5.2
3.0
5.7
2.1
1.1
*
v Logsdon
C o n v e r s e l y , it m a y be said t h a t the limands
upon
inertia
which,
frequent
lack
of
Study
evidence
from
the
point
of c o m p i l e r s of lists h a s been
sented by L o g s d o n . 8
of
pre-
I n his s t u d y of in-
de-
proof
of
includes
t h e v a l i d i t y of l o w e r r a t e s — a n d t h a t the
lescence.
r a t e s d e r i v e d f r o m the lists a r e too h i g h ,
g a t h e r e d f r o m r e a d i n g lists in e i g h t y - e i g h t
especially
textbooks.
a
latest
them—pragmatic
the
larger
and
older
li-
I t is o b v i o u s t h a t in s e l e c t i n g f o r
list o r
certain
for
meeting
and
too
the
braries.
successfully
s
Further
view
are
all
f u n d s , p r e v e n t s his a t t a i n i n g the i d e a l .
* Denotes negative results, i.e., a preponderance
of older material rather than new.
braries
lag
with
in
buying
preferences
publications.
t h r e e periods.
to
r a t e of
Yet
the
balance
in
may
be o n l y
for
slightly
b e t t e r . T h i s m a y w e l l be t h e s i t u a t i o n in
n o n e w titles h a v e been a d d e d in r e c e n t
y e a r s a n d w h e r e the d e m a n d is s m a l l .
a b s o l u t e size of a c o l l e c t i o n
may
also be a f a c t o r in d e f i n i n g obsolescence.
F o r one d i r e c t i o n in w h i c h the scope of
v 122
He
accrue
the
basic
sociology,
analysis
list
of
of
he
obso-
titles
was
describes obsolescence
t h e c i t a t i o n r e c o r d of
will
classics in l i b r a r i e s A a n d E , w h e r e a l m o s t
The
t e r m s of
of
extensive
His
library,
o l d e r l i b r a r y is n o t o f t e n j u s t i f i e d in disone w h i c h
an
a new
c a r d i n g a n o l d e r t i t l e it a l r e a d y has
new
literature
for
f a v o r of the n e w m a y be so s l i g h t t h a t the
a
structional
F r o m his t a b l e
obsolescence
(<o)
( p . 32)
has been
a
com-
puted
as .148 o r
would
i n d i c a t e t h a t i n t e r e s t in the titles
he
found
listed
c e n t each y e a r .
14.8 per
in
titles in
declined
cent.
nearly
This
15
per
T h i s is c o m p a r a b l e w i t h
the rates listed in T a b l e 1 f o r " S o c i o l o g y , "
viz.:
Shaw,
Mohrhardt,
11.7;
13.7.
supplement,
Logsdon's
19.7;
findings
t h u s a p p e a r t o be in s u b s t a n t i a l a g r e e m e n t
w i t h those a l r e a d y p r e s e n t e d .
«
8 Logsdon, R. H.
The Instructional Literature of
Sociology and the Administration
of College
Library
Book Collections.
Chicago, 1942.
ioip.
Unpub-
lished thesis for Ph.D.
COLLEGE
AND
RESEARCH
LIBRARIES
Circulation
The
Experience
materials beyond that contemplated by the
rates of obsolescence w h i c h
have
been presented so f a r have been computed
on the basis of select lists,
approaching
ideal situations, and actual l i b r a r y collections.
Even
actual
library
collections
have s o m e t h i n g of the ideal about them,
since they are gathered in anticipation of
need.
Actual
books
is
experience
desirable.
in the
Such
use
of
experience
is
the daily l i f e of any busy l i b r a r y b u t it is
seldom
recorded.
An
important
excep-
tion is Stieg's study of circulation at H a m ilton
College.9
I n his T a b l e 4 (p. 4 0 ) S t i e g records the
imprint dates of titles circulated.
A curve
compilers of the select lists.
pilers m a d e v i r t u a l l y
than 0.2 per
a
p a r t of
Diagram
1.
The
strong
similarity b e t w e e n distribution of imprint
dates
in
the
three select
lists
and
the
distribution of imprint dates of titles circulated is apparent.
cence
(to)
T h e rate of obsoles-
m a y be c o m p u t e d f r o m each
c o l u m n in Stieg's table and expressed as
follows:
A
(less
published
cent of the circulation w a s in titles published prior to 1850, i n c l u d i n g even seventeenth and sixteenth c e n t u r y titles.
Some
of the older titles m a y h a v e been
with-
d r a w n because of interest in their physical
f o r m rather than f o r o r d i n a r y r e a d i n g or
O n the other hand, these
reference use.
rates
are
closer
to
those
derived
from
c h e c k i n g of the five l i b r a r y collections, as
s h o w n in T a b l e 2.
