Library Report

Those who have been forced to limit their magazine subscriptions and budget their book purchases will have no trouble understanding how the decreased purchasing power of the dollar has made its inroads in the acquisition of books for Baker Library.

"People sharing the standard set by almost all other college libraries might well reflect that the reduction in the book-buying power of the Dartmouth College Library was sadly bringing it to the status of being down to its last three yachts. Yet any reduction in our library standard of living is a real threat to the equanimity of many of us for whom the Dartmouth Library has been for a generation the apple of our eye."

The allusion to the "three yachts" in this quotation from the "Report of the Committee on the Library" in the most recent Faculty Bulletin is possible because of the Sanborn Book Fund of over $1,000.000. The generous endowment was given to the College in 1928 through the bequest of Edwin W. Sanborn, Class of 1878. The income from this fund has allowed the library to purchase not only books that are desirable for usual undergraduate work but also to develop a reference library and special collections that attract many scholars and writers. In 1950, however, only about one-third as many books were purchased as the annual average for the 1930-1940 decade. But, and there is a brighter side, we now receive more than half as many volumes as gifts as we are able to purchase. Many of the gifts come to Baker through the Friends of the Dartmouth Library.

During the last year this notable organization, dedicated to the proposition that it is a man's individual concern to support what he considers most worthwhile, has received numerous interesting and valuable gifts.

In a more or less random sample, we will list a few recent gifts that have enriched Baker.

George Matthew Adams has added to the collections of E. W. Howe, Stephen Crane, Ambrose Pierce, and Vachel Lind- say previously given by him.

Perc S. Brown, the father of two Dartmouth men, is a most generous friend of the Library. He has given over 400 valuable books as well as objects of art. Most recently he presented the Library with a bust of Lincoln by Leonard W. Volk, two paintings illustrating the Pickwick Papers and 39 books including presentation copies from a number of important British authors.

Henry S. Embree '30 made a splendid contribution of more than 60 first editions of John Masefield.

Robert Frost '96 gave a notebook containing several poems in manuscript, including the first draft of Place for a Third.

Kenneth Roberts gave the Library corrected proof from Rabble in Arms as well as some pages from Lydia Bailey.

A copy of the Bruce Rogers' limited edition of T. E. Lawrence's Odyssey and the Overbrook Press edition of Shakespeare's Poems have been presented through The Friends of the Dartmouth Library by Edward K. Robinson '04.

Professor Herbert F. West '22, Secretary of the Friends, has continued his donations to the Library with 26 first editions of George Blake and a valuable collection of Henry Miller, including 40 first editions, magazines containing material by Miller, typescript and letters.

It seems only right to mention here that gifts to Baker Library are always "grate- fully received." Each year the Friends of the Library purchase valuable books through funds collected as dues and donations.

The Library had a total of 679,785 volumes on last June 30. The Committee's report showed that the circulation figures for the last fiscal year totaled 235,200 volumes, with a breakdown of 79,400 from the main desk and 155,800 taken on loan from the reserve desk. Professor John B. Stearns '16 who wrote the report had this observation about the figures:

"From the humanistic point of view the tabulation above, like many another such dingus, reveals nothing. It overlooks completely the fact that repeatedly during the current fiscal year individuals have been caught in flagrante delicto, and in the stacks also, using books—books which are fated never to appear in our official figures."

We would add here that a number of men can usually be seen browsing in the Tower Room, the Poetry Room, the Treasure Room, Sanborn Library, and certain other areas of Baker known to those who don't mind being caught inflagrante delicto.