Suggestions
for Further
The
is
writer
Study
conscious
of
having
scratched only the surface of one corner
of a vast field.
He
hopes that he
has
t u r n e d up a f e w u s e f u l ideas and facts.
I t seems w o r t h w h i l e to list some of the
possibilities f o r f u t u r e research and practical application.
Much
of
the
practical
application m u s t a w a i t f u r t h e r research in
clarification and s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n of m a n y
F o r 1938-39
5.0 per cent
F o r 1939-40
4.8 per cent
F o r 1940-41
4.9 per cent
comparison w i t h
8.1
and 8.4 f o r the
supplement.
The
f o r the S h a w
List
be accounted foi* in p a r t
circumstances.
First,
the
by
collec-
tion ( " a b o u t 190,000 v o l u m e s " ) is m u c h
than the lists and perforce
contain m o r e older material.
must
Second, the
instructional p r o g r a m of the college m a y
be p l a n n e d to take a d v a n t a g e of
resources by provision
for
use of
greater
older
9 Stieg, Lewis.
" A Technique for Evaluating the
College Library Book Collection." Library
Quarterly
13:34-44, January 1943.
MARCH,
1944
coefficients
of
obsolescence
sented here are by no means final.
T h e l o w e r rate at H a m i l t o n f o r circulation m a y
larger
titles
phases.
r o u g h mean m a y be taken at 4.9 f o r
several
for
prior to 1850, w h i l e at H a m i l t o n 1 . 2 4 per
f o r the data of 1 9 3 8 - 3 9 has been plotted
as
cent)
T h e s e com-
no provision
preTheir
c o m p u t a t i o n has been presented in support
and illustration of the m e t h o d .
to
standardize
them
by
I t remains
application
to
l a r g e g r o u p s of libraries and by f u r t h e r
study.
W h a t happens w h e n a l i b r a r y does not
discard old books is itself a problem f o r
f u r t h e r study.
B y w h a t c u r v e or l a w the
g r o w t h of libraries takes place and w h a t
m a y be expected in the f u t u r e , are open
questions.
Analysis
The
of
writer
Collections
believes
that
a
powerful
tool can be built f o r the analysis of book
123
collections.
Heretofore
libraries
have
be examined in the l i g h t of the purposes
been compared w i t h respect to size of their
of the l i b r a r y .
collections and a n n u a l additions or w i t h
policy of r e t a i n i n g otherwise obsolete ma-
If
there is a
respect to their h o l d i n g s of specific titles.
terial f o r some definite purpose, no f u r t h e r
N o w it should be possible to e v a l u a t e in
justification is needed.
quantitative terms at least one f a c t o r in
remembered that the costs of housing and
the q u a l i t y
c a r i n g f o r the older material can
of
collections.
T h e extent to w h i c h the ( w ) c o m p u t e d
for
a given
library
may
differ
from
a
g e n e r a l l y accepted s t a n d a r d m a y be taken
as an o b j e c t i v e indication of its deviation
f r o m the n o r m .
rived
are
pressed
no
substitute
purposes
library.
If
figures
or
as m a y be defor
special
policies of
a
ex-
given
a l i b r a r y chooses to be difBut
the
deviation can still be measured.
or
collection
generally
accepted
in
a library
standard
For
example,
if
with
can
basis f o r an e v a l u a t i o n or f o r
action.
New
light
on
many
of l i b r a r y collections can be cast by computations
from
the
exponential
A n o f f e r of a l a r g e g i f t of older
ma-
terial can be w e i g h e d w i t h r e g a r d to w h a t
be
a
the
corrective
in a study
of
library.
I t m i g h t fill in a gap l e f t in the
past but, m o r e likely, it w i l l increase the
proportion of obsolescent material.
And,
if
same
the
library
f o r comparable
libraries
is to
maintain
books and
h a v e to be
discarding old
F o r the college library faced w i t h the
necessity of
tion f r o m the n o r m .
lesser-used portions of
the l i b r a r y is
ones
accelerated.
is at least .08, there is an obvious deviaT h e cause f o r this
the
standards in the f u t u r e , the pace of adding new
(a)
formula
or by simple graphic illustration.
will
deviation m a y be that
administrative
problems in the g a t h e r i n g and maintenance
finds an (to) of .01 w h e r e a s the g e n e r a l l y
figure
Problems
Administrative
its collection of sociology a college l i b r a r y
approved
legiti-
it w i l l do to the present distribution of a
C o m p a r i s o n of the ((o) f o r a g i v e n subject
be
use.
f e r e n t and has good reasons, therein lies
the justification f o r deviation.
it m u s t
m a t e l y be chargeable only to this special
I t must be remembered,
h o w e v e r , that such
But
deliberate
storing or setting aside
the
its collections,
as
suggested by m a n y and practiced by f e w ,
not a d d i n g n e w books in sufficient quan-
the f o r m u l a
tities and
p l a n n i n g w h a t to segregate and in estimat-
(b)
older material.
that it is not
discarding
If the g e n e r a l l y accepted
and
rates m a y
be used
in
ing the d e m a n d f o r segregated m a t e r i a l .
within
A s s u m i n g an (<o) of .05 f o r an entire
five years {i.e., the m a x i m u m point on the
collection, as suggested by the experience
(y0)
f o r sociology
is f o r t y titles
c u r v e as described)
and the l i b r a r y
only t w e n t y titles at m a x i m u m ,
has
then
least part of the difficulty is evident.
at
I t is
at H a m i l t o n C o l l e g e , the h a l f - l i f e w i l l be
approximately
half
of
f o u r t e e n years.
That
the u s e f u l collection w i l l
is,
be in
f a i l u r e to add sufficient n e w material each
titles f o u r t e e n years old or less.
year.
three-fourths of the demand w i l l be f o r
B u t if the l i b r a r y has been a d d i n g an
Likewise,
books less than t w e n t y - e i g h t years old or
average of f o r t y titles per year, the slight
certainly less than thirty years old.
slope of the c u r v e is due to f a i l u r e to dis-
average l i f e or l i f e expectancy w o u l d be
card older materials.
about t w e n t y years.
v 124
T h i s failure
may
COLLEGE
AND
RESEARCH
The
LIBRARIES
J
Titles
college
over
thirty years old
libraries
comprise
of the collection.
at
in
many
least
half
B u t only a small pro-
public
nonprofit
standing
and
institutions.
statement
Under-
the
rate
financial
probably not more than 10 per cent.
contribution t o w a r d
terms
would
be an
important
the solution of
50 plus 10 per cent, or 6 0 per cent of
problem.
the collection, m a y account f o r 90 to 95
provide a u s e f u l lever in annual
per cent
of
the
demand
or
circulation.
of
obsolescence of l i b r a r y book collections in
portion are in active or potential demand,
Thus
of
Such i n f o r m a t i o n
requests.
this
should
also
budget
T h e librarian can readily dem-
Because the r e m a i n i n g 40 per cent w o u l d
onstrate
be used so little, these v o l u m e s m i g h t be
chased a n n u a l l y to keep his collection up
removed to a less accessible place of storage
to the standards set f o r it.
w i t h v e r y little inconvenience.
m i g h t be removed
Or
f r o m service
they
entirely
how
many
problem.
when
total use of the library.
of older books.
loss
of
by
a
pur-
to
dispose
of
He
must
unsold
decide
inventories
H i s editors must decide
certainly
be
w h e n a book needs to be revised or even
corresponding
in-
w h e n a n e w book is needed in a g i v e n
use w o u l d
/ counterbalanced
be
T h e publisher has other phases of the
accounting
w i t h a loss of only 5 to 10 per cent of the
This
titles m u s t
crease in efficiency in the use of the l i v e
field.
Some help in these problems should
material
come
from
retained.
W i t h i n a library it m a y be desirable to
knowledge
of
the
rates
of
obsolescence f o r various types of book.
compare several sections, w i t h a v i e w to
A m o n g the m o r e general problems
d e t e r m i n i n g relative need for book f u n d s . 1 0
the solution of w h i c h this study m a y make
I n b u d g e t i n g d e p a r t m e n t a l purchases it is
some contribution is that of the general
important
rate of c u l t u r a l evolution.
many
to
titles
know
are
approximately
required
each
each subject and to k n o w
that
how
year
in
replace-
to
B o o k s repre-
sent one of the higher f o r m s of
culture
and the rate at w h i c h they are discarded
ments in such fields as classics are needed
and
less
as to the rate of evolution of the general
urgently
sciences.
than
in
Conversely,
classics m a y
claim
wisely
on
spent
that
certain
the
the
professor
money
books w i t h
of
of
is more
longer
life
may
give
some
suggestion
c u l t u r e of w h i c h they f o r m a part.
haps some
future
investigator
Per-
with
the
means and spirit m a y find it possible to
compare various c u l t u r e groups in speed
expectancy.
O n e of the least explored areas of cost
a c c o u n t i n g is that
f o r public and
semi-
Coney, Donald. " A n .Experimental Index for Apportioning Departmental Book Funds for a University Library."
Library Quarterly
12:422-28, July
1942.
10
MARCH,
replaced
1944
of evolution by study of their books.
might
compare
stable
and
some
permanent
of
the
One
relatively
Oriental
groups
w i t h the relatively d y n a m i c state in E u rope and A m e r i c a .
125